Laundry Tips for Parents


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Dealing with your own laundry can be challenging enough, but as soon as you have children, having enough clean, fresh clothes (and preferably not being swamped with dirty laundry either) quickly becomes a real luxury. Babies and toddlers can generate impressive amounts of dirty clothing, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at times. Do you sometimes wonder how other parents do it? Everyone struggles at first, but fortunately, staying on top of your laundry chores is not hard with a little know-how.

Here, we’ve compiled some of the most useful tricks and techniques, but of course, this list doesn’t exhaust all possibilities. Luckily, there are plenty of resources online based around providing advice on parenting, household tasks and stain removal. Remember that no parent is perfect – for many of the most common parenting problems, reams of information are available just at your fingertips.

Get organised

Sorting clothes just before the wash is quite a hassle – preparation is key. Invest in at least three laundry baskets, separating whites from dark and mixed loads to avoid the disappointment of pink underwear and discoloured shirts. Once your kids are old enough, you can also slowly encourage them to start sorting their laundry themselves. But even if your kids are still too young to separate whites from darks themselves, you will still save a good amount of time if you sort your laundry in advance. Pre-treat stains as you go, too –spray or soak the stained area as soon as possible with a stain-remover, and place stained items separately on your washing machine or a counter top.

Have laundry days

Throwing clothes in the wash whenever you need them may seem practical, as the prospect of spending hours doing laundry can seem very daunting. But you won’t only end up wasting water and electricity; spontaneous washes give you little opportunity to plan ahead, leaving you stressed and looking for clean items at the last minute. A clear schedule can help with that. If you have one, two or three designated laundry days a week, depending on how much dirty laundry your kids manage to produce, you will be able to plan other chores and activities around the washing cycles. Continue reading

Adjust your expectations

There’s something soothing about perfectly ironed and folded laundry, squeaky clean and perfumed – it leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. But as a parent, you will soon notice that you might have to adjust your expectations a little bit. Having clean laundry becomes a priority, while any additional ironing and folding becomes increasingly inconvenient and time-consuming. Your kids couldn’t care less about creases and wrinkles, and when they’re playing outside, or learning how to eat solid food and use forks and spoons, the chances are their clothes will revert back to a messy state look t sooner rather than later.

There’s no need for perfectionism – a more relaxed approach to laundry will save you time, and you can spend more time with your kids (or treating those especially stubborn stains, if necessary).

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Why do we Need a Sprouter

sprout

Hello Mommies,
Sprouts have become a part of my life now, as I follow a high protein diet. We all know the benefits of sprouts and they are great for babies too. Sprouts are high is protein and it removes the gassiness from the beans and lentils. Sprouting is a tedious process and I’m generally very lazy to follow up.

My aunt gave me this partitioned sprouter and its been so useful. Although the instructions say that we need to soak the grams overnight and then place in the sprouter. I soak them in the sprouter itself (Use the 2nd and last partition for soak, later move the sprouts from the last bowl to the top). If the water goes down I add more overtime. But in 24 hours you have lovely sprouts, the picture just shows the sprouts halfway, I had better ones later.

For Baby Cereal Powders

You can sprout wheat, moong dal, ragi, bajra and all types of grains. Dry in the sun, later roast it on low flame and powder. Finally sieve the powder. This will make an ideal cereal mix for your babies. You can add water or milk and prepare a porridge with sugar or salt. Continue reading

For weight-watching mommies its a great filler and perfect for weightloss. I checked the market price which is around Rs 400. Do purchase one if you prepare sprouted food often.

 

 

 

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Recipe of Bisi Bele Bath – Baby food 11 months plus

bisi

Bisi Bele Bath or Hot Lentil Rice is one of my favorite one pot meal. My baby who is 11 months, loves it too. I reduce the amount of masala powder for her. Otherwise we follow the same recipe. It forms a complete meal as it has carbs from the rice, proteins from the lentils and all other vitamins from veggies. You can also add nuts but make sure your pick them out before you feed babies.

Ingredients:

  • Rice- 3/4 cup
  • Toor Dal- 3/4 cup
  • Veggies and peanuts – 1 1/2 cup (beans, carrot, potato, peas, groundnuts) – grate veggies for babies, you an avoid peanuts too
  • Chopped tomato – 1 small
  • MTR bisi bele bath powder – 2 Tbsp – adjust as per taste
  • Tamrind paste- 1/2 tsp
  • jaggery powder- 1/2 tsp
  • mustard – a pinch
  • onion/ capsicum – 1/2
  • Cashew pieces
  • Curry leaves
  • Oil/ghee
  • Salt

Procedure: Continue reading

Pressure cook rice, dal and veggies with tomato for 3 whistles. To the cooker add jaggery, tamrind, salt and masala powder. In a separate pan add oil/ghee, to this add mustard, curry leaves (optional) and onion slices/ capsicum pieces and fry. If you want to make it rich add cashew pieces. Now add this mixture to the big pot. Add 1-2 cups of water and reheat so that everything comes together.

Bisi bele bath has a runny texture. You can eat it with raitha or boondi.

 

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Exercise with a Baby – Losing Weight Post Delivery

Mommies planning to head to the gym post-delivery, have you taken time to realize that you have a little dumbbell with you, who is going to make you run around and move all those muscles which have never shaken a bit. Something to think of, right?

Anyways, most moms get frustrated post-delivery when the weight sticks around and people around keep convincing you that breastfeeding will make you lose the weight. But then you might get anxious and restless and finally hit the gym, I’m not saying its wrong to hit the gym, but excessive exercise during breastfeeding will reduce the milk supply and also make you more tired and hence you will eat more.

The key to weightloss is both exercise and diet. If ever you thought that gymming gives you a license to eat what you like you are totally wrong. After years at the gym I have seen people with the same weight. Weightloss is a task, it does not happen if you don’t take it seriously. But then mommies with babies, I know how frustrating it can get when everyone around is reminding you about weight gain. I too used to get so irritated.

But then from my own experience I can tell you that you will lose weight after the baby is around 7 months. The baby’s intake will be more and you will lend to lose weight naturally. Once the baby starts moving then you have more activity to do. Working moms should atleast take a walk with your baby once a day, preferably carry your baby and walk, it is the best weight training you can get.

Weight training is another key to weightloss, most people think cardio is the only way to lose weight, but cardio does not build muscles, muscles are the engine which breaks fat, so for an ideal weight loss, pick up weights with cardio. So your little one can serve as your ideal weight trainer and walking is your cardio. So no more frowns to carry your baby around.

Here are some ways you can exercise: Continue reading

  • Always make your baby play on the floor mat, Im sure you may get up many many times, there goes your squats, so your lower body done.
  • Carrying your baby is great for your arms, back.
  • Carrying your baby on your hips will reduce the sides.
  • Walking with your baby is great for your legs.
  • I also hand wash my baby clothes. Massaging and Bathing your baby is another exercise. DIY is the only mantra.

*Please note you need to do separate workouts for your tummy.*

Here are some useful images and videos:

Image Source  1 , rest

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Bajra Benefits and Bajra Khichdi Recipe


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Hello Mommies,
Being a true rice eater it was very difficult for me to start eating wheat. Eating wheat became boring, so I wanted to try out other grains so slowly I moved to jowar and now Bajra or Pearl Millet. Bajra or pearl millet in eaten especially during winters. It is very cheap and easily available. Recently I read an article on how bajra benefits weight loss, especially helps burn tummy fat.

Bajra contains,protein, fat, minerals, fibers, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Hence I would suggest all you moms to include it in your family diet. You can start off with bajra cereal for babies. You can see our homemade cereal recipe. Bajra Khichdi is great for kids above 1 year. So here is my simple recipe.

<Im really sorry that I didnt click pictures, the next time I make it Im sure to add the images here>.

Bajra Khichdi Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Bajra- 1 cup (soaked overnight)
  • Cumin seeds (Jeera) – 1/4 tsp
  • Moong dal (yellow) – 1/4 cup
  • Green Chillies (1-2) – chopped
  • Coriander leaves – 2 Tbsp chopped
  • Curry leaf (optional) – 4-5 leaves
  • Hing (optional)

Procedure:

Soak Bajra overnight.Put this in a blender for 1-2 secs to get a coarse texture. Continue reading

In a pan add oil, when it heats up add jeera, then add chillies, hing and curry leaves.

Now add bajra and the dal and stir, finally add chopped coriander, salt and water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles. Your yummy khichdi is done. For kids add a dollop of ghee while serving.

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Nuby Grip N Sip Spout Cup Review

nuby cup

I have been hunting for a good sipper from a long time, until Reks suggested me to try Nuby’s Grip N Sip.Nuby makes great products, I have used their spoons, bowls and bottles. So this time I found this fab product at a baby store. We were so impressed that we bought another one. Best part is that its totally leak proof even when the cover is removed and the baby needs to suck on the spout for the liquid to flow out. This promotes oral development as opposed to a bottle. It is a 3-way convertible bottle.

Here is a brief from Nuby website:

The Nuby™ Grip N’ Sip™ cup has two handles which are perfect for a child’s transition to self feeding and drinking. The durable handles are designed for small hands and are comfortable and easy to hold. The unique, one piece No-Spill™ soft silicone spout is easy to use and easy to clean. This Super Spout™ promotes a natural drinking action and healthy oral development. The soft silicone No-Spill™ spout is uniquely designed to prevent drips and spills while being delicate and gentle to your child’s gums and new teeth. The pressure sensitive TOUCH-FLO™ feature regulates fluid intake with the sucking action of child- when sucking action ceases, the spout closes, ensuring a leak resistant cup

Pros:

  • Leak Proof
  • Soft Spout
  • Teething babies will love to chew on the spout
  • Easy grip because of the shape
  • Two handles makes it easy for the child to hold
  • Great for travel as its leak proof
  • Choice of 2-3 color combinations.
  • They also have a choice in the size.
  • Easy to clean
  • It can later be converted into a straw cup and a regular cup

Cons:

None None None

Price: Btw 250-375, they have 2 sizes.

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All about Nuts – Benefits of dry fruits and nuts


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Hello Mommies,

Have you even been to an exclusive dry fruits and nuts shop? Recently I visited a store (Ajfan, Frazer Town, Bangalore) that sells only nuts, all types of dried fruits and dates. It was like visiting a store in the middle east. There were huge sacks of all this, like you would find rice at a grocery store.

I didnt know so many types of dates existed, best part was that I could taste before buying, finally I picked the one which was least sweet. Brazilian and Macadamia nuts that I have only seen on Masterchef was right there. I picked up dried mangoes, kiwi, blueberries for my LO to chew on.You can also find dried apples, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries and almost all fruits in a dried form.

Anyways let my story be, nuts are a great source of good fat and protein. You can introduce babies to nuts when they are 6 months in their baby cereal, do see my recipe here. Its an excellent snack for school going kids, do fill their snack box with some nuts and dried fruits for them to chew on. Everything costs from Rs 500-1900 per kg.You can buy 100 gms of each and mix, its one of the best nutritional diet you can give your kidos.

Here is a short brief of some nuts that you find in India (from wikipedia):

Cashew: high source of palmitic acid and stearic acid.

Almond: The almond is a nutritionally dense food and is a rich source of vitamin E, containing 26 mg per 100 g. They are also rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, essential minerals such as magnesium, copper, manganese, calcium, and potassium as well as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.

Brazil Nuts: High Source of Omega-3

Macadamia:  omega-7, palmitoleic acid. They also contain 9% protein, 9% carbohydrate, and 2% dietary fiber, as well as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, selenium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Pecan

Pecans are an excellent source of manganese and a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. Like walnuts, pecans are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, although pecans contain about half as much omega-6 as walnuts.

A diet rich in seeds can lower the risk of gallstones in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans reduce high cholesterol by reducing the “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.[18]

Peanut

Peanuts are rich in nutrients, providing over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients. Peanuts are a good source of niacin, folate, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium and phosphorus. They also are naturally free of trans-fats and sodium, and contain about 25% protein (a higher proportion than in any true nut). Continue reading

Pine Nuts – High source of protein, but not good for bad eaters as it suppresses appetite (i need this for myself).

Pistachio

Pistachios have antibacterial activity against the intestinal pathogens. It significantly reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol) while increasing antioxidant levels in the serum of volunteers

Walnuts

Raw walnuts contain glyceryl triacylates of the n-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA),which is not as effective in humans as long-chain n-3 fatty acids,and (mostly insoluble) antioxidants. <Roasting reduces antioxidant quality>.

Dates and dry fruits are a good source of iron and vitamins.

Please note: Though Nuts are very high in nutrition, they are high allergens too, so please introduce one variety at a time.

 

 

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Chocolate Rainbow Cake Recipe

cake

Hello Mommies,
We recently celebrated my LO’s 11th month birthday so I decided to bake a cake myself.
It turned out yum and I tried this easy decoration which the kids loved and getting a share of kit kat with the cake was even more fun. I’m not a very artistic person, so Im sure you will do way better than me.

Ingredients for Cake

  • 2 cups maida
  • 3 eggs
  • 100 gm butter
  • 8 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence/ coffee powder
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • Milk – 1/4 cup

Procedure

  • Preheat oven to 170 degree for 10 mins
  • Sieve baking powder, maida and cocoa powder.
  • In a wide bowl, mix butter and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Now add vanilla or coffee powder. Add 1 egg at a time and mix. I use an egg beater to mix, <I dont have any fancy electric hand-blenders.>
  • Add the flour mix little at a time and mix. Finally add milk and mix. You can skip milk if your mixture is already runny.
  • Rub butter on the baking dish and drizzle some flour. Now add the cake mix and bake for 40 mins.

Important: Once cake is out just make few pricks with a toothpick and let it cool.

For the cake decoration:

I spread Pillsbury vanilla icing on the cake and used kitkat and gems to decorate the cake. I guess the image is self explanatory. If you dont have ready-made icing. Just mix 2 Tbspn of butter with half a cup icing sugar and 1-2 drops of vanilla essence and use as icing.

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Top 8 Fashionable Celebrity Kids

Hello Mommies, welcome to our new section on baby and kids fashion. I know you must be like WHAT???

This is a new section to discuss about kids clothing and fun stuff for your kids to wear. So this post is on some of our Hollywood Celeb kids who are already fashion Divas. They even carry their own label and attend fashion events. Luckily for us this trend has not yet started in India but you never know when it will kick off.

Kids of Angelina and Brad Pitt

Suri cruise daughter of Tom Cruise has her own line of clothes and fashion blog..

Ben Affleck Children

Jaden, Trey and Willow Smith kids of Will Smith

Natasha and Malia Obama

Sarah Jessica Parker kids Continue reading

Nahla, Halle Berry’s daughter

Harper Beckham, David and Victoria Beckham’s daughter.. one more kid with a fashion blog

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Shankaranthi Pooja for Girl Baby and Kids

Hello Mommies,



Image Source

How was your pongal/sankaranthi? Mine was good this time as I celebrate both, for people who dont know; Shankanthi or Pongal is a harvest festival which is devoted to the Sun God.
There was an interesting pooja for my kido that was performed by my inlaws, I wanted to share the procedure with you guys. If you have girl kids, do perform this pooja till they turn 5. Its performed to ward off evils.

Your little one will love the attention. Added advantage !!!

Make ornaments using sugar candy that you get during Shankaranthi. Just pass a hot needle through these sugar beads and make a chain, bangles, earrings. etc. Make your little girl wear it.

<Im so sorry I didnt take pictures this time too. I found nice pictures here:>

Then take a big tray add small pieces of sugar cane, sesame seeds, chocolates, puffed rice and mix. You can add nuts and any sort of sweets to it. Continue reading

Now take a measure cup (the one you use for rice) and fill it with this mixture and shower the mixture on your baby’s head. Make her stand on a mat so that you can collect this later.

Do this 3 times. Its totally fine of your LO starts nibbling all the stuff.

Now distribute this mixture to 5 kids.

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Banana Chapatti/Roti Recipe

Hello Mommies,

Do you have a fussy eater at home who does not like his fruits? You can try this banana roti, it is very easy to make.
My LO could not digest normal rotis, so we had to make soft rotis and since she does not like fruits I had to try this one. Im really sorry that I could not click a picture of the rotis, it looks just like your normal rotis.
Taste wise it is not very sweet, you can add jaggery powder if you want.

Recipe

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • Salt – a pinch
  • Water
  • Ghee for frying

Procedure

Mash a ripe banana and add wheat flour (with a pinch of salt) to it and knead well. Add more flour if the batter is sticky. You may add water for binding. Now roll out rotis and fry with ghee.

P.s : The rotis have to be made immediately as it might turn brown because of the bananas. It will help kids with constipation problems

Babies above 10 months can be given this roti.

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Review of Nuby Travel Time Bowl Set

Hello Mommies

Many people have been asking me about the bowls I use to store baby food after seeing the baby food recipes on the blog. I have this awesome bowl set that I have been using from when my baby started  feeding on cereals.

This one was gifted to me by a dear friend and the best part is that you can use it during travel, storing food in the fridge or even to reheating food in the microwave. I think this is a must have for moms. They are a set of 4 bowls with lids and a nice spoon. I even like the spoon as it can be used both as a soup spoon and to feed solids. I carry cerelac, ragi powder, fruit purees, soups and formula powder (portioned) while traveling.

At home I store fruit purees and soups in the fridge.I did not want to break this product review as pros and cons as I love these bowls and hence dont have any negatives. They have a few color options in these too. Continue reading

Though its a gift I found out the price from an online store, its around Rs 450.

With a sturdy lid and good quality this makes it one of the best products from Nuby. I use it every single day. Hope you guys liek it too.

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