A few things said in haste messes up a child's brain and have a considerable impact psychologically, like low self-confidence, self-doubt, anxiety, depression, and so much more. Throughout your parenting journey, make sure you are not saying things or acting out in a way that could damage your child(ren) mentally. Sometimes parents are not aware that their actions affect their child(ren) negatively, and sometimes parents overlook it and justify their bad behaviour due to their stress. Here are a few practices which you should avoid telling your child(ren): Pick these up right now. I don't want you leaving a mess like that again.Instead, say:&nbsp;I don't like this mess you are leaving. Can you please clean this up when you have time? You should know better.Instead, say:&nbsp;It's OK not to know some things. Here, I will help you out. You're a bad kid.Instead, say:&nbsp;Can you tell me why you behaved/acted in such a way? I feel it wasn't right, is there anything you want to talk about? Or Else.&nbsp;Example: Eat dinner, or else you won't get your dessert.Instead, say:&nbsp;How about you take a healthy dinner quickly so that we can all enjoy dessert together?&nbsp; Stop being shy.Instead, say:&nbsp;You can come to say hi to your aunt when you are ready. You should set a good example for your brother.Instead, say:&nbsp;Your brother looks up to you; you're such a good role model. Wait until your father/mother gets home.Instead, say:&nbsp;You're grounded because you said a bad word. I will never forgive you.Instead, say:&nbsp;What you did was not acceptable, but we can look past it and move on if you think the next time. I'm ashamed of you.Instead, say:&nbsp;Although I feel bad about what you did, I love you for who you are. Don't worry; everything will be OK.Instead, say:&nbsp;Mom and Dad are always nearby, and we're going to set up a plan in case of emergency. Here, I'll do it.Instead, say:&nbsp;Let's do it together!" Don't cryInstead, say:&nbsp;I know you're sad, and it's OK to cry. It's OK to let out your emotions. Let me hug you. If you don't clean your room, you're going to be in big trouble.Instead, say:&nbsp;When your room is clean, then you may go out to play. Family finances aren't your business.Instead, say:&nbsp;Finances are how we make and manage money, and when you like, we will teach you what we know. I'm disappointed in you.Instead, say:&nbsp;I'm surprised and was not expecting this to occur. Come here, NOW.Instead, say:&nbsp;It's almost time to go. Do you want one minute or two? Because I said so.Instead, say:&nbsp;Explaining why you feel a certain way about something. We can't afford that.Instead, say:&nbsp;We're not going to buy that because we're saving our money for more important things. Don't talk to strangers.Instead, say:&nbsp;What would you do if a man you don't know offers you candy and a ride home? OR If anyone makes you feel sad, scared, or confused, you need to tell me right away. You should listen to adults.Instead, say:&nbsp;You need to listen to your parents. Don't be greedy!Instead, say:&nbsp;Would you please be kind and share your toys with your friend? Who taught you this? (about mischief)Instead, say:&nbsp;Why did you do that? Look at this lovely girl.Instead, say:&nbsp;I love you. You can do this too. I do everything for you.Instead, say:&nbsp;We do things for you because we love you, so please do for me. Do I have to tell you this 100 times?Instead, say:&nbsp;I've told you this before, but could you please. That's only for boys/girls.Instead:&nbsp;Say nothing at all. Try your best at raising gender-neutral children. You live under my roof, so you follow my rules.Instead, say:&nbsp;You know the household rules. Please stick to them. That's how I was raised.Instead, say:&nbsp;I don't think it's a good idea to do [ ]. Even my parents used to tell me that [ ]. You're just like your mother/father!Instead say:&nbsp;I’m not happy with [ ] because [ ]. I told you so.Instead, say:&nbsp;I'm sorry to hear about [ ] ... let this be a lesson. It's just a little white lie.Instead, explain to them that it's OK to use white lies to be polite and not hurt someone's feelings. Explain to them the fine line between lies and little white lies. Man up. / Be a man.Never disregard your son's feelings. Don't teach them that showing emotions is weak. To show emotions is only human. Why can't you be more like your sister?Instead, say:&nbsp;I don't quite like this behaviour of yours. Do you think we can work on it? If you loved me, you wouldn't do (this/that).Don't teach them that love needs to be proven all the time. Love comes without ifs and buts. I wish you'd never been born. / I hate you.No matter how angry you are, this is the worst thing to say. You would be scarring your child. Why can't you do anything right?Instead, say: What's the barrier? Is there anything I can help you with? I don't believe you.Instead, say: This comes as a shock for me. But I am sure you can tell me the whole thing. There's nothing to be afraid of.Instead, say:&nbsp;Everyone has their fair share of fears. We appreciate that you shared your feelings with us. We promise we will work on this together. You're lazy/stupid/selfish.Never label your child. Never. Your friends don't do that.Comparison will never bring any positive change. Accept your child for who they are and appreciate them. You should have done better.Praise them for their achievement. Do not over expect. You don't know what you're talking about. / You're too young to know what you want.Often children know what they want or how they feel. Saying this will show your distrust in their feelings. You'll never be able to do that.Instead, encourage and push your child to do better, of course, without any comparison. You're so fat/skinny, or You're going to get fat/skinny.Never attribute a child's identity to their looks. You make me so mad.Calm your anger down, and then talk to your child(ren).&nbsp;Instead, say:&nbsp;We will talk about this after a while when I am in the right state of my mind. Impact of such phrases on children:<ol><li>Antisocial behaviour</li><li>Poor resilience</li><li>Depression</li><li>Aggression</li><li>Lack of empathy</li><li>Difficulty in relationships</li><li>Self-doubt</li><li>Lack of self-confidence</li><li>Anxiety</li></ol>

A few things said in haste messes up a child's brain and have a considerable impact psychologically, like low self-confidence, self-doubt, anxiety and so on

Speaking Gently: Things you should never say to your child

A few things said in haste messes up a child’s brain and have a huge impact psychologically.

Things You Should Never Say to Your Child

Are there any psychological effects on children watching cartoons on TV or mobile?Cartoons are the most popular entertainment for children. Earlier children would spend time outside playing with their friends, compared to now where they choose to spend time in front of the TV, watching their favourite Cartoons for hours. Ever since the emergence of the cartoon industry, it has been noted that watching cartoons can have both negative as well as positive impacts on a child's psychological growth along with their physical growth. Positive Impacts:<ol><li>Early Education: Preschoolers can get help to learn alphabets, shapes, numbers, and colours while watching TV. Undoubtedly, television can be an excellent educator and entertainer. The moving, talking pictures and colourful visuals make learning interesting and fun for kids.</li><li>Cognitive development:&nbsp;Watching TV and cartoon can help in the development of cognitive skills in kids. Skills such as logic and reasoning ability, visual and auditory processing, and sustained and selective attention of a child are developed and enhanced in kids.</li><li>Linguistic skills:&nbsp;Watching cartoons in different languages can assist children in not just learning different languages but can also help them improve their pronunciation and their manner of talking.</li><li>Creativity:&nbsp;watching cartoons enhances creative thinking in children. They may start thinking of new creative ideas like stories, characters, situations, etc on basis of cartoons they watch.</li><li>Morals and Culture:&nbsp;Mythological cartoons can introduce children to their religion and culture. Many cartoons end with good lessons of morals like kindness, caring and compassion.</li></ol> Negative Impacts:<ol><li>Violent Behavior:&nbsp;Kids who watch violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behaviour and also may fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them. Also Because Cartoon characters display no more than little harm during violent scenes, children may believe that no one gets hurt or feels pain since cartoons escape unscathed after experiencing violence or an accident.</li><li>Less-empathetic behaviour:&nbsp;Few cartoons characters display a lack of empathy and rude/ disobedient behaviour towards others. Kids might mimic this behaviour and challenge their elders when they are disciplined for bad behaviour.</li><li>Rough Language:&nbsp;Few cartoon characters make use of rough language, as a result of which children begin to use foul/ rough language in their day to day life.</li><li>Anti-social behaviour:&nbsp;Several cartoons encourage antisocial behaviour and give wrong messages to kids. Cartoon characters often display risky behaviour, such as smoking and drinking, and may also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes. These can affect a kid's behaviour and make them believe it is normal to be aggressive, spoiled, or violent. cartoons may be the reason for many children to even become bullies in schools.</li><li>Health Issues:&nbsp;Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours a day watching TV are more likely to be overweight. They watch cartoons even when they eat because many parents believe it gets easier to feed babies watching television. Health issues arising due to sedentary lifestyle and inactivity for hours include obesity, vision problems, and nutritional deficiencies due to bad food habits.</li><li>Role models:&nbsp;From a very young age children start to mimic their role models. A role model is someone who either inspires and motivates the kids or discourages and admonish them, thereby shaping their character and personality as adults. Children often idolize their favourite cartoon character which could be Often a misleading role model that encourages the wrong habits or displays insensitive behaviour towards others. This kind of impact of cartoons on children’s psychology can often lead to devastating outcomes and result in kids being withdrawn, uncommunicative, antisocial, or unruly.</li></ol> Tips for parents: <ul><li>To make cartoons a healthy entertainment and a good and effective source of learning for kids, parents should pay more attention to providing selected cartoons to their kids that could positively influence them.</li><li>Parents must control the time children spend watching TV. They can choose appropriate cartoons for their kids. It would be better if parents also regularly watch and discuss the characters of cartoons with children. This way they will not only keep their kids away from violence but also direct them to different activities.</li><li>Lastly, it is recommended for parents to avoid placing their kids in front of screens while they’re eating.</li><li>Let's protect kids from the negative impact of Television media! Because healthy kids mean a healthy future!</li></ul>

Watching cartoons programs had a significant effect on the behaviour of children. Cartoons can have both positive and negative effects on cognitive and behavioural development.

Influence of watching cartoons on children

Watching cartoons can both negatively and positively influence children. Along with being the best educator, Watching TV can surely encourage children to become aggressive and violent. Hence, the cartoon industry is believed to influence a child's brain as well as physical development.

<ul><li>Make sure to get your child fully checked before the winter starts.</li><li>Make sure that all heating appliances like geysers &amp; heaters are in working condition.</li><li>Adequate warm clothing is essential but makes sure to NOT over-dress your baby as it can be extremely uncomfortable for him/her. Several thin layers will keep them dry and warm. Always remember to make them warm boots, gloves or mittens, and a hat. The rule of thumb for older babies and young children is to dress them in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same conditions.</li><li>Give warm water baths to your child. Make sure that there is a balance between the bathroom and the bedroom temperature so that your child does not get uncomfortable after the bath.</li><li>There should be no gusts of cold winds when you are bathing your baby.</li><li>Give adequate necessary vitamins and nutrients essential for proper growth to your child.</li><li>When riding/travelling in a car, make them wear thin, snug layers rather than thick, bulky coats or snowsuits.</li><li>Use sleep clothing for babies like warm one-piece sleepers or wearable blankets instead of loose bedding like blankets, quilts, pillows, bumpers, and sheepskins as they are a cause of suffocating deaths.</li><li>If a blanket must be used to keep a sleeping infant warm, it should be thin and tucked under the crib mattress, reaching only as far as the baby's chest.</li><li>Prevent cold and flu by getting kids to:</li></ul>-Use soap and water: Washing their hands frequently will reduce the spread of germs.-Cover their mouth: Sneezing or coughing into the bend of their elbows also helps prevent the spreading of germs.-Get immunised: Keep vaccinations current, including the flu shot.<ul><li>Include soup in your baby’s diet. A healthy soup in cold weather will keep your baby warm.</li><li>Maintain your own hygiene: Make sure to wash and sanitise your hands before you attend to your baby every time. You need to stay healthy so that your child does not catch any infections because of you.</li><li>Use a Humidifier: When using a heating apparatus during winters it could rob the room of water vapour, making the air dry as well as your child’s skin. Hence, install a humidifier in the room so that the moisture levels are maintained.</li><li>Make use of a moisturiser for your baby as your little one's skin will be extremely sensitive and the harsh atmosphere of the winter can make it dry. Opt for skin creams or moisturisers that are made for the baby’s skin.</li><li>Protect your child from hypothermia. Hypothermia develops when a child's temperature falls below normal due to exposure to colder temperatures. As hypothermia sets in, the child may shiver and become lethargic and clumsy.&nbsp;Speech may become slurred.</li><li>If you suspect your child is hypothermic, call for an emergency at once. Until help arrives, take the child indoors, remove any wet clothing, and wrap him/her in blankets or warm clothes.</li><li>Another thing to keep your baby safe from is frostbite. Frostbite happens when the skin and outer tissues become frozen.&nbsp;This condition tends to happen on extremities like the fingers, toes, ears and nose.&nbsp;They may become pale, grey and blistered. At the same time, the child may complain that his/her skin burns or has become numb.</li><li>If you suspect frostbite, bring the child indoors and place the frostbite parts of his/her body in warm (not hot) water. Warm washcloths may be applied to frostbitten noses, ears and lips. Do not rub the frozen areas. After a few minutes, dry and cover the child with clothing or blankets. Give him/her something warm to drink. If the numbness continues for more than a few minutes, call your doctor.</li></ul>

Taking the right precautionary steps before the arrival of any season will keep your baby safe and healthy.

Winter Precautions for Babies

Taking the right precautionary steps before the arrival of any season will keep your baby safe and healthy.

Precautions for Babies During the Winter Season

It's trickier to keep babies safe in monsoons, but taking care of a few important things can make it alright: <ul><li>Make sure that your baby’s clothes are dry and warm. Clothes often remain cold and damp after a wash in the monsoon. Clothes that remain damp can result in your baby catching a fever or cold. It is also best to opt for breathable cotton fabrics and avoid synthetics that may cause rashes.</li><li>Monsoons are always accompanied by several insects and germs like flies, fungus mosquitoes, etc. Hence the chances of babies falling ill also increase during monsoons. To keep your baby free of these, ensure that you and everyone else handling your baby should stay clean. Keep an eye out for nappy rash - change diapers regularly and apply a good diaper rash cream.</li><li>Disinfect your home and surroundings too regularly to keep germs away. Unclean surroundings can harbour many disease-causing insects and pests, as well as bacteria.</li><li>Monsoon brings with it malaria and dengue causing mosquitoes. To prevent your baby from catching these diseases, it is best to use bed nets or mesh windows. You can also use mosquito repellent creams for your baby after consulting with a doctor. There are also liquid, card and coil repellents available that are safe and effective against mosquitoes.</li><li>It is best not to take your baby out during monsoons, especially when it is raining. The humidity and the change in temperatures might lead to your baby catching the flu. If you have to take your baby out, make sure that your baby is covered correctly and completely dry throughout your outing. If you go out, avoid dirty areas with puddles and mud. Ensure that you are not taking your baby to crowded places as it’s easier to get infected with people around. When you take your child outdoors, keep wet wipes handy to ensure your baby stays clean all the time.</li><li>Some infants are allergic to specific pollen and allergens. Make sure your baby is kept away from these during the rains. If you notice any rash, redness or other symptoms, consult your doctor immediately and get it checked.</li><li>Check your house for dampness, leakage before the monsoon arrives. Get them fixed if there is a problem. Check for fungus or moulds around the house. Secure the loose electric wiring, if any. Clean the drains and keep bathrooms hygienic</li><li>Always feed freshly prepared food to your baby in monsoon as food tends to spoil quickly in monsoon.</li><li>Since you can’t always find clean water when you’re outside, make sure you carry a small bottle of sanitiser and use it to clean your hands whenever handling the baby.</li><li>Many doctors recommend getting a flu booster shot when the monsoons are around. Make sure your baby gets all his/her shots before the monsoon.</li><li>Since a baby is primary indoors in monsoon (s), he doesn’t need a daily bath. Two to three times a week, and especially around humid times, can give your baby relief from the heat as well. If your child has been outside, definitely give him a nice warm water bath.</li></ul>

Monsoon Precautions for Babies | Tips & Precautions

Monsoon Tips and Precautions for Babies

Creativity is at the epicentre of human exploration and discovery. Creativity is a force that nurtures human development, innovation and helps us appreciate nature around us. Everyone is creative. Being creative helps children to look within themselves, take a pause and helps them to calm down. Below are a few ways to nurture your child’s creative ideas and imaginative spirit:<ol><li>Encourage possibility thinking: Pose the “What if?” question in front of your child in as many ways as possible; these help children naturally think of creative possibilities for everything they encounter.</li><li>Nurture your child’s interests: Allow your children to choose their after-school activities. Encourage them to more deeply explore those activities in essays and projects at school.</li><li>Expand the language of emotion: Being able to understand and describe emotions is critical to the creative process. Help them with the emotional vocabulary so that they can express their feelings better.</li><li>Play, play, play: Through imaginative play, children explore their ideas and create meaning about the world around them. It is better to provide all kinds of art supplies - crayons, play dough, construction paper, glitter to your child so that (s)he can create freely.</li><li>Explore the beauty of nature: The natural world inspires children to think, question, make suppositions, instil problem-solving skills, and develop creative minds. Children can draw in the sand, make designs with twigs, build forts with branches, or simply lie on the ground and look up at the sky.</li><li>Advocate for the daydreamer: When kids daydream, they explore associations, make connections, and search for possibilities. Daydreaming and a bit of solitude for reflection are among the attributes of highly creative people.</li><li>Invent scenarios: Invent scenarios with your child. This way (s)he will try on lots of different roles and organise his/her thoughts while developing social and verbal skills. Encourage your child to play house, doctor, zoo, farm, space station, school, or store.</li><li>Verbal activities: From rhymes to riddles (check our rhymes and riddles content to get you started), silly sounds to phonics, games such as "I Spy" (and many more activities on our app), verbal interactive activities can inspire and nurture creative minds.</li><li>Encourage art activities: Through painting, sculpture, collage, clay, drawing or any other medium, art is a way for children to work through emotions, make decisions, and express their ideas.</li><li>Ask open-ended and thought-provoking questions: Asking questions that provoke imaginative and creative thinking is an effective way to invite your child to express his/her ideas and share his/her visions. "What do you think would happen if….?" "What's the difference between a dog and a cat?" "What are some other ways to do this?" are a few questions to get you started.</li><li>Limit screen time: Nurturing imagination and parenting in the digital age can be tough. Focusing on a screen is a passive way of learning for children. Engaging children in a kinesthetic manner using their entire bodies and their five senses helps in deep learning and also opens up their minds.</li><li>Remember to allow for downtime: Unstructured, unscheduled time allows children opportunities to imagine and create.</li><li>Limit electronic toys: Electronic toys don’t engage a child’s imagination and so children are simply better off playing with a basic wooden toy.</li><li>Ask questions about their creations: Kids have their own thought processes, and we can’t always see what they are thinking just by looking at something they’ve made. Ask them what they have created to help them articulate their process and the ideas behind what they thought of creating and what they ended up creating.</li><li>Respect: Respecting that each child has the right to be himself/herself and believing in his/her uniqueness builds your child’s confidence. Respect his/her imagination and fantasies.</li><li>Base on Values Not Rules: Too many rules hinder creativity. If you let your children decide their behaviour according to those values, creativity will flourish.</li></ol> Here are some examples of comments that nurture the creative environment:<ul><li>“It’s fun to try it different ways”</li><li>“Tell me about it”</li><li>“Let’s try it anyway”</li><li>“Have you thought of any alternatives?”</li><li>“I see you are having a lot of fun”</li></ul>

Creativity is at the epicentre of human exploration and discovery. Being creative helps children to look within themselves, take a pause and helps them to calm down.

Nurturing your child's Creativity

Being creative helps a child take a pause from the constant running about of life and makes them feel relaxed.

Nurturing your childs Creativity

Raising a gender-neutral child is need of the hour. Rewrite the rules and divide the roles equally. These are some things that you can inculcate to raise a gender-neutral child: <ul><li>Divide both domestic and professional duties equally among yourself (parents). There should be no gender-specific duties at home.</li><li>Read them inspiring stories of both genders without getting bias or judgemental towards anyone. Stay as much neutral as you can. So they will automatically learn the concept of equality without. Do not introduce terms like fairer or weaker sex for any gender.</li><li>Let them choose the toys they want. Do not judge or insult if, for example, your son chooses a doll to play with or if your daughter chooses a car to play with.</li><li>Let there be no colour stereotypes. Both boys and girls can wear pink, blue or any colour for that matter depending on their choice.</li><li>Never insult your son if he cries, do not call him names or compare him to girls. Refrain from judging your daughter for being angry; don’t tell them that anger is a “boy thing”. Children are emotional beings. Let them express their emotions in whichever way they want.</li></ul>

Children, by birth, do not know gender bias. Hence it is important to not unknowingly introduce gender bias to children.

Raising Gender-neutral children

Aquaphobia is the fear experienced by seeing water, it can be small amount of water in the kitchen sink or a large body of water like ocean. It is not the amount but the water itself that leads to anxiety and fear.&nbsp;Aquaphobia is often mistaken for another phobia called hydrophobia. Even though they both involve water, aquaphobia and hydrophobia aren’t the same. Hydrophobia is an aversion to water that develops in humans during the later stages of rabies. 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> Causes:Aquaphobia is often caused by a traumatic event during childhood, such as a near-drowning. 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: During this type of therapy, your child will be repeatedly exposed to the source of the phobia — in this case, water. As (s)he is exposed to water, your child's therapist will keep track of his/her reactions, thoughts, feelings, and sensations in order to help him/her manage their anxiety. Mind well, that this method should only be used in the presence of a mental healthcare expert as these can trigger panic attacks or severe anxiety. In the later stages of this treatment, your child may decide to work with a specially trained swim instructor who can help him/her learn to feel comfortable with swimming.</li><li>Conditioning Therapy: With cognitive behavioral therapy, you’ll learn to challenge your thoughts and beliefs about your fear of water. As you learn to challenge your fears, you’ll also develop strategies to cope with those thought patterns and beliefs.</li><li>Modelling: In this method the child sees other person facing the situation without fear and panic.</li><li>Virtual reality (VR): It's a treatment where your child will be exposed to computer simulations of water bodies. Getting the experience of a water body in the virtual world can help your child get over his/her fear in a setting that feels safe.</li><li>Medicines like tranquillisers and antidepressants (prescribed by a doctor) can be helpful along with the above treatments.</li></ul>

Aquaphobia is the fear experienced by seeing water.

Aquaphobia - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Juhi Mishra

It common for parents to wonder about which schooling system to got for their children. Following are some of the major differences between the two to help you decide which one to go for: <ul><li>Academic Environment</li></ul>In a regular school, children are exposed to an environment which is majorly controlled by the school.Homeschooling gives an opportunity to control the learning environment by minimising distractions. <ul><li>Individualised attention</li></ul>In a regular school, one teacher is there to attend to 20-30 students at one time.In a homeschool set-up there is an opportunity of one-on-one lessons. <ul><li>Curriculum</li></ul>In a regular school, the curriculum is pre-set.In a homeschool set-up, the curriculum may be designed as per the requirement of the child. <ul><li>Health and Safety</li></ul>In a regular school set up, the children are exposed to various kinds of germs and illnesses. Also the safety is a concern as the parents are unable to be around in such a set-up.Children in a homeschool set-up are saved from direct contact to diseases and germs. Also the safety of the child is under the parents’ control. <ul><li>Social aspect</li></ul>In a regular school, children get to meet, connect and socialise with children of their age.In a homeschool set-up, the children may miss out on the socialisation component, if they are not made to mingle in group activities on a regular basis. <ul><li>Travel</li></ul>In a regular school, there may be very limited opportunities for the children to travel and learn.Homeschool families may opt to travel together as a part of their education. <ul><li>Mastery vs. grades</li></ul>While in a regular school, grades may seem to be more important than the learning of a concept, hence, leading to mugging up of the content taught.In a home school set-up, mastery is given more importance hence leading to life-long learning. <ul><li>Religion</li></ul>Religion may not be the focus of teaching and learning in a regular school.Families may decide to take up religious studies as a part of their daily routine and also discuss science, literature and current happenings in the light of their religious beliefs in a homeschool set-up.

Conventional or regular schooling is when children go to an authorised school with other children to study as per the school norms and curriculum. While homeschooling is when the child is educated in the comfort of his/ her house.

Homeschooling vs Conventional Schooling

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

Entomophobia is defined as the fear of insects; this type of phobia is focused on particular insect and not on situation or experience. It is not just about avoiding to see insects but the mere thought of insects creates anxiety. Causes:<ul><li>Developing the phobia from family, some of the family members could have experienced it in front of the child, for example a parent would have shouted in front of the child while seeing a cockroach/spider.</li><li>Traumatic brain injury in early years of age could be one of the possible reasons for anxiety and panic.</li><li>A traumatic experience during early years of childhood, for example the child would have a lizard fallen on his/her arm.</li></ul> Physical symptoms of phobia:<ul><li>Sweating</li><li>Increased rate of heart beat</li><li>Trembling</li><li>Discomfort in speaking</li><li>Tightness in the chest</li><li>Shortness of breath</li><li>Upset stomach</li><li>Numbness</li><li>Feeling dizzy or fainting</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: It is a method by which the child is deliberately set to experience the situation, phobic trigger until the panic attack passes away. “Imaginary exposure,” in which the child just thinks about ticks, may be the first step in therapy. Next, your child may be shown a cartoon picture of a tick, and then a photograph of an actual tick, and then a video of a tick. At last, your child might be exposed to an actual tick or bug. Keep your child close to you and assure them that they are safe with parents and the therapist around.</li><li>Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): The therapist of your child will help your child challenge their own thoughts about ticks. They will help your child write down the thought, look at it and think about it, and then replace it with a more appropriate thought - such as that there are ticks in the country, but not in this neighbourhood.</li><li>Virtual reality (VR): It's a treatment where your child will be exposed to computer simulations of insects. Getting the experience of an insect 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 the situation without fear and panic.</li><li>Medicines like tranquillisers and antidepressants (prescribed by a doctor) can be helpful along with the above treatments.</li></ul>

Entomophobia is defined as the fear of insects.

Entomophobia - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Children get cranky for many reasons. However, neglecting the cranky behaviour of a child is clearly not a solution. It is important to identify the cause and find a solution for it.If your child is a toddler the reasons can be:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Change of usual schedule.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Upset stomach</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Pain in some part of the body</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Suffering from cold or flu</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Sleep deprived</li></ul>You may try some home remedies like having simple food for few days, give your child a long night sleep or you can put some nilgiri oil drops in the hanky and place it near the child. Rest and food can help your toddler overcome this behaviour.If your child is an infant the reasons can be:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Hunger</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Fatigue</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Messy Diaper</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Rashes</li></ul>To make your child calm, check the diaper regularly, try and feed the child more often. If the mother is breastfeeding the child, she should avoid spicy food for a few days or any food that can create stomach problems in infants. Additionally, keep a regular check on rashes on neck and thighs. Give proper amount of sleep to your child.

It's normal for kids to get cranky but as a parent do not lose the cool.

Why is my baby so cranky/fussy?

About 30-60% of elementary school students bite their nails at some point. Although it is an annoying habit, nail-biting in kids doesn’t mean any serious health issue.<ul><li>Kids bite their nails due to various reasons such as curiosity, to pass the time, to relieve stress and anxiety, habit or imitation.</li><li>The most common reason for child biting nails is to relieve anxiety and stress. They may also shake legs or even rub ears to relieve from anxiety and stress. All children get anxious which triggers this habit. Joining a new school, pressure to perform well in class or feeling shy at a social function are common triggers. In such cases, there’s nothing to worry about. You just need to find a good time and discuss the things (s)he may be tensed about.</li><li>In rare cases, severe nail-biting can be a sign of excessive anxiety. Consult your child's health professional if nail-biting is severe, long term, surfaced suddenly and co-occurs with other worrisome behaviours like picking at his/her skin, pulling his hair or if (s)he's not sleeping well.</li><li>Sometimes when the child is pampered a lot at home and if that child has to go out to some friends’ or relatives’ or anywhere alone or when they don't find their parents around, they start biting nails to distract self.</li></ul> Ways to combat child's nail biting habit:<ul><li>Cut your child's nails regularly.</li><li>If your child is old enough, give them finger foods.</li><li>Engage them in an activity or give them a toy which will keep their fingers busy and hence distract your child from biting the nails.</li><li>Develop a code word or a subtle sign between you and your child. Whenever you notice your child nibbling on his/her nails, you can say the code-word or gesture your sign without letting anyone else know about it. This will keep your child alert to not bite the nails.</li><li>You can try applying bite averting nail paints on your child's nails. But keep in mind, that sometimes such nail paints can be irritating for your child so consult your child's doctor before using such a chemical.</li><li>Explain the health consequences of biting nails to your child. Unhealthy nails can lead to upset stomach as well.</li><li>As a parent, you can build your child’s confidence. The child can be gradually taught to be self confident and they should be allowed to go and meet new friends, family members on whom the child has trust. This will boost the child's self confidence and if the situation is due to this nature of the child, the habit can be get ridden off.</li></ul>

Nail biting is common not only in children but also in adults. It is important to understand the underlying reasons behind this habit.

Nail biting habit in children

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

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.

money matters parenting concerns

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

Raising Gender-neutral children

Aquaphobia - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Homeschooling vs Conventional Schooling

Ensuring the child is not neglected

Entomophobia - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Why is my baby so cranky/fussy?

Nail biting habit in children

Emergency situation with children: Falling down

Travelling with a child in car

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