My toddler eats everything I offer him..

..said no mom ever !

It is probably the hardest and when successful, most rewarding part of the day for a mom when her child eats the meal she planned for him. But more often than desired, kids are picky about their meals. You may have slogged the entire morning to get their favorite dish ready but they change their mind in a second!
A few spoons and half an hour later, you might resort to that TV or Tablet to do the work for you. And you feed them when they are not paying attention. The guilt of a leaving a child hungry weighs more than letting him watch the TV.
Sounds familiar?

Well. You are not alone. My little guy is 3 years old and although, he has much better eating habits than he did an year ago, he still has his strike days.
So I am gonna share a few tricks and tips that work for me.

👉 Variety :

Not just for different meal times, but also in a single meal.
Offer small portions of 3 or 4 different choices. Make sure to include one food item which your kid will most certainly eat (no sweeties here) and one food item you want him to introduce or get him to try. Use fruits or dry fruits like dates, raisins, dried cranberries, e.t.c. as dessert.
An eg. meal could be as shown : ghee roasted paneer slices with sprinkled salt, oranges and some raspberries.

👉 Healthy snacking in-between meals

I have heard of moms complaining that their toddler is forever asking for snacks. They remain a myth to me because my boy won't ask me for anything (except a candy!) . BUT he eats when I offer him small snacks while he is playing or just busy running around.
So. Keep snacks handy and as healthy as possible and offer them in between the three main meals. Don't expect your kid to finish it all. Let him get used to the idea of munching in small breaks. This will help increase his appetite while also increase his interest in trying new things during snack time.
Here are a few healthy snacks you can try with your little one -

• Sliced fruits (apples, oranges, cantaloupes) 
• Grapes (choking hazard: always cut up the grapes for kids under 5)
• Cheese slices
• Cheese sticks
• Roasted Makhane
• Raisins (I used to give soaked raisins to my boy before he had a mouthful of teeth)
• Crackers
• Homemade muffins or cookies
• Baked baby carrots
• Baked potato fries
• Dry Cereal (Coco puffs, froot loops, cheerios, anything!)
• Homemade oats bar

👉 Substitute Meal

Somedays no matter what I try, my son refuses to eat more than a bite. Its easy to get frustrated and worked up on such days and lash out at everyone in the vicinity. So, this is what I do to make it a bit easier on myself really. I substitute that meal with a healthy and filling drink. Toddlers are usually more receptive to drinking than eating so that works in our favor. Here are a few health drink ideas you can use when your little one is being fussy. Best part - no sugar!

• Banana Milkshake
• Chocolate and banana milkshake
• Hot Chocolate
• Ice cream shakes
• Smoothies 
• Check out my earlier blog on Dinosaur Drinks for recipes

Top these up with chia seeds for that extra zing.

👉 Look and feel
Who doesn't like a well plated meal. Use sectional plates if you can. Some kids don't like their food items getting mixed. Plus it helps to keep a track of what he preferred to eat more.
If you have some extra time (:D :D) go ahead and create a food art platter to make it more enticing!
It's something to see that look on your little ones face :-)
Healthy eating is great. But a little bit of sprinkles and chocolate chips never killed anybody! Use those to get your client's (kid's) attention. Put colorful sprinkles over the oatmeal or roti. It's a game changer !

@jamieandmamma

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Now enough about getting your little one to eat.
READ THE BELOW POINTERS CAREFULLY.
They come from my very own experience-

💙Don't push a kid to eat something he absolutely refuses. You may try later in some other meal, but if you continue pushing he may actually resent it than like it.

💙Do Not be stubborn on how much your kid is SUPPOSED to eat. Every kid is different. Some eat more than others. Don't fret. As long as your little one is still healthy and keeping you on your toes, he is eating enough.

💙Do Not try to feed a little one while you yourself are hungry. Trust me, the frustration of a kid testing your patience on empty stomach is grueling. Eat your meal beforehand if your kid is a known picky eater.

💙 Face the fact that no matter what you try, there may come a day when everything goes to sh*t. Listen to me girl...IT'S OKAY.  It happens. And you are certainly not alone. So chin up and bottoms up.

That's it! Oh and if you need toddler friendly food ideas, go visit my page on Insta!
Happy Eating.

Beware ! Kids Are Watching

I am often told that since becoming a mom, my life has turned a reverse gear. I am more of a child now than I was a few years ago  

I don't mind. I mean look at the joy and fun in this moment. 

How could I just pass it on for the sake of being 'too old' !! This little person brings out the better me who is more fun, relaxed and just like him doesn't care about who is watching. When I am with him I am not afraid of being silly or goofy. He empowers me somehow. ️️

The line between who is the parent is sometimes so thin I barely notice. We are a team. A very strong one too. 

.

.

Kids are very observant and adaptive. We can teach them a lot through books and other media but nothing compares to how much they learn by just watching us and their surroundings.  Have had your kid pick up on a swear word you said only once under breath?? Yep. You know what I mean then.

This certainly works as an auto-correct for us 🤷🏻‍♀️

A few simple things I always keep in mind and in actions, especially when my little one is around -

🏻 Smile 

     Isn't a smile contagious? Seeing the happy face of your loved one brings calmness and control over your own emotions.  And lets face it. It's hard to get angry at a happy person. I mean a genuine happy person...not the sort who sits across the park and watches you duel with parenthood with a silly grin on his face.

And smiling helps developing the social skills too.

🏻 Be Kind

    In words and in deeds. To family and to strangers. How lovely it is to see my little one greet people with a nice big 'Hi' and a broad smile. How it fills my heart when he stops for anyone who is hurt or crying and wouldn't budge before giving them a hug. Kindness again is contagious. 

When your littles watch you being kind to others, they perceive it as a way of life. It embeds not as a teaching but as a quality that stays with them for life. And kindness done always ends with kindness received. It's time tested.

🏻 Be yourself

     Like I said, when I am around him I am not afraid of anything. Of who is watching, who is judging and how stupid I may look. Unh uhhh.

Nothing should stop you from liking who you are. When your kid sees you confident enough to sing horribly in a karaoke party or dance like a goofball and still watch you enjoy yourself happily..there is no embarrassment. There is only pride.  And joy.  One day he or she would need courage to be themselves in front of a crowd. And these little memories will be more resourceful than any pep talk. 

🏻 Use your words carefully

         I believe a lot in the power of words. My mom used to say 'na marta bhalon talwaar se, mar jaata hai shabdon k waar se' . Meaning - " Strongest of the warriors are killed by hurt of words."

It may sound hard to believe but I have never called my baby as 'naughty' . I don't have anything against those who use it but I just don't . Because he is not. Even when using it fondly, the word doesn't justify its meaning. I have a little, pure soul who is constantly growing. I wouldn't use any words with negative vibes. 

When I am really mad at what he has done, he sees it on my face (not the angry contorted face but a sad, disappointed one).

Instead of saying, I am angry , I say I am upset.

Instead of saying  he is being naughty, I say 'that's not nice.' 

You get the idea. 

There are so many ways around harsh words and honestly, we only use harsh,strong words to hurt the person we are angry with. And even though we may get furious as hell, I am certain no mom would ever wanna break her little ones heart. It would break hers too.

Also, goes without saying - the above applies not just to kids but to everyone around us.

🏻 Never make promises you can't keep

        Simply put, Fake promise = Lie.

        I don't like being lied to. Why should I lie to a kid?

        Yes, there are times during those inconsolable tantrums when nothing else would work. When no other way seems to come to rescue. But when we abate a situation on a lie, it only escalates later. (Check out my previous post on tantrum dealings )

      I won't deny that I haven't ever used the " do this and we will get you new toys" mantra . But when all is well and my 2 year old asks me " go shop toys?" and I give him another excuse..it just builds up on my mom guilt too much. And also, you run out of excuses pretty soon because two year olds can be really persistent ! 

     Better than this, I *try to* get him to behave nicely for a few days and reward him with a treat ( a toy, a cake , a candy, whatever the moment calls for).

These few bits are a part of my wish-list for my kid's personality. I don't know how successful I will be, but I will keep trying without ever giving up. And that's another thing he will learn.

How to tame a tantrum in 10 steps

OR a 1000.

Gotchya !!
If you are here, I feel ya.
Sometimes I really wish the babies came with instruction manual on what to do when the system backfires (read tantrums).

But no, there isn't a rule book or a how-to manual on what to do when faced with a full blown toddler tantrum. At home, you may have a wide variety of options but when in public these little people know how to push our buttons and even shooting glares at the husband (who would be busy pretending he doesn't know us), doesn't work!


I am usually quite calm when it comes to my little guy but even so, there are days when I am driven to my limits. My usually happy little boy would someday suddenly decide to be adamant on some silly little thing (like taking off his pants in public *eye-roll*), and nothing, I repeat, nothing would convince him otherwise. And then he would proceed to throw a planking tantrum right in the middle of a busy public square on a Sunday (True Story). At this point, I can feel all judgmental eyes on me and hear people's thoughts on how my parenting is flawed. I can feel my ears going red from embarrassment and failure on how I am brought down to my knees by a two year old.

I give myself two choices in such scenarios -

First, be the other tantrum maker and scream at this tiny human being for doing what a two year old does. Yell at him and tell him how his yelling and screaming is wrong because you know, he is making a scene. Tell him off to behave properly while yanking him by his hand trying to get him to stand up. I can tell this kind, loving soul who hugs strangers and awwws at little babies and runs to help anybody who is hurt, that he is a bad boy for embarrassing his parents. I can drag him with a morbid expression on my face while he continues to cry and throw his limbs around to get free. He wouldn't even remember why he was crying in first place but now he would be crying because he is scared. Of me. Of the person who loves him most in this entire world.
Why would he be scared of me? I will tell you why.
One day, just as I was finishing off brushing my teeth and my toddler had been continuously banging on the bathroom door to let him in, I heard something smash and clatter on the floor. I was so mad by then, I screamed like a bear and happened to look up in the mirror. Gosh. I looked horrid. Is that what my kid saw each time I was screaming at him? That scary, frowned-up, angry, unhappy face? It is enough to scare my husband. No wonder it scared my little guy. Seeing the playful, lovable face of his mommy turn into this angry scary mask must be terrifying for a two year old.

Second, be the grown up in the picture. Remind myself that he is the toddler. Let him get his feelings out, which is loosely translated as let him cool down a little bit. Not expect him to behave like an adult and sob silently with a tissue. Let him know he is okay and I am here with him. I can tell him I know he is upset and I understand (even though I don't!). And while ensuring he stays in a safe zone, wait for him to calm down. Smile genuinely. Talk to him. Not try to reason because reasoning with a two year old? You would have better chances taming a dinosaur :D. Just distract him enough to catch his attention on something new. Mine has an attention span of 20 secs. So he is usually easy to distract and redirect. No fake promises or bribes. But rewards on good behavior . And most importantly, not seem to be embarrassed of his behavior. Every time he begins to get difficult, I can remind myself that he is learning. And I am an example right in front of him to follow. I gotta behave just as I expect him to. Keep my voice calm, yet stern. He would soon not even remember why he is crying. I can hold him and let him know he is safe and heard. I can tell him I love him and it makes me sad to see him sad.
It's so hard being calm in this situation but it is also rewarding in the end. 


Now, don't get me wrong here. I have long ago learnt not to categorize any parenting style as right or wrong. For me, it's just my parenting style or your parenting style. What works for one may not work for other. As much as I would like to always make the second choice, some days are just too hard to stay in control. The temper and the tantrums do sometimes push me beyond and before I realize I find self screaming and announcing time outs.

And then, at night when he is fast asleep, I find myself stealing tiny little kisses and whispering sorrys for being hard on him.

Mommying is way too hard and challenging than it looks. We are faced with these choices a hundred times every day. And yet we manage to maintain our sanity. Regardless of how we end up handling their tantrums, we love these mini-humans more than words can tell.

The Dinosaur Drink - For your little Picky Eater

There are lots of chores and tasks we do everyday for our family, but as a mother, I feel the most rewarding is when a meal is successful with your kids. And I know it's not as often as we would like !

It takes quite a maneuver to get a picky toddler to eat without fussing and sometimes even the bribes don't work. It is exhausting, time consuming and also, discouraging when a lovely meal prepared with loads of love goes uneaten or frowned at. Now, we may blame the kids (because of-course whatever we make is for their health and growth and is also yummy !) but they are evolving and so are their taste buds. They may sometimes surprise you completely by loving something you assumed they would never eat in a million years.

My almost two-year old little guy has been a hard work when it comes to food. He had only four teeth at about 15 months so there was not much chewy food he could eat and a long way down the road he only preferred soft, mushy meals. Quite a hard work and limited choices.On top of it he wouldn't drink milk as is. It was during this time I introduced him to the world of smoothies and he has not looked back since !

Smoothies are a super delicious, full of health, easy blend of fruits and vegetables which packs all the goodness in one drink. There are many choices of flavor to play around with and not a lot of effort ! Whats more - they are the easiest way to get your kids to like the greens and there is absolutely no added sugar required !

Here, I am sharing a basic smoothie which is ALWAYS a hit with my little one. I call it the 'Dinosaur Drink' :-)

Dinosaur Drink -

1 Cup of fresh baby spinach (raw)

Half of a big banana

A couple of strawberries

Half cup of yogurt ( you can use flavored yogurt of your choice)

That's it ! Just blend it in a mixture and pour it in a glass. Do not strain it. It will be smooth and sweet without any added sugar. You can serve it in a glass, or pour it in a bowl and top it with sliced bananas, strawberries or any sliced dry fruit of your choice ! As for me, I sprinkle the smoothies with chia seeds.

There are a lot of other ways you can tweak the above with what's available with you. For example -

A cup of fresh spinach (raw)

A slice of mango

Half a kiwi

Half cup of coconut water

One banana

A little squeeze of lemon

Blend and ready !

Another one is -

The Very Berry Blend :-)

A banana

Handful each of blueberries, strawberries and blackberries

Half a cup of yogurt

2TBSP coconut water

Blend and yummy !!

Basically, spinach goes very well in all smoothies and you can flavor the drink with fruits at hand like kiwis, bananas, berries , apples , mangoes and use coconut water, yogurt, almond milk and any healthy flavor substitute your kid likes. Top them with sliced almonds, cashews, chia seeds, tutti fruities or just grate a little chocolate on top!

I make a glass of smoothie as a mid-morning snack or a post-nap energiser and hand it to my toddler while he is watching TV or playing or simple running around. He loves it and with each sip growls to show me how 'powerful' he is getting with the dinosaur drink :D

It was and continues to be a big hit with my toddler and also the rest of the family. And so, I wanted to share it with all you lovely people. It does take a lot of stress away to know your baby has had a good potion of veggies and fruits in one drink and makes all that food-fussiness a bit more tolerable.

Hope you guys try these and your little one (and you !) enjoy them too !

Author Note : Please do leave your feedback and experience in the comments below. I blog my baby's meals most of the time to keep a track of his eating habits and also to learn and help other mammas with different ideas to will their little picky eaters into eating! Do follow my page and you can visit my profile for the further details. Thank you.

In the loving memory of Sleep..

And using the bathroom alone..

And showering on time or showering at all !

And the day-offs, nightlife, hangovers, and just the usual sanity of life..

And many other daily activities that I took for granted before I had a baby. You can read a thousand books and attend a hundred classes but nothing can prepare you for what comes with a baby than the baby itself.
I went from sleeping 12 -15 hours a day (peak pregnancy bliss rest-hours) to 12-15 min naps every two hours or so. If anything contributed to my postpartum moodiness, that did. Clearly my baby wasn't the one to abide by "sleep like a baby" saying. Sleep like a Baby. WHAT A JOKE !

They are the worst sleepers awake on a creak of the door, or sound of retreating tired feet on a carpeted floor or even a slight whisper not louder than a breathe! Infact I have a suspicious inkling that the one who invented the said saying never had a baby or was referring to someone named "Baby" who had lost it on sleeping pills.

There is also an advice that is passed around a lot - Sleep when the baby sleeps.
I would if I had magical house elves around the house. I don't. Brushing teeth, showering, using the loo, cleaning the house, sorting the laundry, cooking and then eating breakfast, lunch or dinner (time loses meaning when you are on snooze mode for baby alarm)..things one would usually spend an entire day doing would now require to be done in 30 mins. And when you would actually sit down, put your feet up to follow on that advice..poof ! Time's up.

Now, it wasn't always like this, There were some rare occasions when I would successfully tuck in the baby for a nap and sneak out to the bathroom for a long awaited shower/bath. Run the water, 10 seconds in, I could hear the baby crying. Rush upto him and ofcourse, he is still calmly sleeping all snuggled up. Restart the cleansing and I could swear I hear him again! I would stand still concentrating, making sure that is exactly what I hear. 2 seconds later, halfway through my shampoo, I would again be running to my still peacefully asleep baby. This happened EVERY SINGLE TIME I went to use the bathroom. I called them 'phantom' baby cries. The irony is you can't ignore them because the one you ignore, mostly turned out to be the actual baby war-cry.

This paranoia is not of my making because now, 22 months down the line, not just me but everyone else who knows us admits that my little one is a real bad sleeper. I mean even now if he has been sleeping for four hours on a stretch, I get nervous and rush over to check on him. Once I overcome my initial shock of him actually sleeping soundly, I make a mental note of what is working for me - the ambiance, the temp ,white noise, etc. Ofcourse the same thing never works twice.

You know what, it's easier to make plans and create ideas around what kinda parent you would become, but its only when it actually happens that the complete significance of 'desperate time desperate measures' is understood. Like that time when you have been holding your pee in the anticipation that your cluster-feeding baby would let go of you for one tiny moment but he hasn't in the past couple of hours. And you then rush to the loo with that baby still latched onto you hanging for his dear life. YUP, sat on that seat with a nursing baby. Quite a few times.
Or dragging the entire crib to the bathroom to ensure the phantom cries don't bother you or also sometimes so the baby can see you. I tell you, these little human beings make the best trackers. Won't let you out of their sight.
Or when the baby won't sleep anywhere but on you. So they get used as tiny tables for lunch plates or books. Desperate time desperate measures.
The sacred-sanctum-me-zone that used to be the washroom, is now a forced-shared utility space where you always have a little person as an audience. It's either that or discovering how a fully baby-proofed house can be brought down to pieces by a 10-months old in about 30secs.

To be honest, I am not proud about the aforementioned, but it did give me a reality check.  It is not always easy or organised or ideal being a parent, but it has shown me what I am capable of achieving while functioning on a 4 hour sleep and meals that are mostly baby-food leftovers!
I am often told that this will not last forever and am certain it is true. Our little ones grow so fast and the time just slips by. But us..parents? Once a parent, always a parent. No matter how grown up my boy gets, I know I will never stop caring about him, losing sleep over him or making sure he still has a good night's sleep. There are and will be countless sleepless nights, meaningless tantrums and just the general whining. Nothing that the unconditional love that comes with it (and a glass of wine!) can't overcome.

Being a parent is the hardest and the happiest part of my life.