child habit’s – That Madras Mom

May 20, 2022May 20, 2022

How to raise an independent toddler ?

Not recently that I noticed my son stepping up for each and every thing mentioning that ‘i want to’ . Though he hasn’t started speaking fluently, the gibberish babble of saying and showing that he wants to do it by himself gave me a lot of thoughts.

Wanting to do everything what the adults do , including disciplining the sibling the way we do made me look at him in awe. Kids these days keep looking at you every second I say.

The desire to be independent is something that I found so adorable and at the same time exhausting as I was losing my cool very often. Though I do understand that it is our duty to raise self sufficient adults like we are.

At the same time it feels kind of scary when they take risks which I feel they are not ready yet. The mother instinct in me, one time wanted to let him try and on the other end getting tensed that don’t let him.

As a result, it did make the day longer and I knew that folding a cloth would now take ten minutes or even putting away the plate after eating.

The child’s independence is letting go of the stage in childhood. That is where realisation kicks in hard saying that they’re growing up and then there is. No going back.

So how do you encourage your toddler to be independent

Not holding them back

You always begin where you tend to hold them back, embrace their decision to do things on their own. Guide and coach then but do not hold them back and tell them there is a time to learn doing this.

This could start with them wearing shoes. Though it takes forever, I don’t think you should hurry up here. Your hands might itch to get there and get it done, but stay back and let them do it.

Show them, do together, monitor and leave them alone

Them wanting to do a task above comfort level can be scary. But what do you do when they insist on doing it.

Think whether it is age appropriate. Start by showing how it is done, proceed to doing it with them together, go ahead with monitoring when they do and help them if they get stuck and lastly let them try it alone.

You can start this by making them prepare their snack , making their bed or folding clothes.

Though the process is time consuming the end result it gives is your child being independent. It all starts with the kid watching when you do it and ends with them doing it on their own without needing your help.

Letting them do things their way

Micro management is something that nobody likes not even your toddler . You should not only embrace their decision to do things on their own but also do it in their own way.

All of us are different people in having our thinking process and our own preferences. Give them the freedom to do things their way rather than having them copy our style.

Do not help them in their struggle

Any mom doesn’t like their kid struggling. Nobody likes to see the disappointed look on their face it the anger that’s going to be building up after the failure.

When you attempt to help them it is going to be harmful for them in future. They come to a conclusion that we think they aren’t cut out for the tasks. They have the easy way to sense our doubts instead of our support in them.

In fact they wil learn much more when they fail than they learn when we step in and help them out. They also get the message that it’s okay to give up when something gets hard.

Nurture their independence letting them struggle. They will see the obstacles as challenges and find ways to come out of it.

Accomodating their independence

Having my daughter express her wish to help me in kitchen wasn’t the most efficient use of time. I realised that rather than being grateful that I’m having help ,I was more tensed if I will be able to finish cooking within the time.

But instead of saying no, I made a change. Rather than hurrying up the process , I made sure I had enough time before dinner preparation so that she could chip in and help me out.

In this way it can make them work on their own pace and keep us free from feeling the rush. You can also try this if they want to dress up themselves or pack their own lunch boxes.

We can avoid power struggles by not butt heading with them, during our routines and instead take into account their need for extra time they need to practice to do things on their own and in their own way.

December 2, 2021December 2, 2021

Gas and colic relieve in babies

A woman carries her baby for nine months inside the womb. But it doesn’t stop there. It continues until the child grows and she has to take one step at a time. Just after getting out of the delivery trauma and birthing experience, boom it’s the breastfeeding and making the baby sleep.

What is colic?

And when you say sleep it depends on a lot of factors. The baby should have been fed well and not have any issues in digestion. Quite often babies exhibit symptoms like crying for prolonged duration. Science terms this as ‘colic‘. The baby twists, turns and exhibits actions clearly denoting not being comfortable.

This could either be due to issues in digestion or difficulty in passing gas or poop. There is no clear cut reason mentioning why the baby experiences colic pain. But there are a lot of ways to ease it out and make baby calm. The behavior is repetitive and is mostly stressful for the parent especially the mother.

Ways to ease colic pain

Holding the baby in a certain position
giving tummy time
massaging the belly and naval
applying hing paste are few practices that are done to ease the pain.

But a trustworthy aid across centuries has been woodwards gripe water. Primarily contains dill seed oil and sodium bicarbonate which helps ease the pain in tummy and neutralize the stomach acid.

The gripe water is alcohol and sugar free and has been a helping hand to most new mothers who struggle with babies having colic pain. The gripe water can also be used when baby is teething since that also takes a toll on the normal digestive cycles.

As much as the method of giving birth, care during pregnancy, feeding the child, their introduction to solids, sleep schedules have seen major changes the one thing that’s been the same across generations and time immemorial has been the usage of gripe water.

Woodwards has been a trustworthy brand across generations and ancestors swear by it. Handling a colicky baby can be overwhelming and kind of exhausting at times but over a period of time kids outgrow that phase .

Could also be termed as a product that helps new mothers relax and don’t take a toll on their mental health worrying about this. When you have this handy you are rest assured you have a happy baby.

Happy baby = happy mother.

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@Sindhu Vinod Narayan. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sindhu Vinod Narayan (Thatmadrasmom) with the right and specific direction to the original content.

March 25, 2021March 26, 2021

Do structured meals help achieve growth parameters?

Gone are the days where a chubby kid was termed to be healthy. We were all once brought up with the notion that a kid was healthy and was of the right growth for his/her age if they are chubby. On the contrary, a lean child was thought to be sick or ill.

We are now in the time wherein the child’s growth is tracked with Growth Parameters. These parameters are the weight, height, head circumference, and now with the inclusion of BMI. I wasn’t aware of any instances where my parent or my pediatrician mentioned BMI. But yes, today it is also one of the growth parameters. Welcome to the world of Millennial parenting.

The worry about growth parameters doesn’t start when your kid starts eating by self, but when you conceive. The ideal weight for the fetus, the length of the thigh bone, and the head circumference for each week is already there on the charts, anything less than that is something of a worry that your doctor lets you know.

The concept of structured meals is not only when the kid is out but starts from when they’re inside you. An ideal weight gain is a parameter that is fixed for pregnant mothers and her diet varies whether or not she is providing enough for the fetus. So, a healthy baby comes from a healthy mom.

Growth parameters and structured meals for kids in India are interconnected. Structured meals or proper meal planning must begin when you start solids. This not only helps the kid achieve the right growth parameters but also brings in a good eating discipline. Failing here in the first step slowly molds a fussy eater or a picky eater.

The child achieving the age-appropriate milestones also quite has a dependency on the growth parameters. Nowadays, visits to the doctor involve a mandatory graph plot against the WHO standards and a question on the milestone being attained age-appropriate.

This not only happens during the doctor visits but also since information is now available on our hands all the time, you also check instantly by making a google search or making it much easier you even have apps to plot them for you and give you a comparison report. The Grow Right Tracker from PediaSure is one such option. Just enter the data and download the report. It helps you identify the gaps and plan ways to ensure your kids #GrowRight. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? If you still have questions you can take the report along whenever you visit your child’s doctor. It reduces stress for the mothers. Try it now!

Talking about information available to us, imagine the kids, their exposure to media, peers, and the influence that can have on their eating habits. Healthy eating through properly structured meals must be practiced right from a young age. Providing kids with healthier options in a tastier and much appetizing way sure will make an impact on their food habits. By structured meal plan, I would like to stress upon planning their meal in such a way that it has all the nutrients in a right, balanced way.

But if you still do have a picky eater, don’t worry you could supplement their eating and make them achieve the right growth parameters.

Post eight months a child should have a meal pattern which should comprise three proper meals and two snacks in between them. A snack should be something wholesome and made at home. Say fruit bowl, popsicles, multigrain, or dry fruit-based snack which is all the more, healthy.

Also, make sure you observe the patterns and intervene if you see any distractions or deviations. No mood swings, tantrums during mealtime. Most importantly no gadgets or bribing with sweets to finish a meal.

Right from birth or even before that is when the body gets into rapid growth mode, both physically and mentally so make sure that the child gets what he/she needs necessarily from the beginning. Like I mentioned above your picky eater could also have proper growth with a supplement. A supplement that offers proper growth, immunity, and brain development. PediaSure could be your adequate nutrition provider supplement that helps merge the nutritional gaps of your fussy eater. Along with nutrition you also get to keep track of your child’s growth and achieve the necessary parameters.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any brand. Any omissions or errors at the author’s end does not assume any liability or responsibility on any party mentioned in the blog.

February 22, 2019

Mother tongue – a must teach to your toddlers #superbloggerchallenge #instacuppa

The sudden burst of mother tongue related posts and videos doing round is not because of a campaign or a contest. February 21 is observed as International mother language day worldwide. If this is observed worldwide that shows the importance of mother tongue. This is observed to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity. This also familiarizes or brings awareness of a concept called multilingualism.

Going to the history of when and how this came to existence, it was Bangladesh who came up with the initiative and was approved at the UNESCO in 1999.This has been observed since the year 2000. The utmost powerful tools of conserving and evolving our physical and insubstantial heritage are the languages we speak.

Necessity of teaching your child mother tongue

Mother tongue has a major role to play in the child’s overall development. If the foundation of learning the mother tongue is strong, it is easier for the child to learn other languages. When your child is given exposure to learn to develop skills in more than one language, the easier it is for them to learn how to use them effectively. This will not be the case with a child who knows only one language. Children when exposed to learn more languages are capable of processing information in different language thereby making them more flexible.

Learning the mother tongue also helps in developing better literacy in turn increasing the vocabulary of the child; thereby making it easier when the kid goes to kindergarten.

Learning the mother tongue helps the child to feel more connected with the roots and culture. That will not be the case with children who are brought up in a place where they do not have much exposure to their mother tongue. As a result, they feel left out when they are back to where they belong.

How do you teach mother tongue?

Start teaching mother tongue at home
Communicate to them in mother tongue
Grandparents are a great learning source to teach mother tongue
Gatherings of like-minded people, in this case people who have same mother tongue
Read books in mother tongue.

How did I incorporate mother tongue in my toddler’s vocabulary?

I always teach my daughter the name of an object in tamil(my mother tongue) and English. In that way she is able to identify the object in both languages.
I always insist she calls me Amma(mother in tamil) and not mummy or mom. Same goes with Appa(father). She is taught the various terms for relatives only in mother tongue tamil.
Though she enjoys watching rhymes in English, there are equally good rhymes available in tamil as well. So she is exposed to both cultures.
The people in the house converse with her in Tamil to which she responds back well and I can also see that since us the elders talk in mother tongue at home she has picked up words from conversations and is able to use them in situations as she needs.

So let us be strong in teaching our kids the mother tongue so that they do not forget their roots and also help in preserving the vast heritage.

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com , Allaboutthewoman.com https://allaboutthewoman.com/woman-health/ and powered by Instacuppa https://instacuppastore.com and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge is not responsible for any infringement caused.”

February 22, 2019

Mother tongue – a must teach to your toddlers #superbloggerchallenge #instacuppa

Necessity of teaching your child mother tongue

Learning the mother tongue also helps in developing better literacy in turn increasing the vocabulary of the child; thereby making it easier when the kid goes to kindergarten.

How do you teach mother tongue?

Start teaching mother tongue at home
Communicate to them in mother tongue
Grandparents are a great learning source to teach mother tongue
Gatherings of like-minded people, in this case people who have same mother tongue
Read books in mother tongue.

How did I incorporate mother tongue in my toddler’s vocabulary?

I always teach my daughter the name of an object in tamil(my mother tongue) and English. In that way she is able to identify the object in both languages.
I always insist she calls me Amma(mother in tamil) and not mummy or mom. Same goes with Appa(father). She is taught the various terms for relatives only in mother tongue tamil.
Though she enjoys watching rhymes in English, there are equally good rhymes available in tamil as well. So she is exposed to both cultures.
The people in the house converse with her in Tamil to which she responds back well and I can also see that since us the elders talk in mother tongue at home she has picked up words from conversations and is able to use them in situations as she needs.

So let us be strong in teaching our kids the mother tongue so that they do not forget their roots and also help in preserving the vast heritage.

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com , Allaboutthewoman.com and powered by Instacuppa and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge is not responsible for any infringement caused.”

February 11, 2019

Books to read to your child #superbloggingchallenge #instacuppa

Reading out to your baby can begin as early as when the baby is in the womb. The baby has the ability to listen and this would make it even more easier once the baby is born. You can read out or even sing to them so that they get used to it. Listening to your voice has so many positive effects once the baby is out.

As early as two months’ baby can identify black and white so books with images in those colours can make them respond. When they are three months and older who can hold them close and start reading out aloud. Trust me this is a wonderful shared activity and something that can continue for many more years; someday or the other they are thankful to you for cultivating this habit.

Reading out to them is an important form of stimulation and helps them explore. Your child is exposed to words, which makes communication easier. Children who have knowledge of more words at a young age, imitate words from surrounding person have a rich vocabulary, identifying words from pictures makes them a good conversationalist. So let me jot down some of what I’ve read to mine and I hope it helps you too. Raising a little reader can begin any time after you conceive.

TO READ TO YOUR BABY IN WOMB:

The complete tales of Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne, illustrated by E H Shepard

This book is first on my list, mainly cause of the language used by the author. Milne is known for writing great stories for young audience, supportive of illustrations by Shepard. The book is even now handed over to next generations.

The Cazuela that the farm maiden stirred by Samantha R Vamos illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Let me tell you, I love learning and I would really want my child also to explore the world of learning. Especially many languages. This book introduces English and Spanish. The pronunciation guide at the back is a plus. The story is about farm workers and animals bringing in ingredients to make a pudding. The recipe at the back can be tried out to feed your baby when they are old enough. This is such a wonderful gifting option if you know someone who loves reading and is a pregnant or has a baby.

Dr.Seuss’s books

How can you forget Dr. Seuss’s book when you are reading out? The rhyme and tongue twisters give you a whole new experience. Green Eggs and ham is a favourite.

Llama llama red pajama By Anna Dewdney

This is a wonderful bed time story that any kid would love to listen to. How I love those illustrations.

BOOKS TO READ TO YOUR TODDLER:

I will just list them out and you can read them out to your child.

Brown bear brown bear what do you see by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle
The Pout pout fish by Debora Diesen
Guess how much I love by Sam McBratney
Giraffes can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Bellybutton book by Sandra Boynton
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
If you give a mouse a cookie by Laura Numeroff
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A bear called Paddington
The giving tree
The rainbow fish
The day the crayons quit by Drew Daywalt
The smartest giant in town
One mole digging a hole

These are my favourites and my daughter’s too. I hope you enjoy them too.

This article as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge2019 conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com, Allaboutthewoman.com and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge2019 is not responsible for any kind of infringement caused.

January 17, 2019

Parenting – Are you doing it the right way ?

Parenting:

The process of nurturing and supporting the overall development of a child which includes social, emotional, physical and intellectual. Most importantly, it does not stop with the biological relationship. In fact, it extends much more into the intricacies of each phase of human development.

Styles of parenting:

Instinctive parenting.
Attachment parenting.
Helicopter parenting.
Authoritative parenting.
Permissive parenting.

Instinctive Parenting:

This is the old school method that is being followed for ages. In most families, this is the type of parenting that can be witnessed. You trust your instincts and guide the child. Most probably, you bring up the child in a way that you were brought up by your parents or grandparents.

Attachment parenting:

Attachment parenting primarily is based on developing a strong emotional bond between parent-child. It is believed that strong attachment brings up a good emotional well-being and the child feels secure being brought up by that way. Parents who adopt this style usually are more responsive, I mean quicker to respond to the child’s needs, feelings so that the child is secure. These parents believe in natural birthing, family bed, no punishments and homeschooling.

Helicopter parenting:

This is when there is constant interaction more precisely interference with the child. Parents tend to hover like a helicopter. This type of parenting supposedly makes the child too very dependent on the parent even after they cross certain age.

Authoritative parenting:

This typically is, ‘I gave birth to you, you live on my property, so you follow my rules’ kind. Rules and guidelines are established for children to be followed. This parent is more nurturing and supportive if incase the child fails to meet expectations. Discipline according to then is being confident but not restrain, to nurture rather than reprove.

Permissive parenting

It’s a child’s choice is what the parenting is about. These parents have very few demands and rarely indulge in disciplining the child. More precise being lenient is the most important trait of the parent here. They try to be more a friend than being a parent to the child.

Good and Bad parenting:

Teaching your child, the moral of choosing what is right and wrong is the foundation of good parenting. You can refer more about this is my older article- Teaching your child good and bad choice. The key to good parenting is setting limits and being consistent. We must be firm and also be kind at the same time to make the child follow.

Anything that is negative to the above statements is termed bad parenting.

A series of action, not just one single act which can harm the child’s behavior and psychology is termed bad parenting. This is not always intentional, but this does not console you that the negative effects would lessen. This usually happens when people do not know enough or lack of the need to do it the right way. The hard thing to digest is some people are not aware of what is actually happening and some do not even care.

How do you identify bad parenting?

Scolding the child frequently.
Disciplining in front of other people. This includes grandparents as well.
Constant comparison to other kids.
No attachment or affection
No rules
Lack of support
Advice always and no encouragement
Not giving them choice
Too much pampering
Talking to them in a criticizing tone
NO respect for child’s feeling
Being overprotective of them
Being too busy and not spending time
Setting a bad example

Being a good parent

No parent is perfect. It’s just that we are all trying our best to become one and are still on the way and have a long way up.

Below cues can help you add more skills if you are already one or just the starting point for you to build up to become one.

Be the model. – Don’t keep telling them what to do; Show them how.

Loving them- Show them love, you can be unconditional; there are no limits. Give them a lot of hugs, spend time, listen to them. Too much love doesn’t spoil them.
Positive parenting – Give them a lot of positive vibes and bring them up in such environment. Do not talk about negative stuff.
You’re the rescuer- Let them know you are always there for them and they can always walk up to you to feel safe.
Communicating – This is the key. Talk to them freely, offer solutions, suggest options, give them choices. Listen to what they say to you. DO not out rightly reject immediately when they start.
Reflecting- Most of us try to bring in the way we were brought up with minor changes. This is much like reflecting our childhood.
No spanking- DO not spank your child at any cost. Especially not in front of others. This would make them lower their confidence.

We are unique in our own ways of bringing the child up. It’s just the above categories are grouping o similar behavior that is observed across the world.

November 20, 2018November 20, 2018

Taking your toddler to a restaurant. What to and what not to ?

Toddler at restaurant

How many of you are excited about going to a restaurant with a toddler? Okay let me put it this way. How many of you plan your trip to the restaurant with your toddler? By planning I mean everything- food, clothing, toys, stroller and what not.

For many of us taking a toddler with the family to have a fine dining out is something that requires days of planning. Have we taken this, have we taken that and a half way through the ride we go about” omg! We missed this”, looking at what we’ve packed seemed to be like a mini vacation.

So how can we turn this to something that we enjoy doing, something that we look forward to, something that would become a tradition to celebrate or come on let’s give the lady of the house some rest from cooking.

This can be slowly done by taking your child once he/she is about 7-8 months, so that they get used to the environment, look out what it is like, what people do.

Toddler at restaurant

Let’s take a look at few tips and tricks.

1) Eating early

This is certainly the most important point that needs to be taken into consideration. Plan to have your meal a little earlier so that your home early. Your child might be past bedtime, but you definitely need to be out of the restaurant and halfway down when they start getting cranky.

2) Pack a bag with food for the kid

You may plan to take the usual meal your toddler takes or if you’re someone who doesn’t want to run around and feed in the restaurant you may as well pack some healthy snacks to keep your toddler busy. You might even order an extra portion of salad or boiled veggies if your toddler is already sued to such food.

3) Get to know the place

You can place the order and then take round about the restaurant to explore or say hi if they are any kids around of the same age. And if you find one you’re lucky.

4) Plan what you eat

IF the restaurant that you planned to go has an online menu, make sure you decide what to order and eat there beforehand and not study the menu when you are actually there. This saves time, count on me.

5) Carry distractions

If your toddler is old enough to color to may carry some crayons and sheets keep them engaged. Some restaurants if they are kid friendly do have this available themselves. Reserve a set of toys for trips like these. They must be something new and not what the kid usually plays with.

6) Feed the kid before

If possible feed the kids before you start, in that way they are full and will not be cranky when you get there.

7) Get the corner table

Try your best to be seated in one of the corners or in booths, in that way the kid has more room and can save you from embarrassment.

8) Keep cutlery out of reach

Most parents give the children cutlery to play with. This is one of the worst way of distracting. Keep them out of reach.

9) Opt for a kid friendly restaurant

Look in for restaurants which have a high chair, kids zone and most importantly kid friendly menu. Don’t attempt to feed whatever your order to your kid to say that you are making them get used to it. They have all the time in the world to explore food. Always introduce new foods at home, by which I mean home cooked and not take away food being fed at home.

10) avoid the junk as treat

Avoid treating your kid with junk. This might tempt them to ask for it, when they see people at the other table having it.

11) Keep clean

Always carry two sets of bib and your own play mat. After all, since we eat in the restaurant we do not pay them for the mess the child makes.

12) table manners if kids are old enough

If the kids are old enough, teach them table manners. Practice pretend play of a restaurant. They can learn to order what they would want to eat with a little assistance from your side.

13) Toilet trips before eating

Take your kids to toilet before you settle down to eat.

14)Prepare for restlessness.

It may be tough for your kid to keep unmoving for a long time – about 45 minutes is the max for a child up to about age 5. Be ready to take them on a walk outside the restaurant.

15) IF everything fails; leave

Try not to get angry if, after all your preparation, your child is troublesome. Instead, ask for the bill and take away boxes, and finish the meal at home.

“If you’re so busy correcting your child that you aren’t enjoying your meal, it’s time to do something else,” says Pamela Gould, author of Feeding the Kids.

October 1, 2018

Teaching your toddler to clean up

Cleanup time

When can you start teaching your toddler to clean up. Not the point below carefully.

“If a child is old enough to get out a toy to play, she is old enough to put it away.”

So if your child is capable of choosing which toy to play with from the toy box; he/she is also capable of putting it back when done playing with.

Let me put forth some strategies that can get this done.

Choosing language or choice of words carefully

The child isn’t born with inherent cleaning skill. It is something that is learnt on observation or upon being told. So just a blunt “clean up your toys” is not going to take you anywhere in this situation. Break the clean up into smaller tasks. Teach them to group things according to size or type. Breaking up cleaning into smaller tasks makes it manageable and also easier for them to start with. I am sure a good way of communication is the key to get the toddler moving.

Start young

IF your toddler is just two but loves watching what the parents do. You can very well start teaching them. Give them a dust cloth or small broom with dust pan to start with. They can imitate what you do.

Cleaning up

Necessity of cleaning up

As a grown up, we know what clean up means, but to a toddler it means putting away the fun. Give them a reason or explain consequences with which they can relate; it makes it easier in this way. Tell them someone might trip, fall off and get hurt or the toddler cannot find the toy in the same place if it’s not put back.

Create Kid-Friendly Storage for Toys

Make sure toy storage is kid friendly. They should be able to pick up and clean up with ease. Place them in boxes- say one for blocks, one for stuffed toys and so on.

Less toys, rotate and one set at a time

It is better to segregate them into sets; which is another way. Less toys means very little time required for cleanup. Always rotate the sets so that they don’t get bored. Stop buying the same kind of toys. Also make sure only one set is out at a time.

Cleaning up

Do it with a Tune!

There are a lot of youtube kid channels which have a cleanup song. Show them how it’s done. This might help them understand easier. So whenever it’s time for cleanup you can join in, sing and do it together. Do you want to know what’s our favourite cleanup song. Check it out.

Make it a Game

This makes a wonderful game. You can set the timer and tell them do complete before the buzzer goes on. Or you can tell them to complete before we finish folding clothes. Doing it this way increases the fun factor.

Don’t make it perfect

When the play area is finally clean, leave it as it is. If the blocks aren’t stacked properly or the dust cloth is not put back straight, leave it. As long as the place is clean, don’t redo what was done. A toddler cannot clean up like an adult. But if you still do it again to get it perfect, something like you redo what was done, the toddler might not be inclined to do it the next time; because they know we would redo it anyways.

Putting toys to sleep

IF the toddler cleans up before sleep time, tell them the toys need to sleep in their respective places, so we need to make sure they are kept in respective places. Maybe the child can also cultivate the habit of saying goodnight to the toys once its cleaned up.

Set a good example

Before making the toddler do the cleanup, we ourselves should set a good example for them. IF not now, we should not put ourselves into a situation that we still make a mess and expect the child to do a cleanup.

What are the benefits of teaching them cleanup?

Learn Skills they use life long

The home is the perfect place to teach them skills which they could use for the rest of their lives. Once they learn now they needn’t have to be calling you for learning it again and again.

Learning to be responsible

Responsibility is a serious skill to teach. Each day we see kids who have been brought up without being taught what is being responsible like. I really don’t like the sight of it nor does it look good to witness. It’s a very important quality we teach kids that what is expected of them and there are other people who count on them.

Learning value of work

Work is not something we hate nor do we love to work. But over the pace of time we do learn its importance by taking part in the activity. We not only teach them the value but also be a good participant(worker). We are rewarded by our kids standing out from the peer population if we teach them the skill of work and its value.

Learning to appreciate

Do you know that cleaning up also teaches the child to appreciate the effort that goes into it? They also learn to care for what they own by cleaning and putting it away when not needed anymore.

Learning to value home

By teaching them how to clean we also educate them to value where they live. It helps them to exhibit respect for the people they live with. They learn to recognize that the space is being shared by others, and therefore we show respect to them and ourselves by cleaning.

Learning natural consequences

If we end up cleaning after them, especially when they are of age three or more they’re don’t learn natural consequences. It gives them the thought that “ I can make a mess and I have somebody to clean it up for me’.

July 18, 2018July 18, 2018

Who is a fussy eater ? How to adapt and tame one .

What is fussy eating?

Fussy eating happens when usually your kid starts rejecting food or seems choosy about what is being fed.

When does a baby turn a fussy eater?

This can be a regular habit or can be at intervals. The baby may have an immature digestive system, which will cure itself with time, or might be teething, have an infection,food allergy, or just may not be ready for solid foods yet.

What symptoms should I look out for?

Your baby may push away the spoon or turn her head from it. She might close her mouth,as you try feeding her, spit out food, or become cranky or tired at mealtime. They might also start throwing food when they are playful.

Suggestions to avoid fussy eating stage

Don’t delay introducing lumpy foods. Keep changing frequently between purees and lumpy food.
Remember that your child will never voluntarily starve themselves. Hunger and fullness can be very well judged by kids.
Do not make a fuss of whether your child is eating or not. Remain calm. All we need to do is to concentrate on making mealtimes enjoyable family events. If an occurrence is enjoyable, your child will want to repeat it
Be genuine about the amount of effort you put into making your child’s meals. Don’t feel annoyed when they refuse to eat.
Don’t threaten and shout at them. This might make it even more difficult
Do not use desserts as bribes.

How do I adjust to my child’s eating habit:?

Part of the problem is solved when parents avoid to force feed a child like a adult.

If your kid is in the age of 2 months to 2 years, we need to understand that their stomach size would be small. If they have too much of liquid intake say fruit juice or milk, that might be filling them up and say no to a solid when offered.
The meal size should be that is something that should suffice a child- size. If they are hungrier they would ask for more. Ideal plan would be three meals spaced at an equal interval and a snack in between.
If the family is used to eating late at nights. This would not suit the child. They might get tired and start getting cranky. So always feed the last meal earlier.
Weekly assessment is better than daily.
Let the kid decide when they have had enough, this would help them understand their body and make them realize when to stop and when to ask for more.

How to tame my fussy eater?

Do not force feed the child. If the child turns the head away and rejects food by closing mouth , it’s a clear sign that they are full, even if it is very little. Trust your kid that they know how much to eat. Despite the above signs, if you still try to force feed it might lead to tension and discomfort.
Experiment with food textures. Even babies have food preferences. Some enjoy wet gravy foods, while the others prefer finger food. Some might want o continue with liquids, while the others might want to graze over half a dozen meal. Offer healthy options and he’ll develop a taste for them. But do not trick them with junk to eat the meal.
Change the speed. Some babies are fast eaters some are slow. So try changing the pace to see if there is a difference.
Do not distract the child. Keep away toys, books and turn off TV. Main focus should only be on eating.
It’s tempting to let a picky eater take as long as they want to eat. Keep meal length reasonable. It should not be more than 30 minutes. You can tell them you should eat before your hands become dry.
Let the baby touch and feel the food that is being offered. There is nothing wrong in exploring.
Follow your baby’s timeline. Most babies begin eating solid foods between 4 and 6 months, but some may start a little earlier, others later. As with crawling, walking, potty-training, and just about every other infant milestone, there’s no perfect time .No baby is unique. So let them take their own time.
Encourage self-feeding. By about 9 months, many babies are interested in trying to feed themselves. Although your picky eater is likely to make a mess waving around the mealtime spoon, letting him take control is important to a child’s growth and development. Let them participate, which makes it enjoyable for them.
It’s a natural feeling for babies to slow down on their feeds. This is usually at the end of year one babies’ growth tends to slow. So does their calorie need. Be patient; growth spurts are on the way.
Keep trying, gently. Some babies may need to try a food eight, 10, even 15 times before they enjoy it, so be patient and continue to revisit a rejected food over time, time as long as there are no allergies.
React passionately to a picky eater and even a 1-year-old will understand her power over you. Realize that you want your baby to eat for her own well-being, not to please you — and that baby’s rejection of a food is not a rejection of you. Don’t let on that you’re frustrated or angry.
Even if it’s our job to feed the baby, it’s their choice to choose what to eat and when. As long as the child is active and has a healthy weight gain, we needn’t worry.
Make meal time educative. Teach them where food comes from.
Eating together is a good practice. Make sure at least one of you eats with the child.