Raising confident kids... training begins at home!

I have a lovely eight year old daughter who according to her teachers is amongst the most confident kids of her school.When somebody says good remarks like this about your kid, you surely feel elated but raising a confident kid and a kid that has her opinion at a tender age is not a piece of cake. 

                                                    Image courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net

You have to be patient, at times harsh too when a kid doesn't listen to you and values her opinion more but later, when you think about it, you feel proud too that your kid is confident and not hesitant which will not make her solely dependent on other kids to make her decisions.

I seriously believe that the starting years of a child's life are crucial in giving him utmost strength and confidence which will last for lifetime . In my case, the first four years were very calm and loving both for my daughter and me. Then the tantrums started when her father  had to go abroad for four months. She would ask me to take her daily to bookshop to buy her favourite book. Time passes quickly but the thing you ahould never let go is patience and while I say this, I know that completely  never letting it go is an arduous  task.

The 6-8 age group is pivotal in the sense that kids no longer consider them as little children . They think that now they can do anything but the best thing about this age group is that they still need you for reading bedtime story, for tucking them in bed and for hugging . My daughter can now get ready for herself but still she needs me for her hairdo and I love it. Everyone of us shout or get angry at our kids at sometime but these moments go away so quickly as time passes and then kids don't need us for little things. I read somewhere that if you listen to them today, they will listen to you  tomorrow and that is 100 % accurate. We as parents have to be patient today in order to let our kids grow as patient and confident  individuals tomorrow.

Allowing kids as small as 5 years to choose their own bed sheet or wall colour also instills in them the confidence that they can take decisions. One thing more which gives sheer confidence is parents' support. If a kid knows that his parents would listen to him and support no matter what, then he would never be afraid of others.

What to shop for a winter baby?

Shopping for a newborn seems fun and ofcourse it has to be because a new life comes into the world who becomes more important than anything else in the world . Feeders, sterlizer ,baby cot, car seat, carry cot , stroller and a bouncer are on every pqrent's list but apart from these, there are lots of things which have to be bought before a baby arrives.

Taking care of a newborn is not a piece of cake and especially if he is a winter baby. Protecting baby from the chilly winter is what every parent wants to do  and the first thing which comes into mind is buying lots of clothes but the trickier part is babies outgrow the clothes  very quickly.Many people are also big fans of fleece rompers and sheets but if you ask me, I would never ever wrap my baby in a fleece sheet because although they seem warm , some babies are allergic to it: both my babies had rashes on their skin after being  wrapped in fleece sheets and my sister 's daughter had it too.

So  of you ask me , there are some Do's and Don'ts  of a winter baby's shopping

Do buy

• 3-5 pairs of socks
• 2 pairs of mittens
• A sleeping bag ( it helps a lot especially on doctor's visits)
• 2-3 Wrapping sheets
• At least five bibs 
• 4-5 sweaters ( because babies spit a lot and on some days, you might be needing more than one sweater )
• At least 3 bodysuits
• 3 woollen vests
• 3-4 onesies ( because babies outgrow quickly)
• 3-4 full sleeve shirts
• 3-4 soft but warm pyjamas
• 3-4 cotton caps( I'm not a big fan of woollen caps as some babies are allergic to wool but one woollen cap is must incase you have to take the baby out)
• Baby's blanket
• Baby's comforter
• Pillow
• 3-4 Changing sheets 
• A bath tub or a bath seat
• A baby bag
• Pampers and wipes are a must ofcourse
• Baby lotion , baby oil , baby shampoo plus a nappy rash cream

Don't buy

• Fleece sheets 
• Too much of 0-3 months stuff as some babies might need 3-6 months in a 1-2 month span of time
• More than 2 packs of zero size pampers ( as I have said earlier that babies grow quickly in the beginning months )
• Toys and rattles for the beginning two months as your baby wouldn't be noticing much at this stage

Starting solids .. What to give and what not to give?

My baby just turned 7 months and it has been one month since I started solids. As he is my second baby, so of course experience comes along .

With my first baby, I gave rice Cerelac as the first food. This time I knew I am not going to do this as rice Cerelac gives the worst constipation to babies. I decided that this time I am not even going to touch Cerelac boxes ; infact I am going to give him fresh home food but soon after I discovered that he likes only yogurt and custard and these foods are not going to give him enough nutrition : he also needs a balanced food like Cerelac.

I did lots of experiments and made plenty of fruit and vegetable purees the first time I became mom but I realised soon that vegetables give babies colic and sometimes does not just suit them. People say you are relaxed when you become mom for second time but I have become more cautious and think a lot before introducing anything new to my seven month old.So this time I have only given him custard, yogurt , bread pudding and  Cerelac since there are no teeth now.

This time I am satisfied as far as vitamin d intake is concerned as the doctor has given my baby vitamin d drops. They help a lot in making baby's bones strong especially in babies that are breastfed. During my daughter's time, doctor missed it and the result was that my daughter started sitting at 10 months and walking at 1.4 years which is a little late as compared to other kids.

6-12 months of age is the most adorable as babies reach so many milestones in such a short time and you as a parent also get to know so much.Looking forward to posting more about such topics . Happy reading !

Ramazan Mubarik! A month of Festivity, Patience and Kindness

Ramazan, the holy month is here . It is  my favourite month of the year. Infact, it is favourite month of almost all the Muslims  around the world. The reason being its significance , the  purity of soul one feels after  fasting the whole day and the rewards Muslims are promised by Allah for keeping the fasts .

Fast is not only prohibition from eating but it is actually  respecting others feelings too and making sure that no one gets  offended from you: in other words one has to  stay away from use of foul language or misbehaviour with anyone. In  Ramazan, the well-offs of the society have to pay 2.5 percent of their wealth to the needy or the poor . The whole 30 days of Ramazan are celebration: offices are shut down early so that everyone can say their prayers in mosque and avail the most of this month. In the last days of Ramazan, markets are thronged with people for the celebration of Eid which occurs after Ramazan and it is a gift from Allah to its people for displaying patience , kindness and empathy the whole month.

Though fasting is compulsory for all Muslims yet Allah is very kind to exempt elderly, sick, travellers , nursing and expecting mothers from fasting . As I am a mother of an infant too so this time I won't be fasting but I have to make up later  and of course I have to give food to a needy person for the month of Ramazan. Sehri ( the  time before dawn when we eat before keeping fast) and Aftar ( when we break fasts) are favourite time of my seven year old daughter. Obviously she doesn't fast as she is a kid but she loves breaking the fast with everybody as the dining table is full of items like dates, samosas, fruit chaat, sandwiches and dhoodh soda ( milk plus 7up).Then after  that , she offers prayers by herself and that is the most lovely part. Whenever she gets rude to anybody. I say it's Ramazan time and she cools down. What a blessed month it is!

Happy Ramazan everybody!:)

Mother's Day Special : You are a piece of star!:)

A mother is the most special person in our lives and we need no reminder for it. But sometimes these occasions give us and our loved ones an extra reason to celebrate and that puts more happiness into our lives.

This year I have been blessed with a son and so this was my first Mother's Day with two kids: one being seven year old and other a four month old infant. Though my daughter is very responsible, caring and loving but being a mother of two is not a piece of cake. Though motherhood is rewarding and I can't thank Allah enough for bestowing me with such an adorable family yet giving quality time equally to each kid sometimes becomes  challenging.But this is what this beautiful relation is all about.Now when I think about how my mom raised five of us ( me and my sibling) , I can't stop admiring her : we were all always immaculately dressed, our homework was always done on time, we ate on time and slept on time. This was all due to the selfless and the most loving person : my mom.

As my son is too young now so I don't know how expressive or how responsible my son would be but one thing is for sure that the way you nurture your kids play a vital role in their development. This is the card my daughter made for me and I was truly overwhelmed by the note she wrote for me : you are a piece of star.

The most special thing about this Mother's Day is that my daughter collected money to buy me a gift. She also bought gifts for both her grandmothers and her aunt, and that makes me extra happy because she realises that all these relations are also motherly relations in a child's life.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms,grand moms,aunts and kids !:)

Welcoming a new baby in winters

End of 2015 marked a special time for us as we welcomed our baby boy. Welcoming a second baby after seven years is similar to becoming first-time parents as you have to go through the same experience and feelings after being accustomed to your normal routine for so long. And especially,if  your first- born is a summer baby and second one a winter baby: it is an altogether different experience.

For me having a winter baby was difficult as compared to taking care of a summer baby. You always have to worry about baby catching a cold and especially if everyone around your home is getting sick, saving your baby from cold is an uphill task. Then God forbid if your baby catches a cold then Internet is there to scare you about your baby having whooping cough or something equally scary. Moreover, you get to hear different views from so many people regarding why your baby got cold and it all makes you more perturbed as what you should do and what you shouldn't .This all seems more frightening when you welcome a baby after many miscarriages and that makes you more paranoid.Thank God winters have almost passed now and spring is here ; and my baby is about two and a half months old now.And that's why I am back to blogging now!