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10 Basic Life Skills for Children
Children need to adapt to a fast-changing world. It is the parents' duty to prepare their kids to have a smooth transition and provide training of basic life skills to help them achieve this. It makes children ready for all new challenges in life.
Video: 10 Basic Life Skills to Teach Your Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWp81RCIrxs
10 Life Skills to Teach Your Kids
The present generation of parents tends to be too protective about their kids. This inhibits the child from learning skills that could come handy when they move out into the world. Listed here are some vital life skills activities that your kids must develop to become self-dependent.
1. Prepare a Meal
Most schools these days have some culinary skill classes as a part of the child’s learning. Most people wonder if this skill is needed. Well, the answer is that it is a very handy life skill. Today, the family system is moving to a nuclear set-up, and most have both parents working. It is essential for the child to learn some safe and quick meal preparation methods. Preschool kids can learn basic measuring techniques and how to add cheese, butter, or jam to toast, peeling a boiled egg and so on.
Older kids between the ages 6 to 8 years can use non-fire kitchen appliances to fix a meal for themselves. Appliances such as microwave ovens and toasters have made cooking easier and safer for children these days.
Basic knife skills such as cutting, chopping, grating and slicing can be taught in their pre-teen years.
2. Do Laundry
Kids above 10 years of age are ready to help you with household laundry routine. Some basic machine operations can be taught to them. Even younger kids can help you with laundry by doing some simple tasks such as collecting the laundry clothes in the hamper, separating the whites from the colours, or folding small towels and napkins. It is never too late to start with some laundry routines at home.
3. Wake-Up Independently
We are the alarm-clocks for our children. We are also their backup plans. Inadvertently, we are the ones to instil this hope in them that come-what-may we are there to watch their backs. Is this helping them grow, or is it hampering their growth? Sometimes stepping back and letting them figure their routines is a big step towards their independence. Allowing them to set their alarm clocks and wake up on time, without any help seems like a big task, but they will get there eventually. Driving them to school if they wake up late or finding excuses to justify their late mornings is a big NO. We must let them face reality, and allow them to experience the consequences of their choices. The sense of time and discipline is a fundamental requirement for a healthy and productive life.
4. Pack Their Things
Children from a very young age get used to parents packing their bags. Their school bags, sleepover bags and even their picnic bags. Everything that goes into it is decided by the parents and put-in by the parents. This habit is not very good as the child even after growing up is unaware of what to carry for what occasions. They become forgetful when they become adults and might need constant reminders or help to pack up. Things such as forgetting office files or essential documents on business trips can be quite inconvenient. The early cultivation of packing their bags can make them independent and responsible adults.
5. Commute on Their Own Using Public Transport
We are never ready to send our children alone on public transport like buses or the metro. We are too scared that they might lose their way. However, kids must learn to use public transport systems after a certain age, whether we like it or not. Parents must teach kids map reading, understanding signs boards, deciphering route maps, knowing landmarks or even safely talking to strangers, so they learn to navigate the road on their own.
6. Order At Restaurants
Restaurant etiquette should be taught to children as soon as they reach middle school. It is important that children learn to order food respectfully and politely. Words like ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ should be used while ordering. Their table etiquette too should involve eating without creating a mess or causing any public disturbances. When children grow older and dine-out with friends and colleagues, this is this skill that will speak volumes about their personality and upbringing.
7. Take Care of Another Living Being
Kids love pets but at what age are they ready to handle that responsibility? The best pets for toddlers are fish or birds. Only at the age of 7 years or above are children prepared to handle the responsibility of cats and dogs. The best way to start teaching them to be responsible with another living-thing is, to begin with, plants (gardening).
Babysitting or taking care of siblings without adult supervision should not be encouraged before the child is at least 12 years old.
8. Manage Money
Kids are never allowed to manage finances at home. It is a myth that they must learn it when they start earning their own money. This belief is often misplaced. They can always begin to learn to spend their pocket-money wisely. You can educate them about comparing prices before making a purchase. You can also explain how some simple banking works so that they can save as well.
9. Do Grocery Shopping
Parents do not allow their kids out of their sight at the grocery store as there is a considerable risk of them going missing. However, these days grocery stores are well arranged and labelled and are also monitored through CCTV cameras, and it is okay to allow children to explore and shop for themselves.
10. Plan An Outing
This is a huge task for teenagers as it involves taking into consideration unforeseen circumstances. Choosing a place, getting parents to do the pick-ups and drops, buying stuff, ensuring the safety of others are tasks that must be completed for a successful trip. They might not get a perfect 10 the first time, but they will learn as they progress. It is a joy to see a child working meticulously to plan an outing.
Parenting is not an easy task, but it is a journey that both children and parent take together. We have to allow children to make mistakes so that they learn from them. These life skills make them better human beings too!
Also Read: Safety Rules for Kids at School Read more
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18 Best Ways To Develop Healthy Eating Habits In Kids
"Trying to feed your kid is no herculean task" - said no mother ever. Most children are fussy eaters, and getting them to eat healthy food is not easy. We are all aware of the importance of nutrition and healthy eating, and what with the increase in health related problems, leading a healthy lifestyle is a must. Eating right will help the child in his or her growth and development, keep diseases at bay and help maintain an average, healthy weight. Also, teaching a child to eat healthy, will ensure that the child follows the same even when they are older. So how do we incorporate good food habits for children? Here's how -
1.Firstly, and this goes without saying - follow the set rules yourself. If as a parent or guide, you plan on inculcating healthy eating habits for children, then you need to do the same yourself. Children ape what adults do, especially if the adult in question is a parent or relative. So if you want your child to eat healthy, then you need to eat healthy too.
2. It's okay to let the child indulge once in a while. You don't have to go all out and criminalize everything that is labeled as "junk". We all love junk, and indulging in it once in a while in moderation is fine. You don't have to deprive your child of junk food all the time.
3. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - make sure you let your child know this. Children are active and they need energy right from the start of the day, so their first meal is extremely necessary. You need to ensure that the child makes a habit out of it.
4. A lot of parents are quick to label their kids as fussy eaters - which is a fact - but your child doesn't need to know that. When you call them picky, and tell others the same before them, they tend to develop a block. When you say things like "he hates vegetables", you are emphasizing on that fact, automatically creating a block for the child.
5. Colors and shapes fascinate kids. Try to incorporate this into the healthy foods that you cook. Cut down vegetables in fun shapes, and arrange them in fun shapes on a plate before you offer this to your child.
6. Make sure you include a fair amount of fiber in the food you cook for your child. A lot of kids suffer from constipation and other bowel issues - avoid this by making the child consume fruits like bananas, apples, oranges and raspberries, vegetables like carrots, beetroots, broccoli and beans. Oatmeal is a great source of fiber as well.
7. Involve your kids in the whole process of cooking. Let them know what goes into the making of the food they eat. Calling them into the kitchen so they can watch you cook, and allowing them to help you while cooking will make them eat the food on their plate, because they get a sense of working hard, for the food they eat.
8. Make sure you have proper meal times, and maintain these meal times consistently. Kids need to be taught the importance of having their meals on time - this will ensure that they make a habit of this, following the same in the long run as well.
9. Your child should know what he or she is eating, and the importance of it. Tell the child the importance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and everything else that is being consumed, and its benefits.
10. Make sure your child sits at the table during every meal. Most kids these days are either glued to the television or playing games on the computer while eating. This is one habit that should not be inculcated, because research shoes that this can lead to obesity, as the brain is not keeping track of what you're eating, and it concentrating on the television or computer instead.
11. Make sure you incorporate some physical activity and exercise in your child's daily routine - this helps in creating a healthy appetite and helps in the growth and development of your child as well.
12. Incentives and rewards work wonders for children. Set down a few rules with regard to health eating, and promise them rewards in the end, if these rules are followed. Rewards work as great motivation for kids.
13. Have at least one meal together. Most parents have a busy schedule, so eating every meal together is probably difficult, but make sure you have one meal together as a family - preferably dinner time. While this works as good family time, you also get to see how your kid eats - chances of eating junk are minimized as well.
14. Start reading the labels on the food you buy - ask your kids to do the same as well. This will make both you and your child conscious of what he or she is eating. Knowing what's going in will be like an eye opener - a can of corn? roughly 350 calories, a pack of Oreos? that's 300 calories straight. Knowing all this will help you keep a tab on your health and control it.
15. If you have time, try and indulge in activities like gardening, and ask your child to be a part of it. The child will enjoy eating the vegetables and fruits you've grown.
16. Fill your refrigerator with healthy food. Stack it up with fruits and vegetables, so that your child does not binge eat on junk. and eats healthy and munches on nutritious foods when hungry.
17. Don't use negative reinforcements to force a child to eat what he or she doesn't like.
18. Don't give up. As mentioned before, kids can be choosy about their food, but you need to be patient with them. They'll thank you later.
As we mentioned before, developing good food habits for children plays a key role in the development and health of the child. It also helps them mould into adults who lead a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few healthy food habits that you should inculcate in your child, starting from now -
Make sure you incorporate adequate physical activities and exercise into your life on a daily basis. Exercise aids with the overall growth and development of you and your little one, and helps maintain a healthy appetite as well.
Craving for some junk? Go on and indulge - at home. Instead of ordering a takeout, make the same food at home. Cooking a pizza at home is not just healthy, it ups the fun quotient as well, especially for your child.
Make sure your child drinks water throughout the day. A good six to eight glasses of water is a must. Children need this for their development, to flush out toxins and to keep themselves hydrated.
Make sure the foods that your child eat are high in nutrition value, chock filled with proteins, carbs, iron, fats, vitamins and minerals.
Your child needs a good dosage of Calcium as well. This is especially the case in the developmental years of the child. Calcium is required for the development of teeth and bones, as well as its maintenance.
Make sure your child (and you) chews the food well before swallowing, this helps with better digestion.
You know what they say - variety is the spice of life. Check out a few recipes online, and experiment with the food you eat. Many people are under the misconception that healthy food is not tasty - this is far from the truth, it all depends on the way you make it.
Eat smaller, frequent meals through the day, instead of three big meals. This should be practised especially in the case of children, as they are hungry most of the time.
There is no doubt that the quality of life these days isn't the same as what it was, say, about twenty years back, what with all the pollution and other environmental factors that call for concern. Obesity is now a lifestyle disease that affects almost one in every five persons. Physical conditions like diabetes, a rise in cholesterol levels and heart ailments are so common these days, it's scary. Developing healthy eating habits for children is imperative, and you need to start right away, because the sooner you start, the easier it is to make a habit of it.
While it is okay to go ahead and eat junk and snacks a few times, making it a daily thing is a strict no. Kids these days are facing a lot of issues, like diabetes and heart ailments, something that was considered a disease that was restricted to old age, and sometimes middle age. You, as well as your child, needs to begin eating healthy - right away. Inculcating healthy eating habits for children will work wonders for you as well, because you'll be pushing yourself for the sake of your child.
Good health is paramount, and we've heard this before - health is wealth. And the best time to begin, is now.
Also Read: Child Growth Chart and Tracker Read more
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Sleep Training for babies- Yay or Nay?(with some life saving tricks)
There's a lot of talk these days around sleep training techniques. These are designed to make the baby sleep through the night, by themselves. The idea is to eliminate the baby's dependency on the parents to sleep. A lot of people adopt these techniques, and even I was toying with the idea of adopting it for my child. I saw a couple of videos on sleep training, as my baby would not go to sleep without me and it used to take some time (and effort) to put her to sleep each night. I am not sure if there are other methods, but the ones that I came across are based on cry-it-out, where you follow a bed-time routine and then allow the baby to sleep on his/her own. If the baby cries, let him/her cry-it-out and settle down. This teaches babies to self-soothe.
There are mixed arguments about whether this is the right approach or not. I am sure those who follow it must find it very difficult, but I simply could not bring myself to follow this approach. I found this very traumatic for both, the mother and the baby who has just arrived in this world and is still adjusting to it. I feel that babies eventually learn to sleep through the night by themselves. You can definitely set a routine for the baby, to make it easier for him/her to identify what comes next and ease transitioning to the next activity. You can even try out the below mentioned tricks -
Give the baby a massage and warm bath.
Swaddle the baby- swaddling works wonders in most cases.
Feed the baby and try not letting him/her baby sleep until the feed is complete. A fuller baby will sleep longer.
Dim the lights and play some soft calming music while putting the baby to sleep
Keep the sleeping area clean and remove all distractions like toys, clothes etc. However, if your baby has a favourite soft toy, keep it next to him/her for comfort.
These tricks work in lot of cases, and will allow your baby to sleep through the night. Even if these don't work for you, enjoy putting your baby to sleep before they grow old enough (which they do real soon) to do things on their own.
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Mango and Passion Fruit Mocktail
This mocktail allows the refreshing passion fruit to take center stage. The fresh and delicate balance of flavours makes it a great drink for kids as well. It is perfect for those days when the sun is nearly blinding and the sky is painted blue without a sign of clouds. So, those with a passion for flavour, sans the alcohol, try the yummy sweet passion fruit mocktail and have a blast this summer season.
Serves
Preparation Time
Cooking Time
People
Minutes
Minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp mint leaves
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 lemon juice
1 tsp passion fruit juice, fresh or canned
2 mangoes, diced
6 glasses water
1 cup crushed ice
Method
Step 1
Cut fresh mango into cubes and add to the blender. Next, add passion fruit juice, sugar and lemon juice and blend it well.
Step 2
Slice lemon thinly and add to the serving glass.
Step 3
Now add torn fresh mint leaves in each glass.
Step 4
Fill the glass with ice cubes and a little water.
Step 5
Now, pour the mango and passion fruit juice over the ice cubes.
Step 6
You can even add soda to the juice.
Nutritional Information
Calories
61 Kcal
Proteins
0.4 gm
Total Fat
0.2 gm
Total Carbohydrates
15.1 gm
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
3 mg
Potassium
100 mg
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Guardian of 0 children
16 hours ago
Q. Hlw dr its my 6th month pregnency can i intimate with my partner
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
16 hours ago
A. Hello dear! If your pregnancy is going on fine without any high risk factors then it’s okay. Still, would advise you to check with your doctor once before going further. Maintain a good personal hygiene routine and a healthy lifestyle
Abhaya Rajput has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
13 hours ago
Q. My breasts feel full and heavy, but there’s no milk when pumping and during feeding baby —what do I do?
Abhaya Rajput
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7 hours ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much. But it is really very difficult to say anything without proper examination. It is advisable to get yourself evaluated by a doctor and follow doctors advise properly. You can also book online doctor’s appointment on FirstCry where the doctor can help you and guide you properly.
Thanks and take care
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Expecting Mom due in 6 months
13 hours ago
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Dr Disha Patel
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8 hours ago
A. dear mom.
better to take tab pcm for time being n do take steam inhakation couple of tines a day, follpw good home renedies for cold, taje more rest .
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Q. hi everyone good morning,
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A. Yes but first give in very small quantity to judge the reaction of your baby.
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Rashmi
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