Since the coronavirus pandemic has made its appearance, around this world, life has suddenly taken a turn. Out of everything else, work and academics has started following a home-based-online pattern and working parents and children have seen a huge transition in their daily lives. In fact, the thin line between being working professionals and parents has suddenly disappeared.

Plus, balancing work meetings-deadlines as well as meeting the needs of the children, has become quite a challenge, thus almost leaving parents feel like pulled throughout the day.

However, sometimes, just a little perspective might help manage work from home and children in a much healthier way.  

Read on to find out how:

Establishing A Routine Helps

If you have older children, by now they have got habituated to the virtual classrooms. Therefore, while you commit a time for your children every morning and encourage them to follow a routine to complete their work on their own, you make a list of your absolute-musts and to-dos ready along with an estimated time-frame to complete them without any interruption. Establishing a routine, indeed, will help in assisting your child once you’re free from your work. However, if you have younger children at home, sometimes, you might just take longer than your estimated time-frame. As younger children might be needing individual attention from you.  

Creating Boundaries Can Be Intimidating

But it is equally important. After all, it’s overwhelming, if you would have to attend to your child, who’s might be crying for some snacks, while you’re trying to complete a spreadsheet or you might have to attend to a call or email from your boss, at the same time. So, allocate different times for both. If you have an older child, telling him or her not to disturb you, within that time-frame, unless it is urgent, is a good idea. On contrary, if your child is young, make your house more accessible for him or her, along with a nanny to be there to attend to him or her, all the time. In this way, you can also attend to your boss’ requests, calls, mails and meet your deadlines.  

Setting Up an Office Space is Necessary

In-between fulfilling your needs for your child, and other family members, you might be certainly needing a quite space to work. In that case, try to figure out what works out best for you, and use that much only. You might, for instance, choose a corner of your house, pull out a dining chair for a desk chair, and clear off a counter to dedicate a space for your monitor or laptop, printer and a few cups of pens. In this kind of set up you can just close the door behind you, and work, while your children are also busy with their grandparents, nannies, games or studies. However, if you are constantly moving, and interacting, you can set up same space in your living room too.

Take Short Breaks Between Work, If Possible

May be only for 35 to 40 minutes. The whole idea is to give your mind a point of relaxation and let your children know that you are free for them, for some time. In fact, if you have a play corner or study corner set up for them, with their favourite toys or books, and colourful mats, you may very well go and spend some time playing or reading  with your kids. This will also be a time, when you can prepare some wonderful snacks for your kids and for yourself and can have them together, while you interact with each other.

Divide Home Responsibilities Between You and Your Partner

Yes! Set specific goals for each corner of house and for the work that might be related to your kids. And have it discussed and sorted well in advance. Communicate these roles separately to your children so that, they know whom to approach for their requirement. This in a way will be an example of team work in front of your kids. Not only will they be happy, seeing their parents working together in the house, but they will also understand no work is gender-specific in the household.

Keep Your Expectations Real

While you’re working from home with your children in tow, not all days are going to be smooth. So, if you have made a few mistakes in your work, while attending to your child’s tantrums, remember, you’re not a superhuman. Neither are you a parent, who’s someone out of your favourite movie. So, no guilt trips.

At The End

Setting up a time-table and following it will surely make working from home and parenting easy, thus establishing a strong bond between both parents and children

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All children are born with the basic need to establish a stable and secure relation with both the parents which is called “attachment.” It is the nature of the babies that they quickly form a bond of attachment with the person who is staying with them. It can therefore be said that relationships of the child and the quality of the bond plays an essential role in the life of a human being. If the first bond of attachment of a baby is usually established with his mother, the one he shares with his father is equally precious. It also happens that a bond of affection is formed with another “parental” figure, such as an aunt, a grandparent or even an educator. It is nevertheless the one that the child develops with his parents which remains the most important.

The benefits of a strong bond of attachment

The more secure the bond of attachment between a child and his parents, the better equipped he will be to deal with the difficulties of life. Not only will a child who feels loved and protected have the impression of being worthy of affection, but he will have a very positive perception of others. It will be easier for him to go to others and to explore. Since he knows he can count on his parents, the child develops better self-confidence and will have more ease to grow, physically, emotionally and intellectually.

In short, the quality of the bond of attachment is intimately linked to the quality of the child’s future relationships, since it facilitates the learning of social skills, such as empathy. Besides, a study has recently shown that boys who have developed a strong bond of attachment are 2.5 times less likely to have behavior problems in school, even if they have grown up in a disadvantaged environment.

Problems of the deficient parent-child bond

In return, the child whose attachment is inadequate has less confidence in him. He also has a much harder time working as part of a group, since he tends to shy away from people around him. Some children even develop a mistrust of adults. In the longer term children who fail to establish a proper attachment to a maternal or paternal figure are more likely to be aggressive, provocative or hyperactive. They would also have more language difficulties and problems at school.

Promote attachment and affection

The first years of life are significant to establish a relationship of attachment, and certain behaviors are able to favor it.

• Comforting baby when it cries – Before 18 months, if he’s crying for wanting to be cuddled, he needs to be reassured. So, by taking him, you are not “giving in,” you are instead showing him that he can count on you.
• Be constant – When he needs something, give him something to drink, eat, or just hug.
• React quickly – If you respond quickly to its crying, the baby will experience less stress. This will help him feel safe.
• Show tenderness – Caress, rock, talk gently to the baby.

Accept the child as he is: we all have strengths and weaknesses.

By accepting your baby as it is, without judgment, you are building your self-esteem. Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, either because you have depression or a particularly difficult situation. If this is your case, do not hesitate to ask for help: your spouse, a relative or a loved one will be able to take care of the baby, while your situation stabilizes. The child primarily needs the mother, but above all, he needs a comforting presence of an adult. There is no shame in asking for help when bringing up a child.

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With the arrival of the baby, some fathers feel a bit clumsy. They are sometimes intimidated by the almost fusional relationship between their child and their spouse. If this is your case, how can you take your place as dad and bond with baby from birth?

Studies show that the father plays an extraordinary role in the life of his child. In fact, fathers often act differently from mothers with their children, and this difference is stimulating for a toddler. As a new dad, you’ll gain a quick connection with your baby. This will allow a strong relationship to develop between you and the infant from birth. You will be able to know your child and his particularities. He too will become familiar with you.

With experience, you will feel more comfortable and competent when you take care of your baby. Like all new parents, dads have things to learn. It is therefore usual to make mistakes on occasion. A little patience, humility, and humor will help you in the relationship with your baby and your spouse.

Father Must Spend Time With His Child

Most fathers act logically and practically – if the child is cold, they put a blanket on him and leave. They are not aware of the importance of their presence to the child. Reading the newspaper with the baby next to him in the cradle, rather than in another room, makes a huge difference. Changing the diaper, playing with them, and feeding contribute to the creation of the father-child bond in the first months.

It is essential for a child to spend quality time with his father. This is a necessary foundation for human life. Having a male role model is vital for understanding how to create good relationships with others and forge character. In society, we do not talk enough about the formation of character. There are books for learning algebra, but character formation is not a priority. The father is in an excellent position to do that.

Here Are Some Ways to Promote the Dad-child Relationship

• Learn about the basics to keep your baby safe. Your stress will decrease a lot when you know, for example how to hold the newborn baby or bathing the infant and feeding him.
• Take the time to discover your baby and observe it. What catches his attention, interests him, makes him react? When you know him better, establishing a relationship with him will be easier.
• Find activities you like to do with your baby, if possible, without your spouse. For example, take him out for a pram ride, massage or bathe your kid. This will allow you to develop a separate relationship with your child.

These privileged moments that fathers spend with their child in sports, artistic or leisure activities reinforce the bond of attachment, and it also creates tastes in children. If these moments with the father have been enjoyable, doing these same activities later will bring back good memories, and it is possible that it makes him want to recreate the same thing with his children. Generally, the father will invite the child into a universe he loves, where he is at his best. And if it involves taking a few risks and taking the child out of his comfort zone to overcome fears, that’s perfectly normal.

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From his birth to the moment when he can finally do without it, the comfort of your baby largely depends on the diapers you choose.

Disposable or Washable Diapers?

Difficult to remove, disposable diapers are still used by a vast majority of parents. However, the new washable cloth diapers different from the previously used clothes, are experiencing an increase in usage. So should you use washable cloth diapers or disposable diapers?

Disposable Diapers

Synthetic disposable diapers continue to dominate the market, despite the competition. The main advantage of these disposable diapers, compared to washable diapers, is undoubtedly their practicality. Disposable diapers have been the subject of much criticism. First, the health argument: the chemicals used to make the diaper and give it absorbency penetrate the skin of the baby and can be irritating. They can also interact with other chemicals in your baby’s environment.

The biological argument is also becoming more important. To produce the cellulose that forms the basis of disposable diapers, billions of hectares of wood are cut each year. And the damage to the planet continues after use. Imagine that between 0 and 2 ½ years, your child will produce about a ton of dirty diapers.

To cope with criticism, leading diaper manufacturers have developed greener disposable diapers. They contain a minimum of 70% of natural materials and display the total absence of lotion, perfume, alcohol, dye. They also guarantee the layer which is in contact with the skin is fully non-chemical.

Less irritating, a little more respectful of the environment (especially with cellulose from sustainable wood sectors), they still produce as much waste as conventional disposable diapers and are a bit more expensive.

Washable Cloth Diapers

Born from the trend of natural mothering, washable diapers have experienced a real boom. They are more expensive to buy because you have to get at least a dozen to start. But they are more environmentally friendly and allow you to save money in the long run, if you think about the thousands of disposable diapers you would have to buy.

They are often criticized for their lack of effectiveness. But that ignores new brands that compete with a lot of ingenuity to keep your baby dry.

The washable cloth diaper consists of several parts:

• The absorbent layer is the one you always wash. Most often made of organic cotton it can have several forms. You may find more practical the type similar to disposable diapers, which closes with snaps or are self-gripping. For greater absorption at night, you can add a liner.
• A paper wrapper which protects the baby’s bottom. You will throw it in the toilet with the stool.
• To ensure that everything fits in place protective panties are added.

If you opt for washable cloth diapers, prefer to do it from birth, because your baby might not appreciate the wet touch of the washable diaper if he is used to maximum absorption of a disposable. For washing add a disinfectant to prevent bacteria from developing at an age when your baby is susceptible to gastroenteritis.

It can be concluded that synthetic diapers are the best to be used for the baby. As they can be changed quickly and is also easier to travel with them. However, they are expensive considering your child will use about 6000. Cloth diapers are more messy and difficult to clean. It also means washing more laundry. It largely depends on a parent’s personal choice as to which one they should choose to use.

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Becoming a parent is the best job in the world. It is also one of the most challenging tasks as each parent wants to provide the best education for their child. As the newborn adapts to the outside world, his parents welcome a new person in their life, who could offer them the best moments and the best memories.

However, the so-called “newborn” period remains one of the most difficult for parents and infants. Here are 10 tips to help you while parenting your newborn in the best conditions:

Sleeping When the Baby Sleeps

Sleeping is essential for a newborn, this is also the case for the mother. To deprive oneself of sleep is not good for health. Therefore, when your baby is taking a nap, do the same!

Accept The Help of Others

You have to stop thinking that you are capable of doing everything. You have just given birth to a baby; your body needs to recover. If your parents, family members or friends decide to help you, do not refuse the offer. Between cleaning, cooking, laundry, and baby, there is no shame in accepting help.

Take Care of Yourself

Some moms forget themselves after the birth of their baby. It is true that the latter needs attention, but you too. So do not hesitate to take a bath, do a manicure, take the time to do meditation or any other activity that will be good for your mental health.

Take Care of the Couple

After the birth of your baby, do not neglect your relationship. Do some outings alone, have fun and do yourself good, it will make your relationship stronger.

Reduce Expectations

Do not expect everything to go perfectly. Slimming down a month after birth or having the time to prepare dishes is not possible. You will not be as well coiffed and made up as before, and that’s normal! Take advantage of this time to relax and take a break.

Keep Close to You

Rest is essential for a mother who has just given birth. Whether you’re breastfeeding or just watching TV, always keep your essentials close at hand: water, a book, remote control or snacks – everything you need to rest and relax.

Adopt a Routine

Since birth, your baby is undergoing many changes, but babies prefer what is routine. Adopt a routine that would suit everyone. Your baby will make you understand when he wants to change.

Defend Your Choices

Everyone will have an opinion about your preferences as parents. Your family will comment on how you feed your child, sleep, health, etc. Do not try to please others and do what you feel is best for your baby.

Carry Your Baby

Your newborn has just left a warm and comfortable cocoon to find your way into your world. It is, therefore, best to carry it in your arms or using a baby carrier, because, for this transition, it will particularly need tenderness and affection.

Smile, Have Fun and Take Pictures

Always remember that this period after birth lasts only one time, your baby will grow very fast. Take advantage of all these moments you spend with him and your spouse. Take lots of photos, playing card games, have fun and give him the maximum of affection that will be missing one day.

So, it can be said that parenting a little one for the first time in your life has a lot of stress. Do not ever hesitate to ask for help. You are not superwoman. Obviously, nobody likes to have a messy house, but you will have to choose your priorities because you will not be able to do everything. The baby will take you most of your time, and as mentioned above you should spend the rest of the day looking after yourself, your rest and your diet.

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Although it is surprising, it is a proven fact that parents encourage the habit of crying in infants by attending to them when they “cry”. Being the most intelligent species on earth, human babies take no time to understand that they are being attended to when they cry out for any reason. Parents try to answer every call, and their attempts would be always positive to satisfy the baby with a “Yes”. However, it is essentially not possible for all parents under the sky to satisfy the baby every time. No matter how resourceful the parents are, there are certain phases where they have to restrict their children with a “no” for the best interest of their child.

It may be easier for a toddler to understand a restriction from the parents but how does an infant understand a ‘no’ in the initial days. Like every other milestone, the time to understand a refusal from the parents is also unique for every infant. It should be somewhere in between six months to eighteen months. Infants discover it all by themselves or the parents have to teach it to their wards slowly. When the baby does something unacceptable, it is necessary to channelize the kid’s energy to some other element for diversion. If required, quietly tell her ‘no’. Handover something different to them and they are sure to forget the old one in the excitement of the new toy or thing. Or keep them away from the element to avoid them getting in touch with the same thing.

Undoubtedly, there are many incidents where the parents may have to restrict a child and if you feel that the ‘no’ is being used more than often, you can try being creative by using different words to explain the kids why it is a no-no. If the kid wants to enter a dark room, it is essential to explain to them that they may fall, or hit something, due to dark environment of the room. It is not suggested by child psychologists to threaten kids by saying that there is a devil in the dark room to avoid them from going in there.  Rather, it is important to make them understand that the room is still the same even in the darkness; however, darkness creates the opportunity for anyone to unknowingly hurt themselves. Saying ‘no’ with a stern voice when they attempt to go the wrong route may help alerting the child. To communicate better, use words such as hot, cold, spicy, etc. in a stern voice to make them understand the impending cause of danger.

Approaching hot irons or ovens, getting into cold water tubs, attempting to eat peppers or chilies, fingering electrical sockets, swallowing poisonous repellents, playing with fragile items, etc. are all a cause of concern and are strictly on the range of a ‘no’. It is on the parent’s part to keep the home as child safe as possible rather than having to say a ‘no’ constantly. The lesser the ‘no’s’ the better the positivity in the child and higher the spirits are. Although ‘no’ is a negative word, try to inculcate this concept in the child’s mind with more positivity.

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Are you going to be a new parent? Have you thought about cord blood banking?

Cord blood banking is a process to store and preserve your newborn’s umbilical cord blood right after the birth. The cord blood, in turn, is processed to get stem cells that have the ability to save your baby and your family from a number of diseases and conditions. For this reason, cord blood banking is now very common among by new parents. Even doctors, these days, are recommending cord bloods banking to utilize the infant stem cells to their utmost potential. But when it comes to cord blood banking, there are a number of notions you will hear as an expectant parent. Let’s see what doctors have actually recommended and what you should know about the process:

Critical for life threatening diseases and conditions

Doctors recommend cord blood banking because it can save you and your family from a number of critical diseases including cancer. Apart from that it can be used to treat the symptoms of various conditions including cerebral palsy and autism. In all these cases, transplants are dependent on suitable and unrelated matching donor. But cord blood banking ensures a closer match, as it’s taken from a family member. So, once you preserve a cord blood unit, it can offer you a lifetime of security.
Dr. Tiffany Werbin-Silver, MD said, “One of the things I bring up at the 20 Week mark is cord blood banking. Cord blood is the blood flowing through the placenta to the baby, and once delivery occurs, you capture it at that moment, and you have it for a potential lifetime, not only for the baby who is born, who serves as its own perfect match, but for family members.”

Cord blood may have other uses you don’t know

There are a number of researches going on involving cord blood stem cells and even doctors don’t know about its full potential. A few years back, people did not know that stem cells had the ability to treat some of the symptoms of autism. Now several trails are under to find out effectiveness of stem cell therapy in such nervous system disorders.
Dr. Preete Bhanot, MD said, “Right now clinical trials are going on to use these cells for children with autism, with hearing loss. In five years, we may have so many more things that we can use these cells for. It is a great investment. You have to do it. I can’t stress that enough.”

What should the expectant parents know

Doctors recommend that new parents should be aware of the high potential of cord blood banking from the first day. They also should know about the diseases and conditions that stem cell therapy can treat. All the information helps them make an informed decision for their baby.

Dr. Shetal Mansuria, MD said, “What I explain to patients is that the uses are incredible. Treatments of things like lymphomas, leukemias. I know that it can save lives and I have seen it save a life, and I always tell patients that. In that case, it made the difference for this child. The uses are incredible. I think everybody should bank.”

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If we had to choose between the natural and the artificial, undisputed, we lean towards the natural product unless the artificial one has undeniable properties. Nature has equipped womankind with ready made milk when they give birth to their child. Probably, this was nothing but the only option early humans. Since there was no rearing of cattle or no scope to feed the infant with formula milk, the breast milk was nothing but necessary and so was it rewarded to women. But with the generations passing by, humans became more civilized and discovered and invented many things to make their lives comfortable. Alternative sources of milk thus became extensively popular and a source of debate while attracting criticism.

There had been extensive distribution of literature on the benefits of breastfeeding for ages and it is an apparent fact that all the women want to feed their child with this exclusive food source meant only for their offspring. However, due to work commitments, health reasons or time clashes, many of them are unable to feed their younger ones.
It has been considered for years that mothers and babies enter into a special bond while the baby is being fed. However, mothers who feed their infants with formula milk can build a stronger bond too with their care giving and affection. Keeping the debate aside, many pediatric academics globally suggest feeding the baby for at least 6 months with breast milk exclusively and for one year with top foods.

Let us understand the benefits of both breast milk and bottle milk to let women choose the option that they are comfortable with.

Benefits for the baby:

• As we all know that breast milk provides the necessary nutrients to the baby as it is customized according to the baby’s age and requirement.
• The natural milk protects the baby from infections and they are less likely to be hospitalized. The mother’s milk builds immunity system for the lifetime by strengthening the immune system.
• Mothers pass antibodies to the baby while feeding which help building up a protective wall against many diseases.
• It is easy to digest and lessens the chance for the baby to fall sick due to indigestion issues. Colic, constipation and diarrhea are less likely when compared to formula fed babies.

Benefits for mothers:

• Nursing is much easier when compared to feeding with formula milk. Sterilizing bottles is a pain. Preparation time is saved as mother’s milk is ready made.
• Women who breastfeed have lesser chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancers.
• The women who breastfeed have faster recovery post delivery and their uterus goes back to normalcy within six weeks thereby helping the mother to lose the baby weight as they lose many calories while feeding.
• Breastfeeding can be used as a natural contraception method under some stipulated guidelines which is popularly known as Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).

Adverse elements of breastfeeding:

• Sore nipples initially trouble many women who start off breastfeeding.
• While breastfeeding, it is hard to understand whether the baby had enough milk or not as it cannot be measured unlike the formula feed.
• Breastfed babies require more frequent nursing episodes than the formula fed babies and hence this can be considered as a time consuming task and may be a hindrance to working mothers.
• Bottle feeding is more convenient when you are in public places.
• Nursing mothers need to take care of their diet as good nutrition helps them in producing healthier milk. They should avoid smoking drinking and substance intake.

With the established factors, it is upto the mothers to decide on the effective method of feeding that is in the best interest of their child after considering the entire circumstances surrounding them. Since both the methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, any method chosen should be trusted as the best source for the child.

Sources:
https://www.livescience.com/51260-breast-vs-bottle.html
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/breast-feeding-as-birth-control-topic-overview

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I have grown up hearing that infants learn multiple things in their growing years towards toddlerhood. When I had my first baby, I already knew this but I have got a different experience from what I have heard over the years. Although it is true that kids learn many things, the reality can be completely different to what I have heard in the past. Right from childbirth, you happen to witness many things they learn on a “daily basis”. You heard it right!! You will see them learning new things every day and it is a sheer joy to watch them picking up brand new things one after the other.

Identifying the bottle or the breast, fixing vision, turning aside, turning upside down, moving on the belly, responsive sounds, crawling, sitting, teething, standing, walking a few steps holding, walking without support, initial conversations through signs, developing speech, learning to hold a pencil, alphabets and so on….inherently, the child develops cognitive and motor skills in the course of crossing all these milestones. Developing speech involves a long period of time with variable steps comprised in it. They start communicating with the caregivers or parents when they are few months old.

They make responsive sounds at the sight of a milk bottle which may be the initial sign of communicating. The parents can make out the way their infants communicate when they are sleepy, irritated, hungry or when they need attention with the help of their facial gestures. Slowly signs develop into conversations and these progresses with the amount of conversations the child is able to have. The more the child hears, the more the communication is. It does not mean that kids do not learn conversing if we do not make much effort. They still learn it at their own pace. Then why is it important to start conversing with them to teach them our language.

• Teaching language increases the communication between the child and the caregivers or parents in order to understand the child better in emotional, psychological and physical aspects.
• Caregivers can understand the necessities of a child although the child is not well versed with the language.
• It becomes easier for the child to explore the world in a better manner with partially learnt language.
• It helps in safeguarding the child to a greater extent.
• It helps the child in learning proper etiquette during early childhood.
• It is possible to develop a loving bond with the child due to the understanding levels.
• Cognitive skills and motor skills develop in their early childhood.
• Responsive caregiving is possible with better conversing abilities.
• Language increases the socialization abilities of a child.

We can take it for granted that children learn conversing at their own speed even though sign language is not taught. However, to increase the overall ability of understanding a child, language and communication skills help parents a lot. The day to day usages such as foods, greeting gestures, activities like eating, drinking, walking, running, sleeping, sitting etc. body parts, friends’ and relatives, fruits and veggies can all be included in the sign language. We can in fact develop our own language at home making easy gestures creatively for the baby to understand. If it is a tedious job for you, there are experts who run tutorials to teach sign language for babies. Also, it would help channelizing the babies’ energy by engaging them in an interesting activity. The same language learnt can be used for the second and third child as well. Making this little effort towards conversing with your children in their early childhood will help them to explore the surroundings better and in a channelized way.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_sign_language
http://www.parents.com/baby/development/sign-language/baby-sign-language-first-foods/

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Although it is a mother’s responsibility to feed a child, nature has still equipped us with an internal feeding resource with amazing properties which cater to nutrition for life time and we all know what that resource is. We have proven facts that breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for infants not only in humans but in all mammals.  Despite the experts suggestions to feed the babies breastmilk for 6 months, few enthusiastic mothers prefer to add external semi-solid diet from the fourth month onwards. Instead of getting into the debate of when to start the baby food, let us understand what a baby food should comprise of. It is also important to know the correct source between homemade baby food and store bought food.

As long as the infant has meager activities, the breastmilk or formula was sufficient. However, with a progression in the child’s activities, additional nutrition is also required especially in the first year for necessary growth and bone development. Eating capabilities also increase in a baby with the months passing by and parents should start accommodating the necessary solids in a child’s diet.

Why Is It Necessary To Make Homemade Baby Food?

Though a lot of effort is involved in making baby food at home, it has deserving benefits.

Affordable and Economic

If the food is made in various batches by preserving additional units for later, the homemade stuff undoubtedly saves money as there is a huge price difference between these two foods.

Nutritious

You are the one who decide what to include in your baby food and what not thereby having complete control on what the baby consumes. This result in feeding the infant with nutritious food free of preservatives, sodium fillers, food grade dyes etc. which are not necessary for them and are not nutritious as well. Children who are vulnerable for allergies are safe.

Too Many Options

As pediatricians suggest acquainting all the foods to a baby that adults eat by the ninth month, we get a lot of options to try habituating to the child. You don’t have to settle down with the limited options in the baby food available in the market. Instead, you can mix up multiple ingredients to make the meal wholesome and tasty.

Which Is The Better Choice Between Homemade and Store Bought Food?

Many numbers of children from ages have been dwelling on the store bought infant food and you are still a mother undoubtedly if you have decided to avoid making food from scratch. There are merits and demerits to both the foods and you are the one to decide which a better choice is for your baby. In fact, you can opt for both by preparing some fruit purees at home and getting store bought food for the days when you are really low. Either which ways, you are emphasizing on the importance of nutrition before you get some food.

Many working mothers find it extremely convincing to balance the child’s nutrition and the work pressures by opting both the foods. Potato purees, fresh fruits smoothies, vegetable juices etc. are the best ideas to make at home. Use whole ingredients while making homemade food as it can help nourish the child. The store bought cereals are ready made and are instant for mixing and consuming on busy days. However, be wary of the ingredients of the store bought food and opt for a whole meal instead of foods using fillers. These fillers make the baby put on necessary weight but contain meager nutrition.

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Pregnancy is the best time to learn about the benefits of breastfeeding so that you can give your baby a healthy start in life. Knowing what to expect will help you make the decision to breastfeed and make it easier to get through the rough patches.

Breast milk is the ideal nutrition for newborns as it contains everything your baby needs to grow. It has just the right combination of protein, vitamins, fat and is easy on the baby’s immature digestive system. It also contains antibodies that help your baby fight common illnesses like ear infections, colds, etc. No wonder breastfed babies tend to get sick much lesser. Breastfeeding is good for the mother too. The hormones released during breastfeeding help the mother’s body recover from childbirth and make the uterus contract back to its pre pregnancy size.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6months of the baby’s life after which nutritious solid foods must be introduced. Breastfeeding can be continued beyond the 6 month mark, alongside complementary foods, for as long as is desired by mother and baby.

It takes about 3 to 4 days for breast milk to come in and most new moms have similar questions when they start their breastfeeding journey. How much milk does my baby need? Am I making enough? The good news is that babies do not need much during the first couple of days.  As days go by your baby’s demand will go up and so will your supply.  You can tell if your baby is getting enough and feeding well if,

• Your baby wets 6 to 8 diapers a day
• He seems settled after a feed
• Your breasts get soft after the baby feeds
• Your baby unlatches on his own
• Your baby is putting on weight

It is essential that both mother and baby are comfortable during the feed. Poor latching and incorrect positions can make it uncomfortable and difficult to continue breastfeeding for 6 long months. Sore nipples, excessive back pain and general discomfort during feeds can discourage a new mother. Work on establishing a good latch with the help of experienced moms or a lactation consultation. There are many positions and holds like the cradle hold, football hold and reclining position. Finding a position that works for both you and your baby will go a long way in making your breastfeeding journey comfortable.

Priya, first time mother of a healthy 9month old says, “I almost gave up on breastfeeding when I had to go back to work 3 months after my little one was born. That’s when I turned to the breast pump.” Pumping breast milk has become a common practice amongst mothers. Mothers need not have to stop breastfeeding when direct breastfeeding becomes infeasible.

However, if for any reason you are not able to breastfeed in spite of your best efforts, fret not as there are alternatives.  Speak to your healthcare provider about it.

The post Healthy Babies and the Art of Breastfeeding appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

It was almost one and a half month that we found that we were pregnant. Both of us are equally excited about our first-born. But along with the joyride that pregnancy brings in, there are a number of perennial hazards too that an expectant couple face. While the mom actually goes through the pain and all body changes, the dad is the one who deals with all the mood swings and at the same time ensures enough treatment and care for the mom.

Here, I am talking about morning sickness, which is the most common phenomenon during pregnancy.

As we woke up one morning, my wife started complaining about certain restlessness that she was going through. During our last visit to the clinic, our doctor warned us about morning sickness during the initial phase of pregnancy. So, I was a little prepared for the situation. So, I asked her what was wrong. When she ensured me that it was just a little nausea and nothing else, I started planning my day. As soon as I was about the leave the home for work, she told me that she was staying home, as she was really not feeling well.

I tried to understand how she was actually feeling. She said that initially it was only nausea but later she threw up twice during and after bath. As suggested by our doctor, we both agreed that she should stay home and take rest, because morning sickness also occurs due to lack of sleep.  Second thing I did was, I opened all the windows of the home to allow some fresh air to come in. But my wife was still feeling unwell. So, I tried to make her feel better by spraying some of her favorite perfume onto her palm. Well, thank God, I tried that! She started feeling much better.

I made sure to keep enough drinking water close to her, because she needs to be well-hydrated during the stage. My wife does not want to eat a full plate of food since she has gotten pregnant. So I kept sufficient portion of her favorite food items into the refrigerator. And I left for work. When I came back later that day, my wife was completely okay. I thought it was over, but little did I know what were there in store for me in the next couple of mornings.

Next morning, after I came out of the washroom after having a bath, my wife started feeling unwell, just like the previous day. I repeated what I did last day. She again felt sick in the next morning, same time. At that moment, something occurred to me! Our doctor once mentioned that morning sickness is mainly smell-associated and is often random. It’s difficult to draw a pattern. But if you can find a pattern, maybe you can treat it too. Yes, I found out that the main reason for my wife’s morning sickness was the fragrance of my shaving cream, which I used to apply every morning.

As I found out the reason, I immediately got rid of it. Now my wife’s morning sickness is very random, as expected.

The post Dad Diary – Dealing With the Perennial Hazard – Morning Sickness appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

Has it ever crossed your mind about when your little one will finally start following your directions? Is responding positively to your directions something that you wish to encourage in your baby? And is there an easy way to make a better listener out of her? What is the way forward so that you can have a positive influence on her communication skills?

Parents tend to spend a lot of their time talking and giving directions to their little ones. But have you thought of the number of non-verbal ways that are also available to us and using them we can probably communicate better with our babies?

“Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages, performed several studies on nonverbal language. He found that body language accounts for 93% of a message.”

I am a mother of two adorable children and am also an expert speech-language pathologist. Delving deeper into this subject, I’ve had the chance to analyse situations in a number of ways. Let me take a leaf out my personal life that will give a little more insight into this.

My one and half year old baby girl, I’ve seen responds much better to my non-verbal “messages”. This happens more when I transform my actions in a manner that makes me more receptive to her.

Just a few weeks ago, I thought it was time to get my daughter to be potty trained. Tons of instructions, did not work. I offered chocolates, stickers; whatever that she’d like as a bribe so that I could just make her sit on the potty. Alas, nothing worked.

I was literally tired of cleaning up after her wayward droppings all over the apartment. Hence, the time had come for me to change so that I could convince her to co-operate with me. The transformation on my part was to change my communication from giving directions to non-verbal mannerisms and connect with her on completely her level.

Bending down, reaching my daughter’s eye level, getting slightly closer and softening the tone of my voice. With a lot of love and tenderness, I asked her to look at me and smiled.

That was the moment when I made that positive connection with her. I communicated my request to her. This change in my communication mannerism gave out an encouraging and positive vibe to her. She accompanied me to the restroom and tried to go again.

A very miniscule breakthrough like this has far reaching effects. In the days to come, my little baby girl tried using the potty more and more.

This incident encouraged me to use similar non-verbal communication methods more during my interactions with my baby girl. And I definitely think that this has made me a better parent for sure.

The post How Can Non-Verbal Cues Can Help You Understand Your Baby appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

A few days ago, I called my friend Sunita and enquired after her family. As soon as she received the call, I was able to sense that something was wrong. She sounded extremely tensed.  On asking, she told me that her daughter Ria, had conjunctivitis. God, even a toddler can have conjunctivitis! This I was not aware of, at all.

A few days later, I found out that Ria was now doing well and she visited my house with her parents yesterday. The visit led to a long discussion between Sunita, her husband Keshav and me and I definitely learnt something from it.

Keshav said that conjunctivitis is caused due to an infection in the lining of the eyelids and the outer protective layer of the eye. The infection may also occur due to a virus and bacteria; though the former is probably a more common source of the infection.

Ria contracted conjunctivitis through a virus infection, which was why she was having symptoms typical of a common cold. To this, Sunita added that if a baby’s eyes starts to produce a thick yellow discharge, resulting in swelling of the eyelids or the eyelids starts to stick together; then the conjunctivitis are due to bacteria such as staphylococcus, streptococcus or hemophilus.

Besides these types, there is a slightly more serious form of bacteria conjunctivitis called opthalmia neonatorum which occurs in newborns because of exposure to chlamydia and gonorrhoea during delivery.

On asking them how they figured out that Ria had conjunctivitis Sunita and Keshav said they were not able to understand that it was conjunctivitis at the very first instance. One fine morning, when Ria woke up, they noticed water draining from her eyes. Not giving it too much thought, they assumed it must be due to a lack of sleep. Then after a day, they noticed that her eyes had turned red and puffy, and a sticky coating developed on her eyelashes, followed by irritability and fever. That certainly scared the wits out of them. They immediately drove her to the paediatrician who confirmed that it was conjunctivitis.

When I asked them how they went about the stem cell treatment process, they told me that they followed the doctor’s advice to the letter. They always kept Ria’s eyes clean by washing it gently, several times a day with cotton wool soaked in tepid water. Tepid water is boiled water followed by a cooling process, in word lukewarm water. In addition, they also used an eye-drop prescribed by the doctor.

Sunita mentioned that in case other infants have other kinds of conjunctivitis, then the following methods of treatments are usually followed.

For chlamydial conjunctivitis, oral antibiotics are usually prescribed by the doctors; for gonococcal conjunctivitis, intravenous antibiotics are sometimes used; for chemical conjunctivitis, there is no medicinal treatment so far and the babies automatically get cured in 24 to 36 hours.

For prevention, Keshav said, they used a separate towel for Ria and were extremely particular and cautious about anyone using that towel. Also, they -made sure that their hands were always dirt-free, especially during cleaning their baby’s eyes.

Sunita and Keshav are-certainly more relaxed now because of their baby -has gotten over her first experience of conjunctivitis.

The post Babies and Conjunctivitis – A Short Guide appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

When my friend Sasha was pregnant, she told me how often she felt tired. We all know that pregnancy brings its share of happiness and discomforts for the mum-to-be. And sleep problems was just one of discomforts that comes as a part of the package. Most women tend to feel exhausted in the first and third trimesters. But Sasha was completely taken aback by how wiped out she felt right in the initial months of the pregnancy.

Sasha’s gynaecologist said, “A lot of women are totally surprised by how fatigued they feel during the first trimester. Many women know about morning sickness during pregnancy but a lot of women were unaware of the fatigue that you feel during these months”.

So Are You Meant To Sleep For Two Now?

Just like women are meant to eat for two when pregnant, health experts are now emphasizing on the fact – that women should also sleep for two -during this pregnancy period. The reason being that pregnancy can affect both the quantity and quality of sleep.

As the body undergoes changes and pregnancy discomforts bothers more often, it becomes difficult for the mothers-to-be to fall and stay asleep. However, eight hours of sleep is what every pregnant woman should aim to get.

Researchers have presented their analysis that due to the fact of not sleep well during pregnancy; women tend to be more irritable, exhausted and have poor concentration levels.

According to an article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AJOG), first time mothers-to-be who get less than 6 hours of sleep each day are most likely to have a C-section delivery in compare to those who get more than 7 hours of sleep.

So What Can You Do About It?

Sasha’s doctor suggests the following:

1)    During pregnancy, one should make a habit of hitting the bed early rather than late.

2)   Sasha’s doctor says, “Because of the many possible disruptions like nightly bathroom visits, morning sickness, snoring, to sleep during pregnancy, napping is a good idea as long as the woman can fall asleep that night.”

3)    The last recommendation was trying to position yourself on the left side with the knees bent whilst sleeping especially if you are prone to suffering from heartburn. This position improves the blood and nutrients flow to the foetus and uterus and help the body to get rid of any waste and additional fluids.

And exciting factors can also play a part. The exhilaration and looking forward to of having a baby as well as the uncertainties of the fast approaching parenthood and the nervousness about the actual experience of labour and delivery can all be taxing and make a woman feel more tired than usual. It is best to follow what suits you best during this time. You and your baby come first.

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I still remember those sleepless nights when my six month old was teething. This was my first experience as a mum and when my little girl was cranky and irritated, especially at night, I was completely at a loss of how to soothe her. Thankfully, my trusted paediatrician and the all-time source of information ‘the internet’ came to my rescue. I found out that baby teething is a common affair when a child is between 4 to 6 months old. Just being aware of some of the common indicators of baby teething will help you to act and respond faster to your baby’s needs.

Signs and symptoms

Every kid experiences different symptoms, say many reputed paediatricians.

Drooling

Trust me it’s hard to believe so much fluid can come out from a baby’s mouth unless you see it for yourself. Actually, teething stimulates drooling and it starts when the baby is between 10 weeks to two – three months old, though my daughter started when she was much older. I used to find her clothes always soggy which the paediatrician later on confirmed was due to teething.

Teething rash

Due to the continuous drooling and dripping, my baby started suffering from redness and rashes around her mouth, which according to the paediatrician was another symptom of teething. However, this was cured by applying baby nursing cream and lotion at regular intervals.

Coughing and/or gag

Drooling and dripping all the time can make your baby gag and cough too. Do not worry if your baby does not have any other signs of cold and flu.

Biting

This was the biggest problem when my little baby girl was teething. Pressure from the teeth poking through under the gums caused a lot of discomfort and to get instant relief, she was more inclined towards biting and chewing on just about anything that was in front of her.

Irritability

Don’t know about others, but my daughter used to be extremely fussy throughout the day due to aching. The doctor explained to me that because of the pressure of the little tooth on the gum most children (if not all) are likely to be fussy and irritable, either for a few hours or throughout the day.

Pulling ears and rubbing the chin and cheeks

This was the weirdest symptom of all. My baby girl used to pull her ears a lot or used to rub her chin and cheeks. I was a little surprised by this behaviour, but the paediatrician relieved me by telling me that this behaviour indicates that your baby will soon have little pearly white teeth. According to her, babies usually do this to create counter pressure that eases some of the pain.

But as I said earlier, it is not mandatory for all babies to show the same teething signs. While some will have the symptoms as stated above, others will show other signs or no sign at all.

Other Signs

Swollen gums

Swollen red gums are also a sign of teething, as was indicated by my paediatrician. For quick relief, gently rub your clean finger over the gums.

Refusing food

Often because of pain and irritation while teething, babies refuse to eat much. If it lasts long, then call your paediatrician and ask for a solution.

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Mobile phones, tabs, PSPs and laptops – the average toddler has most likely logged in hundreds of hours on digital technologies before they are even admitted into playschools. The presence of these accessible digital technologies in turn has transformed traditional parenting methodologies.

Digital technologies today do provide parents with certain advantages like entertainment on the go or simply to keep track of their toddlers. However, the downside is parents are making more decisions, having to research a lot more, make new rules with their children because of this.

When Sunita first became pregnant 14 years ago, there weren’t so many online forums or websites to refer to. To Sunita, her pregnancy meant, delving into an entirely new world of motherhood. Traditional mediums of information like buying a copy of “What to Expect When You Are Expecting” or notching it up with reading articles on Baby Centre online was the furthest she went. Best advice and suggestions always came from family and friends.

Sunita had no idea that there were this many facets to a pregnancy, or raising kids and so many people debating possibilities on so many multiple parenting ways. She says, “If I screwed up, there wasn’t a stranger with an iPhone nearby to snap a picture and write “An Open Letter to the Mom Who (Insert Screw-Up Here)” and post it on Facebook to go viral. I couldn’t go online and discover that a large number of moms or doctors felt that whatever method of sleep-training I used (or didn’t) was going to leave my children socially isolated and unable to love for the rest of their lives.”

Today, many parents are using digital platforms as a babysitter. Alexis Lauricella, a researcher at the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University in Illinois says, “We felt like we kept seeing iPads at every restaurant we went out to with every young child. We wondered: Was that really the case? Are parents just forking over an iPad to keep kids quiet?”

This helped Alexis Lauricella and colleagues to launch a research in which they survey approximately 2,300 parents on both traditional and digital parenting.

According to the survey, almost 70% of the parents reported that digital aides like smartphones and tablets did not make the job of parenting any simpler. What most parents tend to do is to use the gadgets towards creating a temporary distraction or even to appease an upset child. More often than not, access to these devices and digital platforms could be a reward for good behaviour too.

However, with constant access, parents are making many more decisions than one would have made even 10 years ago during traditional parenting days.

Lauricella says, “There really are a lot more options, which means parents have to dig into them a little bit more. Growing up, we had a PBS station — and that’s basically what my parents considered good television, and that’s what we were allowed to watch. It’s not that easy anymore.”

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