Prenatal Yoga: Seated Side Stretch Pose.

1. Reach over with your hand, keeping both sides of your buttocks to the ground while opening your chest to the sky. 
2.  Breath a few deep breaths.
3.  Relax the shoulders down and quieten the mind then switch to the other side .

Benefits :

1) This pose is great to help stretch and lengthen the side body, arms, torso, back, neck and shoulders.

2) It can also help alleviate stress and anxiety.

3) It helps to calm the mind and nervous system.

First Time Pregnancy Vs Second Time Pregnancy

Writing my second pregnancy blog was no easy task for me. I think I started my journey of the blog and within a couple of months, a got pregnant second time. And after 5 -6 months of pregnancy I think I had a total of one or two blog posts. Chasing a busy toddler around played a major role in my lack of posting. So here I am, holding my sweet little 3 weeks old baby on my lap as I try to write down a few significant moments throughout my pregnancy.

So in a quick recap of the last nine months, I thought I’d run down what has been harder, easier, or just wildly different about my first and second pregnancy, just in case it’s an interesting thing for another second time mom-to-be someday.


It’s actually funny how different your second pregnancy is compared to your first. The first time you’re pregnant- everything is so new and special. You spend your evenings reading every pregnancy book and your weekends perfecting every detail in the nursery. You know your baby is the size of a banana or apple depending on the week, and you spend hours daydreaming about what your little one will look like.

And then you get knocked up again, and things are just… different. Not a bad different and it’s not that you care any less or it’s not as special, your life has just changed already (and you’re busy running around with your toddler )! You know more of what to expect, and what is important when it comes to preparing yourself.

FIRST TRIMESTER:

            My first trimester this time around was much easier. I didn’t have morning sickness. No vomiting fortunately but, loads more nausea. And didn’t have the luxury of as much free time, as I was chasing around 20 months old at the time.

On the positive side, I didn’t have a food aversion like I did the first time around. So I had no problem eating.

With my first child, I was having the worst morning sickness. It was like 24 hours of sickness for me. I spent most of that time staring at a blank wall or sleeping. Because that was the only relief I had.

Second trimester:

               I felt pretty good during the second trimester. I don’t believe I planned and successfully host my toddler’s second birthday party when I was in my second trimester.
After that in a couple of weeks, we moved from Chicago to Toronto. It was still way more physically taxing on a pregnant body, even when you feel good. Moving from one country to another is not an easy task. A second trimester went so much busy with settling down in a new country.

The second trimester with my first baby also so much easy. I personally enjoyed it more.

Third trimester:

               Same issues with toddler chasing and just not having as much free time to relax as I did when I was pregnant with the first baby.
by about 36 weeks with Baby 2, I felt immensely more pregnant than I did at the end of the first baby’s pregnancy.  But, yes I was much more active till delivering the baby.
This time I was fully prepared for my second baby. I also cooked and frozen 2 weeks meal for our family. So that we could not be stressed out after coming home from the hospital. And can manage everything with toddler and newborn.

With my first baby, From week 32 I was on bed rest. I experienced terrible backache at that time. I started getting sharp pains in my back. It was hard to walk sometimes. When putting pressure on my leg while walking, I used to get a sharp shooting pain from the lower back throughout the leg. It was intense and worst sometimes. I spend all the time lying on a bed. Watching TV and reading birth stories of other mummies. So yes it was definitely hardest of all.

Exercise:

        One of the best things I did after having my first child was, I started doing Yoga. As it helped me not only feel better physically after having Parth but also really helped me manage my anxiety which got really bad with balancing a toddler and pregnancy alone. As soon as I knew that I got pregnant with the second baby I switched to prenatal yoga. I decided to work out for as long as I could and expected to make it to 25-30 weeks but got so much inspiration from others around me I actually made it to 35 weeks. I targeted the strength days for the upper and lower body mostly.

I really think doing Yoga every day helped me to stay active and I think the rumors are true that it helps in delivery and recovery as well!  This time my labor was just 5 hours whereas, with my first baby it was 24 hours. I also count raising a two-year-old as a full-body workout so in that case, I worked out every day;-)

Every pregnancy is a miracle – and every pregnancy is different and special in its own way. I feel very blessed to had two healthy pregnancies and to have carried two very healthy babies. So many people see me and ask how far apart in age my kids are. When I tell them they are 24 months apart, they proceed to say "Wow, two under three, you have your hands full!" I'm doing my best to embrace the craziness of this stage of life because I know I will look back one day and miss these moments terribly.

Potty Training In Three days (Age 18 Months Old)

To be 100% honest, there was no big secret in our potty training journey.

Three-day toilet training often comes with negative talk of how hard it will be or how you are forcing your child, but it’s not like that at all.   In fact, I found it to be extremely positive, effective and my son loved our weekend of potty training.   It was just us,  working on a goal together.

I started potty training my son after 18 months.  This is the age when healthy children become ready physically and emotionally.  The golden window is 18-23 months.  This is the easiest age to potty train your child because they are old enough to understand, but young enough not to be stubborn or set in their own ways just yet.  With that being said,  when you use the 3-day potty train in a weekend method, you can potty train your child at any age with success.

Here’s How to Potty Train Your Boy or Girl in Three Days:

        •   When your child wakes up in the morning, change his soggy diaper.  Have your kid throw the diaper out and say “bye-bye.”

     •  Change your kid into underwear. Go for underwear and pants together. We went straight to underwear + pants, and it was fine. and explain there is no diaper to catch the pee-pee or poop, so he has to put it in the potty.

        •  Give your kid breakfast and an extra drink. Afterward, lead your little one to the potty. It should be a successful trip after all those liquids.

     •  Go on with the day, but remember, no leaving the house during the three-day potty training. Play, read, color and watch cartoons.

        •   Have a constant sippy cup of water at your child's reach. Just walk your child to the potty every 15 minutes, all day long for three days.

        •    Cut off all liquids and snacks after dinner while potty training.

      •   Complete one final potty mission before bed.

      • Don’t get upset about potty training accidents. They’re not a big deal. Don’t react.

Fisher-Price Thomas and Friends Thomas Easy Clean Potty Ring

Repeat this process everyday. Day One there were a few accidents, but all in all, it was a successful day, with way more successes than accidents!

Day two Only one accident all day was a success! Remember to stay consistent! And Day three is kind of magic day! I feel like this was the day he gained confidence in himself.

The child usually starts to understand right away, but there is a period of accidents where the child has the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and practice the necessary skills.

My son was not speaking much when we started this process, so I had to learn to respond to the sound or activity he made when he wanted to go potty, which was something like, he raised his finger towards me and pointed toward the washroom. He had a couple of accidents simply because I was distracted and didn’t know what he was saying. I apologized abundantly and praised him for his attempts.

Eventually, you want your child to just go sit on the potty on their own whenever they have to go. When you take him to the potty, remind him that he can sit down by himself. Hold his hand as he sits down, to begin with so that he gets comfortable with the feeling. It always happens sooner than I expect that my son will be playing intently, then run to the potty, sit down and pee, then run back to playing. Although I want to shout from the kitchen sometimes, I usually just casually say something like, “Good job” or “Nicely done.” If he is casual about it, I want him to keep that attitude.

Toytexx Potty Toilet Seat Adjustable Baby Toddler Kid Toilet Trainer with Step Stool Ladder for Boys and Girls-Blue-Purple Pattern

The potty training methods that I did not use:

     • I did not wait until my son is self-potty trained.

      • I did not give out rewards.  He was self-motivated. Because This is a method that naturally and gently, yet firmly teaches your child to go diaper-free and stay dry without rewards in 3 days.

         •  I did not punish him for having accidents. I was firm but positive.

       • I did not wait for him to be able to talk before I began potty training.

Sometimes when you are in the middle of it, potty training can start to seem like a big deal, but it really isn’t. Just have patience and remember that your child WILL get on board with using the toilet eventually. The less pressure you put on them, the better. Trust yourself, trust your child, and diapers will be out of your life before you know it.

You’ll be so proud of your kid and yourself when you’re done. Good luck!

Tip For Planning Your Kid's 2nd Birthday Party

Although many will say the “twos are terrible,” this age can actually be a ton of fun! The birthday parties can be great fun as well!

I’ve never seen a child be more obsessed with one item more than my son is with cars. If it has 4 wheels, Parth will immediately become obsessed! So obviously, we had to throw a Cars themed birthday party for our Parth. Let me tell you, he had the best time .

Since a kids’ party is likely filled with lots of grownup friends and family members too, you want to cater to both the kiddos and the adults in attendance. It’s all about striking the balance between stylish party and kid-friendly festivity. Check out my tips and some of the details from Parth’s birthday party below.

The Invitations: Sending party invitations via email is usually my go-to these days. My husband Pundlik and I choose car theme invitation and send it to the guests. But, if you want, you may choose to send out paper invitations to your guests. If you’re not as crafty, there are so many other cute kids’ party invitations on sites like Minted or ETSY.

The venue: Instead of hosting a celebration outside, we choose to celebrate it in our home. Also, we realized that by doing this it was more cost effective than renting a hall, an entertainer, or having a big party with tonnes of people. We liked the intimate size, and although we would have loved to do it at home.

Party planning:

Timings: We started the party at 11 am and were finished just after noon. The perfect amount of time for a child’s party, and just before nap time.

Most toddlers are still taking an afternoon nap, so take this into account when party planning. For example, my son usually naps from around 1-3pm, so the best timing for us to have a party was either in the morning at 11am or in the afternoon at 4 pm. I personally don’t like kids evening or night birthday Parties. I saw it in most of the parties that kids get exhausted, cranky at the time of cake cutting. I mean it’s their day, the celebration is all about them and it’s not good to exhaust them for the sake of our enjoyment. Anyway, it’s everyone’s personal choice.

Decorations: Although a theme isn’t necessary for a toddler party, it might make things more fun and easier to plan if you have a vision in mind. If your child has a favorite animal, toy, or character, you can choose a theme around that and plan food, decor, and maybe even some activities around it. We did a car theme for my son’s second birthday.

When you think kids’ party, cheesy store-bought decor might be the first thing that comes to mind.  But if you are good at crafting then you definitely try some DIY ideas. The joy of doing everything yourself is just awesome.

We did all the decoration at home. Balloon garland, Name train, photo frame everything. You will get some ideas from these pictures.

Eats and Treats: For me, the food is the main focal point of the party. I absolutely love planning a party menu. It always gets a little tricky when you are feeding a crowd.

When I got married, I started cooking and baking a lot more. I prepared an Indian lunch for guest. It includes Chapati, kadai paneer, Veg Kurma, Veg Pulav, Dal fry and Plain Rice for kids. And I loved that everyone enjoyed it.

But as everyone knows, the very best part of a birthday party is the cake!  After becoming mom, I started the tradition of baking an cake on my son’s birthday.

Who knew that I would one day make my son feel proud of me by baking a birthday cake. He was so happy after seeing his favorite cars on the cake. His smile and giggles made my day.

 Here is a cake that I made for Parth’s birthday. If you need any tips for cake decoration, do let me know.

Photos: Even if you are opting to celebrate with immediate family only instead of throwing an all-out bash, I would highly recommend planning a little photo shoot with everyone . Having beautiful photos to commemorate the milestone that is your little one’s birthday will be the best gift you all will get.

 Based on the enjoyment on my son’s face, I’d say it was a successful party. I received many compliments from guests about the decorations, as well as, food and cake.  After all the hard work Pundlik & I put in, it was all worth.

Do you have any tips for throwing an epic kids party of your own?

Please share them with me below! I’m already starting to plan Parth’s 3rd birthday in my head. :)

SIDS Prevention Tips

SIDS is something that every parent fears, but there are ways to reduce the risk of SIDS for your new baby. While these SIDS prevention tips are not a guarantee, they are precautions worth taking to keep your baby safe.

How to Reduce the Risk of SIDS
Babies between the ages of two to four months are most vulnerable to SIDS, but you should take steps to protect your baby at least for the first year of life. Let’s take a look at different ways that you can reduce the risk for your little ones.

Make sure that your baby’s mattress and sheet fit the crib snugly.

It’s important that your baby’s crib fit tightly into the crib without leaving gaps or holes in the corners. The sheet should fit tight so that there is no risk of the corners popping off and preventing the risk of suffocation for your baby. While these measures aren’t necessarily connected to SIDS, they are critical to a safe sleep environment for your baby.

Avoid Soft Sleeping Surfaces
Soft or loose bedding can increase the risk of suffocation and SIDS. Newborns should not be placed on top of pillows, quilts, comforters or thick-blankets.
It’s best to use a safety-approved, firm crib mattress that’s waterproof on the outside with a fitted sheet to increase safety. Never sleep with your infant in an armchair or sofa.

No Soft Objects or Loose Bedding in the Crib
To help prevent SIDS, all soft objects such as pillows, soft toys, quilts, blankets, and comforters shouldn’t be in a sleeping baby’s crib. In quite a few SIDS cases, infants are found with soft coverings over there head. They are also found in the prone position on top of a pillow or soft toy.

 Best alternative many parents prefer is a baby sleep sack. These are designed to keep a newborn warm without the risks associated with covering their head

Don’t let your Baby get Too Hot or Too Cold
Too much bedding or clothing, or a room that is too hot can be dangerous for a newborn. They don’t need a really hot room, try to keep the temperature at about 65 F.
Don’t worry if an infant’s hands or feet are cool to the touch. This is normal but if they’re sweating or their tummy is hot, remove some clothing or bedding. In summer, your newborn might not need any bedding other than a sheet.
Remember, babies lose excess heat through their heads so don’t let a baby’s head be covered when they’re sleeping. A fan in a warm room has also been shown to help reduce the risk of SIDS.

Keep Infants in Same Room but Different Bed
Although you may be tempted to sleep in the same bed for convenience sake, it’s best to avoid it. Baby can get trapped in bedding or may accidentally be rolled on when sleeping at night. If you sleep in the same bed as your baby, it increases your chances of SIDS.
If you want to be close to your baby, put the crib right next to your bed so you’re within arms reach. There are many products on the market intending to make co-sleeping safer, but unfortunately, no studies have been done to prove the safety of these products.

What Is SIDS And Causes Of SIDS

What is SIDS?

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a rare condition that results in the unexpected death of an infant younger than 1 year. It usually happens before 6 months, and the peak of occurrence is between 2 to 4 months.

SIDS (Sudden infant death syndrome) is an unexplainable death during a babies sleep.

Some babies for some reason do not wake themselves up if they aren’t breathing. SIDS is something that Pediatrician haven’t been able to explain. Babies that appear to be healthy might die from SIDS.


What causes SIDS?

SIDS is honestly not a real condition, it literally means Sudden Infant Death for which they don’t know the cause. Accidental suffocation is the most common cause of this kind of death, but it is usually called SIDS to the parents to alleviate blame and guilt. However, we do know many possible causes for so many SIDS cases.

There are so many possible causes that to nail it down to just one is near to impossible. Babies are rather fragile early on and are susceptible to many factors out of their control. I mean they can’t roll right off the bat, don’t have efficient use of their hands and cannot pick up their heads. As accidental suffocation is the most likely cause, it’s likely that the infant just got into a situation that they couldn’t get out of.


• Don’t smoke in the home

Infants who are around cigarette smoke, not only active (visible) but also passive (the presence of smoke on clothing and bedding), have a much higher risk of SIDS. So Pediatrician recommends no smoking around newborn or infant, and avoid spending time with other caregivers who smoke.

• Put your baby in the proper sleeping position.

All infants should sleep on their back. The back sleep position is the safest position for all babies until they are 1 year old. Babies who are used to sleeping on their backs, but who are then placed to sleep on their stomachs, like for a nap, are at very high risk for SIDS. Preemies (infants born preterm) should be placed on their backs to sleep as soon as possible after birth.

• Avoid co-sleeping

Having your infant cuddled up in bed with you may feel comforting and protective. Sometimes keeping him in bed if he falls asleep while feeding just seems easier. Unfortunately, co-sleeping becoming the most frequently found risk factor contributing to SIDS.

Here in USA pediatrician encourage parents to let their infant sleep as close to them as they want but in a separate bassinet or crib and not in bed with them. Also, infants should not sleep on the sofa, chair, or any other location not designed for infant sleep.

However, now the SIDS rate has decreased due to awareness. The largest decline in SIDS rates occurred between 1992 and 1999. Between 1994, when the Safe to Sleep® campaign (formerly known as the Back to Sleep campaign) started. SIDS progress. This campaign is working well and it reduced the risk of SIDS.

In next post will discuss how to prevent SIDS and a different way to be SIDS safe.

Is Your Baby Sleeping Enough? Healthy sleep habits for babies.

Sleep is one of the greatest areas of concern for new families and is an important part of a baby’s life. Each age group comes with its own common challenges.

First 2 weeks:

New parents are often concerned about how much their new baby sleeps when he comes home from the hospital. Some sleep 19, 20, or even 22 hours a day and only wake up to feed. This is common and okay. Parth was doing exactly the same thing. As long as the feedings are going well and your baby is not too fussy, you are in good shape.

At 2 weeks to 2 months

Babies 2 weeks to 2 months old are just learning how to soothe themselves, need to eat frequently, and will surprise you with how often they poop. Feed your baby when he’s hungry, change him when needed, and let him sleep whenever he’d like in his bassinet or crib, with no blankets or stuffed animals around to risk suffocation.

Tips:

1) Established nighttime routine

2) Learn how to soothe your baby with swaddling.

At 2 to 6 Months

Babies 2 to 6 months are learning to self-soothe, so you’ve got a range of options when it comes to sleep. Some continue with their unstructured sleep, but many starts thinking about sleep-training methods. For example cry-it-out.

• Cry-it-out method

This method demonstrated the effectiveness of letting a baby fuss on her own for slowly increasing periods (ex, 1 minute for a few nights, 2 minutes for a few nights) in hopes that he learns to soothe himself in his crib. Click here to read our sleep training experience.

At 6 to 12 Months

If you haven’t thought about sleep training yet, and are hoping to do so, 6 to 12 months is the ideal time. As your baby’s need change, you’ll see a lot more curiosity and will likely see a more nighttime awakening, and you want nights to be a well-settled event at this point. Don’t be surprised if new changes in development, such as in feeding pattern, mobility, and teething, all come with short periods. Stick to your plan. Comfort briefly while your baby is in his crib, and emphasize routine for your sake and for your baby’s.

Tips:

1) Establish a bedtime routine.

Each night, to establish a bedtime routine, give your child a bath, read his favorite book, and sing the same bedtime song. Be sure to keep the activities the same way at the same time every night. These cues will help trigger a reminder that it really is bedtime.

2) Avoid playtime right before bedtime.

Avoid too much roughhousing and physical playtime right before bedtime, which may get your child worked up. The bedtime routine should be as minimally stimulating as possible. Also, avoid electronics; studies show screen time is actually stimulating and makes going to sleep harder.

You may not agree with my methods or ways of thinking and that’s perfectly fine. Every parent is different and every child is different. The most important thing you can do is listen to your mama instincts and do exactly what they tell you to do. Nonetheless, I hope you’ve found something on my blog that you find helpful. Maybe you even have something to add? Drop me a line in the comments below.

Baby activities for 0 to 3 months old baby

 One of the most favorite moments of my life was spending time with Parth when he was a newborn. Those three months were the most peaceful, enjoyable and snuggly months! I never wanted it to end. but, they grow so fast.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about some things you can do to help your three-month-old reach developmental milestones.

TUMMY TIME

Some babies don’t enjoy tummy time, but it’s so important for these squishy little!
Babies need to spend around 30 minutes on their tummy each day to help them learn to lift up their head and to roll over. There are different ways to do tummy time to make it more fun for your baby. I did tummy time with Parth on a fun mat, on my tummy, and on my legs. If the baby doesn’t respond to tummy time on his own, try to engage him.

CRISS CROSS
This is an awesome activity to strengthen and stretch your baby. First, you take your baby’s left hand and touch it to their right foot. Then, you switch and take your baby’s right hand and touch it to their left foot. I usually did this about ten times with Parth each day.

IMITATE BABY

It is so funny to watch a baby and all of the faces they make and to listen to the sounds they make. It makes it even more fun to try and imitate them! Your baby will notice that you are copying them and they might even respond by making more noises.

CYCLING

This was one of Parth’s favorite activities! I would take his legs and gently move them in a cycling motion. Again this is another fantastic way to exercise those legs to get him ready to roll, crawl and walk!

AIRPLANE
Let baby see the world through new heights! Daddy likes doing this one. Just hold on tight, baby only wants to pretend fly!

LEG PRESSES
This is another great leg exercise activity! For this activity, you take a hard object ( a book, box, couch) and you place it right by your baby’s feet. Your baby will then push off the object with their feet.

PLAY WITH TEXTURES
Different textures are perfect for baby’s developmental stages. At three months, you should be letting them feel things like stuffed animals, toys like wooden blocks and plastic teethers, and various kinds of fabrics.

TALKING, SINGING, AND READING

 


Communication is so important for newborn babies. In order for them to learn how to talk you need to communicate with them a lot. One way is to sing songs. Nursery rhymes are repetitive and good for babies to hear but any type of song will work! You can also read children’s books, your own books or magazines to your baby. It really doesn’t matter what you are saying just as long as you are communicating with your baby!


Try all these activities with your baby. I’d love to hear about your experiences with these activities and how your baby reacted to them.

Tips and hacks for the new mom

Being a new mom is always hard. As I said in my previous post, every day comes with a new learning experience with the baby. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s your first baby or second, all kiddos are different, and you have to learn and adjust with each one. 

In the haze of pregnancy bliss, you didn’t remember anyone telling you how exhausting those few months can be. But parenthood is a fun one. I’m grateful for all the ups and downs. 

When it comes to mom life, I am always looking for ways to make my job easier. 

To adjust your life with your baby I want to share some hacks which I learn from my daily life and some which I read. 

•   Zipper Pajamas for baby:  

 

There’s nothing worse than trying to button your baby back up and sometimes you just can’t figure out the darn buttons because it’s 2 am, you’re exhausted, and it’s dark. Save yourself a headache and get back to sleep faster by investing in a cute pair of jammies that zips up instead.

•  Eat and snack well and stay hydrated:

Keeping easy-to-grab snacks close by along with a large water bottle is going to give your tired body the fuel you need to make it through the day.

•  Swaddling:

I am not someone who can swaddle very well. I study the nurses at the hospital while they do it, and I just have come to the conclusion that it is a talent I will never have. My husband did it very well. So it was his daily duty. Remember, swaddling makes sleeping changes so much easier.

•  Use pacifiers to help with medicine taking:

For those babies that don’t want to take medicine, use pacifiers. The pacifiers with the hollow opening fit a medicine dropper perfectly.

•  Coconut Oil:

 Use coconut oil to moisturize cradle cap and use a baby comb to gently remove the flaking skin.

• Diaper:

Make sure that your new diaper is open and ready, as well as wipes standing by BEFORE you open the dirty diaper. 

• Baby clothes:

Roll baby clothes instead of folding them to better fit in drawers. You can fit so many more in there and they’re easier to find. Also, don’t buy too much baby clothes. Trust me, babies grow up too fast.  

• Nail cutting:

Don’t try to cut your baby’s nails. Use a nail file instead. No risk of cutting his little fingers this way. The best time to do it is when he’s sleeping or when he’s eating. 

• Keep extra clothes (for you and baby) and diapers and wipes in the car:

No matter how prepared you are, there will be times when your diaper bag doesn’t have what you need. Always keep a bunch of diapers and wipes in the car and clothes for you and baby there too.

• Try to get baby used to an early bedtime:

While many newborns prefer a later bedtime before too long they will be more likely to go to sleep early (around 7). Take advantage of this! Getting your baby down early means more time for you, and more time for you to connect with your husband, because it’s probably not happening too much during the day.

• Get outside:

Getting a little fresh air each and everyday will break up your day and help you to relax and rejuvenate. It will be helpful for your baby too, especially during the evening witching hours.

• Discuss with your partner ahead of time to figure out a game plan:

Having an open discussion with your partner is a must in order to prepare for baby’s arrival. When you are not the primary caregiver,  it can be difficult to know just how much time and energy a newborn can require. Keep your marriage strong after baby. Because to be truthful, bringing a baby into a relationship can quickly turn your relationship upside down. 

• Get baby on a good sleep schedule/”train” baby to sleep more than 2 hours:

I am a strong believer, however, that there are many things that you can do to help your newborn sleep better and longer through the night. Some of my favorite tips for getting your baby to sleep longer are swaddling, cluster feeding and avoiding over tiredness.

• Sleep sacks - use them:

don’t be afraid to use sleeping tools for your baby! These tools were developed to help your baby feel secure and comfortable – so use them to your advantage. 

• Bedtime routine:

Start implementing a bedtime routine from the beginning. Babies thrive off of routines. It helps them know what to expect so that they know they are safe. Having a routine in place will also help your baby learn to self-soothe faster and easier. Trust me, you want this. It doesn’t matter what your routine is so as long as you stick with it.

• Dream Feed:

A dream feed is a nursing session right before you get ready to go to bed. Many babies, including Parth, would feed without ever fully waking up.  I could nurse him and lay him right back down with no issue at all.  It allows you to fill up their bellies right before you go to sleep in the hopes that it might gain you a few extra hours of rest before your baby is hungry again.  In my opinion, this newborn hack is definitely worth a try. 

These tips and tricks are just a few ways to make your life as a mom easier so that you can spend more time playing with your baby and less time doing, well, anything else. 

Are there other newborn tips that I forgot to mention? Let me know in the comments below!

Why We Don’t Share Our Baby’s Photo On Social Media

Whenever I share my family pictures on social media, my friends asked me, why I don’t share my baby’s pictures.  Why I hide his face every time? So I decided to share my view on it in today’s blog post.

I actually enjoy the concept of social media. I love being able to stay in touch with people. I love social media. I am on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest. I enjoy seeing people like my posts and comments. Facebook, Instagram is the first thing I look at in the morning almost every day.

But, When I was pregnant, my husband and I made the decision not to share photos of our son on social media.

I think we grow up in the most safest and protected environment. Because our parent didn’t have a smartphone or social media during that time. In fact,  when we were Kids, our pictures get shared and liked when friends and relatives were visits our home.

In today’s online world where everything can be cached, archived, and stored in the cloud, we have to assume that anything we post online will be permanently available in some form. This certainly goes for adults too, but I feel that it is even more important with my kid.

What if sharing his life with strangers before he even knew who he Is. I don’t feel that it is my right to share about my child's life online and for some reason, if he wants in his teenage, he won’t be able to undo or un-share the things I’ve posted about him.

Many parents put their kid’s images on Facebook, Instagram; some of them even creating accounts on behalf of their children when they’re still babies. Facebook doesn’t allow the account of under age of 13. The most obvious reason for this is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly referred to as COPPA. Passed in 1998, the act created strict requirements for "operators of websites or online services" that collect information from children under the age of 13.

Everyone wants to share pictures of their kids with friends and family. After all, baby’s are adorable, and who doesn’t have a cellphone camera handy at all times? But for me, I don’t want my kid on social media until he is old enough.

Think about this… If the details of a child’s life have been shared on social media from birth, a person could potentially find that child’s date and time of birth, eye color, hair color, photos, school location, and home address online. Which is absolutely not safe.

We truly have no idea what the future of technology holds for our children or what it will look like a decade from now. I’m personally trying to guard his future privacy in the only way I know how- by keeping his information offline until he decides he wants it there.

Also, I won’t keep my kid off social media forever as I’m not opposed to him using it when he will older and responsible enough. I had the safe childhood that wasn’t public and I’m trying to offer the same to my own child.

I share pictures of him doing activities on social media, I just don’t show his faces. I talk about him in a general way. If you want to, you could find more pictures of my son’s hair than you’d ever care to see. I am just trying really hard to afford my kids some online privacy.

Finally, respect everyone’s decision. Everyone has a personal choice. We don’t judge those who post photos of their babies, so please don’t judge us for not.

First Three Months Of Motherhood

For many women’s like me motherhood is an overwhelming experience with ecstatic joy. The first three months of baby’s life are likely to be most emotionally and physically demanding three months of yours.

Like everyone knows Parenting doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It comes naturally to you! I want to share my overall experience with new motherhood during those early months. So that soon to be mom can get a sneak peek of what is coming there way.

 Those initial days was full of emotions for me. When I came home from hospital l was looking at my baby and just crying and crying for four, five days. I was terribly missing my mom who was back in India. I have seen how she took care of my both sisters during their pregnancy and postpartum days. That time I know that one can never compare mothers love with anything and anyone.

But like every time I mentioned, I was lucky to have an extremely supportive husband and my friends. Still, being a first-time mom is hard. Seriously, you have no idea what you are doing. For me, it was a daily learning experience about baby’s lifestyle.

First three months of the newborn baby is called as RED ZONE.

• Sleep: Most new parents major concern about a newborn is sleep. Under the general happiness, there’s exhaustion in every house with a newborn in it. Most likely for the first few weeks, you will be awake every two hours or so. Even if you have no other responsibilities and plenty of helping hands, the lack of a good solid stretch of sleep can be devastating. It will affect your mood, your stamina, your emotions, and your ability to focus. There is no other option, you have to learn sleep in a break. If you have a spouse, remember that you're in this together. Try sleeping in shifts, and have your partner take over some of the nighttime. Your partner can help by bringing the baby for feeding, changing a baby’s diaper, and rocking him to sleep afterward.

• Feeding: Every time when the baby cry, it means, it’s a time to feed the baby again.  In initial months you have to follow that 2,3 hours feeding cycle. Sometimes Bedroom felt no less than prison, where I wait for the baby to get hungry. I was so mean sometimes I wonder — what would men do? How would they react to spending two months trapped in a small room alone with a baby? I get angry every time when I see my husband in exercise clothes, I was like,  why should he go for a run every day when I’m stuck here? Add exhaustion and every disagreement turns into a fight. I just wanted him to sit by me and make me feel less alone.

• Our relationship changed: Every night, when the baby finally goes to sleep, my husband and I lie in bed and look at the pictures we’ve taken of the baby today. We whisper stories about what he did today. We fell in love with this little creature.

• Accept all offers of help: If you can afford to hire a maid service, do it. If not then, When people offering to help, say yes to all. No need to be a hero, no need to be exhausted. If you have neither then just let it be because Your baby does not care if your furniture has been dusted or if your carpet is linty. You need to take rest to recover.

• Emotional Changes: A number of emotional problems can arise when you had a baby. But, loving support of one another is a key. Be there for one another, comfort one another when you need it. When you talk about your emotional problem, your feelings are out to be dealt with. So be understanding and compassionate with yourself and each other. Then move on to resolving these issues together.

• Everything is temporary: Just remember, this time will pass. And then life moves on. Everything becomes manageable. My relationship moves slowly toward normal. Everyone starts sleeping and eating a little more predictably. Baby starts stretching night sleeps about 5 to 7 hours after 5 to 6 weeks.

The first three months of your baby's life are an amazing, truly magical time, and they grow up by tremendous speed. And, It is truly amazing to see (and feel) a human grow. I almost can’t put it into words. When I looked back today, I felt like I have never known before the strength I have. My husband and I handled everything pretty well!

Celebrate Every Day As Valentine’s Day

Now the time has arrived when we go crazy to broadcast our love to someone special on Valentine’s Day! But is it really necessary to do that just one day in a year? 

I mean, I am not against of celebrating it. It’s nice that there is one day is kept aside to celebrate love for someone special in our life. But, why only one day... why not make all 364 days. why should you only celebrate and demonstrate your love on just one day of the year?

You should do something for loved ones every day to show your love. It can be going out for dinner, or night-outs. Buying a flower for her or him. 

Giving gift without occasions like without birthdays, anniversaries. When you do this, their surprise will bring joy to both of you.  

Strengthen your relationship by putting each other on priority . Give the relationship the same commitment you made when you first started dating – simply put each other first!

What I learn In my 4 years marriage is, You don’t have to spend money on someone to show your love. When two people truly care for one another some of the little things that mean the most. Like an unplanned picnic, a walk in a park, Watching a sunset on a beach. Try to Spend quality time with your loved one, which is I think a most expensive gift in today’s busy life. 

Listen to them when they talk about their job, take interest in their hobbies and support them.

 Sometimes when we have been together for a long time, we could take each other for granted. This does not mean that your love for each other is fading. Take time and effort for each other. 

Just take a time to appreciate one another for whatever they do for you. Show them that you really care for them, how much you love them.

So, Just put aside all the commercial hype. Don’t expect romantic gesture only in a red, heart-shaped packages. Make your relationship even more special and start working on celebrating every day of a year as Valentine’s day. 

What to pack in Hospital bag

Once I reached in the third trimester of pregnancy, and my due date was starting to closed , I  started wondering what should pack in my hospital bag.

Actually, I wanted to be prepared, wanted to be comfortable in my hospital stay. Also, I was more panic because our family was in India, and we were alone in USA. Unfortunately, no one from family was available to be with us at the time of delivery.  So I wanted to be well prepared. I never wanted my husband should run around home and hospital to grab things. I hunt the internet for advice and asked many of my friends that, what I should pack.

But, according to my experience, I think, you doesn’t need to take a stress about it. The hospital will provide a lot of the essentiality's you’ll need during labor and after birth. Honestly, I think, I packed so many unnecessary things in my hospital bag on being prepared. It was little crazy.

What to pack for hospital bag

Our hospital was more than equipped to handle everything I may have needed, especially all of the essentials. Usually hospital provides pain medication, hygiene supplies for after birth, and most everything your baby will need (diapers, wipes, shampoo, bulb syringe, etc.) However, I recommend bringing some of your own toiletries. Here is my checklist for hospital bag

Toiletries

• Favorite shampoos, body washes, and face wash
• Hair bands, hair ties, clips
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Makeup
• Tissues
• Travel mirror

Other items

• Photo ID & Insurance card
• Cash and spare change
• Camera
• Baby book
• Laptop
• Charger

Clothes

I remember I pack two outfits per day for the baby. Which I think I overpacked. Because the hospital will provide you with baby clothes and swaddle blankets during your stay. They are more comfortable during your hospital stay. But if you want you can bring your own.

• Going home outfit for mom (something that fit you at the second trimester )
• Baby going home outfit
• Blanket for baby when going home
• Slippers

Tips
 
• Pack at the start of month 8
 You never know if you are going to go into labor early so, it’s better to pack up early.  I recommend just having the bag in your car because you might not be at home when labor begins. Also, It is easy then try and remember everything at the last second.

• Make a list before
write a quick list of things you don’t want to forget Like, phone. I put this on top of my bag, and it helped me to remember some of those essential items I hadn’t packed.

• Snacks: 
While meals will be provided by the hospital and vending machines are usually available, it’s wise to also bring a couple of your favorite snacks. Also its helpful just in case if the kitchen is closed.

• Husband Bag: 
 Pack some extra clothes, Toothbrush and toothpaste, some entertainment, and their wallet.

• Car seat: 
You can’t leave the hospital without having a car seat to bring the baby home in. So, be smart, and get one ahead of time. Have it properly installed and bring it with you to the hospital. If it’s cold when your baby is born, I highly recommend the Cozy Cover. It’s safe for car seats, and it will keep your baby warm.

What NOT to Pack in Your Hospital Bag

• Clothes for the hospital stay
I found that wearing hospital gowns was the most practical option while in the hospital.

• Diapers and Wipes
 The hospital provides nice diapers and wipes and will even give you some to take home. They have all sizes so no matter how big your baby is you’ll be covered.

• Pacifiers:
The hospital provides these as well. If you are planning to breastfeed then big no for pacifiers in initiation days.

This is all about my hospital bag checklist. Let me know what all you packed in your hospital bag. Did I miss out something? Comment below.