Important aspects of Child care

As the time passes, every parent gains experience. So did I. The whole routine of taking care of my son'd daily chores was an integral part of me. And as a experienced parent, I recommend that it is a must to be more methodical in your approach. It is not a hard and fast rule to be so but when some small changes in our approach can be a support to us, it is best to do it.

To support a mom to be a supermom, so that she can keep a track of the daily development of her angel, the best available tool is a Baby Book/ Baby Diary.A perfect resource book that helps you monitor everything that is related to your child's growth. Be it the first smile, the first food tasted, the first dress worn, the first step taken or serious affair like the vaccine schedule, the tooth eruption, everything is monitored and recorded. It can also be used to refer to in case you want to know the past trend of your baby.

As a mother, we are the ones who are going to spend the maximum time with our babies. So it is very important to be well versed with all the aspects of baby care. 

And here are a few elements that according to me are very important to be taken care of so that the baby has a soothing journey:

1. Baby Feeds:

Till your child is 6 months, he is on mother feed or formula milk. It is important to track the feeding pattern of your child. If your child is on breastfeed, the child gets all the nutrition from the milk otherwise consult your doctor to suggest you a good formula milk that would cater for all the nutrients that the child would miss due to not taking the breast milk.

 As soon as your child turns 6 months old introduce the solids. Ensure that you introduce solids that are nutritious and healthy. For my son I introduced the following solid foods:

(a) Apple peeled, boiled and mashed. Added a small stick(very small size) of cinnamon so that the apple is not sour.

(b) All seasonal fresh juices.

(c) Oats with boiled milk.

(d) Spinach blanched and mashed.

(e) Seasonal fruits that have a soft core.

(f) Poached egg yolk only (no whites)

I had restricted the use of sugar and salt to a minimal. The reason I did was that the kids of today's world eat too much of fast food which is high in salt and desserts that are high in sugar, which is the major reason of obesity. Thus, a small measure from my side will ensure a healthy living for my son.

2. Sleep pattern: Babies sleep a lot but the sleep schedule is not fixed. Till about 4 months they have very short sleep cycles. They sleep for mere two hours at a stretch. Later on as they grow they sleep long hours. It is imperative to formalize a sleep pattern for your child as it is during their rest time they grow. 

To formalize a sleep pattern following are few tips:

(a) Notice your child's body signs for him being tired. Sometimes the baby is cranky because he wants to sleep. Keep a track of those signs and soothe him to sleep.

(b) Start a bedtime routine by giving him a massage, changing him to his night clothes and singing a lullaby. Do it for few days which will adapt your child to your routine.

(c) Also when it is a day, keep the curtains open so that the bright sunlight comes in and adds to the brightness of the environment. This will help the child see that during the day it is so bright and sunny. Interact with him, sing to him during the day. All such steps helps him differentiate between day and night.

Lots can be added to the list of baby care like Diapers, safety in the house and it's surroundings etc but for me I wanted to have a healthy environment for my son and these two I monitored the most during his growing years.

New Mom Days

A woman is reborn when she becomes a mother. Heard this so many times from all my friends who were blessed by the presence of a child in their lives or from elders. But actually realized the relevance of the same when a baby boy came into my arms.On 2 Oct 2010, Annhad(means eternal) my son was born and so was I. As time passed I felt my life changing. My sleep schedule, my eating schedule even the schedule for my fitness all were compromised. I was the one with whom everyone came into sync. But here I was coming in sync with my son. Though I was liking every bit of the changes but I had to take some steps to bring some kind of balance in my life and everything around. 
1. The first and foremost thing that I did was to listen to myself. As you become a new mom there would be plenty of suggestions coming your way. People around would bombard you with information that your system would hang. There would be so much of overload that you can tend to lose your confidence. Its the time that you realize that you are "THE MOM" of this baby and you have the confidence in you to give the best to your child. God has given this lovely power to the moms around that they will select the best for their children. So, I played it by the year. As an when a situation would arise, I would analyse and act accordingly. And I assure you, I have selected the best possible option. Also remember not to compare your child or your motherhood style with others. You as well as your child are an individual. What is best for your child might not be good for others and vice versa. So, listen to your heart and love yourself and your child to your heart's content.

2. Second best thing that I did to myself was that I took good care of myself. Sleep is one thing that is affected, once this little bundle of happiness comes into your way. So, whenever I got time to take rest, I sneaked in my sleep. It is very important to have the energy to take care of your child and specially if you are feeding your child. sleep when he sleeps and do your chores once he is wide awake. I followed the following schedule religiously:
  (a) Eating 5 servings of seasonal fruits daily.
  (b) Drinking a glass of milk every morning, early evening and night.
  (c) Drinking lots of water.
  (d) Eating light food like lentils and green leafy vegetables.

3. Last best thing that I included in my life was to enjoy every moment of my time with my son.  Bringing the child into this world was entirely my decision and I took the decision when I was ready to be a mom. I know this fact also that as a mother I need to make maximum changes in my life as no one can replace my presence in my son's life. So its best to enjoy every moment rather than thinking that everything is being compromised. First few months when my son did not give any expression to whatever I said, I enjoyed being with him, drawing birds, trees, cars on his room's wall. And I did it with fabric colors as I wanted no toxic fumes in my room. Once he started to respond my presence, I danced, I sang and I chatted those long hours. Even when he was feeding, I connected the maximum with him. I shared all my feelings with him and told him my heart out what I have planned for him. I knew he did not understand a word but still I connected.

My mantra for all my times after becoming a mom was that this time will not come back into my life again. So enjoy it to the fullest. Give the best environment to your baby.  Smile with him, dance with him. Sing songs and make the most of everything.