<ul><li>Protect your child from too much sun. The sun's rays are strongest between 10 AM and 4 PM so avoid taking your child out during these hours.</li><li>If you plan to take your child outside, apply sunscreen to them which provides protection against UV rays. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours and after being in the water or sweating. Use sunscreen on cloudy days too as the sun’s rays pass through the clouds as well. Do not skip sunscreen if you are taking your child out; only skip if your child is wearing clothes that cover his/her entire body.</li><li>If your baby is less than a year old, keep them out of the sun as much as you can. Dress your baby in lightweight, light-coloured clothing with long sleeves and long pants. Make sure to cover their head.</li><li>Select sunglasses for babies and children that provide 100% UV protection.</li><li>When it is too hot and humid, children should not play outside or exercise for more than 30 minutes at a time.</li><li>Make sure your child drinks plenty of fluids even if they are not thirsty. Water is best of all. Dehydration can cause fatigue and muscle cramping.</li><li>Keep your child covered at all times when outside or sit in the shade as your child’s sensitive skin can get a sunburn. If your child gets sunburn, the best remedy is to use a cold compress for the affected area. If it’s too much, consult a doctor.</li><li>Never leave your kids unattended in a closed car even for a few minutes and even if the windows are open. The temperature inside a closed car increases too quickly and can be fatal for a child.</li></ul>

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

Handy Summer Care and Tips For Babies

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

Summer Precautions for Babies

Are we exhibiting what we want our kids to be? Call it a harsh reality but children rarely learn from what we preach, they learn from our actions. Take this for an example, an anonymous user on the internet confessed that her child would hit her younger sibling while playing. Her explanation in defence was, “We are playing ‘mommy”. We all aspire to become perfect parents for our kids because we want to inculcate values in them that would make them better human beings. But the larger and the more significant question is do we exhibit that kind of discipline in our behaviour? We expect our children to use modern-day gadgets judiciously but do we supervise our use of these products? We want our kids to watch their words and actions when angry but do we manage our anger appropriately? We want our kids to show decorum and discipline with their daily routine but are we exhibiting ourselves as an example to do the same? Dr Haim Ginott, a renowned child psychologist, pointed out, “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” If we give the child an environment of hostility he is more likely to learn to fight. An environment of ridicule and shame can lead to the child resulting being shy and guilty. But similarly, if the child had always lived with tolerance, he learns to become more patient. If he has always received praise, he learns the virtue of appreciation. What is important during the child’s growing years is that we model the kind of behaviour we expect our children to be. It is impossible to not be stressed or angry under circumstances. But when the parents manage their stress and anger appropriately, the message is loud and clear to the kids that it is normal to feel negative at times but it is only the positive attitude towards solving these problems that reap good results. Parents should ‘speak’ and ‘do’ what they expect out of their children. Saying statements like. “I love all kinds of food”, “I love playing outdoors”, “Let’s clean up the mess together”, “Let’s help little brother/sister with eating the food”. These kinds of statements bring about assurance in the kids and before indulging in the wrong they are forced to do what think what they have been taught. The brains of children are like sponges. They absorb everything without discriminating information into right or wrong. Let's set ourselves as better examples for our children. Let's exhibit what we want our children to be.

Are we exhibiting what we want our kids to be? Call it a harsh reality but children rarely learn from what we preach, they learn from our actions.

Children See Children Learn - The pillar of parenting

Being a positive role model for your child can help instil the right attitude and habits from an early age for your child to nurture a healthy lifestyle.

Children See Children Learn ~The pillar of parenting

Children should be trained for swimming after the age of 4 years because that is when they are developmentally ready. Swimming Essentials to be kept handy while going swimming with your child:<ul><li>Swimming costume</li><li>Towel</li><li>Shampoo and Shower gel</li><li>Hair clips and bands</li><li>Swimming Cap</li><li>Goggles (Swimming Glasses)</li><li>Armbands</li><li>Swim nappies (if required)</li><li>Tan lotion</li></ul> Children are often quite excited about water, but do consider these water safety basics when you are in a pool with your child:<ul><li>Keep a continuous watch on kids; this is mandatory everywhere - in a bathtub or in a swimming pool.</li><li>Check the quality and strength of the tubes that your child is using.</li><li>Don’t be pushy. If the child is too scared, take them out of the water and try again later.</li><li>If the child is learning to swim, an adult should swim at arm’s length (close to the child).</li><li>Children should be away from the pool when adults are not around, never leave the child unsupervised.</li></ul>

Swimming pools can pose some danger so it's better to take precautions. Children should be trained for swimming and taken care of while about basic water safety rules.

Swimming Pool essentials for kids to make their pool time safe

Swimming pools can pose some danger so it's better to take proper precautions.

Safe Swimming Pool Essentials and Considerations for Children

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.

If your child is laughing without any specific reason or if (s)he is talking, crying or staying silent way too much without any understandable reason, this might indicate that your child is unable to understand what is going on in a particular situation. When children have insecurity of being judged as someone who cannot gauge what is going around in his/her space, they react in a way in which people around them are not able to catch the fact that the child is not understanding anything happening around him/her. From the child’s perspective, (s)he feels, "Come on! I don’t get it. Why do you want me to understand everything”. They choose not to be vocal about how they feel. So they keep reacting in odd ways. Sometimes children are scared and think "If I go say that I don’t understand this and ask again, my parents will get angry and scold me.” You need to analyse the scenarios in which your child laughs too much. Ask you this question - Is this situation particularly funny and laughable or is my child just acting oddly because of (s)he lacks understanding of the situation? If you feel that your child lacks understanding, talk to them in private and ensure them that you are there to understand them and not mock them or be angry at them. Reassure them that if they don't feel right about anything, they can come to you and talk to you; there will be no judgements. If things are out of control and you cannot help manage your child's behaviour, you should consult a child psychologist who can help you solve this problem by taking steps in the right direction.

Pay attention to the situations in which your child laughs too much; this will help you to understand the problem better.

When a child laughs too much

Pay attention to the situations in which your child laughs too much; this will help you to understand the problem better.

Digital addiction is an impulse control disorder that involves the obsessive use of devices/screens despite the adverse effects on the user. Children, especially between the age of 2 to 10 years of age, do not know that excessive screen time has adverse effects on them. Hence, we cannot claim that our children have digital addiction. Addiction, in general, is when an individual knows that something harms them, yet they cannot stop themselves from doing/using that particular thing. Kids use screens for entertainment. When they look at a screen, a hormone called "dopamine" is released in their body.&nbsp;Dopamine is also called a "feel good" hormone. Not going very deep into scientific know-hows, long story short, if we can replace our kids' screen time which excites them and keeps them occupied or entertained equally as screens do, we can effectively reduce the screen time in our children. How is much screen time OK for a child?<ul><li>According to World Health Organisation (WHO), children below 18 months should not be exposed to any screens (TV/mobile/tablet/laptop) at all except talking to parents/grandparents over a video call.</li><li>Children between the age of 18 to 24 months can enjoy screen time only when accompanied by a parent or a caregiver. This screen time should be quality screen time and limited to 20-30 minutes a day.</li><li>Children between 2 to 5 years should be limited to 1 hour of screen time in a day. A parent or a caregiver should monitor this screen time.</li></ul> Identify in which situation is your child exposed to screens?&nbsp;Following are the scenarios in which children turn to screens:<ol><li>While eating</li><li>Outdoors, for example - at restaurants</li><li>During social gathering or when guests are home</li><li>Before sleep</li><li>When a parent is busy in work</li><li>Grandparent hands it over</li></ol> Tackling the above scenarios: While eating:<ul><li>Gradually decrease the frequency of using screens. If you suddenly take away their phones, the child might throw many tantrums.</li><li>No family member should watch TV/mobile/laptop while eating.</li><li>Replace screens with big picture books, preferably of food. This will develop their interest in the kind of food they are eating.</li><li>Tell them a story.</li><li>Have a meal talk - talk to them about the food on their plate, food smell, colour, and taste.</li><li>Appreciate them at the food table when they finish the food on their plate or try out a new vegetable/dish for the First Time.</li><li>Bring no negative vibes at the food table.</li><li>Make sure the entire family eats together. This way, you can talk among each other, and the child would not find the need to look at a screen.</li></ul> After two and half years of age, children should eat on their plate with the entire family. When you are eating with your child, do not use screens. If you do, then please acknowledge and apologise for the same. Outdoors, for example - at restaurants:<ul><li>Carry cube or any favourite toy</li><li>Involve in talk &amp; meaning entire conversation</li><li>Mental preparation &amp; clear communication</li><li>Scribbling &amp; take along a water book with a paintbrush</li><li>Feel the menu card</li><li>Feel of ambience</li></ul> During social gathering or when guests are home:<ul><li>Send them for outdoor play.</li><li>Accompany with grandparents.</li><li>Clear communication &amp; expected behaviour talk.</li><li>Activities (Worksheet) appreciate for good behaviour.</li></ul> Before sleep:<ul><li>Replace the screen with:</li><li>Bedtime stories</li><li>Recite verses, play soft music, meditate, or sing them a lullaby</li><li>Sleep talk regime - Decide</li><li>Sharing Time</li></ul> When a parent is busy at work:<ul><li>Involve the child in household activities like taking out peas from pea pods, setting the table up for meals, cleaning their room, watering the plants. These activities will keep them away from phones and also instil motor skills, emotional skills in your child.</li><li>Call your child's friends to play at home.</li></ul> Grandparents hand it over:<ul><li>Both the parents should talk to the grandparents to set family rules regarding the use of TV/phones/laptops.</li><li>Discuss limits and boundaries as a family that apply to everyone in the house. Decide how much time is acceptable to use screens when at home.</li><li>No screens on the dining table or before sleeping.</li></ul> Effects of excessive screen time on children:<ul><li>Obesity</li><li>Irregular sleep schedules and shorter duration of sleep</li><li>Behavioural problems</li><li>Loss of social skills</li><li>Violence</li><li>Less Time for play</li></ul> How can we reduce our dependence on electronic babysitters and find a balance between sanity and screen Time? Here are few tips for you to try at your home: Set Strict Time Limits: When you introduce the privilege of screen time, set strict time limits – and stick to them. Parents become addicted to the easy tech breaks just as much as kids get addicted to the entertainment, so this is a challenge for both of you. Embrace Boredom:&nbsp;Remember that boredom is not a disease that needs to be cured. Boredom is healthy, and kids need to experience it as part of their routine developmental process to learn how to fill and manage their Time efficiently. Boredom also fosters creativity and imagination. Encourage Time Outside: Nothing sparks a child's imagination like Time outdoors. Take your child to the park and watch them play in the sand and on rides for hours. Walk in the woods and let them discover how sticks and rocks make better toys than screens. Send them out into the backyard and see how they entertain themselves with simple pretend play. Screen time won't even cross your kids' minds when they are outside enjoying themselves. Insist On Daily Quiet Time: You need your sanity, and it is possible to get it without using electronics. Insist that your children have a daily "quiet time" for 1.5 to 2 hours each day. If they are past the napping age, suggest that they look at books in their room or play quietly and independently with toys. While it might not feel blissful the first day, you institute your new quiet time policy if you are firm with your expectations. This will then become a time that they look forward to every day. Explore Audiobooks: You do not have to give up electronics when you give up screens ultimately. Audiobooks are great – especially for children who can't read well on their own yet – and allow children's imaginations to run wild while keeping them entertained. Following little pointers will also go a long way:<ul><li>Use parental controls to block or filter internet content.</li><li>When watching programming with your child, please discuss what you're watching and educate him or her about advertising and commercials.</li><li>Create tech-free zones or times, such as during mealtime or one night a week.</li><li>Discourage the use of media entertainment during homework.</li><li>Keep screens out of your child's bedroom.</li><li>Limit your own screen time.</li><li>Eliminate background TV.</li></ul> Remember, the goal is not just to take away the screens from children but also to replace screens with something which helps them develop their intellectual, social, behavioural, emotional, and motor skills.

In today's era, almost all parents face the problem of "Digital Addiction" in children. One question to ponder upon though is, "Who introduced them to screens and why?" While you figure out the answer to this question, let's have a look at what digital addiction is.

All about Digital Addiction in Child

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

Intolerance means the child is not able to share his/her space and get comfortable with other kids. You can try the following to improve the situation:<ul><li>Tell your child that you love them and just like you care for them, others will care for them too if they allow others in their space.</li><li>Keep a track of whether your child is being rude or abusive when their friends visit him/her or whether your child just walks away when friends visit. If your child is being rude or abusive, it is not acceptable. Tell them that being rude will have consequences.</li><li>But if they are just walking away, make your child greet and talk to their friend(s) and then walk away politely rather than walking away in an aggressive manner.</li><li>Intolerance may have psychological reasons as well. It may be because your child has trust issues due to a past experience or something else.</li><li>Observe their behaviour with everyone. Are they being intolerant of everyone or just of a single person? If it is everyone, you should get a clinical psychologist's help to tackle this behaviour. If it is just one person, the child might have had some bitter experience(s) with that particular person. Talk to your child to know the reason. If they don't give in, a psychologist can help you and your child.</li><li>The reason behind intolerance needs to be figured out at the earliest and a psychologist might be able to help you and your child in this matter.</li></ul>

Intolerance is not the same as possessiveness. It might have underlying reasons.

Child does not tolerate others

Palak Vyas

Following points can be considered while selecting a baby box for your baby: <ol><li>The box should be spacious and sturdy, basically appropriate for your baby.</li><li>The material should be able to stand your baby’s weight.</li><li>Baby Boxes can be used until 6 months or till your baby learns to sit or crawl on their own. So buy the boxes keeping in mind your baby’s growth for six months at least.</li><li>Ensure the base is well balanced.</li><li>Check whether it is comfortable for you and your baby to use a baby box. Generally, babies feel safe, secure and happy in the baby box.</li><li>The bottom mattress should be firm and properly fitted.</li></ol>

Baby boxes are also known as sleep boxes. These are simple cardboard boxes which can be used in place of cribs for babies to sleep in.

Selecting a baby box for your baby

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

Before worrying about whether the child is sleeping enough or not, keep following things in mind:<ul><li>For a newborn baby, it sleeps 17 to 18 hours normally per day.</li><li>For a one year old baby, it sleeps for 10 to 12 hours per day.</li><li>As the baby grows older, the number of hours decrease. By the age of 6 years, your child should be sleeping for at least 9 to 10 hours in a day.</li><li>If a child stays happy, eats well and stays active all during the day, then whatever sleep the child takes is usually enough.</li></ul> Most infant babies sleep during the day and are awake at night and this could be irritating and exhausting. It is just a matter of time and your babies will settle with the routine.Some basic ways can help your baby enjoy sound sleep at night and keep them playful during the day:<ul><li>Keep your child awake for a little extra time than normal during each waking period, this will help to increase the urge to sleep later at night. Try to play with your baby after feeding and do not let them sleep.</li><li>A little bit of sunlight can help the child settle in the new schedule, get them out in sunlight during early morning (but keep them covered). If you cannot take the child out, keep the crib near the window and allow the baby to enjoy a bright and pleasant morning.</li><li>Avoid bright lights at night. Keep the lights low and ensure there is no noise around. Any movement can also disrupt a child’s sleep.</li><li>Swaddle and snug them; this makes them feel secure and comfortable to sleep.</li><li>Clear the clutter in the crib, keep toys, rattles and blankets away; ensure the crib is clean and clutter free. Baby’s movement should not result in any noise.</li></ul>

It is better to not assume otherwise about your child's sleep before understanding about the ideal sleep hours.

Sleep Schedule of Babies

Dr Ajab Primuswala

There can be multiple reasons behind a child not playing alone: <ol><li>The child is scared to be alone, which means (s)he doesn’t feel safe alone. (S)he is looking for a company to feel safe.</li><li>The child is seeking attention and hence wants someone to be with him/her all the time.</li><li>The child is extrovert. If your child is an extrovert, (s)he needs to be vocal and express himself/herself. (S)he will need someone to be around to share his or her views and opinions.</li><li>If your child is someone who constantly needs appreciation,&nbsp;&nbsp;(s)he feels the need to be appreciated either by elders, peers or friends and so he doesn’t want to be alone.</li><li>One of the major reasons that a child cannot play alone is low self esteem. Sometimes the child is not able to trust themselves so they seek company for every aspect, to go to school, to study and even to play.</li></ol> As a parent, you can help this situation by: <ul><li>The first thing is to understand that it is okay to allow them to play with peers or any other company. When you want your child to get accustomed to playing alone, give him/her verbal motivation like “It is okay to play alone”. “You can try making art work or craft work. Tell him/her that “I am watching over you.” “I am always around if you need anything.” “You can do this.”</li><li>These motivation will help them overcome their loneliness and give them confidence to be with themselves.</li><li>You can give them logo toys from which they can create something out of their imagination and then flaunt it later. This way they can see appreciation coming and they will be motivated to play alone often.</li><li>But also know that if the child is not okay being alone, it is fair enough to allow him to have his or her friends, peers, or guided elders around.</li></ul>

If a child is not playing alone, it does not mean (s)he is an introvert child, there can be other reasons as well.

Child does not play alone

If you are separated, it means the child is staying with one of the parents. For positive co-parenting, talk about the positives of your partner so that the child does not develop any negativity about the parent with whom (s)he not staying.Separation results because both the partners cannot work things out smoothly. But just because you could not form a positive rapport with your partner, does not mean that your child will also be not able to stay with your partner. Both the parents need to realise that inflicting negative thoughts about each other is not the way to co-parent. <ul><li>When your child is young, divide the child’s time equally between both the parents. Plan outings where child gets to spend the time with both the parents. This will also give you a chance to understand each other’s parenting opinions and styles. As the child grows, let the child decide that with whom (s)he wants to stay.</li><li>If the reason behind your separation was your partner’s physical or verbal abuse, only then keep a tab about how the time your child spends with your partner affects the child.</li><li>If you observe that your partner’s behaviour is affecting your child negatively, talk to this about your child and voice your concern to them. Once you have talked to your child only then take the necessary steps of say reducing the time your child spends with your partner or anything which you seem fit for your child.</li></ul>

Co-parenting after separation can be difficult to manage but it needs to be worked out between the husband and the wife for the sake of the child.

Co-parenting your child

Samiksha Choithani

Thumb sucking is normal among children under the age group of 2-4 years. It is comfortable and soothing for children. But, the habit can create a problem in jaws and affect a child’s speech. Here is how you can stop the habit of Thumb sucking: a) Begin with bed time, try to limit the time that your child sucks thumb on bed. If the child sucks for few hours try to reduce it to an hour or few minutes.b) Do not get angry and point every time the child sucks thumb, instead praise the child when (s)he is not sucking the thumbc) Identify the cause, If your child sucks thumb when in stress, identify the real issue and provide comfort in other ways — such as giving a comforting hug or positive wordsd) Do note scold or criticise or compare your child’s habits with other children instead just give gentle reminders.For some children it is too difficult to give up, do not worry about it.Too much pressure on child can delay the process.&nbsp;

A regular habit or not, thumb sucking can cause problems in a child's speech.

sibling insecurity parenting concerns

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

All about Digital Addiction in Child

Uninvolved Parenting

Child does not tolerate others

Selecting a baby box for your baby

Swallowing abnormal things

Sleep Schedule of Babies

Child does not play alone

Co-parenting your child

Dealing with Thumb sucking habit

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