A younger child is not just a huge change for parents but also a very drastic one for the elder child. To make your elder one comfortable with a new family member you can:<ul><li>Initiate by talking to your child about the arrival of his/her sibling.</li><li>Seek his/her help to setup the place for the newborn. Explain to him/her about the milestones and growth of the baby. Discuss and elaborate about the baby’s schedule and explain to them that the baby will feed, sleep and cry most of the time.</li><li>If you have to change room or the elder one’s bed, this is the right time to prepare the child.</li><li>Remember, it is difficult for children to accept sudden changes or adjustments. Prepare the child to temporarily sleep/bath/dress-up with grandparents or nanny; this will help him/her when you are in hospital.</li></ul> Take their age into consideration:<ul><li>Child younger than age 24 months of age: Young children won’t understand about adjustments and sleeping with grandparents or nanny. Talk to them only about the arrival of newborn in the family. Show them pictures of babies in books and draw a complete family picture.</li><li>Child between 24 to 48 months of age:&nbsp;Children at this age may feel a little jealous about shared attention. You can prepare the child by informing that the baby will be too young for eating and sleeping, so mumma and daddy will have to take care of the small baby. Start involving them in baby shopping and let them pick for their sibling. You can encourage pretend play with a doll and inculcate emotions of love and care for the sibling.</li><li>Child between 48 to 72 months:	Children are excited to welcome the new addition in the family however, only if they are given equal attention. Display elder one’s drawings to the infant and share empowering stories of elder brother or sister with the little one. This will make the elder one feel special and will in turn encourage them to take care of his/her sibling.</li></ul>

All elder siblings are excited about having a younger brother or sister. But keep in mind to prepare them enough so that there's no insecurity in them when a newborn arrives in the family.

Preparing the elder child for sibling

Divorce is harsh on both, the parents and the child(ren). If you have planned for divorce, then surely it must have been after a lot of thought and because the relationship was just too difficult to carry on with. First and foremost thing is to remember that divorce is between husband and wife. The child is nowhere at fault in the whole scenario. So (s)he should not suffer. Things to keep in mind before going ahead with divorce:<ul><li>When you have decided to get divorced, take into consideration your child’s age and also take their consent for the same. It is important to get your child(ren) on the same page as you are because the divorce is going to affect them as well.</li><li>Our social structure dictates that a child should stay with both the parents. But with divorce, that’s not going to happen. So explain this change to your child that now (s)he will be staying with only either of the parents.</li><li>It is understandable that both the parents might want the custody of the child. But here, don’t be selfish. Instead of keeping yourself first, keep your child at the centre. Both of you might know who the child is most comfortable with and with whom (s)he close to. When you have the answer, decide mutually that the custody of the child should go to that parent.</li></ul> Things to keep in mind during the legal process of divorce:<ul><li>Avoid heated arguments and conflicts in front of your child. Keep legal talks away from your kids. If there is any disturbing conversation to be made, do it in your child’s absence.</li><li>Confine negativity and blame to private therapy sessions.</li><li>Converse with your child: Listen to them carefully. Make them comfortable. Ensure they feel safe, secure and heard whenever they want to talk. Help them put their feelings into words.</li><li>Show validation for their feelings: Let them know it is okay to feel sad without their father or mother. And at the same time there are reasons to be happy as well for the changes in the future. Like if there is going to be change in the house or school, let them know it's going to be new and exciting too. Give them perspective.</li><li>Make it very clear that they will always be loved by both parents. They are never at fault; children tend to feel guilty so make sure they know it clearly that divorce is no one’s fault. It is just that sometimes elders can’t adjust the ways the other person lives. That is why they have mutually decided to stay in different places. Keep it simple and truthful and explain keeping their age and maturity into consideration.</li><li>Allow kids to express disappointment: They can talk about their pain or grief. They may exhibit some awkward behaviour when they can’t accept the changes. Sometimes they themselves do not understand or realise the cause of their anger or frustration. Give them some time to adjust. Be supportive and co-operative. We all go through such rough phases so allow them to feel it and be with them, talk to them. Get clinical help if required. Talk to a counsellor. Get help whenever required.</li></ul> After the divorce, keep in mind:<ul><li>Once the custody matter of the child is resolved, it is upon the parent with whom the child stays that they don’t speak negatively about the other parent in front of the child. Divorce is an issue between a husband and a wife, the child is never at fault. And so the child should not suffer nor should (s)he have any negative feelings about either of the parents.</li><li>Whatever arrangements you have made for you and your child – number of times the child meets the other parents, meeting arrangements as a family, family outings, etc. – all need to be discussed with the child in plain black and white terms. Never keep a child in shady greys of doubts.</li><li>Keeping them in doubt will hamper a child’s relation with both the parents.</li></ul>

Divorce can be quite difficult for a child. It is important that parents handle this situation very carefully.

Planning the best for the child during and post divorce

Juhi Mishra

You can homeschool your child via different approaches. To start with, there can be different approaches one may take. The way/approach majorly depends on the requirement and suitability of the parent and hence the planning may be done. Approach #1:<ul><li>Taking the child out of a regular school and start educating them at home without any affiliation with a School or Board. This way the children may learn in an independent manner and won’t have to follow a particular curriculum. The homeschooler family gets to explore all the resources, methods and content nationally and internationally.</li><li>Later, with the progress, the family may choose a Board which is suitable for the child(ren) to appear for their 10th examination and accordingly, they may be introduced to the curriculum.</li><li>This kind of set-up fit suits the children who are in elementary or middle school years. For children who are close to the 10th grade and have to sit for their board exam as well, one might want to look at other approaches since there is less time in hand.</li></ul>Approach #2:<ul><li>Some schools allow parents to enrol their children as a private student. In this approach, parents can choose to teach their children at home but have to follow the curriculum and examination process of the school.</li><li>In this approach, Parents have to personally approach the schools, that have affiliation with the Board they prefer (IB, SSC, IGCSE, NIOS etc.). In this case the homeschooler family will have to follow the standardised curriculum adopted by the school (they have enrolled into).</li></ul> Apart from the approaches, one may start with the following pointers:<ol><li>Understand the legalities involved</li><li>Locate homeschoolers nearby, in your city</li><li>Explore homeschooling methods/approaches</li><li>Design a plan suitable for your child</li><li>Attend book fairs, conferences and events</li><li>Spot your support network</li></ol>

The decision of homeschooling a child is a major one and needs to be taken in the light of researching all the pros and cons, legalities and challenges that come with the step.

Homeschooling your child

Ravina Sewani

Treatment for animal bites depends on the type of animal that has bitten your child. Your child's healthcare provider will determine specific treatment for an animal bite. Treatment may include the below: For bites from a household pet that is immunised and in good health:<ul><li>Wash the wound with soap and water from a tap for at least 5 minutes. Don’t scrub the wound as this may bruise the tissue. Apply an antiseptic lotion or cream.</li><li>Watch for signs of infection. These signs include fever, increased redness or pain, swelling, or fluid leaking, or red streaks from the bite. Call your child's healthcare provider right away if you notice any of these.</li></ul> For deeper bites from any animal, or for any bite from an unknown animal:<ul><li>If the bite or scratch is bleeding, apply pressure to it with a clean bandage or towel to stop the bleeding.</li><li>Wash the wound with soap and water from a tap for at least 5 minutes. Don’t scrub the wound as this may bruise the tissue.</li><li>Dry the wound, apply antibiotic ointment, and cover it with a sterile dressing. Don’t use tape to close the wound as it can trap harmful bacteria in the wound.</li><li>Call your child's healthcare provider to decide if more treatment is needed. This may include antibiotics, a tetanus booster, rabies vaccine, or repair of the wound with stitches.</li></ul> Get medical care if:<ul><li>the wound is on the face, neck, hand, foot, or near a joint</li><li>the wound won't stop bleeding after 10 minutes of applying pressure</li><li>the wound appears to be deep, large, or severe</li><li>the attacking animal was stray or wild or behaving strangely</li><li>if there is a broken bone, nerve damage, or serious injury.</li><li>If your child has diabetes or a condition that weakens his/her immune system.&nbsp;</li><li>your child’s last tetanus vaccine was more than 5 years ago.</li><li>the bite or scratch has pus coming out from it, or becomes red, hot, swollen, or increasingly painful</li></ul> Keep in mind:<ul><li>If the animal was unknown, try finding the animal if possible. This is necessary to capture the animal and watch it rabies. Contact the nearest animal control office in your area to capture the animal. If the animal cannot be found or is a high-risk species (raccoon, skunk, or bat), your child may need a series of rabies shots.</li><li>Call your child's healthcare provider for any flu-like symptoms after an animal bite. These symptoms may include fever, headache, ill feeling, loss of appetite, or swollen glands.</li><li>‘Cat scratch disease’ is a bacterial infection that develops from a cat scratch (usually from a kitten) even if the scratch site doesn't look infected. So it is crucial to report to your child’s healthcare provider if a cat has bitten your child.</li></ul> Prevention:<ul><li>Teach your children to stay away from stray animals, and not to tease or provoke any animals, even if it’s family pets.</li><li>Make sure your pet is properly immunised and licensed.</li><li>Never leave your child alone with a pet.</li><li>Stay away from animals that are sick.</li><li>Keep your pets on a leash when in public.</li><li>Do not disturb animals when they are eating or sleeping.</li></ul> In case of a Snake bite: Other than basic procedures carried out during animal bite treatment, snake bites specifically require treatment with antivenom. Prevention of snake bites:<ul><li>Avoid tall grassy areas.</li><li>Wear protective shoes/boots.</li><li>Keep storage areas clear of rodents.</li><li>Remove rubbish and woodpiles from around the home.</li></ul>

Treatment for animal bites depends on the type of animal that has bitten your child.

Animal Bites in children

Claustrophobia is the fear of closed spaces. This can be experienced in an elevator, small rooms without window, caves, cellars, small closed cars and sometimes tight – neck covered clothing. If you know the child is claustrophobic do not tease the child in panic situations. Causes:Calustrophobia may be caused due to a traumatic event in early years of childhood. These event(s) could be:<ul><li>Child getting locked in dark room unable to find door</li><li>Child crawling into a hole and getting stuck</li><li>Child locked in a closet</li><li>Child left alone in car or van</li><li>Child with clautrophobic parent(s)</li><li>Child who was bullied or abused</li></ul> Triggers:People affected by claustrophobia will often go out of their way to avoid confined spaces, such as lifts, tunnels, tube trains and public toilets. But avoiding these places may reinforce the fear.Some people with claustrophobia experience mild anxiety when in a confined space, while others have severe anxiety or a panic attack. The most common experience is a feeling or fear of losing control. Some common triggers are:<ul><li>Lifts</li><li>Tunnels</li><li>Tube trains</li><li>Revolving doors</li><li>Public toilets</li><li>Cars with central locking</li><li>Car washes</li><li>Shop changing rooms</li><li>Hotel rooms with sealed windows</li><li>Planes</li></ul> Physical Symptoms:<ul><li>Sweating</li><li>Trembling</li><li>Hot flushes or chills</li><li>Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing</li><li>A choking sensation</li><li>A rapid heartbeat</li><li>Tightness in the chest</li><li>Upset stomach</li><li>Headaches and dizziness</li><li>Feeling faint</li><li>Numbness or pins and needles</li><li>A dry mouth&nbsp;</li><li>A need to go to the toilet</li><li>Ringing your ears</li><li>Nausea</li></ul> Psychological symptoms:<ul><li>Feeling out of touch with reality or detached from your body</li><li>Fear of fainting</li><li>Fear of losing control</li><li>Fear of dying</li></ul> Diagnosis:<ul><li>A mental health expert can diagnose phobia; keep a regular track of your child’s behaviour/health in particular situations and with objects.</li><li>Phobia diagnosis is based on diagnostic guidelines and a thorough clinical interview. If you feel that your child has a phobia, take him/her to a healthcare expert. Your child's doctor will either ask you or your child about the symptoms. The doctor might also take a medical, psychiatric, and family history.</li><li>Your child's doctor might also use the diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).</li></ul> Treatment:<ul><li>Exposure therapy: In this method, your child will be exposed to the situations that frighten him/her. This is done to help a child get over his/her fear. The situations that trigger the fear or phobia are gradually intensified. For example, at first, your child might be asked to just look at a photo of a tight space. Then, with the help of your child's therapist, your child will be worked up to being inside a tight space. Mind well, this method should be used in the presence of a mental healthcare expert as this can trigger intense panic attacks and anxiety.</li><li>Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): This is a type of talk therapy where your child can meet with a trained therapist one-on-one. The child will be encouraged to talk the negative thoughts that drive his/her fear and learn ways to overcome them. Your child may get CBT alone or combined with exposure therapy.</li><li>Virtual reality (VR): It's a treatment that uses computer simulations of tight spaces like elevators or MRI machines. Getting the experience of a tight space in the virtual world can help your child get over his/her fear in a setting that feels safe.</li><li>Modelling: In this method the child sees other person facing a closed space situation without any fear or panic.</li><li>Medicines like tranquillisers and antidepressants (prescribed by a doctor) can be helpful along with the above treatments.</li></ul>

Claustrophobia is the fear of closed spaces.

Claustrophobia - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Dr Ajab Primuswala

<ul><li>When you say that your child is lying, there are two aspects to it. Whether the child is lying to save himself/herself or whether the child is lying for fun sake.</li><li>If the child is lying to get away from punishment for something which they did, it is their defence.</li><li>Make it a point to make them realise that their behaviour is unaccepted. You can do this by telling them, “Irrespective of whatever you have lied, I know the things you have done. You can’t hide it from me.”</li><li>If they are lying for fun, make them realise that there are consequences for this lying habit.</li><li>Lying is something which they are using as a defence mechanism or as a method of manipulating and altering the truth.</li><li>Here, being calm is the most important requirement for the parent because as parents we feel, “Oh! How can my child lie to me?”</li><li>You have to be very sure that your child is lying to you. You will have to talk to them and give them a solid proof that you know they were lying.</li><li>You have to be sure and be thorough with the facts because children are very smart. If you just say, “You are lying and I know”, they will not agree to it. So keep your facts ready and then confront them.</li><li>Confronting your child has to be an immediate action after the episode. If you know that your child has lied to you today, then confront him/her there and then. Do not keep it hanging.</li><li>Lying tendency also comes with the concept of fear. Maybe your child is too scared of sharing his or her stuff with you and that's the reason they might be lying to you.</li><li>Here, what you can do is, try and gain that trust and develop a rapport with your child where the child doesn’t want to lie to you. It is just that they are scared of your behaviour towards them and this is motivating them to lie.</li><li>So first check for yourself that whether you are the reason behind your child’s lying. If yes, you can rectify yourself and go ahead and reassure them that they can share anything and everything with you. Tell them, “It’s okay, I will handle it and you can trust me completely, you don’t need to lie to me”.</li></ul>

Children lie when they feel they actions will not be accepted by their parents. Assure your child that you will be there to support them when things go downhill.

Dealing with child's habit of lying

It is not very uncommon for mothers to feel depressed after childbirth. This is called 'Postpartum Depression' (PPD).Childbirth is often followed by a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement and fear to anxiety and difficulty in making decisions. Most new mums experience “baby blues” which include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. But some moms experience a more severe form of depression known as postpartum depression (PPD).&nbsp;While baby blues are short-term, postpartum depression can be long-lasting and can severely affect a woman’s ability to care for herself or for her family. Some of the common symptoms a woman experience during PPD may vary, and they can range from mild to severe:<ul><li>Feeling sad, empty, and hopeless</li><li>Excessive crying</li><li>Difficulty bonding with your partner or baby</li><li>Withdrawing from social life</li><li>Loss of appetite or eating too much</li><li>Not being able to take care of yourself or the baby</li><li>Inability to sleep (insomnia) or oversleeping</li><li>Having trouble concentrating or make decisions</li><li>Frequent headaches</li><li>Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy</li><li>Intense irritability and anger</li><li>Thoughts of harming your baby</li><li>Suicidal thoughts</li><li>Doubting that you're not a good mother</li><li>Feelings of guilt and worthlessness</li><li>Restlessness</li><li>Severe anxiety and panic attacks</li></ul> Reasons of PPD in women:<ul><li>physical changes of pregnancy</li><li>excessive worry about the baby and the responsibilities of being a parent</li><li>a complicated labour and childbirth</li><li>lack of family support</li><li>financial difficulties</li><li>loneliness, not having close friends and family around</li><li>a history of mental health problems</li><li>hormonal changes, due to a sudden and severe drop in oestrogen and progesterone levels following birth</li><li>changes to the sleep cycle</li></ul> Diagnosis:Your mental healthcare provider will ask you to fill up a depression-screening questionnaire to confirm whether you have depression or not. Following are a few ways which you can follow to take care of your stress and emotions:<ol><li>Work on building stronger bond between you and your partner. Understand her needs and desires and talk about your own too. Feel free to express in front of your partner or family or friends.</li><li>Develop a support team from your family. Ask for help. Say YES when they offer.</li><li>Take time for yourself. Have some “me-time” either watching TV, going for a movie or taking a short break from work and spending time doing things you like.</li><li>Talk to other families who have experienced the same.</li><li>Spend time with your baby to develop your own confidence.</li></ol> Treatment:<ul><li>Talk Therapy: PPD is a severe form of clinical depression. Your psychiatrist might suggest you to see a counsellor who will ask you questions about your life. It is important that you answer them honestly. These sessions will help you gain a different and healthier perspective about things. Therapy is different and personalised for everyone but these are a few topics which you might touch in your sessions: your feelings, your beliefs, your behaviour, your life pre and post birth. There are 2 types of talk therapy:</li></ul><ol><li>Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: You and your counselor work together to identify, then change, thoughts and behaviors that are harmful to your mental health.</li><li>Interpersonal therapy: Your therapist helps you better understand how you behave in your relationships and how to work through any problems.</li></ol> <ul><li>Medicine: Antidepressants are drugs designed to treat depression, including postpartum depression. They work on different chemicals in your brain.</li><li>Self-care: Get more sleep and exercise, eat healthy foods, do fun activities and relax. Doing these things can help to boost your mood.</li></ul>

A parent's mental health is of the top most priority when it comes to parenting. A healthy mental space leads to a happy and healthy bond between a parent and a child.

Postpartum Depression in Mothers

The simple techniques you can use to increase your child’s memory power:<ul><li>Enhancing understanding by asking questions: understanding is the foundation of memory. Explain to your child the basic concepts and once you have done that, ask them maximum questions. Yes or No questions, “wh” type questions.</li><li>Make rhymes and songs:&nbsp;Ask your child to do it, you can help if they are stuck somewhere. When they make their songs they remember them for a long time.</li><li>Make it exciting:&nbsp;You can always take them to places as per the topics they are studying. Going to libraries, museums, forts, temples, art galleries etc. This would be a lot more fun and the child will be able to relate it with his studies and it gets easier to remember.</li><li>More discussions:&nbsp;Have more discussions about the topics, ask their opinions and views and tell them to explain.</li><li>Using visual aids:&nbsp;Use flashcards for definition, charts for tables and little story drawings to explain the environmental phenomenon.</li><li>Let them make their example:&nbsp;when the child relates the topic with his/her personal experience, it is easy for them to relate and recall.</li><li>Reading it aloud:&nbsp;Yes! The age-old technique is still useful.</li><li>Breaking into smaller chunks:&nbsp;Whatever the topic is, break it into different points and then try and help them relate and memorise easily.</li><li>Draw mind maps; be creative.</li><li>Another thing you can include is&nbsp;practising mindfulness, which is a little 5 minutes meditation along with a little piece of music.</li><li>Dark chocolate&nbsp;with more than 70 % cocoa is also known to boost memory.</li></ul>

Memory power is a big part of academics. A few interesting activities will help your child in boosting their memory.

Boosting memory for academics

Swaddling is a part of caring for newborn babies since centuries. This makes the babies feel as if they are in the womb. It is one of the best techniques to calm a cranky baby and help them sleep for long. It can be particularly helpful for babies with neurological problems (problems associated with nerves, like migraine, stroke etc.) or colic (abdominal pain during infancy). It also can really help babies to fall and stay asleep on their backs. Consider these points when you are swaddling your baby:<ul><li>If your baby is happy without swaddling, don’t swaddle.</li><li>Always put your baby to sleep on his back if he is swaddled.</li><li>Make sure that whatever you are using to swaddle doesn’t become loose.</li><li>For the healthy development of the hips, babies’ legs need to be able to bend up and out at the hips. Swaddling for short periods of time is likely fine, but if your baby is going to spend a significant amount of the day and night swaddled, consider swaddling a little easy that lets the legs move.</li></ul>

Swaddling gives a very cosy feeling to a newborn baby. The baby feels as if it is still in the mother's womb.

biting nail parenting concerns

Parenting issues are a part of the everyday parenting journey. Following article(s) might help you with your concern(s).