How to Make Your Child Eat Veggies

I love tinda. Please don’t ask me how and why. But I do. And so does Aarav. And I just can’t stand lauki. And so does Aarav. So, you see the pattern here.

Making your child eat veggies is not a tough task. Though there are some kids who repel vegetables and only survive on potatoes. Why I say that? Because my son only survived on aloo paranthas till he was 2. And then I could see how it did not do well for him.

So we tried different options to introduce vegetables in his world of potatoes. And we found the best way in soups. Although they are not the best option considering nil fiber, it’s one of the ways to make your child have the goodness of vegetables. Carrots, tomatoes, beans and onions along with chicken act as a very healthy soup option. So for a while, roti and soup was a regular meal item for my son.

But we found out that, it did not satisfy his appetite and as he grew older, he wanted more. He ended up having more rotis than soup. So we explored another option. Stuffparanthas.

Other than aloo paranthas which are his favorites, we introduced gobhi, paneer and mix veg paranthas. So initially we had to deal with a lot of repelling. Not eating the full meal, or just having bits and pieces. It took us some time to deal with this transition. We added salted curd, butter which made the transition smooth.

It has been proven that adding other flavors while cooking vegetables adds to the taste that kids love. We have experimented a lot in this area. Sautee with butter, dash of spice and garlic has made the vegetables taste delicious.

Have a wholesome meal. If you offer one vegetable with one roti, chances are he won’t even touch it, let alone finish the meal. So include dals, curd, salads, rice and roti in one meal. Introduce different vegetables every day. Do not force on finishing but do emphasize on tasting everything that is on the plate. By doing this, they may start having the habit of tasting though which they may find their favorite vegetable.

A veggie loaded pasta or a pizza is also a great way of sneaking in veggies in your kid’s tummy. Broccoli, carrots, beans, onions, capsicum are some vegetables that gel with pastas and pizzas. Make sure you choose whole wheat bread only while preparing.

Blending food is another option, but that may work with toddlers who are learning their world out of the packaged foods.

And lastly, eat veggies yourself. Have that habit of having at least one green vegetable on the table every meal. It’s a matter of habit and practice through which children learn about healthy eating and understanding the importance of balanced diets.

And kids don’t have much understanding in the initial days to realize what’s good and bad to eat, so we have to set an example in every way to help them make the right choices! Don’t we?

MumpaActivity: उँगलियों से चित्रकारी

घर पे बच्चों का मन लगाए रखना आसान नही है| पेरेंट्स अक्सर इस सोच में पड़ जाते हैं की आज अपने बच्चों ए साथ क्या अच्छा ग्यान्वर्धक खेल खेलें|

Mumpa आपकी इस दुविधा का उपाय लेकर आया है| झटपट रसोई में जाएं और तश्तरी में कुछ आटा ले आएं| एक रोमांचक खेल आपके और आपके बच्चे के लिए तैय्यर है|

इस खेल के बाद, दोनो मिलकर कुछ समय सफाई करने में भी बितायें|

Artificial Additives In Your Food

Packaged and processed foods are a part of the daily lives of many families. As tasty and tempting they may seem to be, they’re all comprised of some or the other preservative and additive. Thanks to these additives, they remain fresh for a long time and hence people find them very convenient. It’s obviously easier to use packaged foods since it’s less effort and one doesn’t have to spend much time cooking healthy food. A lot of kids get addicted to all these foods and if you think it’s any less worse than a drug addiction then you’re mistaken.

All these foods include an unhealthy amount of sugar, salt and fat.. Processed foods come with plenty of side effects including weight gain, digestive disorders, skin problems and cancer to name a few. With the high levels of obesity and food allergies these days, it is of significant importance to gain knowledge about what you eat and feed your children.

  • From soft drinks to sports drinks, cookies and candies, all contain artificial dyes and colours. There are many natural food colouring agents but most restaurants and bakeries abstain from using these as artificial ones are much cheaper and make the food products more visually alluring. This benefits the manufacturer as the sales increase but it can seriously damage the consumers.
  • Kids always get attracted to these packaged items as they look nice and fancy but what you don’t know is that it can cause various behavioural problems in them like increased temper tantrums, ADD and hyperactivity. It has been stated that every child could benefit from cutting out artificial food colorings from their diet.
  • Artificial sweeteners are like small doses of poison as they can alter the brain cells. They have also been linked to side effects like depression, hallucinations, weight gain and can cause issues such as epilepsy and brain tumors. You will be surprised to know that these sweeteners can be found in many of children’s medicines and vitamins as well, along with chewing gum and diet soda.
  • Even elevated consumption of refined sugar can cause problems. Soft drinks and packaged fruit juices contain high levels of sugar so they should be avoided at all costs. According to research, three year-olds who drink packaged fruit juices tend to lose their temper easily, have trouble falling asleep, lack concentration and interrupt others. Make some fresh orange juice at home for your children as it is a natural form of fiber and contains lots of vitamin C.
  • Children who have a high sugar intake tend to consume less of protein. Another chemical used very commonly in foods is MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). It is used to bring out the flavour in foods. These days MSG may be found in almost any processed and packaged food item.
  • Some of the artificial colours one needs to watch out for are tartrazine, sunset yellow, quinoline yellow, ponceau red, erythrosine and indigo carmine. The most common preservatives to be aware of are found in margarine and cakes, juices and soft drinks, fruit drinks and sausages, bread and bakery products respectively.
  • Asthma is also related to these additives and parents are usually not aware that sulphite preservatives can create breathing problems in asthmatic children. It is found in sausages, fruit drinks and dried fruits.
  • It is very important to read labels before purchasing any food item and if you find any of the artificial additives mentioned, avoid picking it up.
  • Drinking lots of pure water is essential for your body to flush out toxins from your system and keep you hydrated. Try to cook everything from scratch in your home instead of using market products and if possible feed your children more whole organic foods.
  • You could also maintain a food diary to keep a check on the foods that affect your family negatively. Most importantly, if the list of ingredients is too long on a packaged item, it’s probably filled with a whole lot of additives. Go natural while doing the same for your kid and you’ll definitely notice the difference, for the better of course.

 

Does Your Child Cry In Pre-School?

Kids crying while attending preschool for the first time is a normal situation. Now if it extends to a few days, it’s still understandable.  But if this prolongs to months all together- then there is a problem to resolve.

Most kids settle within a week to ten days. The separation anxiety is calmed down when they get used to the routine and when there is no way out.

However, in cases where children don’t feel comfortable they vent out by crying and showing reluctance to go to school. When my son started preschool, it took us a while to settle down. Every night he would say- “I won’t go tomorrow, my tummy hurts” or “Myleg is aching, I can’t walk, I won’t go”. There were so many excuses that came up every night.

Yes, it took us a good 10 days. Our morning routine would start with loud cries and wails disturbing the whole family. The usual advantage of gaining pity and sympathy followed which made it even more difficult to solve.

We later found out, that he was seated at the back of the bus all the time which made him dizzy and sick. His cries were directly proportional to the amount of dizziness he felt. He later shared with us- “I feel like vomiting when I enter the bus” With the small polite conversation with the bus conductor, we got his seat changed and he was happy.

Most kids also dread their teachers however polite they are.  And this fear changes into a behavior which makes them cry in advance. So visit the teacher and talk about how this can be individually dealt with. She will surely help.

The problem that we faced was not getting enough sleep. These usual vent outs were just an indication that he is not fresh enough to feel energetic for school. So we started having early nights. After covering about 10 hours of sleep, we could see the change and the willingness to attend school increased.

Preschool is start to the discipline in the child’s life. So there are rules to follow and that hinders their freedom of living. How to sit, how to talk, how to behave is being observed closely by their teachers and even taught about the best behavior traits. Kids usually do not like all this. They rather stay home and do what they feel like. Any change in their routine causes trouble and affects their behavior patterns.

Usually, crying in the only form of expression preschoolers have. They do not communicate or express about what they are feeling exactly.

So the next time, your child cries while attending pre-school, try and figure out the exact reason. Ask a lot of questions and make it easier for them to express what they feeling. If it prolongs the normal time frame, then visit the school. Maybe even a doctor visit will do well if the situation persists.

कैसे करें तुलसी का उपयोग अपने बच्चे के आहार में

तुलसी से होने वाले लाभ् हम सभी के लिए कोई रहस्य नहीं हैं. आदिकाल से हम सभी इसे अपने घरों में लगा कर पूजा करते आ रहे हैं. इतना लाभकारी पौधा निश्चित रूप से पूजनिए है. तुलसी वायु को शुध करती है और इसके अनेक औषधीय लाभ भी हैं. जो कुछ इस प्रकार हैं:

  • इसकी विषहरण क्षमता
  • रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता
  • आंटिबयाटिक और आंटिबक्टीरियल क्षमता
  • तनाव से मुक्ति मैं सहायक
  • साँस की समस्याओं जैसे सर्दी, खाँसी में लाभप्रद
  • इसमें फ़यटोनुटरिएंट्स आवशयक आयिल्स और विटामिन ए और सी प्रचुर मात्रा मैं पाए जाते हैं

प्रतिदिन इसके पत्तों के सेवन से हमारे बच्चों को अत्यधिक लाभ हो सकता है, लेकिन इसकी एक ही समस्या है कि तीखे स्वाद के कारण यह बच्चों द्वारा नकार दी जाती है.

यहाँ पर कुछ उपाय हैं जिनसे बच्चे (यहाँ तक कि एक साल तक के बच्चे भी ) इसका सेवन कर सकते हैं:

1 तुलसी के पत्ते उनके पानी के टंब्लर में मिलाना

जिस टंब्लर/ सिपर/ स्पाउट से आपका बच्चा पानी पीता है, उसमें तुलसी के पत्ते मिलाना. ढक्कन लगा देने के बाद आपका बच्चा पत्तों को देख नहीं पाएगा और सारे दिन तुलसी के पत्तों का पानी पीता रहेगा.

2 तुलसी के पत्तों को उबालना और उस पानी को अन्य पदार्थों में उपयोग करना

आप पत्तों को उबाल कर उस् पानी को अनेक चीज़ों में उपयोग कर सकते हैं- उदाहरण के लिए-

  • आप इसे ताज़े फलों के रस में मिला कर अपने बच्चे को दे सकते हैं
  • आप इस पानी को सब्ज़ियों और फलों की प्युरे में मिला सकते हैं
  • आप इसे उबली सब्ज़ियों के पानी के साथ मिलाकर सूप बना सकते हैं
  • यहाँ तक कि आप इस पानी को मिलाकर हलवा तक बना सकते हैं

इस प्रकार अनेक उपाय हैं जिनसे इस पानी को मिलाकर आप अपने बच्चे का भोजन बना सकते हैं.

  • बारीक कटी तुलसी पत्तियो को सलाद या खीर में मिलना
  • कुछ फलों को काटिए (ख़ासकर केलों को) और उनपर बारीक कटी तुलसी पत्तियों को बुरक दीजिए
  • आप अन्य मीठे व्यंजनों जैसे खीर या कस्टर्ड को बारीक कटी तुलसी पत्तियों से सज़ा सकते हैं.

आप स्वयं ही अनेकानेक उपाय खोज सकते हैं अपने बच्चे के स्वास्थ के लिए|

MumpaActivity : Understanding Colours

Life is full of colours and we can use everyday things around us to help little ones understand the concept of colour.

For this activity you will need:

Colour pencils/crayons and everyday objects of the colour that you are helping your child learn

Age: 1.5 Yr +

Activity Duration: 15 mins

You can explain colour red to your child with red crayons, a red apples and red blocks. Show the crayon to your child, make the child scribble with the crayon on paper.

Now show her the apple and discuss the similarity in the colour of the crayon and the apple. You can use more red objects available in the room to reinforce the concept of colour red.

Now, you can ask the child to pick up a red toy (like a block) for you from an assortment.

After the child successfully understands one colour, you can repeat the activity with other colours.

Skills learnt: Concept of colour

Happy learning at home

A Simple Super Sandwich Recipe To Boost Your Kid’s Immunity

Colds coughs, a runny nose and allergies are common in children and are reasons for worry in parents.

Children, especially the small ones tend to pick up a lot of infections from preschools and nurseries.

One of the parental concerns is to do something to boost their kids’ immunity. Tulsi leaves are a great immunity booster, but to get our children to consume tulsi leaves can sometimes be difficult.

Here is a simple sandwich recipe to help you make your child eat Tulsi leaves.

Here is a simple sandwich recipe to help you make your child eat Tulsi.

Adding tulsi leaves to a sandwich for boosting immunity

We have used paneer as the main ingredient in this sandwich but have added Tulsi leaves to the sandwich stuffing generously to convert the simple sandwich into a super healthy sandwich to boos kid’s immunity.

This healthy panner and tulsi sandwich recipe for kid’s health and immunity is easy to prepare and delicious to eat!

Ingredients

  • For the sandwich stuffing:
    – Few leaves of Tulsi, the one that is commonly available in India.
    – Some paneer or feta cheese (we have used paneer)
    – Salt to taste
  • Tomato/coriander chutney or tomato sauce to apply on the bread
  • Optional ingredients
    – Finely chopped Capsicum
    – Finely chopped onions
    – Finely chopped tomatoes
  •  A pinch of pepper chopped tomatoes

Method

  • Chop the Tulsi leaves finely
  • Crumble the paneer
  • Add the basic ingredients to the crumbled paneer. You can choose to add some or all of the optional ingredients
  • Apply the sauce/chutney on one side of each slice of bread
  • Make a sandwich with the stuffing and bread.

If you want you can lightly grill the super healthy paneer and Tulsi leaves sandwich in a sandwich maker or on a pan.

We have kept the spice level of the sandwich to zero keeping in mind that small children will not be able to eat spicy food. However, if your children can handle some spice then add a pinch of pepper and deseeded finely chopped green chilies to enhance the taste of the sandwich stuffing.

This is a very simple sandwich recipe and takes minutes to prepare and is delicious to eat and helps in boosting your kid’s immunity.

A tasty immunity-boosting treat which is ready in minutes definitely deserves a try! Eat healthy, stay healthy, and keep your kid healthy too!

Packing A Beach Holiday Bag

All holidays are fun, but kids seem to enjoy a beach holiday more than the rest. The sun, the waves, the sand and sand castles to build have a distinct charm. Here’s a checklist for packing your kiddo’s bag for a beach holiday. In order to splash & surf on the beach, don’t forget to pack these!

Beach holiday essentials for your kiddo:

  • Towel/Robe
  • Beach Shorts/ Swim suit
  • Flip Flops
  • Sand Toys
  • Cool Shades
  • Sunscreen
  • Arm Band/Floats
  • Beach Ball

Have fun!

Sibling Love

When you had your first one, you thought you have been stretched to maximum capacity to love, care and bear responsibility. Sleepless nights, an unpredictable schedule, additional work and unmeasurable amounts of worry for the wellbeing of your dot, leads one to belief, that one can’t handle another baby. Doing this all over again, for one more child would have seemed impossible at that point to most of us.

But life has its own way and soon most of us welcome (or will welcome) our second child! With the arrival of this baby, we’ll rekindle our energies and raise the second one with the same amount of love but with far less worries, as we now believe in our parenting abilities!

The first child has the privilege of being the first born, that’s the baby who turned us into parents, this spot is prized and unique. But the second one is no less fortunate; she not only has the love of the parents, but a tutor, a guide, mentor and hero to emulate in the elder sibling.

You thought the bond between you and your child is the strongest bond possible? It’s time to rethink! The two siblings (whether the same sex or not) will grow into an inseparable duo who will fight for every crayon in the house but still stick together. They will enjoy each other’s company, remember the super hero that the other one likes the most, order the food the other one likes, will avenge their sibling’s fall from the swing in the park and so on and so forth.

They’ll be each other’s partner in crime, in mischief, in childhood fights today, they’ll be each other’s sounding board of tomorrow and the support system of day after when you and I will be gone.

Deciding to have two children and not one, caring for two, providing for two, is a decision that needs deliberation. But some things in life are beyond deliberation and control of us mortals, having a sibling is probably one of those things. Fortunate are the kids who have a sibling, the love of and for a sibling is a blessing that we can let our children have.

Ringing In The New With An Unwavering Resolution

A new day, a new year, a fresh start.

Ends lead to new beginnings, beginnings lead to resolutions, resolutions motivate us and motivations lead to success.

We asked parents about a resolution that they would take for their child this new year. The resolutions that were shared with us, express the desire that every parent bears in their heart – the good of their child and an unwavering commitment to raise healthy – happy children.

Our resolution is to be every parent’s partner in raising healthy children and we aver to do so by multitasking for you.

We wish to be your guide. The forum, which we call Parentship – friendship amongst parents, is the place to lend and seek advice on parenting issues and for finding answers to queries big and small. The vaccination reminder feature will ensure that you stay on track on your kids’ immunization timeline. This feature will go live on the platform soon.

We wish to inspire you with interesting, meaningful activities that you can do with your child at home. Every Wednesday we’ll put up a blog post with an activity that you can do with your kid, with simple things available in every home. For example, an activity with a plate of flour which will help your child develop pre writing skills.

We wish to optimize your time by facilitating home delivery of baby essentials to your doorstep and by listing resources (shops and service providers) for kids’ essentials in your city.

We wish that our desire to become your parenting partner in raising healthy children meets fruition.

Here’s wishing everyone a very happy new year 2017!