Caring for Toddlers (1-3 yrs) Tips

Motherhood is a big responsibility. Being a caretaker and a nurturer requires a lot of hard work and time. Staying active physically, emotionally and spiritually is the most difficult work of all. It is even more tiring as the entire process of giving birth is a tiring task in itself.

In order to get over this tiredness, according to Ayurveda, one should try to calm their Vata. Spiritual elements of the body are collectively called Vata. Vata is responsible for maintaining the balance and order of the body.

How to calm Vata?

Diet

For the Mother:
A mother is tired, sleep deprived, and in pain after the daunting process of giving birth.

• She should be present in cold and dry environment at all times
• To calm her Vata, she should maintain her diet as well
• This includes having light food, good fruits, and a lot of water
• It is very important to remember she shouldn’t eat spicy food at all
• She should try having food that provides nourishment to the body by including special herbs in the food, like Fenugreek, Ashwagandha and Pippali. These herbs stimulate the nourishing quality of food and provide the perfect balance to body.

For the Baby:

When it comes to taking care of infants, the best medicine and nurturer is the mother’s milk.

• After the toddler is 10-11 months old, Ayurveda can play a major role in their diet.
• Rasayana and Chyawanprash can boost immunity in children and calm their Vata.
• Swarna bhasma when mixed with ghee and honey can be a very effective medicine during cold.
• Shankhapushpi is also a medicinal herb that is very useful to boost immunity during the winters.

Physical Care

• Physical care is important for both the mother and the baby. This includes mild massages and exercises from time to time.
• Massages in the mother should be focused on the hip and the lower back region, as those are the places that experience most pain in the body. Ashwagandha and Bala oils are the best to massage with.
• When it comes to the child, the most focused part is the skin. Though infants shouldn’t be subjected to massages at first, after a year, one can massage a baby with Snehana and Ashwagandha oils to improve the skin.

Emotional Care

1. The mother and the child need emotional support more than anything. This requires a mother to spend time with her child as much as possible.
2. A mother should get ample amount of sleep during the nights. So, as much as possible, the father should take care of the child during the nights.

Above are some of the best practices to nurture mother and the child. But it's not an easy task. It's going to be challenging and confusing, but once this becomes a habit, everything will fall into places. Consulting an Ayurvedic doctor is very helpful at this stage.

Is your child refusing to grab anything other than chicken nuggets? When your child’s nutrition is an aching subject to deal with in your household, remember you are not the only one. Many parents are actually worried about the fussiness of their children over food. But your child’s food preferences would also mature with age. Until then, you can consider trying out these following tips to avoid any kind of mealtime hassles.

1. Respect your child's appetite or lack of one: Respect your child’s level of appetite and never force a meal, if your child is not hungry. Rather, serve small portions to give them an opportunity to ask for more, on their own.

2. Stick to the routine: Maintain a routine and serve snacks and meals at about the same time every day. Also, keep a check on the number of times you serve those mid meal snacks and try to stick to that count.

3. Be patient with new foods: Have patience with new food. Take time in introducing it to your child by talking about the food’s shape, color, aroma and texture, if not the taste.

4. Make it fun: Try out innovative ways of garnishing your food so as to make the whole eating experience a fun and a thrilling one for your child.

5. Recruit your child's help: At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods. But keep off those foods which you would not want you child to eat.

6. Set an example: Set an example by yourself by eating all kinds of nutritious and healthy foods, in order to set that perfect example for your child.

7. Cut Distractions: Make sure to switch off from any sort of a distraction, such as the television or the washing machine and other electronic gadgets while feeding your child.

8. Don't offer dessert as a reward: Do not reward your child with desserts at the end of the meal as this sends them an indication that the dessert is the best dish among all.

9. Do not cook a separate meal: Do not cook a separate meal for your child after he/she has refused the original one as this might encourage picky eating even more.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Infancy is the most significant phase, where a new born gets the fullest exposure to new world, developing distinct relationship with the people and food. Infants tiny digestive system is still under progress and a special heed should be paid to ensure infants overall development isn’t hampered .New mums are often apprehensive about what should they feed to their tiny tots. As every mother wants the best for her newborn, below is a special guideline, that will help anxious  mums to make the wise choices and disregard certain food items in the first year of child’s life.

Foods which can wait till the baby's first birthday:

1. Honey: –   Honey in any form (raw,organic,cooked) should be strictly prohibited during infancy phase,there are chances of infant getting caught with ‘Infant Botulinum’ toxicity. The presence of Clostridium Botulinum in honey can be dreadful and an infant can show persistent symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea. It can be life threatening. It is better honey is introduced in infants diet after 1st year.
2. Salt and sugar: – Salt and sugar are a big no to be introduced during infancy. Making salt and sugar a part of every meal can affect infants taste and could lead to potential health issues. Sugar sweetened beverages can be a potential of developing childhood obesity.
3. Hard candies and foods: – Candies, fruits and vegetable sticks in direct form can pose infant on higher risk of choking. It is better off avoided during infancy.
4. Cow’s milk: – Introducing cow’s milk during infancy can increase the renal load on infants developing kidneys and can also make the growing child at risk of becoming anaemic in near future.
5. Fruit juice: – Fruit juices usually do not impart and may contribute adverse complications like obesity,over and undernutrition, abdominal distention etc. It should only be introduced under recommendation.
6. Wheat: – One of the most common allergen, wheat should be introduced in the diet after child’s first birthday. Wheat can tax infants developing digestive system and is usually digested with difficulty. Rice is however a better choice.
7. Eggs, fish, Treenuts: – Apart from being the potential allergens, it is better to refrain from these food items during infancy, as they can put an infant at the risk of choking. It is better to introduce them later.

Take aways:

It is important to start with natural purees and make sure the quantity and the consistency is gradually increased based on the preference of the child, tolerability and the nutritional aspect. The above food list will help the caregiver or mother to make smart and safe choices.

In most instances it has been found that the habits we inculcate during childhood  are carried to adulthood, so, it becomes all the more  important in parenting to nurture good eating habits and expose toddlers to healthy foods. Being a parent we can inculcate healthy eating habits in our children. For this you can try these:

• Check the refrigrator: Try your best to keep only healthy snacks/foods so that even if the child  opens the fridge his choice is healthy .Avoid keeping excess cold drinks, chocolates etc.
• Be a role model: Always set a good eating example for your child to copy ,share the meal time and eat the same healthy food. Try to avoid foods in front of children that you don’t intend to give them.
• Make boring food interesting: Try to make daily routine food interesting for the toddlers ,for example one can make a cute smiley on the vegetable sandwich you intend to serve to your child.
• Awareness: Parents must be aware about the food available in market. You must be in habit to read labels before buying. Take your child to grocery shopping and inculcate habit of reading labels in them also, make them aware of importance of these labels.
• Involvement of child: Involve your child in preparing meals as they may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help to prepare.
• Food as reward or punishment: Try not to use food as reward or punishment for your child. Like sending your child to bed without dinner as a punishment may make them to eat whenever they get a chance, similarly sweets or dessert should not be used as reward for finishing vegetables as child may assume that these foods are more valuable and this will unknowingly sent wrong message .
• Eat meals together often: Make meal times pleasant with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing.
• Encourage: Encourage your child to eat slowly this will give brain time to register fullness.
• Free your child: Sometimes or on occasions,festivities as you are restricting them on a daily basis, you only worry about daily routine and not holidays.

It is often difficult for most of us to make your kids eat healthy food and keeping them away from junk and unhealthy food is a much bigger task. It is always easy for them to finish off a packet of chips than a cup of vegetables or fruits. Read on to know some of the healthiest foods that your kid should be biting into.

1. Dairy products: These are a great source of proteins, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and other minerals. In addition, yogurt provides good bacteria. Milk and yogurt can also be included into smoothies which will also give them a blend of some fruits. Butter can be used in toasts and sandwiches as these foods are loved by children. You can replace plain milk with milkshakes, they are tastier and the children love them.
2. Soups: These are another great source of nutrition, be it chicken or vegetables. They can be a good evening snack and not just prevent the evening hunger pangs but also come packed with a good amount of nutrition and hydration.
3. Fruits: Each fruit contains different ingredients. Pick fresh seasonal fruits and incorporate them into your child’s diet as they hold a good amount of nutrients. Fruits provide a good supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and good sugars.
4. Whole grains: Try a brown bread instead of white, replace refined flour pizza base with atta pizza base and white pasta with wheat pasta. These whole grains provide a lot more fiber and nutrition compared to the refined flours. The idea again is to let the kids eat any of them but on a rotational basis, so that benefits from all foods are derived.
5. Vegetables: Get creative when getting the kids to eat vegetables and green leafy vegetables. From soups to salads to curries, try to rotate vegetables, and like fruits, use seasonal ones. They also have chlorophyll which helps improve their energy levels and reduce fatigue.
6. Fish: One of the best sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, it helps in brain development and building immunity in children, making them less prone to illnesses.
7. Nuts: While walnut is a well-known brain food, almonds are amazing for the skin and hair growth. Pecans are a good source of nutrients too. The rich oils in the nuts help fight diseases and are a great source of energy. Substituting the sugar candy with any of the nuts is a great way to indulge them in healthy snacking.
8. Eggs: Whatever form, boiled, fried, scrambled, let the child indulge in their choice of eggs. A good source of protein which is very essential for hair, skin, and nails, try to squeeze in 4 eggs a week in your child’s diet.

Ensure these things find a way into the kid’s plate. In addition, some junk or fried stuff is always allowed!

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Constipation causes a lot of discomfort to children. A lot of factors are responsible for constipation among children.

Some of them are:

1. Deliberate Withholding: Often children may consciously avoid visiting the toilet, which may make them feel constipated. This may be due to embarrassment, especially in public spaces or they might be too engaged in playing to not go to the toilet, altogether. Some children do it out of fear when a previous toilet experience has been particularly painful.
2. Illness and Medication: Infections and illnesses, especially ones pertaining to the stomach cause the child to become constipated. Many medicines and supplements also affect the digestive system and can lead to constipation.
3. Diet: This is the primary cause of constipation in children. If the child's diet has low water and fibre content and heavily features sugar and processed foods, stool becomes hard and bowel movement gets restricted.

Treatment for constipation in children:

Constipation in children is treated differently than in adults as their diets and patterns of bowel movement are dissimilar. The primary treatments for constipation in children are:

1. Dietary Adjustment - Making changes to the child's diet by including high fibre foods (such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, etc.) can help cure constipation. Compelling the child to intake ample fluids in the form of water or milk is also necessary. Sugary drinks must be avoided.
2. Stool softeners and laxatives - The administration of bowel movement enhancing medication is the simplest way of treating constipation in children. There are various kinds of stool softeners and laxatives that are safe for children and must always be used under the supervision of a paediatrician.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Is your child undergoing Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PIDDs)? If you are tired of seeing your child suffering with regular cold and cough which could be solely due to a lack of nutrients in the diet, resulting in low immunity of the body. Adopting healthy habits by cutting back on junk food while including healthy items will help raise your child’s immunity levels immensely.

Some of the best foods to include in the diet to increase the immunity of your child are mentioned below:

1. Eggs, pulses, lean meats and other healthy protein: Immunity buildup may be disrupted if there isn’t enough protein in your diet. Milk protein in cow’s milk or dairy products like butter and cheese, animal protein in lean meats such as chicken and ovo-protein in eggs are highly beneficial and raise immunity levels.
2. Fish for immunity build up: Fish is a great immunity builder and also helps in making the brain work more efficiently. Fish meat contains lean proteins as well as essential Omega-3 acids which help properly regulate many functions within the body raising immunity.
3. Stay healthy with yogurt: There are a lot many flavored varieties of curd or yogurt that your child may like and which is also considered as a power food source. It helps reduce gastrointestinal illnesses. However, try and go for the less flavored ones as they would have lesser amounts of processed sugar.
4. Oats and Barley for your rescue: The reason why oats and barley are healthy alternatives, especially for children is because they are composed of beta-glucan (fibre containing antioxidants and antimicrobial properties). This helps in avoiding constipation thus cleaning the intestine and hence avoiding the buildup of harmful bacteria within the body.
5. Fruit toppings are delicious: Fruits are not limited to mangoes, apples and bananas only. Darker the color of the fruit, greater is the nutritional value. Berries, peaches, melons, pomegranates etc, can and should also be included in your fruit intake as they are healthy as well as tasty.
6. Vegetables can be tasty too: Growing children require leafy green vegetables for physical and mental development as they contain zinc, iron and folic acid. Foods like fenugreek leaves and spinach are an example of vitamin rich food items. You can include spinach and other vegetables in a clever manner by making the food interesting so that children would want to eat it willingly.
7. Carrots to fight infection: Carrots are beneficial for good eyesight and protection from infections. With carrot intake it becomes quite difficult for the bacteria and germs to ender the blood vessels. This can be made into a salad or craved figuring to make it interesting to the kids.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that prevents the body from processing sugar or glucose. The disorder causes insufficient production of the hormone Insulin (responsible for regulating sugar into the different parts of your body); or the body's failure to respond to the hormone produced. Although no cure is available for T2DM, there are several ways in which you can help prevent Type 2 diabetes in your child. These are:

1. Get your child to indulge in some physical activity - Spending about 60 minutes of the day on physical activity can help your child to ward off Type 2 diabetes. In terms of screen time, it shouldn't be over 2 hours a day. By doing so, he or she ends up building his or her muscles as well as gets rid of extra fat from the body. An active life would also help your child to maintain an optimal body weight with obesity being a cause of this form of diabetes. Whether it's a sport like swimming, cricket or basketball, or even walking and dancing, physical activity in any form can help in preventing your child from developing Type 2 diabetes.

2. Plan a well-balanced diet for your child - Encouraging your child to have healthy foods and making right food choices can also lower his or her chances of getting this metabolic disorder. Foods high in fiber like whole grain cereals and bread, lentils, fruits, and vegetables should be consumed. Similarly, foods low in trans and saturated fats like lean meat, chicken, yogurt and cheese should be included in your child's diet. Processed foods, as well as sugary drinks, should be no-no when it comes to your child's diet.

3. Adopting proper eating habits - It is not only making the right food choices that are important but eating right as well is vital for preventing the onset of diabetes. Having meals with fix portion sizes is a habit that you need to develop in your child. Ideally, half the plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits; a quarter with lean protein like chicken; and the remaining with whole grain. To accompany the meal, make your child have one cup of no-fat or low-fat milk. Desserts like ice cream and cookies should be allowed only once or twice a week.

Type diabetes

It is often stated by doctors that a child's brain and body develop through good nutrition, and this starts even before they have been conceived. If you are planning for a baby, then it is a must to tune your body for infant nutrition, as healthy growth of the brain in a child begins much before conception. An example to support this is that, folic acid intake should be started 14 weeks before conception. Folic acid is considered to be helpful in the early functioning of the brain.

By the time a baby is born, already three quarters of the cells of the brain are formed and the quarter which is left is formed by the first birthday. As soon as children reach 3 years, they have a brain which is as big as an adult's, and when children are growing, the neurons of the brain grow and develop with them. Thus a poor diet can hamper the growth of children, and also affect their ability to process information and learn. This becomes worse if the iron levels in the body dip below the required levels.

Iodine shortage also leads to irreversible motor and cognitive developments in the child. Similarly, DHA which is considered to be an essential fatty acid in the child development, if compromised, can lead to learning problems. It is known that DHA is the key component for the intensive production of the synapse which is important in the initial years of life for development and learning. Other nutrients like zinc, folic acid and choline all pay a role in the initial functioning of the brain.

Feeding a variety of food to the baby is important as they help in the development, but certain foods are a must. These are:

1. Breast Milk: As per dieticians, a baby can only digest breast milk or formula milk in the initial months. Babies should be breastfed for the first six months as it has the basic nutrients required by a baby, and also gives protection against allergies, digestive diseases and infections. Breast milk also has iron which is crucial for the development of the baby.
2. Iron rich cereals: Babies can be fed solid food by 4-6 months. If a baby can sit without support and shows tongue thrust reflex, then he or she is ready for solids. Starting solids with the introduction of cereals or rice cereals is good, as they can be easily digested. It can also be diluted with the breast milk or formula. As these cereals are rich in iron, they are good for the development of the baby. A diet deficient in iron leads to delayed talking and walking of a child.
3. Fruit and vegetable: A good time to introduce vegetables and fruits is when the baby is 6-7 months. These foods are loaded with minerals and vitamins which provide different textures and tastes to the baby. Carrots mashed and strained, along with beans, apples, bananas, peaches and peas and pears can be given to the baby. These can be boiled or pureed or mashed for the baby for easy consumption.
4. Pureed Food: These foods are generally the meats which can be given from 8-9 months. Meats like lamb, chicken and liver contain iron. The iron of the meats is easily absorbed, as compared to the iron in plants. For the maximum absorption of the iron in the meat, it should be served with vitamin C, some fruits, cantaloupe or broccoli. It is believed that vitamin C boosts the absorption of iron.

Though there are a number of environmental and genetic factors which effect the development of a child, food is one of the most important factors. Thus it should be kept in mind that good food leads to a happy, healthy and a well developing baby. Start from the beginning and focus on the right portions to ensure the health of your baby. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

In today's world, the number of working moms all over the world is more than ever. Such women have a huge two-fold task of balancing between work and home, which includes looking after their children and managing their work at office. Balancing the two ends can make life hard for a working mother.

Here are some effective ways to find balance in motherhood for working mothers:

1. Find good child care: While you are out for work all day, it is very important for you to get a good babysitter or nanny for your child. You could should seek references from people and find a patient and quality babysitter for your child. It is important to manage and evaluate the babysitter on all the criteria you require. An experienced and friendly sitter would make your child comfortable.
2. Keep the morning easy: Get things organized at night so that you can keep the mornings hassle free. Use the mornings to prepare your child’s lunch and laying out clothes. Plan all kinds of family schedules during this time.
3. Maintain a family calendar: You should maintain a calendar to figure out the priorities of your family. You can maintain bill payment dates, a chore calendar for your kids, a list of all important events and other required charts. This will enable you to maintain everything, in spite of your busy schedule and enable you to strike a better balance.
4. Stay connected during daytime: You should try to stay connected with your children, even when you are away. You should call them frequently or send them cute messages or voice recordings and videos. This will keep them happy and they will miss you less. They will be more comforted and feel loved that you are near instead of being away at work.
5. Keep away from distractions and time wasters: You should stay disciplined and maintain a limit on making phone calls or checking mails. Try to do these activities when your children are asleep. Cut down your television watching time and spend the evenings with your partner. When you are spending time with your children, do not multitask and give them your total attention. At work, try not to waste time and return home as soon as work gets over.
6. Arrange family activities: You must make time for your kids in order to nurture your bond and get along with them. During their growing up phase, your child requires a major chunk of your time. Make special family dinners, watch movies with your family in the home theater and engross in different games. Spending time with your partner is also very important.

Life is quite difficult for working mothers who have to balance work and family together. In order to maintain a balance, follow the above-mentioned measures and lead a happy and fulfilling life.