Edible play dough

I think of the many hats that Mum's across the world wear, the most important one is that of MAD SCIENTIST.

Anyone who has ever dealt with a toddler would know that it takes all your creativity and innovation skills to invent something new to keep them busy and thus out of trouble.

My son for instance loves to play with sand and mud. I am all for kids getting their hands dirty and playing around but what I am not ok with is- my son eating mud & sand. Hence I started looking around for ideas that would help me create some sort of edible play dough.  

This morning I stumbled upon this post on Facebook & decided to try it out.

The idea was an instant HIT with my 17 month old son. Right from mixing the ingredients to preparing the dough  & then creating shapes and of course eating some of it in the process, he loved every minute of it. 

I was obviously happy to see him getting his hands dirty this time, knowing that what he is eating is absolutely safe and to add to that YUMMY.

So the recipe is quite simple and it requires only three ingredients

- 1 cup Milk Powder 

- 1 cup Peanut Butter

- 1 tablespoon honey
(you may choose to prepare a smaller batch by taking a smaller quantity of each of the ingredients, just maintain the proportions) 

Mix all the ingredients together in a Big bowl. I recommend involve your kids from the first step itself, allowing them to mix the ingredients and create their own dough. I the dough seems a little dry, add some more honey to it (helps bind it together).

And then let the kids creative juices take over. Hand them a rolling pin and some stencils & let them have fun. To add some texture, you could also use some sprinkles or chocolate chips to the dough. 

Simple and easy way to keep your little one occupied and happy.

Footprints Childcare: Making Parenting Easier

Unfortunately,gone are the days when children would grow up under the supervision of grandparents and extended families. With joint families giving way to the nuclear family set up & with more women  pursuing active careers, the dependence on professional care givers has only increased in the recent times.

Being a working mother I can completely understand how tough a choice it is for mothers to leave their little ones behind in the care of domestic help while they are away at work. If one does not have the support of family to help raise kids, one has to fall back on domestic help which may not be the most reliable option in today’s day and age. 

The question then in one's mind is what are my other options? 

I would highly recommend considering the option of a professional day care.

One such option for parents in Delhi & NCR is Footprints Childcare, an international standard education based Full Day Child Care and Preschool Chain initiated by IIT-IIM alumni in the year 2012 that provides world class care and nurturing environment to kids for physical, mental, emotional and social growth & development. 

Footprints is one of the leading day care centre in Gurgaon, Noida and offers an integrated Day Care and Pre-school model that runs from 9AM until 6.30 PM for children from 3 months to 4 years of age all across its 7 centers. Today more than 550 happy children are a part of Footprints. Footprints Childcare Pvt. Ltd, which runs full day childcare and preschool chain, has raised Rs 4.25 crore ($671,800) led by Vinay Kumar Bansal, director at Step Ahead Ventures and Kshitij Jain, the founder of mobile enterprise application firm Mobolt. The unique version that has the best of amenities like an all women staff, hospital tie-ups, CCTV and real time mobile updates also has certified trainers from the US and revolves around making play school and day care available to all at a cost that will not burn a hole in the pocket. With learning programs that are designed to encourage and stimulate children, Footprints impart programs that are flexible to develop interest which are based on curriculum that has been researched well over 50 years and are followed in more than 20 countries and over 50,000 schools.

Some of the things that parents constantly worry about when at work- Did my child eat well? Did he/she take a nap? Hope my child does not spend his/her day watching TV with the maid? Well all these and more get taken care of at Footprints Childcare. At Footprints Childcare, you get access to live CCTV Feed and Child's updates on your mobile through our in-house Parent Connect App. So you can keep an eye on your little one’s activities even when you are away at work giving you complete peace of mind.

The early years are most essential in the development of your child. Children learn from their everyday activities as Footprints’ childcare activities are based on world's best High Scope Infants and Toddlers Curriculum.  Some examples of the activities are-

 Choice Time – During this time teacher will set three activity corners in the class and asks children in which activity he/ she wants to participate. Children will learn to take decisions, initiative out of their participation in Choice Time.

 Small Group Activity – Children will develop various skills out of their participation in Small Group Activities like- When children work with only a few other children at a time, they learn important lessons about cooperation, sharing, and the give and take of conversation. Also, when working in small groups with an adult, children are able to receive more focused attention they need for completing complex tasks and activities. The benefits of small group activities for teachers are plenty. When children work in small groups, this will free up teachers to focus on a few children at a time. Teachers may be able to observe children more closely. Also, teachers have the choice to place children in groups based on ability or interests. This will make observation and jotting down anecdotal notes very easy for the teacher.

 Large Group Activity – Children will develop social skills- sharing, caring, empathy and get rid of stranger anxiety while participating in Large Group activity. They will learn to lead which helps them in their daily life also.

 Meal Time -Eating together strengthens the relationship by allowing for more opportunities to talk and build relationships. This is the celebration time. Children will learn to eat variety of food with peer group. This is an opportunity to share information about benefits from vegetables, fruits, and cereals to inculcate good eating habits amongst our children.

 Outdoor Play -Following are the physical and mental health benefits of getting kids outside as it improves vision, promotes social skills, increases attention span, reduces stress and improves immune system. 

All this while they take exceptional care to provide a clean and sanitised environment for the children. They have a highly trained housekeeping team that schedules weekly herbal child safe Pest Control along with weekly cleaning of all toys, floors, cots, bed sheets, walls etc. They also schedule daily cleaning of classes and all toys once the children have left.

At Footprints Childcare your child gets only the best in nutrition, no junk foods only fresh and seasonal fruits, vegetables, nuts (winters) pulses and grains as variety of food. They try to inculcate good eating habits encouraging kids to eat on their own rather than force feeding them. 

I highly recommend you visit their website www.footprintseducation.in to see some firsthand reviews from parents. With seven outlets across Delhi & NCR, Footprints Childcare is definitely making parenting easier. 

Footprints Childcare offering a free three day trial to a few lucky readers of the blog, so in case you are interested in the trial drop us an email at thoseninemonthsandmore@gmail.com and you shall hear from us soon.

(This is a promotional post & we recommend parents do their due diligence on the same)

How to develop the habit of reading among children from an early age?

Like any parent, I constantly worry about my child being over exposed to television or mobile phones. Whether we like it or not things like  mobile phones are an integral part of our lives and our children get access to technology way before we did when we were young. So we cannot eliminate technology from our lives but we can regulate how and when the child gets exposed to it.

The reason I began thinking about all this is because every time I would sit to read a book to my fourteen month old, he would be least interested. He wanted to do everything except read. Whereas if I ever switched on the television before him or played some rhymes on you tube he would be glued to it, giving it his undivided attention. This got me thinking and I began searching across the Internet on how I could get my little one into the habit of reading books.

I came across this workshop that was scheduled to be held in Mumbai, hosted by The Yearling house (you can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheYearlingHouse)

I found the session helpful hence decided to share some of my learning's here. The two ladies who are heading this initiative, Puja and Aparna began the session with a slide that talked about how the brain functions while watching television vis a vis  when one reads. The first two years of life are considered a critical for brain development. TV and other electronic media like watching videos on mobile phones can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents which in turn encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.

So what is it that we can do to encourage toddlers to read

• Start young- you can start reading to your child from infancy. Don't wait for them to grow up to be old enough to hold a book
• Make the activity fun for the child- voice modulations, actions and involving the child in the activity by seeking help to may be turn the page are just some ways you can engage the child while reading. At the workshop, Aparna demonstrated this very effectively using voice modulation. Every time she would change the pitch and say things like “Oh” to show an element of surprise or “Growl” to show an animal making noise, the kids would leave what they were doing and listen to her instead
• Don’t focus on finishing the story or teaching them things like moral of the story, that’s not the objective at this stage. As toddlers the focus must be on engaging them and making the whole activity of book reading both fun and interactive for the child. 
• Choose the books that are age appropriate- a book that has too many words may seem very distracting for a toddler. Select books that have one picture on each page and may be one sentence for a toddler
• Don’t get disheartened if the child does not sit with you for the whole duration of 20 minutes that you had planned for book reading. As toddlers, children want to explore anything and everything so expecting them to stay still for 20 minutes is a tall order. Even if the child sits with you for 5-7 minutes a day, you are off to a good start
• Create a routine- book reading has to be a part of the child’s daily routine. For instance if you only have time in the evenings post work, you may set a bedtime routine for your child. Just before going to bed read to your child. Also choose the time wisely, if its time for the child to go down to play in the evening and you insist of reading a book at that point, you may be fighting a losing battle.
• Choose the books carefully- a book that has lots of pictures or too many words may seem very distracting for your child. Select books that have one picture on each page and may be one sentence. What are the kind of books one should look at? Some suggestions that I received at the session were as follows 
• Biscuit dog- there is a whole series available about Biscuit the dog and the activities that he goes about. http://www.amazon.in/Biscuit-My-First-Can-Read-ebook/dp/B0078XFX8Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1452061719&sr=1-1&keywords=biscuit+dog
• Gajapati Kulapati- a story about an elephant with simple illustrations and fun words that make it engaging for the child  http://www.amazon.in/Gajapati-Kulapati-Kalabaloosh-Ashok-Rajagopalan/dp/9350465116/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452062297&sr=1-2&keywords=gajapati+kulapati
• Blue hat green hat http://www.amazon.in/Green-Boynton-Board-Books-Schuster/dp/0671493205/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1452062925&sr=1-1
• They have a host of other recommendations on good reads, check out the link here https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/34325395-the-yearling-house?shelf=read
  

• Don’t restrict reading to only English books. Read to them in your mother tongue as well. For example if you talk to your child in Hindi at home, read Hindi books as well because it is easier for your child to relate to a language that he is being spoken in.
• You can use the same book in many ways. You don't always have to read only what is written in the book, you can use the illustrations provided in the book to help the child relate to something that he/she may have seen earlier during the day. So if the book shows a market, you can use that as an opportunity to talk to the child about what he/ she may have seen during there visit to the market

Most of all children learn by observing their parents/ caregiver. So if a child sees that daddy and mommy  plonk themselves in front of the television every evening, they would learn the same habits. So as parents we need to make some hard choices, ditch the television and spend some time reading to your child. 

Happy reading :)

Stress free travel with your baby

Have Baby, will travel! The story of our life :)

Hubby & I love to travel and explore new places. We hadn’t travelled in a while since my doctor didn't allow me to travel while I was expecting and then we were to busy with adjusting to our new life. Hence we were itching to travel. 

However we had our concerns around how we would manage travel to an international destination with our 11 month old baby. We realised that if you plan well, travelling with babies can actually be fun since  it would involve so many firsts for your little one giving you the opportunity to catch their priceless reactions for when they see the sea and sand for the first time or try some new food. 

A few things that we did helped us manage travel with our toddler during our recent trip to Thailand were as follows:

• Plan your trip well: When travelling with a baby, don’t pack your itinerary with too many things to do or see. Space things out because babies don’t understand the concept of “hurry up”. They do things at their own pace. When you land in a new city, give yourself some time to freshen up and settle the baby before you set out sight seeing. On our trip to Thailand, we landed in Bangkok in the morning. Ideally we would have liked to fly out of Bangkok the same day to get an additional day in Krabi but we chose to spend a day in Bangkok to ensure things didn't get too hectic. While planning transit flights between destinations choose timings that are easy to manage with the baby.

• Carry baby essentials: I highly recommend you carry essentials like baby food, some of their favourite toys or any other things your baby is fussy about. I know of a couple who forgot to carry their daughter’s potty seat to Europe and the child just refused to go without it. The parent’s went hunting for a potty seat to tide over the crisis. So think about the things that your child can’t do without and carry those with you. I also carried with me some baby sunscreen since we were going to spend a lot of time on the beach, swimming diapers and mosquito repellant. 

• Baby Food: My son had begun to eat solids when we travelled, however I carried Cerelac for him for times when he was fussy. I also carried ample formula. We would stock up on fresh fruits wherever we went and most restaurants obliged us with special meals for the baby like vegetable fried rice. We fed him oats/ pancakes/ waffles or Conjee (thai rice porridge) along with some fruits for breakfast. We steered clear of sea food and non veg during the trip for him to avoid any unfavourable reaction.

• Sterilising baby bottles: We carried with us some liquid dish washing soap and a travel kettle for boiling water. Thoroughly clean the sink with warm water and soap. Then we would wash the bottles with soap and warm water in the sink. Then swish the bottles with some boiled water and leave the nipples and the bottle lids in boiled water for 5-10 minutes.

•  Do your research when finalising a destination: when we were planning our trip we did a lot of research to ensure that the properties were stayed in were baby friendly. Reviews from other parents helped us make an informed choice about where to stay. The research also helped us plan things to carry. For instance we realised that in Bangkok, it may not be such a good idea to carry our Chicco Cortina stroller since a lot of places we would have to carry it up stairs or narrow passages. Hence we took along Mee mee travel stroller which was compact and easy to carry. 

• Should you carry a stroller? I would highly recommend one even if your child is fussy about sitting in one it comes in handy if the child wants to sleep or catch a nap. I would also recommend you carry a good baby wearing device like a Boba or a soul sling as it makes the task of carrying the baby very easy. For places like Chinatown in Bangkok where it is impossible to take a stroller I wore my son in the Boba for at least 3-4 hours. 

• Do not stress over routine, go with the flow and have fun: when holidaying with babies things don’t always go as per plan, accept that and your holiday would be more fun.

• Don’t forget to click a lot of pictures, these are memories for a lifetime

If you are planning travel to Thailand with your toddler a few things to keep in mind

• Thai people love babies. Right from immigration to restaurants and hotels, babies are treated like VIPs. However the flip side is that they would want to hold the baby or pinch their cheeks.  So don’t get bothered if they try and get friendly with your child.
• Request the hotel for special preparations in terms of food for the baby, baby cot and fresh fruits. Most of them will oblige
• If you are going for visa on arrival, that usually takes some time so be prepared to wait. Carry some food or formula for the baby to make the wait time peaceful.
• Carry Mosquito repellents with you
• Don’t carry a very bulky stroller as you may have to lift it a number of times. I would highly recommend baby wearing in Thailand.

My breastfeeding journey

I have been away from the blog for so long. Largely because the last few months have been a roller coaster of a ride as I decided to join back work, one of the toughest decisions I have made in a while. I intend to write about that in the coming weeks but for now I want to talk about breastfeeding.

Source :https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breastfeeding-icon-med.svg

I have been wanting to share my experience of breastfeeding my baby in the hope that it helps other new Moms. As a new mom it is so so easy to get frustrated and give up on breastfeeding. Your body has just achieved a humongous feet (delivered a baby) & you are aching all over, taking baby steps towards recovery. And to top that there is a constant stream of visitors who want to meet you & the baby. If that wasn't enough you realise you are no longer your own master- you have to adhere to the little one’s commands- feed- burp-diaper change (on repeat mode). It’s a cycle you cant escape. Amidst all this the little one refuses to latch on to your breast, nibbling & biting at it (ouch) leading to sore nipples, that coupled with the frustration of seeing the baby wailing, that's enough reason for anyone to give up.

Before pregnancy, I always imagined that breastfeeding would come naturally to me and the baby. I couldn't have been more wrong, that's something I can say from experience. I would have long given up on breastfeeding had it not been for some people and some aids that came to my rescue.

When I first tried to breastfeed my little one, he just wouldn't latch on. He would bite, nibble, bite some more and try to latch on but it just wasn't working. With every attempt it became more painful because my nipples were sore from all the biting. I began to dread breastfeeding my baby and would keep requesting the nurses at the hospital to give the baby formula milk. 

My mum scheduled a session with the lactation expert at the hospital to ease the process for me. She was truly godsend because she gave me the first push towards breastfeeding my baby. Here are some of the suggestions that worked for me.

 She first helped correct my posture. Since I was unable to sit cross legged on the bed (due to stitches) she asked me to sit on a chair with comfortable backrest. Gave me two pillows to keep on my lap and ask me to place the baby on the pillow so that the baby was almost parallel to my tummy.

Next, she recommended I use the Pigeon Nipple shield to help the baby latch on to the breast initially.

The above two suggestions provided almost instant relief, for the first time I was comfortable and the baby was able to suckle and drink milk. 

I had heard mixed reviews about the pigeon nipple shield, in fact some people advised me against it. But for me it was a life saver as it helped in the initiation process, helping the baby latch on the breast and giving my sore nipples some relief from all that biting.

By the third or fourth day my breasts were engorged & making me extremely uncomfortable. Here are a few things that helped me. A warm water bath helped in let down and allowed me to express some milk providing relief

My baby was feeding from only one side initially so I expressed milk from the side he wasn't latching on to to help relieve the pain.

I truly believe the first few months are the toughest when it comes to breastfeeding. Your body is still recovering, you are still getting used to having someone else rule your life, sleepless nights and to top it all every now and then the baby wants milk. I remember I would often think to myself, how can something so little want milk all the time. Nights were the toughest because my son would wake up every two hours for a feed.  Don't give up just yet and don’t turn to the bottle, things settle down soon. 

There were days when my little one would want feed ever so often, sometimes making me doubt my milk supply. Was I producing sufficient milk? Was he hungry because I wasn’t giving him formula feeds? These nagging thoughts are bound to trouble every new mom. Stop being so hard on yourself. Mother nature is a damn good architect of things. When it comes to breastfeeding, it is all a game of supply and demand. The more you nurse, the better your milk supply. Eat nutritious food, get some rest and be positive- that's all you need. As long as the baby’s pee count is good (check the number of wet nappies)and the baby is gaining weight, you are on track Mommy.

I would highly recommend that you invest in a breast pump when you embark on your breastfeeding journey, even if you are a stay at home mom. It gives you the option to express milk, hence allowing someone else in the family to take care of the baby and feed the baby while you get some much needed rest. Also, you may want to head out for a bit and get some fresh air, leaving the baby in the care of some family member, breast pumps can be very useful in such situations. For instance I had to attend a wedding when Rajveer was barely 2 months old and I didn't want to take him along for the fear of exposing him to infections and Delhi’s severe winters, that's when the breast pump came in really handy.

You don't necessarily have to spend a fortune on a breast pump. If you don't intend to pump too often you may invest in a not too expensive manual pump. I bought the Avent- Comfort manual breast pump and it has served me well so far (Shall review the pump in a subsequent post).

In fact one of the very reasons I have been able to continue breastfeeding after joining work is because I started expressing milk regularly. I express milk twice or thrice in the day which is used to feed the baby when I am at work.

Another thing that I highly recommend is to join forums where you get valuable advise from mums who are in similar situations or have been in the same boat. One such group that joined on Facebook was: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breastfeedingsupportforindianmoms/

There is so much one can learn from other moms' experiences. This group in particular Breastfeeding support for Indian Moms is an incredible source of information. From documents which provide vital information on breastfeeding to links to well written blogs, this group provides it all. Information & insights from the group members kept me going and helped me rectify my mistakes as well.

Having said all this, I have to accept that there were times when I just couldn’t cope with things (like when I was unwell or simply too tired) I succumbed to the pressure and fed my baby formula milk & on those days I was miserable. I felt like I was such a terrible mother for not being able to exclusively breast feed my baby. It's only now when I look back that I realize that one has to stop judging oneself all the time, mother’s are after all human. You don't become a bad mom or a less loving mom just because you fed your baby formula milk once in the day.  Each Mom's experience is different and so is the journey. It’s a choice one makes given the situation at hand and there is no right or wrong because every mother has her baby’s best interest at heart.

It’s almost 9 months and its hard to believe that time has flown so fast. Breastfeeding my little one has been one of the most fulfilling journeys & I am so grateful that I did not give up when things were rough. I would strongly urge all Mums and mums- to-be, please breastfeed your baby. Apart from the health benefits it is such a beautiful way to bond with your baby. Remember, with every passing day the breastfeeding journey becomes simpler and more fulfilling :)

My version of the Risotto Puttanesca

Being a mom is a full time job and every once in a while one needs a break from the job & one needs to unwind.

I am lucky to have a great support system in my family who encourage me to head out with my friends while they take care of RV in my absence. I think this is so so important for all mothers, you need to trust your family, husband or whoever to take care of your baby while you take a break from being mommy. You shall come back refreshed and recharged to take on your mommy responsibilities. 

One such evening we headed out to Hauz Khas village for dinner with friends and landed up at Imperfecto where we ate this absolutely delicious creamy risotto called Risotto Puttanesca. 

Thats where I got inspiration for this Risotto recipe. Now Risotto is one of the easiest dishes to cook all it needs is some time and patience. So here is rendition of the Risotto Puttanesca. I ended up adding some vegetable to this since my sister is a fussy eater and till date we need to mask vegetables in various forms to get her to eat :)

Risotto Puttanesca served Piping hot

Ingredients

3 tablespoon of butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 Yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

4-5 baby corn, chopped

2-3 tomatoes, chopped and pureed

1 teaspoon (more or less) red chili flakes

2-3 tablespoon of oregano (I prefer to use the ones we get with Dominoes Pizza)

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

6-7 cups vegetable/ chicken stock (I usually add my salt to the vegetable stock)

2 tablespoon of fresh cream

Freshly grated parmesan cheese or even amul cheese cubes would work

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Salt to taste

Method

• Sautee the finely chopped bell pepper & Chopped baby corn in butter and set aside
• In a pan, add butter and chopped garlic. To this, add the tomato puree and stir till the tomatoes reduce and the puree is cooked
• In a separate pan, add a tablespoon of butter and to this add the chopped onions. Cook the onions for a minute and then add the arborio rice. Stir the arborio rice and cook for a couple of minutes
• Now add the wine to the arborio rice and cook till the wine evaporates
• Now add a cup of vegetable stock and cook till stock is absorbed. Now keep adding vegetable stock one cup at a time till the risotto is cooked. This may take unto 45 minutes
• Once the Risotto is cooked, lower the flame. Now add the tomato puree & fresh cream and stir. 
• Also add the sautéed vegetables to the risotto
• Add grated cheese, oregano, red chilli flakes and salt if required
• Garnish with some cheese and parsley and serve steaming hot

This is a simple yet tasty recipe which one can whip up easily.You may choose to add other vegetable like mushrooms or olive as a variation based on your preference. Happy cooking :)

Product Review: Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel system

Having a baby is a life changing experience. Somethings change forever, for instance earlier you could make plans at the spur of the moment, however now one needs to plan travel/ visits keeping the baby in mind.

One product that can really help parents when it comes to travelling with the baby is a Travel System. And the number of choices available in the market when it comes to a strollers, car seats and travel systems is mind boggling. Unfortunately we didn't find very helpful sales person at the stores to guide us & help us decide between strollers or Travel systems.

So we decided to reach out to some of our friends who had recently become parents. And we were rather surprised as we got a unanimous response, they recommended the Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel system.

Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel System
(Photo credits: www.amazon.com)

The first question that came to my mind was, why should one buy an expensive travel system when one can purchase a stroller at a cheaper price?

My friends explained to me that a travel system is a stroller which can fix a car seat on top.  These are convenient as you can just lift carseat out of car with baby and clip (facing you) onto top of pushchair. 

So how does this feature of fixing the car seat on top of the stroller come in handy?

From experience I can tell you that invariably your baby will doze off when you drive around with him/ her strapped in the car seat. Once you reach the destination all you need to do is to lift the car seat out of the base and place it on the stroller without disturbing the little one. If you are going to a restaurant you can simply carry the baby in the car seat itself. We have enjoyed many a dinners like this with the baby sleeping peacefully in the car seat at the restaurant.

The Car seat fits onto the stroller like this, allowing easy eye contact with the baby.

Additionally the car seat when fixed on the pushchair allows the baby to face you, that is not the case with most strollers. It helps when the baby is looking at you as it keeps her engaged and helps you keep an eye on them.

But does one really need a car seat for the baby?

I would highly recommend one since it keeps the baby safe during car travel in case of any eventuality. Also it serves the purpose of a rocker that one can use at home or restaurants. For instance we use the car seat at home when my little one wants sit in the sun after a bath or when we go to some restaurant.

I have been using the Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel system for about two months. Here are some of the pros and Cons that I have observed.

Some Pros

• The car seat is extremely convenient and easy to use. Easily snaps onto the base and easy to take out of the car
• The inserts in the carseat make it comfortable for use with Infants, providing adequate support to the baby when seated
• It can also be used as a rocker
• The car seats easily fits onto the stroller. This allows the baby to face you making it easier
  for you to engage with the baby when using the stroller
• The stroller is comfortable and easy to use & also allows one hand fold making it easy to stow and keep away
• The stroller is sturdy and stable and provides for easy storage 
• The stroller also provides for ample storage with the storage basket at the bottom & a few compartments to store smaller items or a drink when pushing the stroller
• The stroller is easy to steer and comes with lockable front wheels

The stroller provides for ample storage options- a basket at the bottom of the stroller and a small storage box for keys and other small items on the top along with a drink holder.

One hand fold design makes it easy to fold and store

Some Cons

• The car seat can be quiet heavy to lift once you put the baby in it. Also the car seat has a 30-lb weight limit for the baby.
• The stroller is a little bulky and difficult to use in narrow spaces
• This one is slightly more expensive than the other travel systems available in India and also the colour choices are very limited

Overall I am quiet happy with this product and would most certainly recommend it to other parents.

And the baby is here!!

You may have guessed why I have been away from the blog for so long. Yes, you guessed it right the baby is finally here and has kept me on my toes since his arrival.

We welcomed our little rockstar on 28th October and its been one hell of a roller coaster ride since then :)

Our little Rockstar

One may have this false sense of comfort that you are adequately prepared to welcome the baby but you have absolutely no IDEA what is about to hit you. I mean seriously no clue. I don't no where the last two months have gone. YES my lil one is two months old and its only now that I have found one hour in my life to write this post :)

Life changes, it almost does a 180 degree flip.

Those nine months are all about you that is the mommy.

How you’re feeling?

What you would like to eat?

Are you getting adequate rest?

How do you look now? Is the bump visible yet?

But all that changes the minute your lil prince/ princess arrives.

Now its all about

Why is the baby crying?

Is he or she hungry? When was she last fed?

When was the diaper last changed?

Did she poop today? 

And the only way to cope with this change is to be somewhat prepared. Now when I look back, I would have done a few things differently to make life simpler for myself.

Get that baby bag ready: I wasn't due for another two weeks so I was sitting pretty and didn't have the baby bag ready until the very last minute. But it would really help if you have this one thing sorted at least a month in advance. Once you are in the ninth month you never know when the baby decides to say hello to you. So in a hurry I managed to pack a few things and I obviously missed a few. However here is a list of essentials that I feel one must have in the baby’s bag

• Sheets/ small blankets to swaddle the baby, I would suggest you pack at least two
• Clothes for the baby. Be careful with your choice of clothes since babies cant tolerate extreme cold or heat. I would recommend onesies as they keep the child comfortable and warm. You could go for cotton onesies in summers and fleece onesies in winters. 
• Mittens for the baby
• Cap for the baby 
• Bibs since you may not be able to feed the child immediately. So bibs come in handy when you wish to formula feed the baby
• Diapers or nappies (the choice is yours) I chose diapers since my little one was born in winters. If you choose nappies, I suggest you also get nappy liners.  
• Baby wipes ( I prefer Pigeon or Johnsons)
• Small napkins to wipe the baby after they burp or throw up 
• Burp towels (these are long napkins that you can keep on your shoulder when you burp the baby. It protects your clothes from getting soiled)
• Small pillow for the baby
• Blanket
• Bottle or Paladai to feed formula to the baby. I chose to use the paladai as my doctor recommended the same. My paediatrician was not in favour of a bottle as that can cause nipple confusion in infants. So if you want to breastfeed your child, he felt it was best to avoid a bottle
• A diaper changing sheet/ Macintosh

Apart from a baby bag, I suggest you also prepare a bag for yourself which must contain the following

• Maternity gowns: After spending a day in those hospital clothes you would want to change into your own clothes. Hence I suggest you carry a couple of nursing nightgowns, these would be comfortable for you and also allow you to feed the baby. I forgot to pack these and requested an aunt to purchase these for me when I was in the hospital.
• Cotton panties (one size bigger would be more comfortable) that you can use and throw since they may get soiled on account of bleeding during the initial days. You may not be comfortable in the disposable panties that the hospital provides hence it helps to carry your own. 
• Sanitary pads 
• Toileteries; Although most good hospitals provide this, it would help to carry your own to make you more comfortable
• Hairbrush and make up essentials to make you look presentable when you are discharged from the hospital
• Clothes to wear home when you get discharged. Choose something comfortable

Also don’t forget to pack that camera and mobile charger to capture the first few moments of your little one.

Get some help at home: I made the mistake of believing that I could do everything on my own. Please accept it that you are no superwoman. Although the baby is the centre of attention and needs all the care it can get, one must not forget that the mother’s body has also undergone significant wear and tear and is in the process of healing. So while it is important to look after the baby it is equally important that the mother looks after herself. So solicit the help of some family member. If it is not possible for the family members to help, hire domestic help. A newborn can be very demanding & hence it helps to have someone around to help. Even if they can help take care of the infant for a few hours which allows you to get the much needed rest or sleep, things would be a lot better for you as a new mom. Remember your baby would be happy and healthy only if you are happy and healthy.

Preparing your house for the newborn: Decide which room you are going to keep the baby in and clean and sanitise that room. Keep a bottle of hand sanitiser next to the bed and request anyone who comes to meet the baby to use the same before they touch the baby. This may seem rude to some but its better to be safe than sorry. Babies can catch infections easily hence its essential to be careful. In case any of your relatives or family members have a cold, ask them to stay out of the baby’s room (you don’t want your little one coming down with a cold). 

So work towards prepping for the baby and enjoy the little one’s company once he/ she decides to grace you with its presence :)

Planning a baby shower

One of the most exciting events to the run up of the D-day is the Baby shower. Back in January, I planned a baby shower for one of my closest friends. Little did we know that eight months down the line she would be returning the favour by helping hubby plan a baby shower for me :)

My husband planned and executed a brilliant baby shower for me recently (obviously with some help from my girlfriends and my darling sister). I was absolutely floored by the level of detailing and how well he had planned it. The event was a great success because the brilliant event planner had looked into every little detail. So I thought it may be a good idea to put together my thoughts on what made the baby shower a success. It may give you or your hubby or friends a few ideas for planning the next baby shower :)

Here is a sneak peek into how hubby made the party a grand success

Select a Theme: Setting a theme for the baby shower is a fun way to engage your guests even before the event. Gives them something to think about before the event. Hubby decided to go for the unheard of Purple Vs. Yellow. To further add a twist to this, he incorporated the Cat woman vs. Batman twist to the purple vs. yellow. So all those who felt it would be a girl (team Cat woman), were asked to dress in yellow and those who felt it was a baby boy  (team batman) were to dress in purple. 

Theme for our baby shower: Batman Vs. Catwoman 

The theme could be anything of your choice.

- Book themed baby shower: you could request guests to be dressed as characters from    their favourite books. You could have a corner lined with storybooks where the guests   could leave a message for your bundle of joy in the book of their choice. The decor could    be done up with some of your favourite childhood books and fairytales.

- Bows vs. Moustache baby shower: you could send out props (bows and moustache)   with the invite or have props lined up at the entrance & ask them to pick a prop of their   choice depending on whether they feel its a boy or girl. 

- Pink Vs. Blue: this is the simplest to implement & you can go for this if you are short of    time and ideas as all props and decorations for this one are readily available (an    observation to the mad caps store in Mumbai). We planned a baby shower around this    theme for my friend, shall do a post on this theme next to showcase how we went about    it.

-  Colour of your choice: you could choose to do up the place in colour of choice, the     decor, invites, some cupcakes.

The list is endless, you could come up with any theme based on your creativity & the time at hand. 

Decorations: Sky is the limit when it comes to decor and doing up the venue for the occasion. Following are some of the online stores where you can find decoration items for a baby shower: 

The venue was done up with purple and yellow gas balloons with baby pictures of mommy & daddy-to-be hung at the bottom of the balloons

www.partyhunterz.com : These guys have an outlet in Bandra in Mumbai which is pretty well stocked. In fact a walk around there store could also give you a few ideas on how you could do up the Decor. The website also lists other outlets across cities & gives you the option to shop online. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

www.onlinestore.madcapspartyshop.com 

www.party-anthem.com

If you stay in Mumbai, you may want to check out some of the party shops in Crawford market. If you can brave the crowd & have the patience to look around a bit you may find some goodies. 

But most of the readily available decor adhere to the pink Vs. blue theme. So if you have some other theme in mind, you may have to be more creative by doing up the place with Balloons, flowers and mix and matching the various props and decoration material available at the store. My suggestion, be creative and don't restrict yourself to the goodies available at the stores for baby showers. Use various props available to create something of your own.

The pictures may give you an idea of how my husband went about decorating the place in line with his chosen theme.

Props for the Mom-to-be: Since the event is all about celebrating mommy & her bundle of joy, one should make her feel special. So it may be a good idea to get her a tiara or a headgear (could be made of fresh or plastic flowers or ready made one). Your local florist or an outlet like ferns N petals could help you customise one. You could also get her a sash (like the one beauty queens wear) which reads Mommy-to-be (these are available at some of the outlets I have mentioned above & could also be ordered online).

My sister got a beautiful headgear made from ferns n petals in the colour theme of the evening

And of course a sash which I wore with pride

Engage the audience

Yes, this event is all about mommy to be and her little bundle of joy, but there is go to be something to keep the guests engaged. Now there are multiple ways to doing this

Photo booth: Hubby created a fun photo booth with a backdrop of Cat woman Vs. Batman and placed loads of props in the corner. Props ranging from fun head gear, slates & chalk for people to write message for the mom & baby, wigs, posters which read “yummy mummy” to name a few. In this age of selfies, if you give people a backdrop and the props to pose with it is surely going to keep them happy and give you loads of images as memories for years to come.

Create a fun corner with a nice backdrop which depicts the theme of your party

Add some fun props for people to come and pose with & your photo booth is ready

Games: It’s good idea to arrange for a few games that could engage the guests and create a fun element in the party. For instance at my baby shower my friends had arranged for the following games

Pin the baby: similar to pin the donkey’s tail that we played as kids, in this case it was about pinning the baby on the mother’s belly (they had created a cut out for the same).

Plan some fun games for your guests. This is pin the baby to mom's belly that we had at the party

List the maximum number of baby items: The guests were divided in 4 groups and each group was asked to list down items that would be required for a baby. The team that listed the most won.

Guess Mom’s favourites: prepare a list of questions that judge guests on how well they know mom to be. The questions could range from Mom-to-be’s favourite cuisine, favourite holiday destination. the team that answers most correctly would win.

Capture those moments: engage a good photographer to capture those fun moments. In our case, hubby clubbed the maternity shoot with the baby shower. So an hour before the party started we had the photographer capture some fun images of the baby bump. Our event was captured by Vrutika Doshi, you can check out some of her other work here
https://www.facebook.com/vrutikadoshiphotography. All the pictures in this post have been captured by Vrutika. We loved her work, her non interfering style of working and would highly recommend her.

Some fun props for the family members 

Fun foods & cake:  you have a host of options available when it comes to decorative cakes & cupcakes. Depending on your choice, budget and theme you could get a cake and cup cakes customised for the event. 

You may choose to incorporate some or all of the above elements depending on the scale of event. The idea is to have fun and create some beautiful memories. And a note to the Mommy-to-be, don’t forget to give yourself a break and prop your feet up every once in a while during the party so that you don’t exhaust yourself (all that extra weight can really tire you out). 

Eggs Benedict : After all daddy-to-be needs some pampering too

While these nine months are all about the Mommy-to-be (that is you) and the little bundle of joy, everyone wants to make you more comfortable, cook meals that you crave for and in general work towards keeping you and your soon to be born baby happy. One must not forget about the poor daddy to be, who is having to cope with a new version of his better half (may or may not be an improved version :p) & with a whole lot of new emotions himself. Daddy to be deserves some pampering and attention too. After all men are kids too (well, thats a personal opinion :))

My hubby is as much a foodie as I am & we both love a hearty breakfast. So one sure shot way to make his day is whip up some delicious breakfast. When it comes to breakfast we both love eggs, eggs in all forms- poached, boiled, fried we love them all. Eggs qualify as super foods because of the nutrients they pack and hence are recommended as a part of diet for most pregnant women (unless you suffer from some allergies). Eggs are rich in Selenium, zinc and vitamins A, D and some B Complex which are required during pregnancy. 

However during pregnancy one must exercise caution when it comes to selecting and preparing eggs. Eggs must be fresh & must be stored well. If they emit a foul smell when you break one then discard it (not worth risking it). Also when it comes to egg preparations one must avoid raw or semi cooked eggs as it may carry salmonella bacteria. So during these nine months, it is recommended you cook eggs until both the yolk and white are solid (so its bye bye to the sunny side up fried egg with a runny yolk for a while). Completely cooking the egg destroys salmonella bacteria and makes the eggs safe to eat.

Salmonella poisoning may not harm your baby, but it can be very unpleasant for the mommy-to-be and lead to:

• severe vomiting and diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• headache & high temperature

See the topic again steered towards you i.e. Mommy-to-be, this post was supposed to be about showering some attention on hubby. Now coming back to the Daddy-to-be, if you were to ask hubby to pick his favourite egg preparation the clear winner would be the Eggs Benedict. So I thought why not give it a shot. I googled hollandaise sauce and referred to the first link that I came across & then I saw a video on you tube on how to to poach eggs and I was all set to whip up hubby’s favourite breakfast.

Here are the links I referred to 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvpbSEboYI

So here is my version of the Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict ready to be devoured

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice 

a pinch of Salt & pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

Poached Eggs

2 eggs

A large vessel 

1 teaspoon of Vinegar

a pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

Assembling the eggs Benedict

2 slices of bread (ideally it is made with English muffins, I used bread since that is what was available at home at that point)

2 slices of Salami or Bacon 

Some butter

Method

Hollandaise Sauce

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. 
• Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. One must ensure that the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. 
• Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. remove from heat once the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
• Add the butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover & keep it aside until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict.

For the Poached eggs

• Gently break the egg in a small bowl so as to avoid breaking the yolk
• Take a large bowl of water & allow the water to come to a simmer
• As the water simmers, lower the heat & add the vinegar
• Now using the back of a spoon create a whirlpool in the water
• Gently slide the egg into this whirlpool 
• Allow the egg to cook for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yolk 

Assembling the Eggs Benedict

• While the eggs cook, toast a slice of bread on the pan with some butter
• Place a slice of salami or lightly fried Bacon on top of the bread
• Once cooked, scoop the egg out of the water, allowing all water to drain and then gently place it on top of the bacon or Salami
• Now drizzle poached egg with some of that yummy Hollandaise sauce

Its quite a simple recipe but really delicious. So go ahead & whip up some yummy breakfast. Happy Cooking :)

Coping with fatigue during the third trimester

As one progresses into the third trimester one actually begins to feel pregnant, I mean really pregnant. You are getting bigger by the day & carrying all the extra weight around can really pull you down, making you feel tired constantly.

Well, at least thats been the case with me. I can feel all that extra body weight now which was not the case earlier. The third trimester can be particularly tough if you have a full time job. My day involves at least 2.5- 3 hours of commute time, to & back from work (don’t be too surprised, that’s Mumbai for you). Working hours are from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, thus making my days pretty long. 

I am more conscious of the needs of my body these days & have incorporated a few simple changes to help tide over the constant feeling of fatigue and tiredness. Here are some things that have helped me

1. The best advise I got from my Mom was to listen to my body. Your body gives you the signs, listen to them, don’t ignore and keep pushing at it. Work can wait and so can chores. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worth risking the baby. If you are not feeling up to it, take the day off or exercise the option to work from home (if you have one)
2. I usually begin my day with a few gentle stretches in bed that helps mobilise the joints. Simple stretches like straighten the legs and rotate your feet clockwise and anti clockwise a few time. Rotate your neck clockwise and anti clockwise. Stretch your arms forward and rotate your hands clock wise and anti clock wise a few times
3. Then I try and do some simple breathing exercises. Both stretches and breathing exercises take me a total of 10 minutes in the morning
4. I try and begin my day with a breakfast that incorporates protein along with carbohydrates. It could mean eggs with toast or stuffed Paranthas (with paneer stuffing & very little oil). Something simple, filling but not very heavy so that I don't feel lethargic
5. At work I try and take frequent breaks and walk around a bit every one hour to keep myself going
6. I usually try and catch a small nap of 10-15 minutes at my desk post lunch
7. I try and catch up on my sleep during my long commute to and from work place 
8. I also try and keep my date with exercise on most days. That's because unlike what most people believe exercise gives you that extra boost of energy and makes you feel fresh. There are days when i just don’t feel like exercising that's when I allow myself a cheat workout of 20 minutes of slow paced walking. But I always go back to rule number 1 in case of any confusion, that is listen to the signals your body gives you. 
9. ALWAYS wear sports shoes when you go for a walk. I would strongly recommend you invest in good walking shoes because your ankles and feet have to carry around all that extra weight and they could really do with some support from good sports shoes.
10. I have also managed to get some extra help around the house because I don’t have as much energy for household chores. See if you can get a family member to help or if you could hire some additional domestic help to assist you with chores during this time period

I would love to hear from you on on how you coped in the third trimester. Are you experiencing the same or have experienced the same in the past?  Do you have any helpful tips that helped you tide over that constanly tired feeling? Till the next time, keep smiling and stay positive

Chicken Dum Biryani- to brighten up an otherwise dull weekend

The weekend that went by was a nice loooong one. Most of the people I know be it family or friends made the most of it by heading out for a small getaway or a refreshing minication or Mini Vacation :) My health didn't permit me to travel so I didn't have much of an option. I knew motherhood would change a lot of things for me but didn't anticipate the changes to step in so soon (even before the baby arrives).  

Under regular circumstances I would have sulked through the long weekend with an equally long face but these days I find myself a little more happy & cheerful than usual. I guess just the mere thought of the little one brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. So honestly I didn't mind chilling at home with hubby dear. 

In fact I decided to make the most of it by continuing with some of my cooking experiments. Now Hubby and I spent the first year of our careers in Andhra Pradesh. And a lot of that time was spent eating out, I would be busy gorging on the awesome Hyderabadi Biryani and hubby was busy wooing me :) So just the thought of Biryani transports us back in time. I thought why not try my hand at it.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I like cooking stuff that is quick to prep and easy to make. Hence the thought of making Biryani never really crossed my mind earlier because it felt like too tedious a process. But given the long weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands so Biryani it was.

Now here is the link that I referred to for my inspiration.

http://www.manusmenu.com/hyderabadi-chicken-biryani

As always, I did make a few tweaks to the Biryani I cooked. And I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that cooking Biryani wasn't all that difficult. Time consuming- YES, Difficult- NO. In fact its only the preparation which is a little time consuming so if you prep for it a day in advance the next day its only half an hour’s job.

So here’s my version of the Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani served with Raita and a salad of finely chopped onions & tomatoes on the side

Ingredients

Marinade 1

800 gms – chicken (I used the Zorabian Pre cut Skinless chicken with Bones)

1 small raw Papaya 

Marinade 2

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

2-3  green chilli (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 onions chopped fine & long and then fried golden brown

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pepper corns

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 ½ cup yoghurt

Salt to taste

For the Biryani

300 gms – 2 ½ cup basmati rice (make sure you get the best rice because this can really change the whole dish)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Layers

3 fried onions (preparation similar to the marinade)

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

2 pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

2-3 tsp of ghee

Instructions

Marinade 1

The first marinade is simply to tenderise the meat. Cut the raw papaya and puree it. Now add the pureed papaya to the chicken pieces and set aside for 30-45 minutes. 

Then rinse the papaya off the chicken.

Marinade 2

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl, add the chicken pieces to it, mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Note: For the fried onions, simply chop the onions fine and long. Heat 2-3  tsp of oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden brown. Then drain them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 

Assembling the Biryani

When you are ready to cook your biryani, prepare the rice. Wash it and soak it in cool water for 30 minutes. Fill a big pot with water (take more than the required quantity of water like in the case of pasta),  add salt and oil and bring it to a boil. Cook the rice in it for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice should be about 3/4th Cooked. Now drain the excess water and set aside the rice.

Now take a heavy bottomed pot (a heavy bottomed pot prevents the chicken from burning), spray it with some oil and add the chicken and its marinade to the bottom. Make sure to spread it all around. Now spread the rice on top of the chicken.

Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, the fried onions and the saffron water. Now pour the ghee over the rice.

Put a tight lid on & seal it with the help of some atta (wheat flour dough). Then put the pot on the fire, on top of a tawa or flat pan (this will help the heat to spread uniformly).

I cooked the Biryani in two batches since I wasn't too sure of the cooking time and was afraid to spoil the whole thing. So in case you are an amateur like me, I suggest you do the same.

Put the fire on high for the 3-4 minutes, then keep cooking the biryani on a medium fire for 15 minutes and on low for the remaining 5 minutes (it did not take more than 25 minutes for my Biryani to cook).

Serve warm with some raita & a salad of finely chopped onions and tomatoes on the side!

All cooked and ready to be devoured

These days I avoid heavily spiced food to avoid acidity & heartburn. The above recipe as it is would give you a mildly spiced, well flavoured Biryani.  In case you are one of those who love their spices you may want to increase the green chilli and red chill powder content in the Biryani. Happy cooking :)

Aah! the aromas of freshly cooked Biryani
( I had to hold my hubby back to get this shot because he couldn't wait to dig into the Biryani )