Palak Vyas

While buying a crib for your child, keep the following things in mind: <ol><li>The crib should not have drop-side rails, which means it should have fixed side rails. The cribs with drop-side rails have been banned because infants get trapped or strangulated in the side space of the drop-side rail.</li><li>The next important safety measure is to check the slat distance. The safe distance between slats is 6 cm. This distance protects the infant from falling out and trapping their heads between the slats.</li><li>Buy a crib that has the firmest mattress. Check it yourself. Soft mattresses increase the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).</li><li>Ensure that there is no extra space between the mattress and a crib to avoid baby from sliding. So the mattress should fit in properly.</li><li>The corner posts should be at the right height that is over 16 inches. In case if you are using a used crib from family or friends make sure to look for its condition and fittings and in any case, it should not be older than 10 years.</li><li>Always place your baby on his/her back to sleep.</li><li>Keep checking all the screws and hardware regularly and tighten them if needed.</li><li>Do not put anything extra in the crib like soft toys, extra mattresses, comforters or anything. This can cause your baby to suffocate.</li><li>Whenever you are placing your baby in the crib, see that (s)he is not wearing any bib or neck-piece as it may strangulate the baby.</li><li>Keep a vigilant eye over your baby when (s)he is in the crib, do not leave the baby unattended for longer duration.</li></ol>

A crib or a cot is a small bed especially designed for infants and very young children.

Selecting a crib for your baby

Symptoms of an ant bite:<ul><li>Redness</li><li>Swelling</li><li>White yellow pustule at the site of the bite</li></ul> What to do after an ant bite:<ul><li>﻿Clean the bite site immediately with warm soapy water, then with plain water and wipe it dry.</li><li>Apply an ice pack or cold compress.</li><li>Do not touch or pop it unnecessarily.</li><li>Apply antibiotic ointment on the site of the bite.</li><li>If the child is old enough, give him/her paediatrician’s prescribed pain reliever and oral antihistamines to reduce pain and itching if it’s unbearable.</li><li>If there is facial swelling, itching, stomach cramps or trouble breathing, immediately seek medical attention.</li></ul>

An ant bite usually goes unnoticed until some symptoms arise.

Dealing with ant bite in children

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

Ravina Sewani

Kids tend to swallow many items including toys, buttons, coins, earrings, rings, paper clips, game pieces, needles, pins, tacks, toothpicks, screws, button batteries, magnets, and nails. Most objects that children swallow are harmless, and pass through the digestive system without any problem. Do not force your child to vomit in any case, this might worsen the situation. Objects that become stuck in the oesophagus, stomach or intestines may need to be removed. Two things are especially dangerous: button batteries and magnets. <ul><li>When you notice that your child has swallowed a button battery, go to your nearest hospital emergency department or call an ambulance immediately. Do not induce vomiting. If a button battery is swallowed and gets stuck in the oesophagus, it can burn through the tissue in just two hours, causing severe injury or death.</li><li>Magnets can be dangerous too, especially if two or more are swallowed. If your child has swallowed two magnets, they can damage the intestines. In this case, go to your nearest hospital emergency department.</li><li>If your child is older than 1 year, you can give 2 teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes until you get to the hospital to try to prevent injury. Once the object reaches the stomach, the situation becomes less serious.</li></ul> Call for medical help if your child has:<ul><li>Has trouble swallowing food</li><li>Has excessive drooling along with blood</li><li>Has pain in the chest or neck</li><li>Has coughing</li><li>Has fever</li><li>Refuses food</li><li>Has vomiting</li><li>Passes blood in the stool</li><li>If your child is coughing or is having difficulty breathing, the object may be in their airway or lungs. You should call an ambulance immediately if your child is having trouble breathing.</li></ul> Treatment in the hospital:<ul><li>In hospital, a doctor or nurse will ask what your child has swallowed. An X-ray may be done if the swallowed object is made of material that shows up on an X-ray, or if your child has worrying symptoms.</li><li>If doctors are unable to see a swallowed object on an X-ray and your child has no worrying symptoms, it is OK to take your child home.</li></ul> Swallow test:<ul><li>If your child has swallowed something small and shows no signs of trouble, the doctor will first suggest them to drink water. If water passes down easily, the doctor will then recommend trying a piece of bread. (Enzymes in saliva will help dissolve the bread if it sticks.) If either of these causes any problems, the doctor will then proceed for the treatment.</li><li>If the object gets stuck between the mouth and throat, the doctor may try to get it out with tools through the mouth (endoscopically). Your child might be given medication to make them sleepy before the procedure. Another alternative is to give drugs that relax the muscles so that the swallowed object can pass into the stomach.</li><li>If the object is large, sharp, or dangerous and has moved into the stomach, the doctor will try to take the object out through the mouth. If that doesn't work, X-ray results are analysed to track the object’s movement. The doctor may recommend an operation to remove the item if it’s sharp and doesn’t seem to be making its way out of their body, or might damage their intestines.</li></ul> Plastic Wrap:If your child has swallowed a plastic wrap, don’t worry as it will be thrown out in the stools within a day or two. You can give bananas to your child as they are known to aid smooth movement of the bowel. Watch for nausea, vomiting, indigestion, diarrhoea, breathing difficulty, if present consult paediatrician.But next time, take very good care so that your baby doesn't swallow anything abnormal. When the child has swallowed poison:A poison is any harmful substance that is inhaled, injected, swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Swallowing of the poison always requires medical treatment hence call for medical help as soon as you suspect your child of having swallowed a poison. Signs and symptoms of poisoning may include:<ul><li>Burns or redness around the mouth and lips</li><li>Breath that smells like chemicals</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Difficulty breathing</li><li>Drowsiness</li><li>Confusion or other altered mental status</li><li>Having seizures</li></ul> If you suspect poisoning, be alert for clues such as empty pill bottles or packages, scattered pills, and burns, stains and odors on the child or nearby objects. Take the following actions until help arrives:<ul><li>Swallowed poison: Remove anything remaining in your child’s mouth. If the suspected poison is a household cleaner or other chemical, read the container's label and follow instructions for accidental poisoning.</li><li>Poison on the skin: Remove any contaminated clothing using gloves. Rinse the skin for 15 to 20 minutes in a shower.</li><li>Poison in the eye: Gently flush the eye with cool or lukewarm water for 20 minutes or until help arrives.</li><li>Inhaled poison: Get your child into fresh air as soon as possible.</li><li>Begin CPR if the person shows no signs of life, such as moving, breathing or coughing.</li></ul>

Kids tend to swallow many items including toys, buttons, coins, earrings, rings, paper clips, game pieces, needles, pins, tacks, toothpicks, screws, button batteries, magnets, and nails.

Swallowing abnormal things

Samiksha Choithani

As your child is experiencing the new journey of walking, climbing and exploring, it is quite normal to fall down often. This may lead to mild bumps, cuts and bruises. You can treat minor injuries at home. Be patient, without playing a blame game just focus on child’s injuries:<ul><li>Dab the injured part of the body with an ice-pack</li><li>Try to distract the child with toys or stories</li><li>Change the environment to comfort the child</li><li>Let the child rest or sleep for a while</li><li>Watch the injury closely for the next 24 hours to ensure there are no unusual symptoms</li></ul> Consult a paediatrician if:<ul><li>The child vomits more than once after falling</li><li>Is not able to walk properly</li><li>Sleeps very often or finds difficulty in waking up</li></ul>

Kids are curious individuals. No matter how much cautious you are, they are bound to fall and get an injury some or the other day. Maintain your cool and do the best that you can to comfort your child.

Emergency situation with children: Falling down

Nikita Thacker

Despite our best intentions, we repeatedly find ourselves eating large amounts of unhealthy foods. Ingesting them has become a regular part of our lives. It is said, "Everything is good in moderation" i.e. eating a slice of pizza or some ice cream once in a while is okay; however, when such consumption is regular or become uncontrollable cravings then it can be a problem. If you feel you are one such person who has uncontrollable desires towards junk food, what should you do? Here are a few simple steps for overcoming addiction to junk food:<ol><li>Make sure you do not get extremely hungry: When you are extremely hungry, you're more likely to make bad food choices. You should eat something healthy at regular intervals to make sure you do not get extremely hungry.</li><li>Eliminate one junk food at a time: Completely avoiding junk foods can be very difficult. Identify which junk food you are craving the most and start from there. If you cannot completely get rid of cravings, have a bite or a slice once in a while to satisfy your taste buds.</li><li>Inform your friends, colleagues or people around you that you are staying away from junk food. This way, they will better help you and will avoid offering something unhealthy.</li><li>Remove soda beverages including diet sodas from your diet.</li><li>Track the amount you put in for your fast food habit. Having a figure can be a form of motivation for you to cut back.</li><li>Include protein-rich food in your diet: The best way to avoid sugar cravings is to eat protein with each meal and as snacks. Protein helps to balance blood sugar levels and hence controls sugar cravings.</li><li>Meditate: Researches have shown that even a few minutes of meditation can relax your mind and will help you in overcoming any sort of addiction.</li><li>If you still struggle a lot it may be best to seek official help. Health professionals and nutrition experts can aid you in overcoming your addiction. They have the training to help you plan healthier meals.</li></ol> It won't be easy to listen to your healthy self but it is important to kill that addiction devil for your baby.

If the mother intakes healthy food during pregnancy and a few years post pregnancy, the child will receive all the essential nutrients in the right amounts. Hence it is important to let go of your junk food addiction for your baby's sake.

Overcoming junk food addiction during and post pregnancy

Authoritative parenting style; the parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm limits for their children. They attempt to control children's behaviour by explaining rules, discussing, and reasoning. They listen to a child's viewpoint but don't always accept it. Children raised with this style tend to be friendly, energetic, cheerful, self-reliant, self-controlled, curious, cooperative and achievement-oriented. This parenting style generally produces the best outcomes in children. CharacteristicsParents in this style have high expectations, but also know the importance of open communication and provide the support their kids need to be successful. They offer consistent discipline, considering the situation. They also are role models of the behaviour they expect from their children. <ol><li>Responsive and demanding –&nbsp;Parents in this style have high expectations, but also know the importance of open communication. Parents support their kids to manage their behaviours. This approach is the most effective parenting style leading to the healthiest outcomes for children and thus the lowest difficulties scores.</li><li>Independent and self-reliant -&nbsp;Parents encourage children to be independent and develop their own identities, but at the same time, they also provide rules for their children. Due to the guidance children receive, the children tend to follow them consistently.</li><li>Higher academic performance -&nbsp;Parents support their children. Whether it's weekly homework or a particular project, they make themselves available and provide all the necessary tools for their children's success in school. They're present at school events and meetings. Their expectations for home and in school are consistent but reasonable and age-appropriate.</li><li>Open-minded -&nbsp;These parents are adaptable and willing to provide explanations. They help their children understand the reasoning behind specific rules. This type of openness and discussion helps their child develop good communication and social skills. They may also become more flexible and open-minded with others.</li><li>Reasonable emotional control and regulation -&nbsp;These parents show good emotional understanding and control. Their children also learn to manage their emotions and learn to understand others. Hence, it helps them to build healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.</li></ol> Effects on ChildrenThe authoritative parenting style takes a more balanced approach. Parents are neither bosses nor best buddies, but guides and mentors. Below are the impacts of authoritative parenting on a child: <ul><li>They learn to think&nbsp;independently and are very self-confident.</li><li>They can manage&nbsp;aggressive behaviour&nbsp;outside the home.</li><li>Children are also&nbsp;happy, capable and successful.</li><li>Achieve higher&nbsp;academic success.</li><li>Have&nbsp;better mental health&nbsp;— less depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, alcohol, and drug use.</li><li>Develop&nbsp;good social skills.</li><li>Exhibit&nbsp;less violent&nbsp;tendencies.</li><li>Children are&nbsp;well-adjusted and goal-oriented.</li></ul> Pros of Authoritarian ParentingWhen it comes to authoritative parenting, it's pretty much all good news! Parents communicate in confident, friendly and peaceful ways, and do not set goals based on the child's desires, but rather, based on past performances and achievements. Responsibility -&nbsp;Children who are raised by authoritative parents understand the responsibilities for the choices they make, which empowers them to make the right decisions.Respect -&nbsp;Children whose parents show them respect by allowing them individual freedoms are more likely to respect others. They often thrive in social settings and get along well in social life.Flexibility –&nbsp;Raising children using this style allows for more flexibility with age. As your child grows older, their needs and desires change. Thus, the child will grow with a better personality, which is more comfortable for the authoritative parent to deal with.Leadership -&nbsp;Because of their ability to make their own decisions, these children have the kind of confidence and savvy that allows them to take on leadership roles. Cons of Authoritarian ParentingOften in life, finding a balance between two alternatives is the best solution to a problem, and that's certainly the case here. But that doesn't mean that everything will be smooth sailing as long as you practice authoritative parenting. Rebellion -&nbsp;As they grow, kids go through typical phases of rebellion, anger and apathy. These phases may be incredibly tricky for authoritative parents, who naturally have high expectations of their children, and have tried hard to raise their kids the best way possible. Here, patience is the key to success.Low Self-Esteem –&nbsp;Some children may feel that their world is being controlled and they don't have the freedom to exercise their judgments and actions.Difficulty to Adapt -&nbsp;An authoritative parent tends to try to be the best parent possible at all stages of childhood, which can add more stress to parenthood. Hence there will be an issue in adapting and creating rules in different stages for child growth and development.

There isn’t a single formula for raising children well. After all, parenting isn’t an exact science. There’s definitely a bit of an art to good parenting. Authoritative parents carefully define limits for children, are good role models and praise children for their efforts.

Authoritative Parenting

Every child needs full attention of a parent. While you are busy with the younger one, your elder child will experience a range of emotions, from excitement to jealousy or may be responsible and caring. In order to seek your attention, the elder child may show more tantrums or misbehave or refuse to eat. These emotions are short-lived but if not addressed well can have lasting impact on a child’s mind. Here are a few ways to make sure that your elder child does not feel neglected:<ul><li>Let them not feel left out: Take an extra care to ensure that the elder child never feels neglected (unintentionally though). Ask their suggestions for picking up clothes for newborn, choosing the toys for little one and more. Make sure you spend equal time with both the kids</li><li>Avoid giving excuses: Never make the younger one an excuse for not attending the elder child – “we can’t go to the park/playground as the baby is sleeping” “Keep quiet the baby will wake up” “After I attend the baby, I will listen to you” Instead tell him/her , “ We will play together when the baby wakes up, We will go to the park together May be giving a hope and the feeling of togetherness will help the child.</li><li>Pay more attention: Express extra care and love for elder one, increase your daily hugs and play some games or increase story time for the elder one.</li><li>Avoid comparing: This comes unintentionally but it can have a strategic impact on a child’s mind. Little things like who crawled first, child’s weight or who walked first can be taken as criticism by the elder one.</li></ul> Ensure both the children get equal attention and feel loved.

Every child needs full attention of a parent. So, pause and reflect on your parenting to make sure none of your children feel left out.

Managing sibling insecurity

Dr Ajab Primuswala

<ul><li>It is important to understand the psychological reasons behind why does a child back answers every time you tell him/her something.</li><li>Whenever you notice that your child is back answering, the first thing&nbsp;to do is observe your own behaviour with them subjectively. A child always models your behaviour.</li><li>Look for incidents or triggers which motivates them to back-answer or not to listen to you.</li><li>When you talk about your misbehaving child, look for any circumstances which they are not able to make you understand, look for their requirements or their hidden feelings and emotions.</li><li>Sometimes a child is unhappy because of some dispute with their siblings or friends and is unable to do anything about it or unable to talk about it, in that case (s)he may come to you and shower in his/her frustration in terms of back answers or misbehaviour. Here, a child is either thinking of not reacting or is unable to express their feelings and so this&nbsp;acted as one of the triggers to misbehave.</li><li>As a parent we usually command them to do certain things, we don’t even try to understand their needs, their feelings and emotions, what would they appreciate. We just look at our perspective as adults and go ahead with it. So the child can misbehave to prove his/her point. Sometimes they know that their behaviour is not appropriate but they would still continue to do so just to prove their point.</li><li>Age factor plays a major role in understanding a child’s misbehaviour or back answering. If the child is too young, say 3 or 4 years and is misbehaving, they might have some unmet needs. They are seeking your attention and trying to grab you more in this negative&nbsp;manner. The need could be as simple as sleep or hunger but they don't understand themselves so they are unable to convey it correctly.</li><li>For a 5-8 year child, by misbehaving they are trying to lure you or trying to bring your attention towards them. The reason could be a lack of proper communication. You may feel that you talk to your child all day and night but no! What you might be doing is just giving guidance and giving commands or pointing out their mistakes. For example “Did you finish your work?” “Stop banging the door”! “see! You forgot to flush the toilet”. There is no communication.</li><li>Communication means even you are listening to them rather than just giving commands or pointing mistakes or doing interrogation. Irrespective of age, communication is extremely important for your child.</li><li>So rather than scolding, getting irritated or upset with them, calm them down. Make them sit. First lower down your voice, ask them to talk to you in soft manner. If they feel that they are disturbed, ask them to calm down for a while and leave them for a while. Leave them with a calming thought.</li><li>Give them time to reflect on their behaviour. Don’t start commanding or being their boss, saying, "Stop doing this”! “You can’t do this to me”. By doing so you are giving them the image that it is okay to shout, it is okay to back-answer. You don’t want them to learn this from you, right?</li><li>The behaviour you want from your child should come first from you. If you feel you aren’t giving enough space, give them space. If the issue is about giving time, give them enough time. Time here&nbsp;doesn’t mean watching TV or playing video games with them.&nbsp;Giving time means planning an activity for spending quality time where you both are involved in the process. The child should enjoy that time with you, The child should enjoy being with you and communicating with you. Teaching them, making them learn, going on long drives would not count here. Before doing any activity for quality time, make sure your child likes it, talk to them and know their viewpoint.</li><li>What a child wants, is to sit beside you, talk to you about their fancy ideas, wants you to hear their school and bus stories, their teacher’s talks and all about what is happening in their life.</li><li>Usually, we tend to overlook these criteria where a child is having some issues outside the house, either in school, with batch mates, with peers, or someone in the surroundings or there could be a pressure of studies as well. Study pressure is not only during board exams but it may be their own expectations towards their own selves.</li><li>Just verbalise it, bring it to point, explain them and still if they misbehave try to find the root cause rather than just shouting back at them.</li></ul>

Back answering is not just a misbehaviour of your child. There might be underlying reasons for that.

late sleeping parenting concerns

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