Monthwise Baby Breastfeeding Schedule/Timetable

Posted on November 2, 2013 by admin

BF

I think one of the biggest worries for a mom is feeding her child. Although the whole world will tell you that healthy/average weight gain and the number of wet diapers is enough to know if ur baby is well fed. Even then the worry continues. I was looking for answers on how many times in a day people feed their baby, if they really see the clock, and so much more. But I didnt find what I was looking for, hence this post.

Today Im in a better position, my daughter feeds on solid food. I too suffered from latching issues and positioning the baby properly was another big concern. It definitely takes time for both you and the baby to sync. Its not picture perfect like you see everywhere in magazines or images.

This is purely based on my experience for more issues please contact a la leche league leader. They will be more than happy to help you. You can see the interview of a LLL leader here.

Please note: during growth spurts which last for 1-2 weeks, babies are especially cranky and they feed very often.

0-3 months

First 1-2 days its terrible with all the aches and pains and insufficient milk. It was crazy, so I had to call the nurse for some top feed so that I could rest atleast for an hour. We used to give her some formula feed for 1-2 weeks after she came home too. Eventually it stopped.

I used to feed every 3 hours round the clock. For around 20 mins average time. Only one breast at a time. But they can stick around for 40 mins during the night. Feed especially during evenings to avoid colic. Continue reading →

Be sure that you are not supplying a lot of fore-milk, the baby also need the hindmilk. If the supply is too much just pump out a little milk before feeding.

3-6 months

You will still face  latching and positioning issues, till your baby’s head gets stiff. Do buy a feeding pillow. Again the feeding was once in 3-4 hours.  Their feeding time reduces to around 10-15 mins in the day and longer during the night. Towards the end of this phase you will be in a good space to feed on demand.

6 months plus

I was totally relaxed once my baby stated on solids. So the guilt of not feeding too much reduced. Your milk supply will decrease gradually so try to feed on both sides till the baby is full.

One thing assured your worries wont end, my mom still calls me everyday and asks me if I ate on time, ate enough etc. Lol

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10 Tips to Reuse Baby products

Posted on November 2, 2013 by admin

Im sure all of you have loads of unused baby products at home. Have you thought of ways to resue baby stuff? Here is my list, do let me know your ideas.

  • Nipple creams-It can be used to treat eczema, it can be used as a lip balm and stretch marks cream for mommies
  • Feeding pillow- Strap it up while traveling and put your food on it and eat. Funny but try it.
  • Wipes- Use as a makeup remover
  • Shampoo- Cleans makeup brushes
  • Baby Food Jars and spoons- You can use as storage containers.
  • Baby flannel blankets- Since its very thin and my baby has outgrown the size, I made a hole in the middle and use as a big bib, as my baby food spills all over the place.

Continue reading →

  • Baby oil- It removes stickers from walls and bubble gum stains if any. Removes eye makeup.
  • Rest of grooming products- Use on yourself
  • Baby socks: can be used to make stuffed toys.
  • It would also be great if you could donate at a nearby orphanage.
Posted in Baby gear, Baby grooming | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Indian Spices for Baby and Add-ons for Baby Food

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Jaishri

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We Indians cannot imagine a life without spices, spices are such an integral part of our lives. So here is a list of spices that can be added to your baby’s food after 6 months. Please make sure you introduced only one spice at a time.

Even after you have introduced most of these spices, try to use combinations of only 2-3 spices at a time. Don’t add too many spices. Also spices are good to cook with but do remove them before you blend or mash the baby food, as it can be too strong.

  • Ginger – Excellent for digestion and cold
  • Black Peppercorns- Almost all my recipes have peppercorns, do not powder it just add whole peppercorns and remove before you blend.
  • Curry leaves- 2-3 curry leaves can be added while cooking rice or dal (lentils), its is well known for its iron content

Continue reading →

  • Cumin- Another favorite of mine, I roast and powder cumin and it’s a part of all my baby food as it aids in digestion.
  • Hing/Asafoetida- I use this in powder form when Im not using cumin, its again great for digestion and it helps with cold because of its heating property. Do not use too much.
  • Clove- I have not used it as yet in baby food but I have added cloves to hot water and given the water to my baby, when she had cough and cold and it really helps warm the throat.
  • Cinnamon- its known for its antiviral properties, I have used it once to make applesauce for my baby and also made pumpkin soup with it. Both recipes are pending from my side.
  • Turmeric- It adds both flavor and color. Its an excellent antiseptic and can be added to both rice and dal.

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Baby Food Allergies

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Jaishri


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Recently my daughter had rashes on her back and a few on her stomach. When I visited the doctor she told me its probably a food allergy. Also, she said it can be eczema due to weather or the food allergy could have caused eczema.

Some other symptoms that you should look out for: Swelling, breathing troubles, vomiting and diarrhea

So here are some remedies that were suggested:

  • We were asked to apply a medicated cream to stop the itching and reduce the rash.
  • Check the food was given in the past few days and stop it immediately. Sadly we always give a little bit of every thing we eat and have introduced her to too many new food, and we could not figure out the culprit. So another tip for you: only one new food per week
  • Almost most food allergies are caused by one of these foods:
    Eggs
    Milk
    Peanuts
    Wheat
    Soy
    Tree nuts (like walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, and cashews),
    fishes like tuna, salmon or cod
    shellfish

So stop all these allergens till your baby recovers. Continue reading →

  • For eczema caused due to food allergies apply moisturizer 2-3 times a day. Cetaphil was suggested which I already use.
  • There is no other treatment sadly just that you need to watch out and be very careful about what you feed your baby.

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Benefits of Chamomile Tea – Especially for mommies

Posted on October 30, 2013 by admin

Hello Ladies,

Few years back I attended a training conducted by a French Lady, she had flawless skin and looked around 35 plus, but surprisingly she told us she was 50 plus. I had to ask her about her skin, so I went up to her and asked her how she manages to look so young. She said she drinks chamomile tea every few hours. But then I did not totally buy what she said, I was very sure it had something to do with her genes too.

Recently, I have been reading a lot on chamomile for babies too. Most organic baby products have chamomile for its anti-bacterial properties. So I picked up a pack of green tea with chamomile. Sadly I didn’t find pure chamomile, but I got to know its available in Godrej nature’s basket. The brand I got is called Gtee, its basically green tea infused with chamomile and amla. I have been drinking it for 1 week now, I’m not sure about how young I look now but I’ll definitely tell you how I benefited.

  • It calms the muscles and relaxes the body, I felt so rejuvenated (please note this is coming from an Indian chai lover).

Continue reading →

  • I don’t crave for my milk tea anymore
  • Excellent sleep inducer, I sip it before going to bed and it has really helped me wind up my tired day.
  • I froze the tea bag and used it on my eye.  It reduces eye bags.
  • Helped a lot with my migraine.
  • Helped with acidity .

Taste: Those of you fearing the taste, it has a very mild flowery fragrance and its almost tasteless with a big cup of water. Leave the tea bag in water for just 1-2 mins initially.

Here are other benefits:

  • Relaxes the uterus and relieves pain from menstrual cramps.
  • Helps with cold and cough
  • Chamomile tea treats hemorrhoids by applying cooled tea to the affected area.
  •  Helps in controlling glucose level, great for diabetes patients.
  • Chamomile is very well known for its anti-bacterial properties.

It works very well externally for skincare and haircare too. Since, I am not very fond of long detailed posts as you all know. I will do another one on skin and hair benefits. And one posts on the benefits for babies. Do let me know your experience.

Posted in Mothercare, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Milk-y-licious … facts on milk for your kids

Posted on October 29, 2013 by reks

Image Source: Glass of milk

What kind…..

– Infants or babies under 12 months cannot digest cow s milk, so all the essential nutrients that they need are supplied by breastmilk or formula milk.
– After the age of one your child can have whole milk or full cream milk.
– Low fat milk can be given after 2 years of age.
– Skimmed milk can be given after your child turns 5

How much…..

Till the age of 4, it is recommended to have 2 servings of dairy products. So say two glasses of milk with other products like yoghurt, cheese in a day should be enough.
As they grow older increase the number of servings. Like for kids above 4 yrs, three servings of dairy products is good and above 8 or 9 years , four servings is good.

*The servings mentioned are standard recommendations. You can increase/reduce depending on your child s growth or as suggested by your doc

Why …..

Well known fact – Milk is the main source of calcium and is good for the bones. But remember your child requires a fully balanced nutrient rich meal.
So dont go overboard and fill your child with too much milk, allow their tummy to keep space for other healthy foods and snacks as well.

Posted in Baby food, Babycare, Childcare, Toddler and Kids | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Basic skincare routine for moms

Posted on October 29, 2013 by reks


Image Source: Skincare

Hello dear mommies,
We are all so caught up with the daily routine that at times we tend to neglect ourselves.

Here is a simple 4 step routine for a healthy and glowing skin. Set a time aside to do this and then it will slowly become a part of your routine.

1. Cleansing – once in the morning and at night before hitting the bed.
2. Exfoliating – use a scrub that suits your skin atleast once or twice a week to remove all the dead cells and bringing our your natural glow.
I love using a homemade scrub of rice flour and curd. It is really rejuvenating.

3. Toning – After scrubing your pores tend to open up, so use a toner to close them up to avoid attracting dirt and giving your skin a tighter and firmer look.
4. Moisturising – Identify the right moisturiser for your skin type. For the day use one with an SPF so it acts as a sunscreen. Dont forget to moisturise your skin after cleansing at night.

There are a zillion products available in the market, ensure you choose one that suits your skin type. You can also consult an expert or your nearest beauty parlour to help you identify the right type.

Do you have any beauty tips for us moms, do share them with us !!

Posted in Home remedies, Mothercare | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mompreneur of the week: Anamika Sureka from Wiseshe.com

Posted on October 28, 2013 by admin

wiseshe

Anamika is one of the most noted bloggers we have in India. We feel so honored to feature Anamika in this little blog of ours. I have been following Anamika’s makeup and beauty blog (www.wiseshe.com) from a long time. Im sure any makeup and beauty lover in India will know wiseshe (can you beat 70000+ facebook likes uff!!!).

Thankyou so much Anamika for answering all our interview questions so patiently. Anamika is the loving mother of a little princess Anvika. So without further ado, presenting to you the interview of the wiseshe herself, Anamika:

Can you tell us about your business? What is it about?

I’m a professional blogger and run multiple websites under the domain WiseShe which are as follows:-

We have a dedicated team of talented writers who work with us and constantly try to introduce new products and launches and share their experiences with our readers. Women of every age and interest will surely find something for them on Wise She. We earn through Social media promotion, advertising and event management through these websites.

Were there any obstacles that you faced when you decided to pursue becoming a mompreneur?

I became a mother (and a Mompreneur) two years later after I started my business and with baby, each day is very challenging. Being an entrepreneur, you can’t avoid the responsibility of owning and taking care of your business. However, biggest problem is that a new born does not have a fixed schedule and you often have to mold your work-routine as per child’s requirement. Simple things like a client meeting also needs a lot of planning and execution detail. There is not enough time for anything and still you’re coping with deadlines that need to be met. So being a mompreneur is certainly not easy but yes! It’s not impossible as well.

What are three traits that you think a mompreneur should have when starting their own business?

Never say die attitude

Desire to learnTime management.

You must be efficient in these for sure to succeed.

Any unforgettable lesson that you learned as a Mompreneur?

What I learnt is that one should always keep going as tough times never last but tough people do. When I started I knew nothing about the business, when I became a mom, it was extremely difficult to continue and very tempting to quit, but if I would have given it up I wouldn’t have been where I stand today.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was assisting one of my friends on a website, who has made it quite big right now. He asked me to start a blog of my own. As I always wanted to do something challenging, I jumped into it without much of expectations. Continue reading →

What will readers find when they go there?

As I said before, we have a team of experienced writers who are constantly coming up with something new for the readers. If you visit WiseShe, you will find lots of product reviews related to makeup, baby products, online shopping suggestions, weight loss experiences, travel experiences, fashion looks etc etc. In short, a complete female package catering to all modern women.

What’s your most popular feature?

Our online shopping suggestion, website reviews and recommendations is one of the most popular feature. People also look forward to lot of makeup tutorials. On our baby blog, weekly pregnancy updates by one of our writers Shef is quite popular.

What do you love best about your job?

I love the fact that I am my own boss .I don’t have to be away from my daughter for too long. I love the adulation I receive and people trust in my work. It was such a touching moment when I announced my pregnancy on the blog and how everyone got so excited. In few hours we had about 500 comments on our blog, good wishes coming from everyone. I also enjoy being featured regularly on famous internationalmagazines such as Cosmopolitan. I love how i keep throwing challenges on myself every year and also keep improving financially. I love my job and consider myself really lucky doing this.

Is entrepreneurship for everyone?

It’s definitely not for everyone.If you can work 24/7 and can multi task and have lots of patience and intelligence to make things work, then only go ahead with it. Don’t think entrepreneurship is easy at all.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a mompreneur?

My biggest challenge was running my website even when I had undergone a caesarian during birth of my baby. There has never been a single day when we have not worked since five years. It’s tough putting up a good face even when you are not in a good mood – because no one wants to come over to the site to get more depressed.

As a mompreneur, how does being a mom influence your work?

Previously I could take some liberties with my work schedule, was not that organised and didn’t use to plan that well in advance. Now, being a mom,I always run in advance and am more patient now. Also, previously I could never do without completing my 8 hours of daily sleep. Thanks to the sleepless nights with my daughter, I have now learned to manage with as little sleep as possible as well.

Readers, hope you got your dose of inspiration, do Like our Facebook page if you like this post. Thanks.

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Double Horse Banana Powder Review

Posted on October 26, 2013 by admin

IMG_1759I finally purchased the double horse banana powder, after I saw great reviews in another baby blog. Thanks Sangeetha for the review.

I saw it online, but somehow didn’t feel like buying because the description was not clear. Surprisingly, I found it at a supermarket the other day. Bangalore people can find it at Thoms Bakery in Frazer Town.

Its made out of dry banana which is supposed to be very good for building the immunity. The cover says it can be given to babies above 3 months. The powder needs to be cooked with milk and sugar, and ghee can be added at the end (from the instructions).

Milk should not be given to babies under 1 year, so I did not add milk and simply boiled the powder with water and sugar. But sadly my lil one did not like it.

I even added a little ghee, but she refused to eat. I tasted it myself and it tasted a little bit waxy. So I did not give it to her.

My verdict: It is not for babies below 1 year as you cannot add milk to it.

It says the powder can be added to icecreams and snacks, so ill try using it in my cooking to finish it off. It will work as an excellent thickener when your making some sweet dishes.

Price: Rs 140

Posted in Baby food | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

2 Minutes Side Dish- Kadhi recipe

Posted on October 26, 2013 by admin

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After my 1 minute cookie recipe, now it’s time for my 2 mins Khadi recipe. Gujarathi Khadi is a side dish made out of curd, and its one of my favorite easy to make side dish for rotis. When I have guests at home, I add some pakoras into it which makes the dish rich.

For now lets do the lazy bone version:

Ingredients:

  • Curd/Dahi – 1cup
  • Water- 1cup
  • Besan/chickpea four- 1 Tbsp
  • Chilli powder- ½ tsp
  • Turmeric- pinch
  • Hing
  • Sugar- ½ tsp
  • Garlic cloves- 4-5
  • Green chilli- 2 chopped
  • Mustard- ½ tsp
  • Oil- 1 tsp
  • Salt

Procedure:

Blend curd, water, sugar, salt, besan, chilli powder, hing and turmeric in a mixer. Continue reading →

In a pan add 1tsp oil, when the oil is heated add mustard, chopped garlic and green chillies and fry for a few seconds (turn your flame down), to this add your mixture. The flame needs to be very low when you add the mixture, if it is high the curd will split. Heat till you find bubbles on the top, then you’re done.

If you want to make the dish a little special, add palak pakoras, recipe below:

To one cup of chopped palak add 2 Tbsp besan and salt. Don’t add water. Now deep fry these pakoras and add it to the khadi while serving.

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Social Life With a Baby

Posted on October 23, 2013 by admin

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How much you have been socializing after having a baby? Here’s my story:

I was very particular about the kind of people I interacted with and never talked to random people until I was at least casually introduced to them by someone. During the last 4 years of my marriage, we have stayed in two localities, lived in an apartment and now a house. But I never really made many friends in the neighborhood. Rather I did not have anything in common to talk about.

Now, after a baby I have opened up so much. I talk to neighbors and some moms who are out taking a stroll with their kids. There is so much of baby talk to do. Imagine I have gone to an extent of starting this blog.  But then it really feels wonderful and it seems like a new life.

I never knew what was coming after being a mommy, I used to think that I would be trapped with my kid and become a boring person. Continue reading →

Turns out that I have so much more networking to do now. So many business ideas, I get in touch with so many mompreneurs. It’s a whole new world out here. For all those fearing of what your life would be on this side, its not that bad. Do plan to become mommy soon.  lol

I love the mommy communities on Facebook. Its difficult to say how well two women connect but two mommies definitely connect very well. I have made so many friends after I started this blog.

Do connect with us and tell us your story, ask us doubts even if we don’t have answers we will make sure we get it answered, like us on FB and stay connected.

Do watch our blog every Monday for mompreneur of the week series, where we showcase an inspiring supermom and her business.

Posted in Babycare, Mothercare | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

10 Tips for Staying at a Hotel with your Baby

Posted on October 23, 2013 by admin

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You can safely take a 6 months baby with you for your vacations, here a some tips you may want to consider while choosing and staying at a hotel:

  • Check if the hotel has a microwave if not carry a small electric cooker or induction stove or electric kettle, if they have a fridge added benefit.
  • Always carry biscuits, cheese, some ready to mix cereals, homemade cereals, even gerber fruit and veggie purees are a good option
  • You can stay at hotel which offers special infant menus, Taj offers this service do check with them.
  • You can carry a small juicer and order fresh fruits.
  • Induction stoves are the best to carry as its light weight and can be easily moved around.

Continue reading →

  • For bigger kids carry oats or ask hotel staff to prepare idly or kichdi and provide milk.
  • Carry you own baby mattress and pillow if your worried about the hygiene.
  • Ask if the hotel has a bottle sterilizer else you can use the kettle to sterilize bottles.
  • Choose a hotel which is stroller friendly.
  • Some hotels provide cribs and baby cots.
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