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When babies cry

Dec 12
Posted by pankti in Motherhood, New Baby

There are numerous reasons as to why babies cry. Sometimes babies cry because they are hungry, sometimes because of indigestion and stomach pain while some other times, they just cry for no reason at all! Indeed, handling a baby is no easy task. Hats off to all the mothers who have raised and have been raising their kids so well!

In the human kind, crying is the first form of communication. It is the only way a baby communicates to their mother and father. Crying is also a language in itself. Ask most experienced mothers and they will tell you what sort of crying means what for the baby. Over the period of time, mothers tend to understand what the baby is expressing through its cry.

Most of the times, babies cry when they are hungry. Babies also sometimes cry because of fatigue. The first time parents really get apprehensive because they think that the baby is facing certain problems or going through pain that the parents cannot understand. But some babies cry for no reason at all. Your baby will eventually outgrow this habit. Some babies also cry before going to the bed. A bedtime routine and adequate rest during the day is what the baby needs. Babies also cry because they often feel uncomfortable if they have swallowed air. Try and keep the baby upright as this will help them to swallow less air while feeding. Just observe for a few days what suits your baby, what are the certain patterns that your baby follows and what are his sleep timings. You will slowly get to know why your baby is crying and will be able to provide him or her with the right thing.

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Baby’s Clothes

Dec 10
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, New Baby

One of the toughest works for any mother would be taking care of baby’s clothes. It is no doubt a problematic task that needs to be done any which way. The thing with a cloth is that it is very close to a baby’s skin and because of that clothes need to be in hygienic condition. It is quite imperative for parents to keep baby’s clothes germ free. Baby will also feel comfortable if her clothes are cool, comfortable, soft and clean. Parents need to devote utmost attention to hygiene factor and any carelessness in this regard can prove costly. A new born baby is susceptible to allergy or any sort of reaction if clothes are not well managed. So apart from health perspective, clean clothes also help in making baby feel comfortable and relaxed.

Ideally, baby’s clothes should be washed with a soap or mild detergent. Don’t use any detergent that has high levels of chemicals in it. Strong detergents make clothes very harsh and rough and that will make baby uncomfortable. It is also important to get every ounce of detergent out of clothes so health perspective.

You can also use fabric softeners while washing baby’s clothes. That will help in keeping baby’s clothes soft. One mistake often committed by people is washing baby’s clothes with adult’s clothes or others clothes. Avoid that habit as germs from other clothes can harm your baby. Soap should always be washed completely off from baby’s clothes. You should also dry baby’s clothes in sun because that will ensure all the germs present in clothes will be killed completely. Finally, avoid using detergents with strong scents and soak your baby’s clothes in warm water before washing. Following all these suggestions will keep your baby healthy and hearty.

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Sleeping Tips

Dec 08
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, New Baby

So you along with several other parents are facing the problem of sleeping cycle of the baby? Sleepless nights are often faced by parents and they keep wondering to handle this problem. When the baby is born there is all round excitement and parents experience world of emotions. But soon enough the pleasure is accompanied by gamut of emotions ranging from hormonal changes, sleepless nights and constant feedings. This is experienced by every mother and no doubt it is hard. So ideally, mothers should prepare themselves for such eventualities. When it has to happen anyway then why not get yourself ready for it any which way? Probably, few months or years down the line, you are going to remember all this and feel proud of whatever sacrifices you made and pain you endured. For the first few months, you have to be ready for sleepless nights keeping aside all your works. You have to adjust your timing according to baby’s sleeping pattern and hours.

As the baby grows, she will start sleeping longer. You should never try your baby to change sleep pattern like forcefully keeping her awake during the day so that she will be sleeping all night. Don’t do that. A baby needs lots of sleep and forced sleeping cycles will adversely affect her. Let her sleep as and when she desires. You can also change certain things like keeping silent in nights and turning off the lights so that baby will learn that night is for sleeping.

Baby must be fed whenever she demands it. Do not try to enforce a routine as per your convenience. One more thing that you can do is to bundle up the baby in a cloth preferably cotton sheet. This way, she will feel secure and will sleep properly.

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Is Playschool Education Necessary?

Dec 08
Posted by pankti in Advice, Schools

If not in the metros and the urban cities of India, many families still feel that playschool education is not necessary and that it adds burden on to the child at an early age. This is a wrong thought. In fact, playschool education builds a foundation for the child for his suture. It is a bridge that prepares the child for school. It is true that a few decades ago, the concept of playschool was unheard of in India however, this is now hugely popular. Most parents living in urban cities want to send their kids to playschools because they have realized the importance of a playschool in a child’s life.

Most preschools in India are privately owned. This is one of the major reasons that the concept of playschool has not reached semi urban and rural areas. Government must build a scheme that lays importance to playschool education.

Playschool concept has been adopted from the west. In the west most mothers and fathers are working and they do not have enough time to devote to their kids. Hence, they send the kids to playschool where they are not just taken care of but are also made to learn and understand using a variety of toys and techniques. In India however, many mothers want to completely devote their time to their children. Such parents who feel that they can be with the kid and teach them something may consider not sending their child to the playschool. Having said that, I feel playschool helps a child to develop social skills. He or she meets other children, interacts with them, and learns from the environment and grasps a lot of new things which I feel contribute to a child’s learning.

Sending your child to a playschool helps ease him into a routine earlier on. Playschool is definitely something that helps your child in his learning and growth and more than that, most schools in today’s time prefer giving admission to children who have completed their playschool course.

Resource: http://www.preschoolsinindia.in/

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Understanding Crying Babies

Dec 06
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, New Baby

One of the biggest challenges for a parent is to how to handle crying baby. The problem is a common one faced by all the parents. The first thing you need to notice is what makes your baby cry? There could be several reasons like hunger, thirst, irritation, pain, health issues and likewise. Try remembering how did you react when the baby started crying? One option could be of picking her up every time she cries or to simply ignore her tears and pray that she stops on her own. Both options have their pros and cons. Like in case you don’t pick her up and let her cry she might develop low self-esteem and feel insecure without your touch. This can have a long term repercussions. On the other hand, if you pick her every time she cries, she will understand that what she needs to do to get held.

Parents must know that usually babies cry when they feel sleepy. What normally happens that parents let babies cry so they get tired and sleep on their own. This is more like a time tested method. This way, parents can also have a peaceful sleep. One thing parents need to remember is that a baby is not smart enough to fake her cry. She has some genuine reasons and that could be something like discomfort she is facing. She is sleep as well and has no clue how to react and what to do so she is crying.

But don’t assume that letting her cry is the only option you have. Try to comfort her and fed her because that normally makes babies sleep. Balance out the things. She may also have a need that you need to identify. May be her nappy is wet and something on the bed is making her uncomfortable. Try to recognise those signs. Don’t get panicked and understand that it is a normal thing.

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Aloe Vera beneficial for kids

Dec 02
Posted by pankti in Advice, Family

Aloe Vera is extensively used these days in many skin care and hair care products. This is because of the many benefits that the plant offers. Aloe Vera is a plant that is rich in polysaccharides, phytosterols, glycerol, vitamins E, B and C and zinc. This makes it the ideal for kinds of skin ailments like; wounds scars and burns, milder eczema a mild skin disease in which the skin swells and you feel itchy and chronic eczema, recurring acne, dark circles and psoriasis which is a common chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by scaly patches.

Aloe Vera plants can be grown at home as well and used. When drunk as a juice, Aloe Vera also helps to detoxify the body. Aloe Vera juice can be given to children as well. It not just detoxifies the body but also helps them to get the necessary nutrients. The plant is readily available at any nursery and can be kept indoors. At home, there are various ways of using it depending on the ailment. The best way is to cut a leaf, use the inner gel and apply it directly on the affected area. Do not apply any part of the outer covering as it causes skin irritation. Aloe Vera is also very good for hair and can be applied on the scalp to treat dandruff problem.

Processed aloe creams and lotions gives the skin a special glow. Creams are also available for the hair scalp. Brands like Himalaya and Kaya have a range of aloe lip balms, sunscreen lotions, acne creams, etc. These are priced between Rs.75 – Rs.120. Aloe fresh creams are also available which are reasonably priced. Parents should in fact use Aloe Vera creams, lotions etc for the entire family.

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360 degree Learning

Nov 28
Posted by pankti in Hobbies

360 degree learning is an overall learning that nurtures kids. It does not make them robots that memorize, write exams and forget what they were taught. Here, learning is more to do with the overall development of the child.  360 degree learning is based on the theory that an organism functions properly only when he uses all parts of the body. Effectively using smell, sound, sight and touch, your child can learn through all the incidents and the activities that take place in his life. Your child can experience holistic learning right from the time he enters playschool or nursery provided you take the right steps to inculcate this process of learning in his life.

 This technique is based on the concept that an organism functions properly only when all parts coordinate and co-operate with each other in their individual functioning. Holistic learning involves through activities like story-telling, playing games, making the kid feel happy about what he learns and aiming at understanding of subjects such that it stays with kids for a long time.

 Overall learning and liberal education go hand in hand. Liberal education believes that a child should be allowed to learn what he enjoys the most and he is thus offered subjects that range from a variety of disciplines. He is not restricted to learning math, sciences and social sciences. He learns subjects like guitar, singing, painting, volleyball, poetry and many others. Overall learning facilitates to make kids use all their senses and use a ‘whole body’ approach towards learning.

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Teaching Value of Money to Your Teen

Nov 28
Posted by Mritunjay in Activities, Discipline, Family

Teenage is one of most troubled phases in a person’s life. Educational changes, hormonal changes and getting aware of new things on a regular basis makes this period extremely volatile. One of the important things parents need to teach in this phase is of handling money. Handling money appropriately does not come to everyone easily. Parents need to instil this virtue in the kids. Many parents are going through the problem of their teenagers’ inability to understand the value of the money. It requires years of hard work to earn respectable amount of money.

Teaching this value will require parents to have patience and adopt the understanding approach. One of the basic things that they can do is to have the teen some money and let him decide how to spend it, how much to save and if they are confused, helping them out. This is one skill your child is going to cherish forever if you teach him this value at the right time. Parents need to make child understand the value of money by taking them on shopping. They can demonstrate what to buy, what not to buy, what is worth buying and what to ignore. Also teach them, how bargaining is done and how to handle to handle the marketing gimmick.

If given a chance, allow your teen to earn some money doing odd jobs, daily chores or even a part time job. This by no means is disrespectful and child will have a wonderful experience about learning the value of money. Parents should allow child to decide their own shopping expenditures. Even if they have some bad experiences, they will learn quickly. You can also open a saving account for your child so that he can save some of his savings. Invest on the teaching money value on your teens and it is sure to return you good dividends.

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Children and Art

Nov 27
Posted by pankti in Hobbies

Most kids love watercolors but are not good with the medium. In any painting, the planning stage is most important. Start your subject of drawing by using thumbnails- just a rough pencil outline. Once the rough thumbnail is in place, draw the required details. Many artist use tracing paper to give a detailed careful outline to the picture- remember that a good beginning is half the picture done!

 As beginners you could use tracing paper and draw and the light impression that is formed on the water colour paper can be used for further painting. Remember to keep your drawings light so that pencil marks are not seen. Now, it is important that on a rough paper you decide on the colour scheme that you want to use. It is here that you can try out all the different colour schemes. Once you have finalized on the colour scheme that you are going to choose, start preparing for the border of the page and if possible you can use a clip board. It is now that you can start painting your final product. Do not be in a hurry. Be patient. Start with a light wash of yellow so that in case you go wrong you can easily cover it up. Do all the basic coloring that is required and then proceed to do the detailing that needs to be done with fine brushes. Be careful with this! Now using the above techniques, you can easily do your water colour painting!

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Parenting Pleasures

Nov 24
Posted by Mritunjay in Family, Motherhood

The concept of parenting has witnessed a drastic change in last few decades. The restrictions have loosened up and parents have become more lenient. The roles of friends have also changed. Parents are also counsellor and friends who rely more on communication instead of sticks. Parenting is no easy job. It is a full time job that requires considerable amount of patience and restrain. If we look back at our childhood and how we were parented, things seem to have changed for better. In modern era, parents have also become more protective. The increased money power has made kids recipients of all the luxuries of the world. Some of the old and cherished virtues are nowhere in sight. The phenomenon of working parents has also resulted in parents paying less personal attention to the kids and relying on baby caretaker or maids to do their jobs.

The emotional side of parenting is extremely crucial. Most of the parents today are able to provide basic necessities like food, water and shelter to the kids but they are somehow lacking in emotional aspect. Blame it on changing dynamics of parenting or busy state of every person but things are definitely not that encouraging. This phenomenon is even more prevalent in urban parts of the world.

Small things matter a lot in life especially in the sphere of parenting. Building their self-confidence, paying attention to their little requirements, little pep-talks and some close touch is all that is required for good parenting. A child must have the feeling that he is getting undivided attention of his parents. He must feel that security and bondage with his parents. Share your stuff with the kids. Watch them play and how they perform their daily chores. Share with them their interests in art, drawing or music or dance. After all, at the end of the day, sight of your smiling child is going to take away all your anxieties and will make you extremely happy.

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