The day Shravan gave me a sweet surprise

We had these thermocol type/plastic kind of alphabets..size of the inner palm. A B to Z.. I bought it like when they were 15 months and I knew it was too early to teach them ABCs ( though they watched ABC rhymes). And I also taught them the letter A but not the others. Also they knew A for apple, B for ball, c for cat and D for dog.. this is just from memory right. But Shravan always used to bring a couple of these letters and ask me what they were and I used to tell him; though I never knew he was observing. Today he comes and gives me one of these letters and says exactly what it was. It was "M". Then he said O and Q. "Q" of all the letters .. isn't it supposed to be a tough one? Wow. I was surprised. I tested him again and again a with a couple more and he got many right. Of course he doesn't know all of the 26 letters. And then later in the same day I just say A and he says B C..D..and then he says H..then he says M N O P Q..then a few more at the end and finally Z. Its not simple memorization. He just knows what each letter is and what the order is. All these videos he has been watching in the IPad have taught him. He is very observing and is always self occupied with his cars and balls and truck and other times with IPad.I dunno if its common but I dint expect from him as he doesnt talk much as opposed to Sahana. And Sahana is  interested in talking and being with me and seeing rhymes videos, kids videos and baby songs like Anjali anjali, nila kaikirathu, raja chinna roja etc. Even she doesn't say all these alphabets. I also have seen kids of this age just saying A to Z from memory quickly but I doubt they really know what the letters are. I dont like to compare my kids between themselves or with others; so please dont judge me. Its just to say that it was so unexpected of Shravan.Wow.. It was a day for me. At 20 months, Shravan impressed me..!!!  I am so proud of him.

And by the way it was TODAY!!

Foods to avoid

From a weekly internet newsletter:

As your baby learns to eat more solid foods, be careful what you give her. Because your baby's immune system is not fully developed, she shouldn't be given the following foods until after her first birthday:

Honey - Honey may contain botulism spores, which an adult's immune system can handle, but may be toxic to a baby. Honey is fine if it is baked in foods.

Salt - Large quantities of salt or soy sauce can result in salt poisoning or seizures.

Wheat or wheat products - Wheat is the most common grain allergen. Most babies can handle wheat (cereal, breads) when they're about 6 to 8 months old, but if you're worried about allergies, it's not a bad idea to wait until after her first birthday.

Peanuts and peanut butter - Peanuts are highly allergic (and also a choking hazard). If you or your baby's father has a peanut allergy, wait until your baby is at least 3 before giving her peanuts or peanut butter. The same is true for tree nuts such as pecans or walnuts.

Cows' milk - Stick with breast milk or formula until after your baby's first birthday. Her body can't digest the protein in cows' milk, it doesn't have all the nutrients she needs, and it contains minerals in amounts that can damage her kidneys. Yoghurt/curd is okay though from 4-6 months. IT has proteins broken down and has pro biotics too.

Shellfish - As with peanuts, shellfish is highly allergenic. If you or your baby's father is allergic to shellfish, wait until your baby is 3 or 4 before introducing clams, oysters, muscles, scallops, shrimp, and crab.

Eggs - Cooked egg yolks are fine, but wait until your baby is one year old before you give her egg whites, which may cause an allergic reaction.

Best excerpts read..

I have tried to be on schedule but it never worked for my babies.. probably bcoz I had twins.. not sure.. but you can give it a try.
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Refer each baby by name and treat her/him as a unique person..Have a circle of respect.. Tell baby what u r about to do to him/her from day one..
Listen, observe and interpret baby. Instead of just lifting immediately and comforting.. Each cry cud be different..

Feed on demand is a bad habit ..its allowed only if baby is premature or underweight and till he/she reached 3 kgs

You must plan ur babys day.. not let baby decide.. like u can say around 6 to 8 am first feed after waking up..then play for a while and then sleep.. never let baby doze off while drinking/sucking.. keep eating and sleeping separate.. but u dont have to watch the clock and be on the dot.. but there should be some kind of schedule..

When baby is sleepy he/she will sleep... its adults who imbibe bad habits like rocking..swinging ,..breastfeeding whatever.. when baby is tired.. we have to make environment right..try to put him/her in the same place.. darken room.. no visual stimulation.. no noise.. so on..
we can sing or pat ..but not rock or walk or swing..

To calm a baby u mus be calm urself.. take deep breaths before attending to baby,

New born babies dont cry becoz they r sad.. or they r lonely or scared. They are not afraid of the dark coz the utero was dark. A bright light in a dark room could upset/stimulate a baby. They cry for reasons like I m cold.. or I m wet or I m hungry..

You dont have to hold your baby always.. Swaddling till 3 months is gud or as long as baby isnt very active. Keeping warm is important.

Babies do not manipulate adults. They cry for a reason. Reasons like colic, over stimulation, feeding issues, physical discomfort, anger or frustration, medical situation, stress, just bored etc.

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Suggested Reading

I had read only book 1 during my pregnancy.. I would suggest you read all of the below while you are preggy.

1. What to expect when you are expecting - Its very handy. Has almost answers to every question that may come in mind.

2. Mothering Multiples By La Leche League International. - For moms expecting multiples.. A lot on breastfeeding.

3. Secrets of the Baby whisperer- Tracy Hogg - Fantastic guide. If you try this and works out.. it will be great. I havent tried this though..as my kids are quite old enuf. not babies any more. But I liked it a lot. I wished I had read it before.

4. Hush Little baby Barbara Albers Hill - Its a simple book. You can finish it in a day. This has tips to calm a baby in varied scenarios.

Challenges.. no1 Food

After baby is 4 months, u can introduce solids with the approval of your doctor. If u have surplus milk and baby is happy u can continue exclusive feeding till 6 months.

So I started giving solids to mine at 4 months. They refused to eat..They would fuss.. not swallow. Its a new skill.moving food backwards in their mouths. But after about a month they started eating. I got kanji maavu.. rice and pottu kadala mixture from hospital. And cerelac. Cerelac as is. Kanji maavu with karupatti...U have to buy karuppatti and dissolve it in cold or warm water.. Let it come to room temperature and then mix kanji maavu thoroughly and then put it in low heat and keep stirring continuously until its cooked and mushy in texture. They ate twice a day few spoonfuls lying on my legs stretched out. One sppon of kanjij or cerelac followed by one spoon of water so on. After six months introduced Ragi or kelveragu kanji too..
You can give the kanji maavus with salt too instead of sweet. My daughter isnt fond of sweet. And we gave boiled carrots and potatoes after putting it in mixie. We also gave soups..made with tomatoes , grated carrots, few jeera and pepper seeds and salt..and orange juice. Later doctor said juices are of no use for babies < 2 years. So we stopped. Whole fruit is good for them.

At seven months my daughter refused to show her mouth.. She became more fussy to breast feed.. If she is hungry she searches me. She wouldnt eat anything.


Later by 8 months she wanted to eat by herself. With her "pincer hold" very few eatables go into her mouth. She loved dosas for a while. now pasta and maggi n tofu are her favourites at 9 months. Still she would nt let us feed her. If she is in a very playful mood she would open for a very few spoonfuls. Lunch would be parupu saadm (dal rice) or curd rice or any vegetable curry rice..with ghee. My son ate well until 9 months. I ould put anything n everything in mixie into a paste form with sweet tase and he would lie on my lap and eat quickly. After 9 months he doesnt prefer too sweet or too spicy stuffs. They boths eat oats for dinner in spoon .. I feed them..witha lot of fuss...she would hold a spoon and try to feed herself..

My daughter refused to take bottle after 5 months.. We have to let her sleep and then offer bottle. Till date its like that. He refused breast at about 5 months.. He took bottle without fuss until 9 months. Then he likes to eat than drink milk..So they take very less milk..150 ml about 3 times.. sometimes 4.

Doctor said not to give more than 24 oz (6*120ml or 4 * 180ml ) of milk per day.
And keep giving solids throughout the day. And to avoid foods that may choke like whole grapes, raw vegetables, pop corn so on.. Anything should be soft and chew able and small in size.

But this is a big challenge. My daughter would even get distracted after 7 months with going out to balcony and distracting her. It worked in month 5 and month 6 but not later. My son is restless and he wont lie on lap anymore. And he wont take cerelac anymore. It comes out with the same speed as it goes in ! He is following his sister..

So dont worry about ur childs nutrition. Try all choices and keep it interesting and let then eat what and how much they want. Rest u give formula or breast milk ..
My doc suggested Pediasure for my son as he is on the lower side of the growth chart.


Its a challenge indeed and mothers we worry so much. But tough times will pass by.. We just have to introduce all tastes and textures and fruits n veggies and healthy choices from a young age...

Good luck!!

Nose block and AC

Babies have sounds from their nose especially at night. It becomes ok in the daytime. This is nothing but the nose is adapting to the new environment. Its doing its job, blocking dust etc. We just have to keep on putting putting sterile saline solution such as Nasoclear as often as possible.

You can use A/C but not 24 hours as it may dry baby's skin. Maintain temperature at 24 to 27 degrees. If you find its chill, cover baby nicely.
You can also place baby in a slanting position so that head is slightly elevated so that baby can breathe easily.

If your baby has trouble drinking/sucking then its a cold, consult your doctor immediately.

DA and Immunization

These days hospitals offer development assessment for babies at various stages of growth. They check if milestones are achieved such as following objects at 2.5 months, strength of neck so on.
Certain other points at 2.5 months:
Do not engage in mirror. They wont look at other surroundings.
Do not use walker ; it affects hip alignment.
Have a few minutes of belly time(baby lying on her belly) every hour.
Keep spine upright. Do not encourage standing or sitting at 2 months of age.

Immunization:
You must get the immunization chart and follow it meticulously. Its almost the same all over the world.
You can postpone monthly immunization up to 2 weeks from the date given.
There are advanced but expensive vaccines that are painless and feverless. Of course there will be prick pain and slight fever less than 100 degrees. For prick pain/swelling in thighs, apply ice. For fever 7-8 drops of Calpol.

Thats it for now.. See you in the next post. :)