Booster Seat

Running around the kids with a bowl/plate of food in hand is a common sight for Indian mothers or most of the mothers of toddlers and even kids of 4 to 5 years of age back in India.

Sorry if I offend anyone but I seriously dont like running around the kid :((... they have to learn it and learn it right is my purely personal opinion.  They eat well when we feed/force feed them but I do not want to encourage it..

I was in a dilemma whether or not to go for a high chair in granite/marble floor setting with a hyperactive kid trying to do everything possible to escape the food.. one tilt of balance and am scared about the fall from height in spite of the shopkeeper assuring me that they are well equipped and all such stuff..

Finally, after much thinking and checking out a whole lot of high chairs available in the market, I narrowed down on this booster seat which I felt is safe and is easy to be carried.  I find this foldable one handy and comfortable, easy to clean, the cloth is easy to wash and it holds the kid well and since we have the chair grip, we need not be scared as well.  We both sit in opposite chairs and she is belted to the seat until she finishes it.  There is resistance initially but now it is a routine that this seat is for her meals..

Any reviews for high chair on a stone flooring?????

In celebration of milestones...

Back down in Andhra Pradesh, we celebrate each and every milestone of the kid preparing something or the other..

Celebrating the firsts...

Oolu kodite kudumulu/undraallu (cooing)
Navvithe - nuvvula unda (first social smile)
Borlaa padite bobbatlu/boorelu (turtling/flipping on tummy)
Paakite paakam undalu (crawling)
Gadapalu daatite gavvalu/gaarelu (crossing doorsteps)
Aduguleste ariselu... (taking first steps)
Chilaka palukulu - panchadara chilakalu (sugar tho chilakala shape lo chestharu choodandi avvi)

Oolu kottinappudu - Cooing - By the around the third month, the tiny tot usually opens its palms and tries to grasp at objects.  This small gesture is marked by motivating the child to play at grasping.
The mother places the child in her lap, with a plate of undrallu pindi and encourages the child to grasp the mixture and fashion balls, making muddakudumulu or undrallu (cooked rice ravva made into balls, also made during Ganesh Chavithi. Undrallu are distributed to the family and neighbours.

As the baby turns over and lands on the stomach called borla padadam in Telugu, bobbatlu or polelu are made.

The day the child starts crawling, pakadam, is marked by preparing pakam chalividi a sweet made of rice flour with sugar/jaggery syrup.

And while crawling if the toddler were to cross the threshold, gadapa daatadam, garelu, or vada are made.

Finally, the first walking steps (adugulu) are welcomed by distributing ariselu.

Each milestone is a celebration with sweets which signify happiness in our tradition varying with the place they are from.

Inputs from Jyothi.

Sleep Time in Kids

Regarding normal sleeping time, what the books says is this:
Age Night time sleep Daytime sleep Average total sleep
2 years 10.5 to 12.5 hours 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) 11.5 to 15.5 hours
3 years 10.5 to 12.5 hours 1 to 3 hours (1 nap) 11 to 14 hours
4 years 10 to 12 hours 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no nap) 10 to 13 hours
5 years 10 to 12 hours 0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no nap) 10 to 12.5 hours
6 years 10 to 11.5 hours none 10 to 11.5 hours
7 years 9.5 to 11.5 hours none 9.5 to 11.5 hours
8 years 9.5 to 11.5 hours none 9.5 to 11.5 hours

But remember two things:
1. Though this chart shows the average time, but individual variations do exist. Individual variations are to an extent that even 8 hours sleep for a toddler can be normal.
2. Sleep is not a continuous process; it has different phases of light sleep and deep sleep, and each phase last for about 60-90 minutes. So, it’s possible to wake up in between these phases many times.
So, I just advise you to make the sleep time more comfortable like:

Let the baby prepare for sleep around 10-15 minutes before you go to sleep, like keeping his toys with him, using his favourite pajama, cloths, pillow etc. Some soothing songs or lori can help. Keep trying this.

Grandmother's Tips

The baby has a fever, the next dose of fever drops is not until 2/3 hours away and I feel helpless seeing the baby burning hot...

Cut an onion in two halves, placing each half into one of the baby's socks with the cut side of the onion against the baby's soles in the socks.  Keep the socks for a few hours or until the fever breaks.

Fluid in the ear and pain

Heat one cup of rock salt in microwave for 2 minutes, then pour it into a thick athletic sock and tie it at its end.  Test to make sure it is not hot enough to make the skin burn.  Allow the child to lay her head with the painful ear down on the warm sock.

Irritable and itchy baby with dry and scaly skin (eczema)

Applying Shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, flaxseed oil... even though the baby gets slippery and surroundings get messy this seems to work for good.

Tugging on the ears has ear infection.
Put a drop of warm garlic oil in the sore ear.

Baby's Teeth are coming and pain keeps him awake.

Rub a small amount of clove olive on the gum where the tooth is erupting.

Courtesy:  Durga, an excerpt from a magazine.

Travel Tips..

For frequent travelers who make 2 to 3 day trips with the kid...

Compact First Aid Kit
================
1) Band-aid , small cotton ball , earbuds.
2) Small Savlon/Dettol bottle.
3) Over the counter medicines for fever, cold, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, electrolyte drinks, ORS sachets just in case of an upset tummy.
4) Small Vaseline/skin ointment bottle/tube.. something soothing in case of emergencies.



 OR
Routine Medical Kit we have ready at home for the kid.

Compact Cosmetic box
==================
1) Soap, preferably liquid soap.
2) Shampoo.
3) Hair oil.
4) Talcum powder, moisturizer/skin lotion.
5) Clean combs.
4) Tooth paste/brush kit.

DIAPER BAG.

Food containers and dispensers along with tinned/canned food we need to give the baby, add a couple more to each as an emergency measure.
If all the three are in place, you can just throw them all together and get ready for the go..

Swine Flu Vaccination

Swine flu is a type of flu virus, a new virus which presented with a pandemic recently.

It a mutant type of flu virus. Usually in west people take vaccine every year against flu before season starts.  No such practice was there in India.

Now separate vaccine has been introduced only against swine flu, approved by US FDA, so that people can take it to prevent if any such pandemic emerge again. But nobody can promise that the new virus which comes next year will be the same or different, as this virus is known to cause mutations.

In short, nobody is sure, whether this vaccine will protect against flu attacks in coming year or not (if this virus changes, will need new vaccine).

So, no harm in taking this vaccine, if you wanna take it, as no serious side effects have been reported except mild fever or pain. But not must to be taken by everyone.

But it’s advisable to be taken by health professional’s atleast, as they are always at high risk.