Make summers fun with drinks for kids to beat the heat and the sweltering, mercury-busting temperatures with home-made healthy drinks.

Sharing with you all my top 5 favorites, easy to make, loved by kids “drinks”:

**These drinks are recommended for toddlers and kids. Some fruits are a strict no=no for children under one. SO be sure to check with your pediatrician before trying.

1. Lemonade – Nothing beats the good old lemonade. It is called the official drink for summers for a reason. Not just refreshing but also nutritious. You can add a twist to it by adding different ingredients to it like:
   • Mint
   • Edible lavender
   • Orange
   • Ginger
2. Smoothies – Be it breakfast, snack or dessert, smoothies not only keep you hydrated but is also filling.
   • Banana Smoothie – Easiest and toddler approved. Add diced banana and milk (you can use soy milk too) to a blender. Blend until the ingredients are combined and smooth. And tada..! Its ready to be served. Depending on your child’s taste buds, you can add your choice of sprinkles. To make variations of this smoothie, simply replace the fruit with another.
   • Mango smoothie
   • Strawberry + raspberry Smoothie
   • Mixed Fruit Smoothie
3. Aam Panna – Kids love mango and what better way to enjoy summers than home made aam panna. This recipe requires raw mangoes, which need to be pressure cooked. Once done, let them cool, peel them well and remove the pulp. Mix pulp with a little sugar and salt. Ass a dash of little cumin seed powder and blend the mixture in a blender. Kids will love its tangy, sweet-salty taste. You can substitute honey instead of regular sugar to make it extra healthy.
4. Juices – I am not in favour of packaged drinks, no matter what the brands claim. And I do not trust the local vendors to use hygienic ways of serving the drink. I prefer extracting the juice at home with a manual juicer or a food processor. Our favourites are:
   • Watermelon juice – Best thirst quencher
   • Pomegranate juice – loaded with anti-oxidants
   • Orange juice – daily dose of Vitamin C!
5. Lassi – Rey is a curd lover! So i had been looking for a recipe that I could prepare for him. I came across this simple yet awesome recipe. https://gkfooddiary.com/plain-lassi-for-babies/All it takes is 5 minutes and best served fresh!
6. Coconut water / Nariyal Paani – Yes, I know I said 5, but I just couldn’t leave this one out! Nariyal paani or coconut water is low in calories, delicious to boot and perhaps the healthiest natural drink you can indulge in on a hot, scorching summer day. It is our go-to-drink when we are traveling within the city. Even better than bottled water. To read of the many benefits of this refreshing natural drink, click here 

Do you have any toddler-approved, favourite summer drinks?

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I remember writing this letter to myself sometime last year. Motherhood is a 24/7, exhilarating yet exhausting job. Bottle and Breastfeedings, diaper change, laundry, cooking, organizing activities for the child, home schooling and later school homework. Sometime during this time, life passes you by. Mommyhood is a never-ending responsibility. One that consumes all your time and energy. While initially, the child is totally dependent on the mother and his only solace in this big bright world, being completely immersed in the role is inevitable.

When the celebration of the arrival of the new baby fades away, when the excitement of the latest addition becomes old news, when the responsibilities of motherhood take over, is when the tug of war starts. The war between a woman and a mother.

We look in the mirror yet we cant find ourselves.

WHY?

Often mothers lose themselves in the world of motherhood. Our priorities move from ourselves to the baby long after the baby turns into a toddler and then a young child. We immerse ourselves so deep into looking after and caring for the baby that we end up neglecting ourselves. We are often so busy taking care of everyone else that we neglect to take care of ourselves. And if we fail to take care of ourselves, how can we take care of our children?

Many mothers find themselves at this crossroad where they are torn between taking out time for self vs spending time with the baby. And if somehow they do manage to grab some time out for themselves, they are ridden by the guilt of having prioritized themselves over their children. They demonstrate to the kids that they are low on their own list of priorities.

Mommies! STOP! BREATHE! RELAX! It doesn’t have to be a tug of war! Small things make a huge difference.

• Hand over the baby for a few hours. Your baby is loved just the same by your husband and family as you.
• When they offer help, grab it!
• Stop multi-tasking as if your life depends on it.
• Learn to say no
• Do not judge yourself
• Go for a walk
• Exercise
• Meditate
• Go to a coffee shop – even if you are not a coffee drinker
• Go on a date night with hubby
• Meet friends
• Listen to music
• Go for a movie
• Read a book
• Sleep
• Take out time for that hobby you loved
• Go for a spa
• Oil your hair
• Remember who YOU are.

Remember you cannot pour from an empty vessel. Take care of yourself. Start giving yourself time. Spend time rediscovering the most important person in your life – YOU.

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A week back, we were breathing in fresh air, basking in the sun and exploring the hills. This was Rey’s fifth vacation and the second one to the hills.

13-20 Nov, 2017 Manali

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So a few of you asked me how we managed to explore and walk so much with a toddler. The answer is in the photos. We wore Rey whenever we went for long walks and excursions. It not only kept him warm, but also safe and secure and did not slow us down allowing us to walk as much as 10kms a day. Yes. We like walking!

 
A few also asked how baby-wearing was compared to a pram as an option for a toddler.

Well here are a few things to consider before deciding:

⚬ Where are you going. Hot and humid vs cold and windy. Weather plays an important role in determining how comfortable your baby will be in either.
⚬ Is it pram friendly – smooth ramps, easy access etc. It can be cumbersome carrying a pram or a stroller if you have to constantly pick it to shift gears or lanes.
⚬ Crowded or wide open places.
⚬ Will you be shuttling in and out of buildings – taking stairs/escalators or elevators
⚬ For how long will you be out and about.
⚬ Baby’s comfort – is the baby used to being worn or prefers the stroller
⚬ Baby’s schedule and nap time
⚬ Traveling light or with luggage

Its not a comprehensive list, but just a few points I quickly jotted down. Would love to hear from parents the points they ponder and consider that helps make the decision.

Seen wearing here Meh Dai from Soul Slings.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulslings/

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Everyone has it, yet it works differently for different people. It receives input from the sensory organs in the body and sends coordinated output to the muscles.

Even though we are all born with the five senses, we do not start fully exploiting them all at once. Babies see and feel more from their fingers. Maybe that’s the reason, they want to grab and hold everything that comes their way from mommy’s hair to stuffed toys.

Kids love to feel new textures as it’s fascinating for them, for better or for worse. They love to feel and explore objects with their hands. It’s their way of inferring the world around them. It comes naturally to them owing to their curious nature. Taking advantage of this and letting kids experiment with textures through thoughtful activities and play can help set a solid foundation in many areas like language familiarization and developing motor skills.

In my previous blog post, I wrote extensively on Early learning, STEM concept and the impact of toys on the young and the impressionable minds. Recently we got our hands on one such toy that helps and aids early learning.

The Sandpaper numbers from Skola Toys.

The kit comes in a beautiful doodle box with a small set of crayons inside. It contains 10 placards made out of wood with numbers 0 to 9 textured on it with sandpaper. There’s also a small placard tray to stack them up. This toy looks deceptively simple, yet a great way to introduce numbers to your kid.

• The wooden placard has the number symbol with a rough sandpaper-like texture. The child starts by tracing his fingers on the symbol and calling out the name associated with the image on the card.
• This simple activity uses three senses – visual sense, audio sense and touch-feel sense. The kid starts correlating the three in tandem.
• This move also helps hone their hand-eye coordination which is the ability for the brain to understand and communicate to the eyes and hands to work as one.
• By tracing over the textured numbers with their fingers, children improve their pre-writing skills.

So what are Pre-writing skills? Prewriting skills are the fundamental skills needed before a child starts learning to form letters and developing the writing skills. They could be strokes and lines. Scribbling, drawing, doodling, and creating marks meant to represent letters and numbers are some common forms of pre-writing. In fact, according to the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP, 2008), early writing is one of the best predictors of children’s later reading success. Prewriting readiness activities are an essential foundation for learning to write successfully.

• Playing with the toy, children learn to connect number symbols or shapes to sounds which initiates them into the number system. As children play with this toy repeatedly, they commit the name-numeral correlation to their memory increasing retention and recall.
• Once they start recognizing individual numbers, they then proceed to learn the sequential order
• Following this, children then start associating the numbers to the quantity. They learn that every number represents a corresponding quantity.
• And while they’re learning the essential pre-learning skills, they can practice colouring on the doodle box!
• Skola sandpaper numbers are a fun way to introduce the number concept to children above 2.5 years of age. What better than for them to learn numbers through textures.

One Two – buckle my shoes, Three Four – shut the door.

This and many more such rhymes make up our and our kid’s childhood moments. Listening to such rhymes, Rehaan already knows a few numbers and their sequence and can point to them when prompted. Although he is not yet 2, we are happy to be on Stage 1 already. He likes to spread the cards out and point to the numbers when asked to and wants Mommy to recite the rhymes one more last time.

So here’s to happy counting!

Skola Toys:

Website: www.skola.toys

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skolatoys/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skolatoys/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkolaToys

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With a wedding in the family and hardly any time to step out of the house to explore, I decided to take things into my own hands. Literally.

Hence started a DIY project.

Resources used:

1. A discarded cardboard carton
2. An old sheet
3. Take away boxes
4. Formula Cans
5. Diwali Hamper tray

Process:

1. Stuff the carton with old sheets or newspapers. You can even use it as a storage box for things you know you wouldn’t be needing for a few months. The box will not give way under the weight of the toys or collapse even if your over-excited toddler tries to climb on it.
2. Wrap a sheet around the box and securely pin it in place from all sides. – tada!! The base is ready.
3. Paint the formula can with baby-safe paints and decorate it to your liking. Be sure to line the inner rim with a paper masking tape. You can put stuff like straws, chalk, pipe cleaners, small toys and any other items you feel need a safe place.  I have used these cans as planters, pen holders, remote holders, storage cans, to store my hair clips and so on.
4. Take away boxes – Once again you can use these to organize assorted toys, puzzle pieces, chalks, crayons, magnetic alphabets, etc.
5. Diwali Tray – The diwali season just got over and left us with a heap of trays and baskets. don’t throw them just yet. I used a wooden tray to store his books, blocks and more toys
6. I utilized the space by the window – the sill, to stack the books he most often picks up.

As a rule, I do not keep all his out on display, some I store away out of sight. I keep rotating so as to keep his interest alive.

This make-shift arrangement is working well for us. And I have reasons to feel pleased too.

• I don’t have to feel bad about disposing it after just a few months.
• I can change the look of the station by changing the cover sheet.
• Early lessons on simple living and recycling, leading by example.
• The height and reach are perfect for my little one.
• And simply put – BEST OUT OF WASTE.

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I clearly remember my school days. 7.30 AM – Maths. 8 AM – English. 8.30 AM – Science. 9 AM – Arts. The topics and books as easily forgotten as the ring of the gong that announced the end of that subject, only to be remembered again the next day when the teacher walked in. As I grew up, I often wondered if and how will this help me live and thrive in the real world. There was just no connection.

Thanks to the research in the field of education, we are now better equipped to utilize these crucial years into developing the child.

WHAT IS STEM?

STEM – One of the most talked about topics in education. It stands for four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is a unique approach to teaching and learning, that focuses on a child’s individual style of learning. It not only keeps the young mind interested and engrossed but also helps develop creativity and problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios.

The STEM methodology integrates concepts that are usually taught in silos, as separate subjects or as individual lessons. STEM puts more emphasis on the connection amongst these four disciplines in a way that they would relate to each other. It is an educational framework that brings reality into the learning experiences.

STEM is not just about Maths learning or technology learning, but it is a combination of any of these 4 areas that combined produces more logical thinkers and creates adults who can in their life ahead be employed in jobs that are related to science and technology. In other words also creating innovators and doers.

STEM learning starts at the age of 7. However, the foundation for the formal learning is laid down much before then.

Early START to STEM

• The important thing to remember is that children are natural learners. The key to starting early is by tapping into their curiosity by allowing them to explore and investigate the real world, to instill a lifelong interest in these fields.  It does not have to be a subject. It can be an activity or a game or a toy.
• Immerse them in everyday activities and explain how they work. Then explain the concept behind it.  Make it interesting, let them have a hands-on experience where ever possible.
• Plan DIY’s and get your child to assist you. Reward them with knowledge and appreciation. Focus more on the process and less on the outcome.
• Play activities that stimulate creativity and reasoning. Begin with learning about how things work by letting them test, explore and investigate with their tiny fingers, watching them change, listening to sounds, and feeling textures.
• Get them toys which promote STEM learning.

Being a mother to an inquisitive toddler, I am always on the hunt for ways to keep his sharp mind engaged. Outdoor play isn’t a year-round option for us owing to the extreme weather experienced by the city we live in. Hence more often than not, I rely on indoor activities, games, and toys.

And when it comes to selecting activity toys, I prefer to pick toys that not only keep my son engrossed but also add value and prepare him for what lies ahead. For example, the popular toy brand Skola create toys that encourage STEM learning. Skola’s ultimate purpose is to improve fine motor skills which certainly helps engineering, but more importantly using fingers helps children think clearly and enhances concentration and cognitive ability which is directly a STEM requirement.

For example –

Cascade cars help a child to understand cause and effect. This is where a child is exposed to science. It helps a child to register, process and comprehend.

Colour wheels encourage children to use fingers to rotate wheels and then find the matching colours which involves examination, observation analysis, and discovery.

This process is true for all Skola Toys and hence creates thinkers.

Learning is a never-ending process. It’s never too soon or too late to begin. But it’s always better to start early to build a strong foundation. Give your children the right resources and tools to get them started.

What do you think about early learning and building a solid foundation?

The post Early START to STEM appeared first on Raising Rehaan.

It’s the festive season with Diwali (one of India’s biggest and most celebrated festivals) just around the corner. Diwali or Deepavali – meaning a row of lamps, known as the Festival of Lights is celebrated with great aplomb and fanfare in India.

• Promote development of fine motor skills making them more independent and confident
• Explore alphabet and words in a fun manner setting a solid foundation to read, write and communicate during their formal education
• Create an understanding and recognition of shapes, sizes, colors etc through sensory experience
• Introduce the concept of Numbers and counting and arithmetic calculations with the aid of tangible objects
• Help in building focus, analyzing situations, solve problems putting their own little minds to work.

• Perfectly safe for the little ones. Let’s face it, babies put anything and everything they can grab in their mouth. With toys made from unreliable plastic, that’s a big health hazard.
• Wood is a far robust material than plastic, hence lasts longer. So no matter how many times it’s thrown or smashed, it will survive the blow and tantrums. It can be passed on to newer members of the family.
• Wooden toys like puzzles, building blocks and games encourage imaginative play and help children with developing their fine-motor skills.
• Wood can be recycled, so in a way, you are securing your child’s future by not contributing to the growing piles of non-biodegradable plastic on our planet.

The post This Diwali – Gift Learning appeared first on Raising Rehaan.

A toddler’s haircut! Its 15 agonizing minutes of the child screaming bloody murder!

Rehaan was born with a full head and at 20 months has already had 5 haircuts.

It wasn’t all smiles till a while back. Each passing visit meant more tears and tantrums, it kept getting more and more daunting.

After asking around and a bit of research, I came across Barber Black Sheep in Gurgaon. A kids salon, BBS is a place that creates a comfortable, stress-free space for parents to bring their kids.

Rehaan thoroughly enjoys his visits, spends all his time in the ball pit, pointing to the colorful toys around. Papa experiments with haircuts and the “Barber” obliges. Have to honestly say, I haven’t seen a better haircut on him. Though he cries, the staff never, even for a micro-second, frowns at him. I think I can safely say I’ve found our baby his go-to salon!

Their USP’s:
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High standard of quality and hygiene – well maintained, the pace is clean and well kept.

A well-trained staff equipped to care for children – they know what they’re doing. Because they have only kids clientele, they don’t fizzle under pressure.

Vibrant and colorful interiors – The place is paradise for children. From ball pits to cars and scooters to doll houses with toys of all shapes and sizes.

Extensive variety of activities and games to keep kids occupied

Pedicure/manicure and hair grooming services available for parents

Venue for birthday parties, mundans and such events (prebooking required)

Babysitting services (standalone as well)

A small cafeteria

About Barber Black Sheep

Barber Black Sheep is a whimsical idea turned into reality. The brainchild of a mother, an aunt and a grandmother, BBS tries to be a first in its space by combining three superb elements in a child’s life!

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― Augustine of Hippo

..And that is what we truly believe in. Rey has been on a few holidays in his 20 months, but mainly to the beaches and to the cities. Never to the hills.

What is life if not unpredictable? Sometimes, there are happy surprises too! This impromptu trip happened with arrangements made within less than 48 hours.

It was Papa who penned down our memoirs for us this time.. and beautifully so!

..In hindsight, it felt you were looking forward to it. From the moment we disturbed your deep slumber at the break of dawn to the metro ride to the railway station, lugging you around – uncomfortably, I must confess – in a mad frenzy lasting 10 minutes as we barely made the cut, you were a bundle of joy, happiness, and curiosity.

Your first train journey was no less memorable. Once perched on our seats, the sheer size of the coach dawned upon you. The first few seconds witnessed you bobbing your head sideways, clockwise and anticlockwise as you attempted sizing up the coach. The sheer curiosity made you walk the length of coach many times – sometimes with dad, other times with mom. You being you, slept on my shoulder as the train picked up the speed.

  

Your happiness knew no bounds at reaching our destination. It felt that your deep relation with the mountains goes beyond your tender age. You were like a bird whose wings were unclipped after years of captivity. Your insistence to be your own man while you attempted running downhill, much to the exasperation of your parents, your instinctive reaction of making a ‘boo’ sound at spotting monkeys, cows, and of course dogs, alike. And not to forget your love affair with ‘fan’ continued. A small market with a handful of shops was completely dissected by us, thanks to you wanting to point us to the ceiling fans in the shops. Much to our surprise you took fancy to the cobbled road as you greeted every step with an ear to ear grin.

Given your tender age, it should not surprise anyone to find you are uncomfortable in the presence of strangers. Here too, you defied the norm. You were your charming best, mesmerizing tourist and the locals with new antics that you either learned or discovered. One such antic was the eyebrow dance on an expressionless face.

Talking about you also helped us break the ice with the strangers. The relatively hassle free holiday in the mountains has given a much needed shot in the arm to us. While planning future holidays, we can either look down at the beaches or up at the mountains. Thanks Rey and cheers to many more holidays together.

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Every day we hear about unhappy incidents on the roads. There isn’t a day when I pick up the newspaper and I don’t read about accidents. And when it comes to our babies, we do not want to take a risk.

There are two rules, I am very stringent on when travelling with my baby in a car.

Car Seat – There’s no compromising on that. Especially in a city like Delhi where road rage is an epidemic. If you’ve ever been even slightly hit and suffered an impact, you’d know that you have no control over your body or time to react to the impact. Whenever travelling with my baby, I make it a point to buckle him in. Come tantrums or tears. The car seat at least acts as a safety harness to some extent. And of course, a boon when travelling alone with him.

Child lock – the manufacturers make it for a reason. My son is at an age where he wants to explore everything. Including the lock and handle. A definite MUST. Front seat lap travel for him or any baby when I am in control is a BIG NO nada for me. I’ve been in an accident a few years ago and suffered, I know exactly how dangerous collisions and impacts can be, especially to a tiny, fragile baby. Some may term it as paranoia, but I’d rather play it safe. Accidents don’t announce themselves before occurring. Try taking an impact from a car coming to you at a mere 15km/hr and you’ll know what I am talking about.

I urge all parents to please play it safe, especially in a place like Delhi where we have madmen cruising around the city. Being a careful driver is just not enough.

Would love to hear your say on this topic. Do you think it’s safe for children to travel in the front seat of the car, (mostly without even a seatbelt)? Is car seat a waste of money or it is a necessity for our baby’s safety in a country like ours?

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Points to consider when buying a car seat:

Choosing the Right Car Seat

You just need to consider three things:

• Your baby’s age
• Your baby’s weight and height
• Whether the car seat meets safety standards

Types of Car seats:

Rear-Facing Seats: For newborns and infants

Forward-Facing Seats: Children must be at least 2-years-old or have reached the maximum height or weight capacity of the car seat.

Booster Seats: Children should be over 18 Kgs.

Harnessing:

Look for a model that has a 5-point harness (two shoulder straps, two waist straps, and one strap between the legs that meet in the middle), side-impact protection (extra foam or air pads at the side of baby’s head)

It’s always better to buy a car seat new. If you do have to buy a used seat, make sure it hasn’t been recalled. Also, call the manufacturer to check that the seat is still safe. DON’T use any used seat that:

• is obviously worn
• has loose or torn parts
• has been in an accident

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