Palak Vyas

Following measures can help you have a cosy and comfy car ride with your child: <ol><li>Choose a good quality comfortable and safe car seat for your child.</li><li>Ensure the baby is comfortable in his/her clothes. It should neither be too hot nor too cold for the baby. See that the baby has a fresh diaper and (s)he is comfortable in it.</li><li>You can play good music like relaxation music/rhymes/ lullabies, anything that your child prefers. Take his toy basket or just few toys along. This will keep your baby happily engaged for some time.</li><li>Keep his/her pacifiers handy.</li><li>If the child is in the back seat one of the persons can go there and play with the child.</li><li>Hand a toy to your child when (s)he seems to cry. That will pacify him/her for some time.</li><li>You should try and select a time where it is actually baby’s sleep timing so the child sleeps in the car and is well rested when it’s time to play.</li><li>Let there be some swinging toys. Babies love watching it.</li><li>You can also take a photo album or picture books along to keep them engaged.</li><li>Ensure there is enough food and water plus there is fresh air to breathe so keep the window slightly rolled down for air.</li></ol> Note: It’s more difficult to travel by car with a baby than by bus or train as cars don’t allow much movement. A child tends to get crankier in a car because of this. So it is better to travel by bus/train whenever possible.

Car travelling is the trickiest of all with a child. It is better to travel by car when the distances are short.

Travelling with a child in car

This kind of behaviour suggests the possibility of some imitation from the environments either inside or outside of the home. If someone in the family is acting in the same way, the child learns from them and imitates the same behaviour. In this particular situation, family therapy is required. It is possible that the child has learnt such behaviour outside the home from his/her peers or other persons. In this case, the child should be taught and counselled about proper behaviour and discipline. If you cannot do the same at home, you can take the help of a psychologist.If you feel that this behaviour has no explainable reasons, it might be due to some kind of a psychiatric disorder. It can be depression, bipolar disorder, or disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. In this case, where you cannot identify the reasons yourself, it is better to consult a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist at the earliest. If you are able to find the reasons behind this behaviour, this is what you can do: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Prevent it before it’s too late, if you can predict your child’s behaviour and you are around try to be close to your child. Remember hitting comes out of fear, if you are around the child feels empowered to handle the situation and may not lash out. Also, since you are there to monitor keep them away from other children if the situation triggers. Hug the little one and calm him/her.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">If the child who is hit is without his/her parents around hug him/her before talking to your child. This will also give you some time to calm down, after handling the child who is hit talk to your child to apologise (you too can join him/her to apologise).</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Instead of playing blame game and saying “you are bad as you have hurt your friend”, rather say “your friend is hurt, hitting hurts and pains”. Blaming the child may create a negative impact on child’s mind and the problem may not get resolved.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Even lecturing will not work; avoid the urge to give a lecture to the child in such situations. The child knows that hitting is not okay; it’s just that he/she couldn’t control the feelings, try to make the child feel safe. You can explain the child later during the sleep time on bed. This will have a lasting impact and may result into a positive behaviour.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Stay compassionate so that the child can cry or vent out the feelings. The child feels overwhelmed and venting out helps a lot.</li></ul>

Even your child is aware that hitting is not the right thing. You just need to pin point the problem and solve it.

Dealing with Violent Behaviour among Children

Samiksha Choithani

Stammering or stuttering is common among children who are learning to speak or form sentences. It usually stays up to 3 years of age. It rarely persists till adulthood. Sometimes, stammering only persists while speaking in front of a group or talking to strangers or talking on the telephone, but singing or reading can reduce stuttering. Stress can sometimes make it worse. These are some tips for parents to help a stammering child:<ul><li>Try to speak slowly, encourage people around the child to also do the same.</li><li>Maintain calm and quiet atmosphere at home.</li><li>Never show impatience or irritation when the child is speaking to you, try to pay attention on what the child is saying.</li><li>Try to avoid interruption and questions when the child is speaking.</li><li>Make sure you spend some alone time with your child every day, try to have one-to-one discussion with a proper eye contact.</li></ul> If your child’s stammering habit stays for more than 6 months, it is time to take action and meet the speech therapist immediately as it may last longer. Parents can have a huge impact on curing the stammering problem with speech among children. The child can feel comfortable and recover it easily if he/she is heard, parents can patiently help the child.

The problem of stammering bothers parents a lot. The problem of stammering can be improved upon by following a few tips.

Treating a stammering child

Waking up early is always a task but rather than making it a happy start we tend to begin with tantrums and add to the drama by yelling or pouring cold drops of water to pull the little ones out of the bed. Here are some of the ways that will help you to make a beautiful &amp; happy start in the morning:<ol><li>Identify the problem. If the child is not getting enough sleep at night this could be disturbing. Make sure the child gets at least 10 hours of sleep to begin with a happy morning and an active routine.</li><li>Instead of shouting let’s start with some music. Have a routine morning music, put it on for the entire family and let it be your sweet alarm. You can play favourite rhymes or audio books for the little one.</li><li>Take time to snuggle and hug the little one, hug them in bed instead of pulling them out, these little moments will have a lasting impact to set the morning routine.</li><li>Put your efforts in making your child sleep early rather than putting those efforts in waking them up.</li><li>Dim the lights, begin with bed time story and most importantly keep the phones and devices away from the bed.</li></ol>

Waking up early is always a task but rather than making it a happy start we tend to begin with tantrums.

Waking child up peacefully for school

Mustafa Lokhandwala

Uninvolved parents expect children to raise themselves. They don't devote much time or energy into meeting children's basic needs. These parents may be neglectful but it's not always intentional. A parent with mental health issues or substance abuse problems, for example, may not be able to care for a child's physical or emotional needs consistently. These children receive little guidance, discipline, and nurturing from their parents. And oftentimes kids are left to raise themselves and make decisions — big and small — on their own. Many parents can identify with being stressed, overworked, and tired. You know what we mean: when things get out of control, you might brush off your child for a few minutes of quiet and lonely. Characteristics Uninvolved or neglectful parenting is a considerably new parenting style that does away with hand-holding and guiding the children. It lets them learn by themselves.To better understand what uninvolved parenting consists of, it can be helpful to look at some of the key characteristics of this parenting style. <ol><li>Emotional Detachment –&nbsp;Such parents think that their duty is limited to providing food and shelter, and no other needs such as connecting with their children emotionally. They do not feel the need to ask their kids about their daily activities, or even take care of them when the children feel emotionally down. They avoid any conflicts.</li><li>Too Occupied in Their Own Life -&nbsp;Uninvolved parents feel the pressure of the world and are generally busy with their issues. They may be too occupied in solving their problems and concerned about their lives that they may have the least interest in their child’s life.</li><li>Inappropriate Supervision -&nbsp;Sometimes parents may adopt either of the extreme approaches: they may either be too lenient towards their kid and may not know what he may be doing, or they may be too strict that they may restrict their kid’s social involvement.</li><li>Fewer Feelings –&nbsp;Parent Show little warmth, love, and affection towards their children. Such parents may not express their love towards their kids by hugging, kissing or by any other ways. They may have an indifferent attitude towards their child.</li><li>Less Involvement in child activities -&nbsp;Because of a lack of affection, uninvolved parents aren’t interested in their child’s schoolwork, activities, or events. They might skip their sports games or fail to show up for school meetings.</li><li>Abuse and Drug addicted -&nbsp;If parents are addicted to alcohol, drugs or other abusive substances then they fail in their responsibilities. Parents with substance abuse affect a child’s growth as they do not involve themselves with their children. In some cases, if parents lose their jobs, and come under financial constraints, then kids may have to drop out of school, or lack nutrition, among other things.</li></ol> &nbsp;Effects on Children Uninvolved parenting style may affect a child in more than one way, and some of the effects of neglectful parenting on a child may include the following:<ul><li>A child&nbsp;may feel lost and directionless.</li><li>The child may&nbsp;struggle to find his identity&nbsp;and may often be&nbsp;too timid.</li><li>Increased risk of&nbsp;substance abuse.</li><li>Lack of affection and attention can lead to&nbsp;low self-esteem.</li><li>Have difficulty in social gathering due to&nbsp;lack of social skills.</li><li>More likely to have symptoms of&nbsp;depression.</li><li>Poor academic performance due to&nbsp;mental tolerance.</li></ul> Pros of Uninvolved Parenting Uninvolved parents typically lack a discipline style. So, unless a child's behaviour affects them, these parents don't usually offer any type of correction. They allow the child to act how they want. And these parents don't get upset when their child performs poorly in school or with other activities. Cons of Uninvolved ParentingGiving excessive leniency may have significant negative consequences. Let’s see what the drawbacks of uninvolved parenting are: Lack of Confidence -&nbsp;Parents gives children the confidence to face the challenges. Unfortunately, children raised through uninvolved parenting lack this confidence and bravery. They usually have low self-esteem and are consequently uncertain about their own ability to face and deal with different situations. The absence of parental support and love also makes them feel insecure, thus making them worried over the smallest of things.Low self-esteem-&nbsp;One major disadvantage of uninvolved parenting is that these children don’t develop an emotional connection with their uninvolved parent. A lack of affection and attention at a young age can lead to low self-esteem or emotional neediness in other relationships.Mentally Stressed -&nbsp;In the absence of love and nurturing from the parent, these children may not learn the value of time. They might spend too much time watching television or playing online games.Social Skills -&nbsp;Children of uninvolved parents may have difficulties with social interactions outside the home because parents rarely communicate or engage their children.Emotional imbalance -&nbsp;Children who do not have limits set on their behaviour can have difficulty regulating their emotions, especially when their needs are not met.

Uninvolved parents tend to have little knowledge of what their children are doing. There tend to be few rules. Children may not receive much guidance, nurturing, and parental attention.

Uninvolved Parenting

You can take the following precautions while boarding a bus with a baby: <ul><li>Getting on the bus: Always wear flat and comfortable footwear. Dress your baby in a comfortable dress. While getting on the bus, make sure the bus is at a complete halt. People are always supportive towards women with babies so take help if required but at the same time stay alert about suspicious people.</li><li>Board a bus that is not so crowded: It is risky when there are too many people on the bus. If you aren’t in a hurry you can wait for a bus that's a little less crowded. You or your baby can get hurt or elbowed in a crowded bus and the baby can get cranky seeing too many people around. Put your baby into a harness or strap him/her to your torso.</li><li>Grab a good seat, preferably near window: Usually babies enjoy window seats as they can keep watching live action out of the window, the moving buses, autos, birds, greenery - this all can keep your baby busy .You can keep the glass closed to protect from dirt, dust, smoke and loud noises. Hold your baby firmly when the window is open.</li><li>Stay alert: Yes! Any public transport can be a little tricky one because there are more chances of a woman being molested and groped in a crowded bus. So, stay alert. Raise your voice if you find any suspicious person doing something inappropriate. Preferably sit around families having women and children around. Keep your phone handy. Always stay ready with pepper spray. Trust your guts before trusting anyone else.</li><li>Have something to entertain your baby: Before boarding the bus see that your child is well rested and well fed. Change his diaper so (s)he feels fresh. If your baby is old enough to eat, you can take some dry snacks along like cornflakes or roasted peanuts and popcorn packets, so the baby stays distracted and doesn’t make a fuss. You can carry a picture book if the journey is of long hours or play good music or rhymes. After a short while babies tend to sleep in a moving bus just like elders.</li><li>So don’t worry and board your bus.</li></ul>

It can get difficult to manage young children in a bus but the situation can always be managed.

Travelling with a child in bus

Busy schedules and responsibilities often keep us tired. Sometimes as a parent we don’t realise if the child is being neglected. It is not just about attention; a child can feel neglected in different ways:<ol><li>Physical neglect: neglecting basic physical needs of a child like hygiene, clothing, combing or food and nutrition.</li><li>Medical neglect: neglecting medication or delay in treatment of basic illness like common cough and cold.</li><li>Emotional neglect: child being exposed to domestic violence or feels deprived of affection and love from parents.</li><li>Educational neglect: failing to visit child’s school during meetings, allowing child to skip school or ignoring special needs of a child.</li></ol> A parent's neglect can stay with a child for life and the child then forever looks for validation outside the house. Before it gets to your child needing therapy for neglect, this is how you can ensure that your child does not feel neglected:<ol><li>Be present with them with your body and mind, whenever they need it. Express love and affection for the child, it may be in any form but make sure that the child feels and acknowledges your love for them.</li><li>Talk to them often, their innocent talks may not make any sense to you, but never neglect them. Talk to the little ones and understand what they are trying to say, this will make them feel confident.</li><li>You don’t have to make any extra efforts; just spend quality time with them by playing blocks, puzzles or reading stories to them.</li><li>Eat with them, feed them sometimes. Dinner time is the best time to discuss about the day and&nbsp;bond with each other.</li><li>Plan outings once in a while, attend their school meetings, be present at their school functions.</li><li>Teach them to love themselves and who they are, let them know about their capabilities and they will surely work better on it.</li></ol>

Neglect is most of the times unintentional. So keep a check on yourself and also on your child to make sure your child is not getting sidelined because of your other responsibilities.

Ensuring the child is not neglected

Ravina Sewani

Children break their bones either by falling or while playing a sport. Sometimes, an unfortunate accident is also the reason behind fracture. Fractures are of two types: displaced and non-displaced.Non-displaced fracture is when the broken parts of bone are lined up correctly. This type of fracture is harder to identify.Displaced fracture is when the broken parts of bone are not lined up. Symptoms of bone fracture:<ul><li>Pain</li><li>Bruising</li><li>Swelling</li><li>Snapping noise</li><li>Numbness: This could be a sign of nerve damage near a break. A change in the colour of his skin could mean the same thing.</li><li>Can't straighten the injured area</li><li>Can't move a limb like normal</li></ul> Diagnosis: A fracture is diagnosed by doctors via X-rays. An X-ray can show where the break is and its type. Treatment:Treatment includes the use of cast, splint, or brace. These keep the broken bone from moving while it heals. Even the displaced broken bones often will heal straight over time. For the displaced bones, they are sometimes put back in place before the cast, splint, or brace is put on. This is done through a procedure called a ‘reduction’. This is also called "setting the bone." There are two types of reductions:<ul><li>Closed reduction: This is done without any incision or cut. The doctor gives a medicine to the child to ease the pain and then moves the bones back into the right position. No incision (cut) is needed.</li><li>Open reduction: This surgery is done for a more complicated injury. The surgeon makes a cut and moves the bones into the right position. Before this procedure, the doctor will usually give anaesthesia to your child. Surgical plates, screws, or wires might keep the bones in place.</li></ul>New bone formation may take several weeks to months after a break, but full healing can take much longer time. While waiting for medical help:<ul><li>Make sure your child is lying down. Then put pressure on the area with a sterile gauze pad or a clean cloth. Don't try to push the bone back into place. Don't wash it.</li><li>If you can't see the bone, don't move the limb. Try to cut away or remove clothing around the injured area, but do it gently so you don't cause any extra pain.</li><li>Wrap ice or a cold compress in a cloth and put it on the skin near the injured area. Don't do this in babies and toddlers because cold temperature can hurt their skin.</li><li>Don't give any food, drink, or medicine to your child in case (s)he needs surgery.</li></ul> Things to keep in mind post treatment:<ul><li>Make sure that your child eats a healthy diet that includes plenty of calcium and vitamin D.</li><li>Teach your child to take good care of the cast or splint.</li><li>Help your child to follow the health care provider's directions for rest and/or doing any exercises.</li></ul>

Children break their bones either by falling or while playing a sport.

Fracture in children

Try the following to help your child boost his/her self-confidence: 1. Step back and let them choose.Let your child take risks, obviously stay around and stay watchful. Let them make their own choices, solve problems and stick with what they start. Do give children choices within a reasonable set of options pre-selected by you. This can make them feel empowered. 2. Don’t do everything for your child:Be patient and let him do his own thing. For a preschooler to dress is a challenge. Let them take this challenge. New challenges make them more competent and confident. For example, letting them wear their shoes, wearing their clothes, etc. 3. Assign age appropriate household chores:Let little difficulties and risks and problems come in their ways. For example, you can ask them to arrange their bags for school and fold their little clothes or helping you arrange dining table with glasses and plates.. Maybe you can help a little if required. When they accomplish, they will have a feeling that yes they can do it. That is what builds self confidence in them. 4. Let your child know it is okay to be imperfect:Show by example that it is fine if anything is not done perfectly. Give them understanding between perfection and excelling. Teach them that we can always excel and do better than before. 5. Don’t offer insincere praises:Children can easily distinguish between real and fake compliments. Like if they had made a not so good drawing, don’t say wow, that’s amazing. Instead focus on its details and tell him/her that (s) he has added beautiful details in the picture. 6. Appreciate individuality:Don't compare your child either with his friends or siblings. No one likes comparison .Appreciate your child’s uniqueness and teach them the same. 7. Make clear that your love is unconditional:Be always clear that you would love them no matter what. You may not like the habit and you may be a little harsh to them for a bad habit but that doesn’t mean you stop loving them.

Self esteem or self confidence plays a huge role in an individual's life. Encouraging a child's confidence at the right time can do wonders.

cribs parenting concerns

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