<h2>Here are the quick tips on How to tell a joke to kids.</h2> <h2>Remember, Jokes aren’t funny unless you tell them in a funny way. Read on to know more quick tips.</h2> <ul><li>Believe in the joke you are telling - If you think it's funny, kids are more likely to agree.</li><li>Relax - If you feel awkward, so will the kids.</li><li>Vary your voice - Monotone speech makes the joke boring.</li><li>Signal the punchline - A little pause adds to the suspense.</li><li>If they don't laugh, give up - Desperation isn't funny.</li><li>Believe in the joke you are telling - If you think it's funny, kids are more likely to agree.</li></ul>

Jokes aren’t funny unless you tell it in a funny way. Read on to know more quick tips

How to tell a joke to children that makes them laugh

Jokes aren’t funny unless you tell it in a funny way. Read on to know more quick tips

Parenting is a process, not a learned behaviour. Raising a child in a nuclear family requires several measures, the most important of all being the sharing of responsibilities between both the parents equally.<ul><li>Children in a nuclear family are more confident as they are more independent compared to children raised in joint families.</li><li>A joint family offers a lot of family time, so parents in a nuclear family should properly schedule their day to assure sufficient and efficient time for kids in the family.</li><li>Being in a nuclear family brings many responsibilities on parents’ shoulders. This might drain you out, more if you are a working parent. This draining out will make you frustrated sometimes but it is very important to stay positive in front of your parents. The serious discussions can be limited to bedrooms between you and your spouse.</li><li>If you live in a nuclear family, it is important to maintain good ties with the extended family. This is because they will be at your help to look after your child when you cannot be present for your child.</li><li>Instead of relying on gadgets, invest in educational play boxes for your child which will aid your child’s intellectual development.</li><li>Involve your kids in household chores. Nothing can be a better way to spend quality time with your kids. This also develops emotional, motor, social skills in your child.</li><li>Make sure to plan outings – even to the nearest park – once in a while. This will help you ease a bit and also give your child the time to bond with you.</li></ul> In the end, it is up to parents to weigh the pros and cons of raising a child in joint and nuclear families and then decide what’s best for their child(ren).

A nuclear family or elementary family or conjugal family is essentially a family which has parents (mother and father) and children.

Parenting in a nuclear or conjugal family

A nuclear family or elementary family or conjugal family is essentially a family which has parents (mother and father) and children.

Parenting in a nuclear family

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

<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

Kids tend to avoid healthy food due to the high taste levels of junk food. These activities will be a great help to develop their interest in food:<ul><li>Take them for grocery shopping.</li><li>Cook and Bake with them; there is nothing more exciting than this.</li><li>Teach them gardening - grow foods in your backyard.</li><li>Place the food on the plate in the colours of a rainbow; this way you can include all sorts of food on your child's plate. The easiest way is to prepare a food salad or a vegetable salad.</li><li>Hide vegetables and fruits in an opaque box or carry bag and ask the child to close their eyes. Then ask them to put their hand inside the bag, pick up food, feel it and then try to identify the vegetable/fruit through its texture. You can do this activity separately for vegetables and fruits to make it easier for your child.</li><li>Food obstacle course activity. Design an obstacle course in your house where you place different fruits/vegetables as obstacles. The child will have to eat a small portion of that vegetable or fruit before advancing forward. You can carry out this activity in a group and it will be a lot more fun.</li><li>Weave a story around fruits and vegetables and narrate those during their mealtime; check out food-related stories on our app.</li><li>Sing them songs/rhymes about food; you can a few songs related to food on our app.</li></ul> Keep in mind:<ul><li>Do not give them screens during mealtime; this way they will know what they are eating and will appreciate the food on their plates.</li><li>Let them have their favourite snack or dessert once in a while. But do not use them as treats for eating the food that they like less.</li></ul>

Thinking of interesting ways to present food to your child(ren) will make them eat all types of food.

Activities to encourage and develop child's interest in food

Thinking of interesting ways to present food to your child(ren) will make them eat all types of food.

Activities to develop your child interest in food

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

Palak Vyas

It is difficult to know what’s going on in a child’s mind because they contemplate things differently than adults. It becomes all the more difficult because they cannot express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions in words as their vocabulary is not fully developed. Parents want to know what’s going on with their child because they are concerned about their children and want to help them. When children speak out their mind, it's easy to decipher what they are thinking but when they suddenly discontinue sharing, try to hide things, or avoid telling you the full story, it becomes a matter of concern. During such phases parents can try to observe their child closely. Observe their behaviour and listen to their conversations with friends and family. Observe their body language. Make them comfortable and try to talk to them with love and compassion. Give them the assurance that they can talk about everything to you and you won’t be mad at them or judge them. Make them feel safe and secure, make them feel heard and seen for who they are. In cases, where a child is being molested by some friend or family member, they tend to go silent and try to hide things from you out of fear. Likewise, when they are bullied or suppressed or shocked, they need your love, care and support. Stand by their side and listen to them. When you have gained their trust, they will open up with you and you won’t have to wonder what is running on their minds.

Be very observant of how your child behaves, that should help you understand your child better.

Decoding your child’s psyche

Having a baby would have changed your day-to-day lives. But it may affect your relationship too. According to research, about two-thirds of couples become unhappy with their relationship within three years of having a child. Undoubtedly, sleepless nights, chores to do, and negligible time for long talks or intimacy all these unite to create the probability of&nbsp;differences between you and your partner.So what can be done? There are a few key things to consider which will help you to safeguard your relationship after you become parents: <ul><li>Surely the challenges are inevitable but accept that this is difficult for both of you. Try to understand that both of you are dealing with new roles. Realising this will help you both be more understanding with one another.</li><li>Avoid direct criticism and be specific about what you need from your partner. For example, saying, “I would appreciate if you can give the baby a bath today as I am tired.” will probably go over a lot more smoothly than saying, “You are of no help!”</li><li>Every day, no matter how tired you are, spend time with your partner and talk about your daily routine, your feelings, and your worries. Just ten minutes a day is better than nothing at all. You can also turn your child’s nap time into a romantic walk. Take your sleeping child in a stroller and go for a walk. The fresh air is refreshing for your child in the stroller while you and your partner can have a good time walking together.</li><li>Expect parenting differences. Accept that you may have different ways of looking after your baby and know that it’s just better to try to develop a joint approach or be kind to one another.</li><li>Give your partner some break. A whole day might be very difficult to work out, but surely you can give your partner an afternoon to spend time at the spa or even just to have a nap, while you take care of the baby.</li><li>If you’re first-time parents, ask an experienced couple to explain what to expect.</li><li>Small gestures of love like a hug, a kiss, a quick cuddle or few encouraging words often go a long way!</li><li>Couples usually delay in opting counselling until they are at an extreme point. Instead, consider counselling early. The counsellor will be able to guide you over important parenting issues and will facilitate healthy and effective communication.</li></ul> Remember every relationship goes through phases and soon you will rediscover your feelings for each other. Bonds formed during such crucial times are strong and although having a baby can indeed change everything, beautiful things can happen when you learn how to change together. Not only that, but your children will understand that their parents are affectionate with each other and happy to be together. This ensures that they have a good foundation and a model to build their own relationships in the future.

Having a baby would have changed your day-to-day lives. But it may affect your relationship too. According to research, about two-thirds of couples become unhappy with their relationship within three years of having a child.

Maintaining peace between husband and wife after having a baby

Keep the following things in mind while inculcating the listening skill in your child: <ul><li>Be a good listener yourself:&nbsp;Avoid interrupting your child when (s)he is talking or saying something.</li><li>Try and give simple and easy instructions.</li><li>Whenever your child listens carefully, always praise them.</li><li>Teach them why it is important to be a good listener.</li><li>Model good communication skills.</li><li>Ask them to repeat what you said after they have heard you completely.</li><li>Read stories to them and let the child predict the ending.</li><li>Listen to audio stories as family time.</li><li>Play games like Simon says, add-on stories (where everybody adds their own sentences and the story moves forward), Copy cat (where you say funny rhyming words which the child has to repeat), and many such.</li><li>Listen patiently whenever they talk to you and teach them the same.</li><li>Help your child build vocabulary so they can convey easily and understand what is being said.</li><li>Always remember that young children have short attention span so never say multiple things at one go.</li></ul>

Children model their parents the most. Develop the listening skill yourself and then help the child to achieve the same.

Teaching child to be a good listener

Sleep walking is common in kids; Most kids outgrow it by they reach their teens. Sleep walking usually lasts between five to fifteen minutes. The child would not remember a thing they did while sleepwalking. If your child is sleep walking, never try to wake them in the middle of the movement as it can aggravate the situation. Just gently get them back on bed with guided instructions or holding their hand to get them back. Causes of sleepwalking:<ul><li>Lack of sleep or the child is too tired</li><li>If the child has irregular sleep schedules</li><li>In case of fever or other illness</li><li>It may occur due to some medication</li><li>Stress could also cause sleepwalking</li><li>Inheritance (family history)</li></ul> What happens during sleep walking:<ul><li>They are sleep talking.</li><li>They seem dazed.</li><li>They look confused.</li><li>They won’t respond to you.</li><li>They might keep rubbing their eyes or fussing with clothes.</li><li>Their eyes are open but they don’t see things the same way they do when they are awake.</li></ul> If your child is sleep walking, you can prevent it by following these simple tips:<ul><li>Do not give sugar or coffee before sleeping.</li><li>Have a cool atmosphere in the room – preferably 25 degrees.</li><li>Avoid giving water or fluids before bed time and make sure they go to toilet (empty their bladder) before going to bed.</li><li>Bed room should be dark, quiet and comfortable for a perfect sleep.</li><li>Sleep on same time daily.</li></ul> Apart from these precautions, it is also advisable to take safety measures if your child sleep walks:<ul><li>Lock the doors and windows at night.</li><li>Keep alarms on doors and windows.</li><li>Keeping hazardous things out of reach.</li><li>Sleep walker should not sleep on bunk bed.</li><li>Install safety gates on staircase.</li></ul> Risk levels of Sleepwalking:<ol><li>Harmless- like sitting up</li><li>Potentially dangerous- like wandering outside</li><li>Inappropriate- like opening a closet door and peeing in it.</li></ol> Severity of this condition:It is not harmful but hazardous as they might run into doors or walk down the stairs, fall and hurt themselves. There is nothing wrong with your child’s emotional or psychological well-being. It does not cause any emotional harm. When to see a doctor:<ul><li>When this becomes a regular episode.</li><li>When your child stays sleepy all day.</li><li>When he or she either harms him/herself or others in sleep.</li><li>Consult a psychologist in extreme behavioural pattern to check whether there is any specific brain activity responsible for this.</li></ul>

Sleep walking is common in kids; Most kids outgrow it by they reach their teens.

Managing Sleep Walking Habit in Children

You can use simple day to day activities and conversations to teach your child maths in an interesting way: <ul><li>Teach your child numbers and then counting numbers: Each child learns at his or her own pace and they can learn it through different activities and ways. There cannot be comparison between two kids. You can use objects which we use in our day to day life. Like use buttons, pennies, books, fruits, cars, toys, blocks, chalk colours, etc. Ask them to count apples, oranges and bananas; this will widen their vision of counting and correlating different objects.</li><li>Play math games: Maths can be a fun subject to learn when you correlate and incorporate it into your daily activities. You can ask them various questions in general so it doesn’t feel like boring study time but make it a part of conversation.</li><li>Frame easy questions that revolve around his/her world: such as how many soft toys do you have, let's arrange them in a line and count. When you buy veggies ask him/her to count money for you. If you are to give 20 rupees you can ask him/her to give you 2 notes of 10 rupees. Keep it as simple as you can in the beginning. Ask him/her to bring spoons for all the family members at lunch. Ask them to show you six fingers of their hands.</li><li>Cutting cakes and pizzas: While cutting cakes and pizzas, you can teach them division, addition and subtraction too. They can learn the concept of halves and fourths and eighths. You can ask them how they can share a cake equally into all four members of the family and introduce the concept of division. You can add two halves and show them how it becomes one. Likewise you can keep experimenting and see what goes fine with your child.</li><li>Flash card: Once you have taught them counting you can make flash cards. Keep the question cards with you and give them answer cards. For example, you have a card showing 2+2 and they will show you a card with number 4.</li><li>Make maths a daily activity: Incorporate it into your routine. Ask questions while communicating with them.</li></ul>“How many lights are there at this signal?”“How many trees are there in our backyard?”“Can you tell me the number of doors and windows in our house?”Likewise keep framing simple questions.

Many children dread maths. But with a few interesting steps, your child can learn mathematics in a fun way.

Making mathematics interesting for kids

When our kids are asking such questions, it's time to consider the importance of such conversations. Do not panic or get aggressive when your child asks any question which is related to his/her body parts. It is totally normal for a child to ask any such questions. This comes out of their curiosity or from something they have heard or seen or read.Before providing any information, ensure it to be age-appropriate and consider your child’s individual maturity and sensitivity. Consider the following points while talking to them: <ol><li>Talk about it: Grab any opportunity that comes up naturally or you utilise bathing time or dressing time. Give them little pieces of information on body parts. Instead of directly pointing to their private parts, show them the importance of each body part and within the conversation, you can include the concept of private parts. That would look natural and normal to them. It sends them a message that talking about private parts is not something that is shameful. Introduce them to the real names of private parts like penis, vagina, vulva, and buttocks so they can talk to you or the doctor when they need to.</li><li>Safety and consent: Make them understand the concept of private parts like mouth, breast (chest), penis, vagina, vulva, buttocks. Let them know it is for their safety and no one should touch their private parts without their consent. You can explain to them that mom and dad can help them wash their private parts and at times doctors and nurses can touch them with a parent by their side for clinical purposes. Other than that no one is allowed to see and touch their private parts.</li><li>Stay calm and deal wisely: Whenever your child has such a question about private parts or nudity, explain them calmly and wisely. Explain to them that they can talk about it but in personal space with someone they trust.</li><li>Emphasise that these parts are called private parts because they belong to them. Tell them that privacy needs to be maintained. One must set boundaries and likewise respect boundaries too. Explain to them that even they should not be touching or seeing any one’s private parts.</li><li>Stay open: As a parent, stay open for your children so they can come to you at any time and ask whatever they want to. Make them feel comfortable, safe and secure.</li><li>Good touch, bad touch: Explain the difference between good touch and bad touch. Hugging, holding hands, kissing on the forehead, patting shoulders comes as a good touch. While if anyone tries to kiss their mouth, touches their private parts, gets closer to them inappropriately and forcibly tries to embrace them, it comes under the bad touch.</li><li>Control their media exposure: Be vigilant about the media they are consuming. Video games, TV shows and movies- these all are going to have some impact on your child.</li><li>Keep talking and inquiring on a regular basis about what is happening in your child’s life. Do not laugh or giggle. Do not react with anger. Do not make them feel ashamed. Listen to your child’s responses and reactions.</li></ol>

Talking about private parts and sex has always been uncomfortable for parents more than children. Relax, it is going to be easy.

Talking about private parts with your child

As a parent you can follow following steps to successfully wean off your child of pacifiers: <ul><li>Step 1: Start by not having a pacifier handy throughout the day when they want one, it could be a little hard in the beginning but continue your efforts. Let others in the house as well as caregivers know that you are trying to wean off your child of pacifiers so they can support you.</li></ul> <ul><li>Step 2: Offer a comforting substitute such as a special toy, stuffed animal or blanket. At bed time, begin emphasising the need for the substituted object over the pacifier. For example: Where is your Bunny? Let’s get him to sleep with us.</li></ul> <ul><li>Step 3: Once they have successfully reduced the use of pacifier, introduce the idea to your child that now they are a big boy/girl. They don’t need a pacifier anymore and let’s give them to someone who needs- some little baby around or say some squirrel or birdie.</li></ul> <ul><li>Step 4: Use positive reinforcement, that is, by praising your child when he / she has successfully gone without pacifier.</li></ul> FUN FACT: Sucking is an instinct and sometimes occurs even before birth.

Pacifiers and milk bottles if not weaned off at the right age, can last up to many years.

Weaning off pacifiers and milk bottles

Following measures can be taken to make your travel happy and comfortable: <ul><li>Confirm the train timings: Whether it is going to be late or not. This is to make sure that you won’t have to wait long hours with the baby on the station.</li><li>Carry a fold-able baby cot: Infants usually sleep a lot. So carrying a fold-able baby cot is a wise decision. It occupies less space and you don’t have to carry the child in your lap all through the journey. They too can have a comfortable sleep.</li><li>Carry an extra baby bag: This may seem extra baggage but it’s easy and comfortable to have a separate bag for baby’s belongings. That small bag can include diapers, baby wipes, cream, soft blanket, towels, sanitiser, milk powder, thermos with warm water, hairbrush , a mattress for the cot, feeding bottle, medicines and other such essential things for baby. Don’t forget to put your baby’s favourite toy and a water bottle.</li><li>Medicines: Please carry emergency medicines for fever, colic, stuffy nose, and nausea. Gastric pain is very common in babies so if your baby has been prescribed special medication take it along without fail.</li><li>Comfortable seat: Try and book lower berth so your baby can easily play and there are less chances of falling. Look for any sharp edges or such objects around that can hurt your child while playing.</li><li>Carry your baby’s food: You can prepare his/her favourite food for the journey. Try to keep food light and easy on your child’s stomach.</li><li>Avoid travelling with a baby who is less than 3 months old because they are easily prone to infections.</li></ul>

Travelling by train with a child can be tricky. The key is to be all prepared before boarding the train.

writing 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

Decoding your child’s psyche

Maintaining peace between husband and wife after having a baby

Teaching child to be a good listener

Managing Sleep Walking Habit in Children

Making mathematics interesting for kids

Talking about private parts with your child

Weaning off pacifiers and milk bottles

Travelling with a child in train

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