Trench Coats...My favorite for winters!

Two years back my husband brought a trench coat for my daughter from Zara which I completely adore. Burberry trench coats are also a favorite among many parents (for them and their kids). Trench coats are an alternative to the heavy coats which are difficult for children to wear for a comparatively long period of time. My daughter has a warm overcoat  which she hates to wear. Trench coats have the following plus points:

• They are light to wear
• Children  look smart by wearing them.

There is one negative point about which I don't bother but still

• Trench coats themselves can't protect children from chilly winds of winter so make sure children wear three layered clothes below them so as to keep them warm.

Trench coats in beige color look nice on any child. Complementing trench coat with a pair of jeans or tights and long shoes, your little one is surely going to look like a super star all prepared for the winter.

Stilettos...fun to wear but not good for you!

Shoes are often the first thing most of the people notice in a person's appearance. And If we talk about women , shoes especially stilettos are an essential part of wardrobe. Stilettos give our otherwise ordinary looking outfit a complete novice look. Even the most awesome looking apparel is incomplete without a stylish stiletto. That is why nowadays the one brand about which you hear the most is Jimmy Choo. The affluent ones have it and those who don't have try hard to save so that they can then spend outrageously just to get one pair of it.

High-heeled shoes have some positives which make them to fun to wear:

• They make you feel and also look taller. They give you that needed confidence to complement your dress in a good manner.
• They strengthen your pelvic muscles and thus make your posture look good.
• They add a fancy touch to any outfit you are clad in.

But as everything has its pros and cons, stilettos also offer some risks as:

• You are more prone to slips and falls if you are wearing high heels.
• Knee joints are likely to be affected. Risk of back bone pain also gets higher as you become stiletto wearer for a long period of time.
• You also should be ready for bristles if you are stiletto admirer .
• As all the weight is put on the toes so it has a direct impact on the spine. Your gait is likely to be affected because high heels make otherwise simple walking task into an arduous activity.
• After some years of constant use , you might develop Achilles tendonitis because heels are attached to calf muscles through Achilles tendon and if there is undue pressure on heels, then inflammation of Achilles tendon occur owing to which there is increased pain.

Despite the risk factors associated with the high heels, every woman loves wearing them. There is no harm wearing them for a short duration but wearing them continuously every day over the years certainly put your joints, spine and posture on a higher risk.

Kids of Shoes Your Toddler/ Preschooler Should Wear

Many among us take the selection of shoes for our kids for granted. Ofcourse they are kids and so they need to be tough to wear any kind of shoes! But we should all be aware of the fact that our kids' heels are fragile and they need to be protected. Moreover, their tiny ankles and feet need support. Many children have growing pains while they are in this age group. There are many points to be remembered while purchasing right and comfortable shoes for your kids:

• Shoes should have a little sole to prevent falls. Soles should neither be too hard nor too soft. It is preferred that you go for leather soles. Rubber soles are also good.
• Same goes for the material of shoes. It shouldn't be too hard nor too soft. But a little hard would be better as it protects your child's feet plus it provides balance.
• Close-toed shoes are better as the kids' feet are well-protected. I personally prefer close-toed shoes like sneakers and boots.
• Sandals are fine to use in summers but they are not ideal for little kids. In case your little one adores sandals,  close-toed sandals  having buckles should be preferred. Open toed sandals make your kids' feet exposed to injuries and infections. I am in favor of using sandals for a shorter duration. For summers, crocs are the best.
• A thumb's distance between the  toes and the inside front of the shoe is essential. You certainly doesn't want your little one's feet bumping into the inside of the shoe.

Trying to Help Your Kid in Having a Sound and Healthy Sleep??

So your child is a preschooler and you are still having problems in  getting her to bed at a proper time and in making sure that she doesn't wake up at midnight while crying for some pain ( as do most growing children suffer from pain in their bones or pain owing to urinary tract infection) and so doesn't have whining sessions in the morning! Here are some tips which would definitely work in helping your kid have a healthy sleep : a sleep which fulfills the rest requirements of a child so that he feels refreshed when he wakes up.

• First of all, make sure he is not hungry. He must have a warm glass of milk before sleeping.
• He must be in a comfortable night suit. Most of the children feel cranky because the material of the night suit causes itching. I prefer 100% cotton for kids' night suits. It all depends on your kid's skin type.
• Make sure your kid drinks the required amount of water because many children often complaint at night of pain which occurs due to UTI.
• If he has unstoppable cough sessions at night, they might be causing sleep disruptions so apart from giving him medicines (if it is winter season), you should use humidifiers. Moreover, rubbing your kid's chest and back with vicks vaporub really helps. Before putting him to sleep, you can also give him one teaspoon of honey mixed in half teaspoon of lukewarm water.
• Massaging your kid's legs and feet with olive oil would also help in having him a sound sleep.
• A light session with your kid (involving him in questions like did he enjoy in school today?singing some rhymes together and reading to him a bed time story) really helps in getting him a sound state of mind essential for a healthy sleep.

Rebonding..Good for your hair?

In the last two and a half years, I opted twice for rebonding. The reason being my otherwise dry and frizzy hair. I really hated ironing my hair two hours before going to some party or a function. And if some day, I couldn't straighten owing to lack of time, my hair looked miserable. And believe me! no matter how nicely your make up is done, it won't good look as long as you don't have immaculate hair. Ever wonder why people around the world are paying so much attention to the hairstyles? why everyone goes ga-ga over Kate Middleton's changing hairstyles? The reason is that your hairstyle defines your whole personality. Some people really follow celebrities' hairstyles but everyone has a different face shape and one has to see which hairstyle would look on that face shape.

Rebonding or hair straightening  is a chemical process which involves restructuring the hair by breaking the bonds. It takes four to five hours and it permanently straightens your hair for a period of six to twelve months. I am personally in favor of rebonding for people who have unmanageable hair. It really eases your life by freeing yourself from the hectic task of straightening your hair each time you have to go out. My life has certainly become a lot easier, that is why I went for rebonding the second time. Now whenever I have to go to some function ,I know that I have only to style my daughter's hair because combing my rebounded hair would hardly take a minute.

Some people say that rebonding causes a lot of hair damage. In my opinion, if you take the right diet and oil your hair regularly, it wont damage your hair. But still, everyone's hair is different. Some hair types quickly adjust to this process and some simply don't. The choice is yours, but in my case, I would say I really have become a fan of rebonding.

 

Is Your Child Taking Power Naps?

Power nap is a sleep which is for usually 10-30 minutes and it has to be between 1-4 pm. The reason is that if it occurs beyond 4pm, it can then trouble your sleeping at night. The purpose of power nap is to revitalize your energy so that you can do the rest of your daily activities at an active pace.

Nowadays many preschools focus at having power naps so that kids can rest for a while after the strenuous preschool activities. Many parents also make sure that their kids have a nap after coming from school. With me, it keeps on changing. In summers, I make sure my daughter sleeps because afternoons are too long. And if in summers, your kid doesn't sleep in afternoon, then she is bound to become drowsy by 6pm. But in winters, my parenting style changes. Though I know she must be taking a power nap but candidly speaking, all my efforts fail and she manages to get away. But now, after studying and hearing so much about power naps and the good effects they have on children, I am for sure going to have her take power nap.

Of course, you don't want your kid to whine in the morning that she wants to sleep more. I know how much effort does it take to ride your five year old kid on your shoulders and carry her to washroom only because she is sleep deprived and you does not want her to be late for school!

Power naps are gradually becoming a part of parenting style of every house hold. My father always focused on it while we were kids. And he clearly said that ok! one hour has passed, get up and pick up your books to read. I must say it had a clear effect on refreshing our minds after hectic school routine!

Vacation Shopping...Is It Fun?

So you are on your long awaited vacation replete with endless fun and relaxed state of mind. But wait! have you forgotten about the shopping for you and your loved ones back home? Shopping is for sure going to consume many hours. As soon as you think this, you start looking for souvenirs whenever you pass by any nice market. And of course, you have to get your kids something every time you buy a gift for some other kid in the family.

Some people really enjoy vacation shopping and I was one of those people. But priorities do change after having kids. When you know that you have a baby in the pram or a toddler with you or even a bigger kid, she is not going to spare you while shopping. Obviously, you don't want to listen from your kid that you have money for others but not for her.

We, ladies are strange in some ways. We love to go on a shopping spree but when this becomes an obligation rather than fun, then we start hating it.

In the past, (on a holiday) when I saw something which I knew somebody in my family would simply adore , I immediately bought it thinking that we might not get this thing during the rest of our tour and as a result, I had  plethora of things at the end of tour which were difficult to carry. But now I have learnt to plan everything accordingly.

Six months back,  my husband and I went on a two weeks vacation with our lovely daughter. The good thing I did this time was to make a list of my relatives' names with the list of things we would buy for everyone and the budget which would be allocated to shopping. Doing this made our life easier by making us clear of what percent of the money would be left for our own shopping. This also saved our time as we already knew what kind of things we would be buying and this also made shopping fun. We enjoyed eating, travelling and also shopping!!

How good are Early Development programs for kids?

As soon as a child is born, parents start dreaming of giving her the best possible education. We all dream of making our children superhuman type of creatures which no human is born to be like. The gulping of this reality takes time and as soon as parents realize this, they just wait for the kids to grow up and be what they want to. I don't know how many of them do this but I am one of those parents

.

One thing which I did good in the process of making my daughter the smartest and  the most intelligent kid around was to enroll her in the early childhood development program which can also be called  early childhood education program. The program which focused at making children learn through gym, fun and music was so entertaining and learning experience for not only my daughter but also me. I got acquainted with many techniques of making children learn which I didn't know before. I learnt so many poems which would make my daughter smile. Moreover, it had activities like swimming,  computer class and baby chef.

I got to know the different techniques of teaching children. I saw my daughter taking her first swimming class and her first music class. The joy was beyond words. It had not been possible for me to teach her all this at home. Moreover, the essential involvement of mothers in the program made it easier to grasp the early concepts for toddlers as they were spared from the anxiety of being alone. I noticed a rising confidence in her as she was introduced to the concept of peer interaction at 2.2 years of age. I learnt that mothers play a pivotal role in shaping the kids' personality by staying happy and supportive of kids in whatever their toddlers do all day long. I came to know about the time-out technique through the early childhood development program. I learnt that toddlers have a great capacity to absorb new concepts in their tiny minds.
 

In a nutshell, early childhood development program told me that learning should be done in a light and fun-filled style rather than the conventional learning style(which we mostly adopt in our homes).According to buzzle.com, the brain of 3 years old child is two times active than an adult and that is why schools are nowadays more focusing on interactive activities as they encourage brain development.

I believe that behind the confident and cheerful personality of my kid lies the early childhood development program in which I enrolled her. That is also the reason why my daughter started her school with no-crying sessions. I have become a fan of early childhood development programs since then.

Am I a modern mother?

As I am a house-wife, so I regularly go to pick my daughter and drop her off at preschool. Mostly moms come all dressed up to pick their children from the school. Sometimes it does look like a fashion parade with the hair and make up neatly done. But it is also good as it's everybody right to look smart and especially housewives' right as they spend all day doing house chores. But if your daughter asks you to wear modern clothes, look modern and be a working mom, it means either there is something wrong with you or something wrong with your child's thinking. It can also mean that there is nothing wrong with both of you :may be thinking at both ages vary.

I always thought that being a modern parent is inculcating modern values and concepts in your child's mind by making him learn through new methods. To me, modern means being friendly with your child so that he is always comfortable talking to you on any topic. I am a staunch believer of the fact that your buying something expensive for you is not as pivotal is buying kid's toy or book of his choice. Many would disagree with me but still it is my philosophy.  It is because you are at an age where things don't mean a lot to you as they mean them to children. If you buy kids their favorite things, a stage will come where they will automatically be fed up of things and there they will realize that human values are more important than things. I am definitely not in favor of bombarding kids with toys but sometimes they need to be treated special so as to enjoy their childhood.

To my surprise, my daughter recently changed this definition for me. For her modern means wearing nice clothes , stylish shoes with the best make up and hairdo. At first, I was astonished as I considered myself up to date. But later I thought what is wrong if my daughter wants to see her mom as the most well dressed mom. My daughter wants me to cook the best cake, the best pasta and the best fries. As we want our kids to look and be best, our children also want that. If we want our children to respect our opinion, we should also respect our kids' opinion.

And I definitely respect my five year old daughter's opinion and am trying my level best to be a mom she wants me to be. In other words a modern mom !:)

 

Making Cute Little Wall Hangings for your home!

I was in grade 6 when I learnt the art of embroidery from my teacher. And from then, embroidery became my favorite pastime.  What I love about embroidery is that you can make any simple piece of cloth look beautiful. I mean what is more satisfying than making an art piece of your choice which you can also display in the form of wall hangings, pillow covers, bed covers, table cloths and what not. Doing embroidery doesn't mean necessarily making something big ; a piece of art has to be beautiful regardless of its size.

I love chain stitch, cross stitch and blanket stitch as they are so easy to do and cute  beautiful wall hangings can be made from them which don't consume all of your time. And the feeling is amazing when you find your hand art adorning the empty wall. Moreover, sometimes you don't get stuff of your choice from the market to fill in the emptiness of walls so you can just make your own designed art through embroidery and can get it framed for a more polished look.

 

Kind of Books your 5 year old kid should have!

Since my childhood, I believed books to be assets and I still believe that. I remember the first political book I read was from my father's trunk and the book's name was "In the Arena" by Richard Nixon. I simply loved the book as it gave me an insight into the past world events. As a child, I used to go with my father  to library to borrow books. My mom also played an integral part by bringing small books for us (me and my siblings) when she went out for grocery shopping.

 

Believe me! I bought first book for my baby when she was not even six months old. Then books came coming in and today when she is five, everywhere I can see in her room are books. Even the toy box is inundated with books. As my husband is also fond of books, it seems that our love for books has been transferred into our daughter.

 

Now what I have done is that I have categorized books by putting them in separate drawers. I thought that it would also give me an idea about what kind of books my daughter should read out of her collection everyday. Following are the categories and this is also my list of must haves for your five year old girl!

• Dora story books and Sesame Street story books (Related to favorite cartoons)

I have written Dora because it is my daughter's favorites cartoon character. You can choose books related to your child's favorite character but make sure he learns something out of them. Dora the explorer's books of different levels are available in the market and you can select  books according to your child's age. I have found a great deal of improvement in my daughter's vocabulary after I started reading to her these story books. The beautiful pictures even take me to the adventurous world of Dora and Boots.

I love Sesame Street concept as it promotes different people belonging to different genres of society bonding so well.

While Dora books tell us more about Dora, her friends and family; Sesame Street talks more about the larger group settings. Sesame street story books also teach children a lot of new experimental things.
My little one also loves stories related to Barbie.

• Moral story books

Morality based story books promoting good manners,honesty , selflessness, and brotherhood also play a pivotal part in children's lives.

• Fairy Tales

And who can forget fairy tales taking us to the enchanted world of Rapunzel,Snow white and Cinderella . These are all time little girls' favorites.

• Colouring books and activity books

Five year olds are no doubt little kids who love coloring, painting and solving puzzles. Activity books that engage them in counting, joining alphabets to make new words and colouring  are best for kids at this age.

• Books related to study: writing books

Of course study time has to be there. Apart from school books, kids should have different writing books at home so as to give them a free area to explore their learning abilities.

No matter how much you spend on kids clothes or their recreation, spending on their books guarantee a knowledgeable future tomorrow!

Vitamin D Deficiency in Kids

In today's modern world replete with luxuries of life, most of us seldom find time to sit in the sun rather we have been so well acquainted with this lifestyle that we don't want to relinquish it. Our new generation  prefer playing x-box rather than playing badminton or tennis in the sun. Albeit there are some health conscious people around us even now but candidly, they can be counted on fingers.

We are faced today with diseases which are as a result of our own lazy habits. Vitamin D deficiency is a very common occurrence today especially in Asian countries which is a surprising thing. I call it surprising because Allah Almighty has blessed us with beautiful seasons all year long. We have a long summer season and we can get as much Vitamin D as we want to do but we stay indoors and keep our children too caged in their rooms which we think is right so as to save themselves from the scorching heat but we forget in the process that playing outside for some time is very important for them. It doesn't have to be in blazing sun; they can even  play in the late afternoon. Vitamin D is essential in order to absorb calcium for our bones from blood.

We as parents have a responsibility to note our child since he starts walking. If one feels that the gait is not right, immediately see a doctor because God Forbid, if Vitamin D deficiency is not treated at an early age, its acute deficiency can lead to rickets. Sometimes even when your child (according to you) is getting enough sunshine or best quality fortified milk ,she can have vitamin D deficiency because you never know she is getting enough or not. So never rely on your assumptions. Make sure she gets her daily intake of vitamin D and calcium.
 

Main dietary sources of vitamin  are sunshine, fortified milk (cheese and yogurt), fortified orange juice, eggs, salmon fish and cod-liver oil. My grandma used to give cod-liver oil to her kids when they were kids and none of the six has any vitamin d deficiency. Good food definitely leads to a healthy tomorrow!

 

 Give ample time to your kids and that doesn't mean sitting with them while he is playing and you are watching your favorite soap. It means taking note of their each and every need be it mental or physical because you don't want to repent whole life thinking that you didn't nurture you child in the best possible way.

Make sure she eats well, plays well and sleeps well.