Decorating The Baby Nursery

One of the most fun and interesting part of becoming a parent is getting the nursery ready! Even before my little princess came to me, I knew I wanted a baby girl, so that I could dress her up in frills and laces and all things pink and pretty, and give her a room filled with soft cuddly toys, dolls and all the mini cutie things that I so loved staring at at the toys section in the stores.

Of course the nursery was made and of course my little baby didn't sleep in it :-) LOL! But in India, that's one thing that's really common in most homes. Babies always co-sleep with parents, and whatever research might say, Im a firm believer that a baby will always sleep best nestled close to its mother's heart, lying safely wrapped in mamma's arms. Of course SIDS is a reality we all need to be careful and alert about, but all said and done, I want my baby next to me when I am sleeping, and its vice versa. And let me confess something.....she is all of 5 now, and still sleeps with me :-) The nursery is more of her play room! I don't mind that at all.

I really cherish this frame. This is a fun thing me and my daughter were doing when she was about 3...and she was adamant that mamma's hands also have to be in this :-) 

Is My Little One Eating Enough?

For the first few years of her life, till about the time till she was 3nhalf, my daughter was a round, chubby, teddy bear! She was all that a baby should be - roly poly, rounded, chubby cheeks, pudgy arms and legs...ohhh how I miss that! And then, she turned 4! And began losing all the baby fat, and yes, to my, as well as to the compliments she gets from many, she is now growing taller with each passing day, in fact, she is quite tall for her age, which is 5, and people regularly tell me that! I love hearing that too.

But if you ask me, I would have still loved to have her a bit more chubby for a bit more time. And this is exactly what her doctor scolded me recently for. Our friends and relatives complain each time they see my daughter that she is thin. I prefer to call her tall and lean. Her weight is perfect for a baby her age (I still call her baby, and I guess will always will!), even though it may seem by looking at her that she is lesser on the weighing scale than she should be.

There have been many times that I have asked myself if my daughter is eating enough. Most of us mums are plagued with this question, isn't it? And as if our anxiety wasn’t enough, the constant questioning of family members and friends, and the usual questions of ‘oh look at her, she’s grown so thin!’ or comparisons like ‘my son was quite chubby at this age, how come your daughter is so thin? Did you check with the doctor?’ are sure to make you go running to your baby’s doctor, or to sit browsing through the many books and websites to try and find out answers as to why your baby isn’t growing chubby and fat, while other babies are!

It's only now that I've begun to learn to relax as a mother, that I've understood the logic of it. See, you may be a perfectly fine and healthy adult, but aren’t you secretly always trying to reduce a little extra weight, or trying to slim down a little bit more and get back to how you were during college days? The point is that when, after growing up, we constantly want to try and reduce our weight, why do we want our children to unnecessarily pile on weight and look chubby just because it looks cute, or just because others say so?

Managing Baby And Home The Super Mum Way

You're a super-mum! I'm a super-mum. In fact, all us mommies are super-mommies, each day of our lives, whether we realise it or not.

A working mum, a stay-at-home full-time mum, a mum who takes care of her official duties from home, a woman who knows what she wants and a lady who is best friend to her little one....Yes, all us mums are that and much much more! As we get busy with the daily routine of baby, home, school, office, kitchen, husband, and, if sometimes we can manage to squeeze it in, then some time for ourselves too....the level of multi-tasking that mommies do on a regular basis is simply outstanding!

Getting back to work after having a baby is always a complex experience, one that involves (or may involve) a lot of planning, patience, checking, anxiety, confidence and tears (and not always baby's!).

With a process so critical as this, there are a few extra helps that a super-mum can go to when it comes to getting back to work routine after getting your little one in the family.

Fun Fact About Vegetables

Was doing a research for an article and came across some really fun facts about vegetables! I shared those with hubby and he really had quite a few 'Oh really?!' moments, just as I had reading them.

Read on and share it with your little one too. I never knew there were so many stories happening right in my fridge!

Potatoes were first seen in Europe in 1586, and came to North America in 1719.

The tomato was originally a fruit. It was declared a vegetable by the US Supreme Court in 1893.

Cabbages are one of the oldest known vegetables to man.

Benefits Of Holding Your Baby Close To You

One of the first most precious memory I have of me and my daughter is when I held her in my arms for the first time. Of course, as a mum, all moments of my little darling's life are etched in my memory as a movie-reel; I don't even need to close my eyes to see these moments in flashback. I remember it all, just as most mothers do.

Bonding With Your Little One

Mums, its a beautiful feeling when you hold your little one in your arms, isn’t it? The world becomes a beautiful place, the smile on your face extends the whole day long, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that you would want to get in the way of you and baby, as you look at your little angel in your arms. Wow! That’s some feeling!

What researchers have said time and again, you already know as a parent – that there’s no better feeling than you and baby than having your little one right next to your heart! As an expectant mother, you’ve cherished baby’s first heartbeat at your regular check-up, and while you were simply blown away, it’s a known fact that for your baby who was still being cherished inside the womb, your heartbeat was the most comforting and familiar sound!

One of the best ways for mother and baby to bond is bare, skin-to-skin contact. Another most popular way for babies to feel their mother’s heartbeat is when you hold your little one near you, whether while feeding, while putting to sleep, or during any other activity.

Here are a few times in the day when you can be sure of holding your baby close to you, and of course, if you have the time, you can extend these moments and give baby that much more comfort and warmth:

Telling Your Little One About Special-Needs Children

Recently I went to watch Barfi with my little one - she is now a big lady of 5, as she likes to call herself confidently!!!

If you've already seen the movie, or if you've read about it or have seen any trailers, you probably already know that the main actors are a little special, with special needs and a very special and beautiful life....What I definitely loved about the movie is that though the characters are deaf-dumb and autistic, none of it is used to generate pity, instead, we are shown what a beautiful and 'special' life they have, blessed to be able to enjoy life at its fullest.

20 Things Mums Wished Dads Could Do

As a mum, there have been many occasions when we wished daddies would know what we were going through, and maybe be able to do what we had to do. Come on, you’ve even told your partner many times ‘if only you could do this….’ haven’t you?

We chatted up with a few mums, and here’s what came as the top 20 things mums wished dads could do. Read up and tell us what you wish your hubby could do instead. And daddies, hear up!

1.     Our No. 1 spot goes to the most heard comment – “I wish he could take care of the baby while I get some ‘me’ time.” With mums having to do so much at the same time, there’s hardly any time left that you can devote solely to yourself. So yes, it would be great if dads could take up some of the time with babies, and let mum relax.

1.     Getting pregnant – Of course, why not? No, don’t get us wrong. It’s just that becoming pregnant and experiencing your little one growing inside you is such a wonderful feeling, you do wish that as a father, your hubby would get to experience the same too.

Proud To Be A MUM

Yes....for all us MUMS out there...we are the best at what we do, so let's be proud of who we are, and for a change, let's give us a pat on the back....and to our darling little ones, thanks for being around, we wouldn't have been the best mums without you!!!

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ
Happy Parenting!!!!
Be good to your little one, and to the millions of little ones out there who truly need every bit of love and compassion they can get.....Be a grown up...save the little ones....

Debolina Raja Gupta

Types Of BreastFeeding Positions

Mums, here are a few positions that will help you comfortably hold baby while breastfeeding. Select the one that's most suitable for your baby and you:

CRADLE HOLD POSITION

World BreastFeeding Week (1st-7thAug): A Few Breastfeeding Myths All Mums Should Know

Mums, I'm not a medical expert, but I did do a little research - both online and offline - and talked to a few people, and here is a list of the common myths surrounding breastfeeding that we compiled. Of course, every mum is special and different, so do consult your doctor on the same and in case of any discomfort, get immediate medical assistance. Have a read:

Myth 1: Frequent nursing leads to poor milk production: Fact: Milk supply is at its best when healthy babies are allowed to nurse as often as they require.

Myth 2: Spicy food can affect the taste of milk and upset baby’s tummy: Fact: It’s true that too much spicy or oily food can lead to acidity, and this is certainly not advisable for anyone. But having spicy food does not lead to baby not liking the taste of the milk. In fact, having a little spicy food and food with different tastes will only introduce baby to a variety of flavours and make it easier for them to experiment with food as they grow up.

Happy Birthday to Papa from Little One

 

Happy Birthday and A Card...

So its my lil one's birthday in about a week's time. And guess what? She is so excited about it but at the same time angry, why? Coz papa's birthday happens to be 8 days before baby's!!!

Oh unfair world.....

So what does little one do?

We visit the card store to get a surprise birthday card for papa, and even before we've got to his section, little one is already in the kids' card section, checking and opening ALL the pink ones, the princess ones, the cartoon ones...and opening and re-opening the sound-cards!

'Mamam, I bought a card for myself...'

Peace for now ;-)

**********************************************
And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Be good to your little one, and to the millions of little ones out there who truly need every bit of love and compassion they can get.....Be a grown up...save the little ones....

Debolina Raja Gupta

The Changing Trend of Young Mums: From Mummy To Yummy Mummy

Yesterday I happened to have some free time on my hands, in the middle of a school-week, and me and daughter decided to head to the mall for some fun time together - some window-shopping, some playing, some books browsing.

After the initial walking around looking at the displays, she wanted to go to the play-area. As hubby joined us at the mall, we dropped her at the play-area and sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee. While we were chatting, I looked around us at the many kids and mums, young mums most of them, having a nice time with their little ones.

Enjoying motherhood has been our prerogative. Even though we may feel stressed out and burned out at times, we, the mothers, have begun taking this experience to a completely different level altogether. And it is now, in this generation of mothers, that this change is really visible. It's true that earlier too, mothers have been caring and attentive, they have spent a lot of time with their children, managing home and kids and school perfectly. Our mothers have truly devoted all their time on us, making us what we are today. But for this generation of mums, the change seems to be a lot different.

Becoming a mother in these times is actually a lot of fun. Knowing that there's a little one inside you does not deter the young mum-to-be from being stylish and 'happening'. She goes out with as much enthusiasm and is as style-conscious as she was before the stork visited. Whether its shopping for the kitchen or buying those fashionable clothes and makeup, she likes to do it all.

Blog Hop With Blogaholic Social Network

Here's the April Blog Hop from Blogaholic Social Network. On from the 24th of April till the 01st of May 2012, this fun Blog Hop at BSN is a wonderful way to meet new and interesting bloggers and make more friends on the way.

If you want to participate in the same, here's what you need to do:

1. Follow my blog (by joining the member list on the side panel)

2. Leave a comment in the post here. Please mention your website link so that I can visit and follow you back.

3. Check out the BSN April Shower Blog Hop page by clicking here

4. Grab the BSN Blog Hop code and paste it on your post in your blog to let others know that you're participating.

This month link up to any post!

Once you add your blog, stop by a few other blogs on the list to follow and leave a comment, let them know you are stopping by from BSN so they know you are a new friend and can connect with you on the community as well!

Feel free to:

• Share this blog hop on Twitter

• Post about this blog hop on Facebook

• Place the link up on your own blog! Just grab the code for your blog (the code is located below the linky list) a great way to fill up a post for a day! If you add it to your blog please copy the full post so others know the rules.

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in Save it for our children' - MJ
Happy Parenting!!!!

Be good to your little one, and to the millions of little ones out there who truly need every bit of love and compassion they can get.....Be a grown up...save the little ones....

Debolina Raja Gupta

Questions And More Questions: Learning To Look At Things From A Child's Perspective

Having a little one in the house is like forever being in an environment of learning and growth. As adults, we tend to take so many things for granted, its not even funny when you actually sit down and think about it.

My little one and I are a team, we talk and chat a lot, we explore things, and this bonding and constant discussion about things around her is not only restricted to me. As parents, both me and my husband have made it a conscious effort to spend as much time as possible with her, and to let her develop a sense of curiosity and questioning.

So it's not surprising for us when she speaks in perfect grammatical formations, or when she uses really big words for her four years of age. But sometimes, it does get quite tough to answer her questions, the millions that keep circling in her tiny head.

I have decided to make a list of all these questions.