How to train your Baby to be Independent How A Mother Should train Her Baby: In this video on Effective Parenting, watch Dr Chitti Vishnu Priya, our Parenting Expert explain when and how a mother should start training the child to be independent and start doing things by him/herself.  

Pocket money boosts your childs Self worth   How much pocket money should I give my Child: A Western concept which has picked up pace in India and other Asian countries, giving pocket money to ones child varies from family to family and their earning capabilities. The chores given to the child and the earning capabilities of the parent are the deciding factors of giving pocket money to the child. Another aspect is why do you want to give your child pocket money? Giving pocket money has several benefits other than just helping him/her buy toys or chocolates.   Teaches the value of money and money management at a young age. You can start teaching them the value of money at the earliest, say like from 5 years onwards. This helps the child to plan his/her future finances also. Nothing comes for free! As a parent you earn to take care of your family, so teach your child that money doesn’t come for free, you have to earn it. The concept of saving for a rainy day also can be taught. The child should be encouraged to save money and with banks offering savings accounts for children you could open one for him/her and help them save their pocket money. The child also learns to live within the pocket money s/he earns. If the money is spent quickly s/he will have to wait till the next month. So to spend wisely and appropriately is inculcated. Teaching the child to keep heads of account for the expenditure is another important benefit. S/he will understand the difference when money is spent on entertainment, games, stationery etc. And the most important aspect of Pocket money as reward for work done , is that it develops a healthy self worth and attitude in the child – a wonderful attribute which will be a part of their character- lifelong !

What to eat when you feel Nausea during Pregnancy A Food Guide for Pregnant Women : Watch By Dr. P. Janaki Srinath , Senior Nutrition Consultant, Fernandez Hospital speak about the Diet for Pregnant women. She gives tips as to what to eat and what to avoid to help you easily digest  food during pregnancy and prevent nausea.

Handling growing pains in older children A common phenomenon faced by many parents, growing pains are a normal occurrence in about 25 to 40 % of children worldwide. It occurs mostly in the age groups of 3 to 5 year olds and later in 8 to 12 year olds. Sometimes even through all the growing years. It does get a bit bothersome if you have to wake up in the middle of the night and massage your child’s leg, but there is no respite as he/she won’t be able to sleep properly. Why does it happen ? Blame it on the growth of bones or excessive playing, jumping and running around they do during the day; the actual cause is yet to be identified. You would probably notice that the pain is more when they have had a sports day or marathon. How can soothe pain in my child’s legs? 1. Medication like pain relievers should be used a last resort and if it is a chronic problem you could check with the doctor.Calcium supplements should be taken under doctors supervision only. 2. Massage the area with good OTC pain relieving creams, Ayurvedic pain relieving oils or gel for relief. You will need to massage till the child sleeps. 3. If it’s a minor pain , make the child stretch his/her legs and hold the stretch for some time. 4. If you have a heating pad or hot water bottle you could place that on the area which is paining. 5. Another home remedy is to take a tub full of hot water and put a handful of rock salt and soak the child feet. This is an excellent remedy when compared to massaging. Only to do it in the middle of the night could be a bit tiring!

 What to expect your First Prenatal Visit     What to expect on your first Prenatal Visit to the Gynecologist and what you need to know is a very important thing when you test positive for Pregnancy. In this  Joy Of Pregnancy  series watch Dr. Kameswari Surampudi, FRCOG (UK), Gynecologist at  Fernandez Hospital explain elaborately what the doctor would ask and tell you at the onset of pregnancy.  

  Prenatal Nutrition Tips   Watch Dr. P. Janaki Srinath, Sr. Nutrition Consultant ,Fernandez Hospital  give tips on nutrition and diet during the prenatal phase.Even before conception and basing on whether the mother –to-be  is obese, underweight or has any other health complications , needs to be evaluated and the diet has to be prescribed accordingly.

According to medical research there is a direct link between the baby crying for the mother milk , for the baby’ s survival and in turn when a mother breast feeds the baby acts a natural contraceptive and prevents pregnancy. Breastfeeding acts as a natural contraceptive during the first six months after birth, stopping women from menstruating. According to Professor David Haig, of Harvard University who explains the  babies’ instinctive urge to keep their mums awake, breastfeeding at all hours, is  a natural way of contraception and the baby’s survival instincts. He said that the time of life when babies are most likely to wake often in the night, around six months, corresponded to the time when mothers were most likely to be becoming fertile again. The research was published in the Journal Evolution, Medicine and Public Health today.

Baby Hygiene during Monsoons   Monsoons have set in and it’s that time of the season where the flies and insects start breeding. It important to take care of your surroundings to prevent infection and bacteria from spreading and affecting your baby with these useful tips: § Give only purified or boiled water. Carry water from home if you are going out. § Wash vegetables and meat thoroughly before cooking and make sure that green leafy vegetables are well cleaned in boiled water and steamed to get rid of any bacteria and germs. Vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower must be soaked in warm salt-water for at least 10 minutes before they are cooked, to remove any insects and pests. §  All food items should be properly covered to protect from insects and dust. §  Give freshly cooked food and no left overs please. §  Wash your hands well before cooking. §  Do not leave the wet and smelly food waste exposed. Dump the waste in a covered dustbin. §  Breast feeding moms should be extra careful in what their eating and avoid outside food when it is raining §  Clean the house regularly with effective disinfectants. §  Clean the toys periodically as babies tend to bite their toys. Keep the baby well covered if you are taking him/her out in the cold weather or rains. Simple but useful tips for healthy baby and happy home!

Bonding with your baby before Birth   Watch Jessy Naidu our parenting expert talk about the benefits of Bonding with your baby when the child is in the womb itself. She explains that once the fetus stage is over and the 5th month enters, this is the right time to start talking to the baby.Both the husband and wife should spend some quality time talking to the baby so that child can connect with the parents after birth.

Precautions when doing Yoga during Pregnancy   Yoga has become a well endorsed form of Prenatal exercise during pregnancy and both the Hollywood and Bollywood superstars who swear by practicing Yoga as the reason for their fit and trim figures ! Yoga also has certain dos and don’ts according to the rule book and not all postures and pranayama can be done during pregnancy. Check out the following tips while practicing Yoga during Pregnancy.     Tip -1 Stick to standing exercises in the first trimester: Standing yoga poses are excellent to strengthen your leg muscles, improve circulation, increase energy and helps reduce leg cramps that one commonly feels during pregnancy.  They help keep pressure off the belly and abdomen making the exercise safe for you and your baby.     Tip-2 Breathing exercises in the second trimester and third trimester: The second and third trimester is the time to relax, and deep breathing and meditation can help you do just that.  Breathing techniques or Pranayama will help relax your mind, oxygenate your body and help you deal with mood swings. Check with your Yoga Therapist for the right form of breathing exercises and follow them. Tip-3 General Tips • Do consult your doctor before practicing yoga postures. • Avoid doing asanas that put pressure on the abdomen and those that are difficult during the earlier stages of pregnancy. • When you are practicing twisting poses do not overstretch your abdomen, instead lay emphasis on your shoulders and the upper back. • Do not do asanas where you are required to be upside down. • It is also advised not to practice yoga postures from the tenth through the fourteenth week of pregnancy. • Remember not to slouch or raise your shoulders while breathing in. Also, breathe in deeply using your lungs and try not to allow the air to fill in your stomach.

Music Therapy during Pregnancy   A new study finds that music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women. The complementary remedy to common conditions faced during pregnancy may prove to be of significant benefit as prospective mothers avoid the side-effects of traditional pharmaceuticals. In the investigation, researchers from the College of Nursing at Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, randomly assigned 116 pregnant women to a music group and 120 to a control group. “The music group showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety and depression after just two weeks, using three established measurement scales” says Professor Chung-Hey Chen, who is now based at the National Cheng Kung University. The study was published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.   During pregnancy one should listen to calm and soothing music. It is said that listening to peaceful music relaxes the mind of both the mother and the child. There are certain after birth effects of listening to music during pregnancy. It is said that if the baby listens to the music that the mother used to listen to when pregnant, the baby calms down. The music can act as a lullaby as well. This proves that the baby remembers the music you listen to when pregnant. Therefore, make sure you listen to good classical or sweet music which will help in brain development of the child.

Importance Of Prenatal Vitamins     In this video watch Dr Kameswari from Fernandez Hospital, Hyderabad talk about the importance of taking vitamins at the pre-natal stage for pregnant woman. She elaborates the fact that vitamins like Folic acid, Vitamin D etc., when  taken during the pre-conception levels help in sustaining  a healthy pregnancy and baby.  

Holding your baby is good   The maternal instinct of holding your baby is one of the best things a mother can do to bond with her child and there is no question where you cannot spoil a baby by holding her. "Babies who are held often and have their needs met right away are more likely to have higher self-images and learn they are respected and worthy," says Linda C. Donovan, RN, MHA, IBCLC. So, even if you keep hearing people tell you not to do it, rest assured that holding your baby is a good and natural thing. According to the researchers, maternal walking may be more effective in calming infants than other kinds of rhythmic motion, such as rocking. A study in 2013 from Japan confirms what many mothers may know instinctively: Picking up and carrying a fussy baby usually calms down and relaxes the child, making the move a good one for both moms and infants. ts became noticeably more relaxed and stopped crying and squirming. The babies' rapidly beating hearts also slowed down, evidence that the children were feeling calmer. "Infants become calm and relaxed when they are carried by their mother," said study researcher Dr. Kumi Kuroda, who investigates social behavior at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Saitama, Japan. A strong calming effect For the small study, researchers monitored the responses of 12 healthy infants ages 1 month to 6 months. The scientists wanted to discover the most effective way for mothers to calm a crying baby over a 30-second period — simply holding the baby or carrying the infant while walking. Young babies carried by a walking mother were the most relaxed and soothed, compared with infants whose mothers sat in a chair and held them, the study found. As a mother stood up and started to walk with her child cradled close in her arms, scientists observed an automatic change in the baby's behavior. Kuroda said she was surprised by the strength of the calming effect from maternal holding and walking.

Simple & Natural De-worming tips for children      The tell tale signs of worms in your children’s gut could  range from patches on the skin, to decreased appetite , mild abdominal pain around the navel, bad breath, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, itching at anus and disturbed sleep. Depending on the age of the child you can de-worm them using regular allopathic medicines periodically. Once you notice any  of the above change in the body, first check with your pediatrician and resolve whether it is worms or any other symptoms. If any syrup or tablet is prescribed for de-worming, give it to the child as per the dosage. Follow these basic tips to keep worms at bay: * Wash your hands and the child’s hands with soap before and after eating and when you come from outside/play. * Give  1 tbs of Tulsi/Basil leave juice along with honey every 15 days. * In food  like Ajwain ( carom seeds), Black pepper, Asofoetida, Black salt, Dry ginger, Garlic and  Turmeric in your food  as they are good de-worming agents. * Ajwain( carom seeds) powder  mixed with a pinch of salt and taken on an empty stomach for a week helps to eliminate worms from the intestines. * Drinking boiled water till the problem solves is very important. * If the baby/child has worms coming from the anus , clean the place and keep a cotton ball soaked in sesame oil there when the child sleeps. * Avoid foods like  bananas, custard apples, pineapples, bread, jam, noodles, cheese, pastries and other bakery products and junk food. Increase intake of fresh vegetables and wash the green leafy vegetables thoroughly before cooking them.    

Connecting with your Baby before Birth     Babies have the god-given gift of connecting with the mother in the womb itself.Moms to be should be able to connect with their baby through the 5 body senses which starts from the 5th month of pregnancy .Jessy Naidu our parenting expert explains how the baby can  respond and connect directly  to the mothers emotions of touch and feel. A must watch for all the new moms-to-be!

Sitali Pranayama Benefits during Pregnancy     Watch our parenting trainer talk about how to expel the heat from the body and why it is important to remove the heat from the body when you are pregnant. She shows us how to practice Sitali Pranayama - a breathing exercise which helps in cooling the body during pregnancy  time.This can also be practiced when you have fever or when there is excess heat produced in the body.

  Wet Wipes and diaper rash   As young mothers on the run the easiest way to clean your baby’s bottoms after removing the diaper is to use the convenient wet wipes. Simple fast and possible the  cleanest way to clean your baby’s little bottom. Now the resultant effect we are sure which every mother would have seen are the severe rashes that infect the child and sometimes also leading to fungal infection .Extremely painful which s/he cannot express and the crying can drive you mad at times. When this happens and the rash doesn't subside check out these few tips to help you tide through the problem. •  First and foremost remove diapers and avoid putting them for at least 3-4 days. •  Avoid wet wipes as some of them have minor content of chemical and alcohol which cause the skin to burn more. •  Use water directly and wash the baby or use a wash cloth dipped in warm water and clean. •  Avoid soap for some time. And try to keep the area open for some time. • To keep the area dry the best powder is to use cornstarch powder. Some of the branded baby powders have cornstarch in it. •  If you don’t have it mix some corn starch in baby powder and dust the baby bottoms with it •  Now tight clothes only loose cotton clothes and use a cloth nappy till s/he feels better. Unless its winter season. There are various creams available OTC and find the specific one suited to your baby ,but keeping the area dry is very important for quick healing. Try to find  wet wipes which don’t contain alcohol and are not too fragrant and use them.    

Children are meant to play   Watch Dr Chitti Vishnupriya talk about the importance of why Children should play. Children must play and parents have to decide for how much time they should play.  Apart from the physical activity, playing also improves the social and emotional strength of children  and they grow to be happier people.