Videos you might be interested in
Videos you might be interested in
Videos you might be interested in
Suggested for you
Four Tips to Develop and Nurture Your Baby’s Learning Skills for the Future
In collaboration with Nestlé Start Healthy Stay Healthy.
Did you know that babies begin learning from the time they are born? Yes. They are very quick at observing the environment they are brought up in. They can also demonstrate their understanding by responding, identifying, and differentiating between people, objects, and sounds. In a nutshell, learning begins in infancy. Therefore, it is very important for parents to have a healthy and positive environment around their little ones to nurture their learning skills and help them become future-ready, because learning never stops!
Your child’s future can be more challenging and demanding than the present. Therefore, you must begin to invest your time and energy to help your infant develop her learning skills.
So, what is it that you need to focus on right now? You need to help your baby develop some key skills, such as thinking, problem-solving, gathering and organising information, communicating, and developing judgement. It may sound like too much for your little one to handle, but these skills can be developed gradually. And, to help you do so, we have put together some tips that can come in handy when you need them.
Tips to Develop and Nurture Your Baby’s Learning Skills for the Future
Nowadays, each day demands a new plan, a new perspective, persistence, and patience. If you are all geared up to raise your munchkin to face the challenges her future would pose, remember that each baby has their own pace of learning. Go slow with these tips and enjoy the journey.
1. Nourish Your Baby’s Body
Step one for bringing about physical and mental development in your baby is to provide her little body with enough nourishment to grow. Breastfeeding plays an important role here. It is the only source of macro- and micro-nutrients that your little one needs to build immunity until she is ready to gum on some delicious solid food. Breastmilk contains nutrients like phospholipids, especially sphingomyelin, along with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), ARA (arachidonic acid), choline, iron, zinc, and folic acid, which help establish early brain connections and set the foundation for learning. However, if you’re unable to breastfeed, your doctor will point you toward alternatives that ensure your baby’s nutrition needs are met. So, be sure to consult your paediatrician for proper guidance.
2. Talk to Your Baby
Your little one’s little brain is active, receptive, and responsive to sounds and actions. Talking to her will prove to be very helpful to develop her language and communication skills. She will listen to the sounds you make, watch your actions, and eventually, will even respond to them by smiling, laughing, or making sounds.
3. Stimulate Your Baby’s Brain
Games, such as hiding games, playing peekaboo, imitating, and copying, can help stimulate your child’s learning. You may also get a bunch of developmental toys, like coloured blocks, stackable cups or rings, object permanence boxes, etc., to take it a step further. Other than these, letting your baby read picture books and reading stories to her can also help.
4. Keep Your Baby Active and Fit
An active baby remains fit and has fewer learning issues as compared to inactive kids. All the nourishment you will be providing will need to be exhausted physically too. Activities like light stretching during bath time, sitting up, playing with toys, grasping and throwing toys, tummy time, bouncing in your lap, crawling, walking, etc., can help her develop those muscles and remain fit.
The future calls for your child to be healthy, attentive, confident, and courageous. She may have to face complex situations and juggle through several things simultaneously. The time you invest in her now will ease some stress for her in the future as she would be able to think, solve problems, and manage most things independently and creatively. While these tips can help you prepare your baby for learning, you must also consult your paediatrician and gain thorough guidance, as each infant requires different levels of attention and care.
Also Read:
Montessori-Inspired Toys for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Montessori Mobiles for Babies – Types and Benefits
Importance of Sensory Bins for Infants and Toddlers Read more
Suggested for you
Explaining Body Awareness To Your Toddler at 14 Months
A toddler's discovery of his or her body parts can seem to be a natural process to parents. This is true, of course. But parents can do their bit by engaging in activities to promote body awareness in toddlers. They can enhance and quicken the way to self-discovery.
Have you ever wondered why your newborn calms down as soon as he sets his eyes on you? Sometimes, a mere touch or a slight hum is more than enough for him to go back to sleep. This is because your child senses your smell and finds solace in your touch. In fact, this is the first stage of body awareness and it enhances manifold with time.
How Body Awareness for Kids Develops
The ability of your child to know your touch and smell is an unconscious one. However, the first major awareness for him comes when he discovers his hands and their ability to hold things. This later graduates to the discovery of his mouth when he successfully manoeuvres his favourite toy towards it. That is when your tot learns coordination of senses and how it works.
As time passes and he grows, he learns newer things like crawling and walking and thereby discovers other body parts. When he begins walking, he gains spatial awareness and can come up with his own ideas to get things done. So, if you see your tot moving a chair and then trying to climb on it to reach a cookie jar, you should be happy that he’s learning body and spatial awareness!
Body Awareness Activities for Toddlers
1. Massaging Body Parts
You can actually start imparting body awareness lessons from a very early age. The daily massages that you give your child to strengthen his bones can also help in enhancing his sensory awareness. Choose a time when he’s wide awake to do this.
2. Singing It out
One of the best ways of helping your toddler to develop body awareness is by teaching him action songs that require pointing out different body parts. You can even come up with some fun songs of your own. Start off by singing them and acting them out. With time, he’ll be able to point out all his body parts.
3. Dressing up Quiz
Dressing up is one of the best times for explaining body parts to toddlers. As you dress him, talk about the different body parts. Tell him that he needs to raise his hands to pull down the t-shirt, or that socks are worn on the feet. Later, ask him questions like where he wears his socks and how he puts on his shorts.
4. Finger Painting
Finger painting is loads of fun and is also another great activity to promote body awareness. Get down on all fours with your toddler and using your fingers and colours, start painting on a sheet of paper. Within no time, your little one will be a willing companion! It’s a wonderful way to enhance sensory awareness and subsequently, body awareness.
You can come up with different games where your child is required to use different body parts to complete them. Just use a little creative juice! Read more
Suggested for you
Suggested for you
8 Activities for Language Development in Babies Up to 6 months
Although each baby develops in a different manner, there are certain milestones that a baby should accomplish in the first few months of life. One of the earliest milestones that your baby will cross is language and speech.
One of the most amazing and fascinating aspects of infant development is communication. The first few months of your baby’s life are a complete joy ride for both you and your baby, if we only take aside the sleepless nights! What you do at this time lays the foundation for your baby's future growth and development. Let's take a look at some doctor-recommended activities to speed up language development in babies and to help them start talking earlier.
8 Activities for Developing Language Skills in Babies
As a parent, it’s important to observe, focus and encourage your little one through her milestones. Language and speech is the first milestone your baby will aim to achieve. So, how to develop language in babies? Here are some activities that you should engage your baby in to encourage her language development.
1. Read From Colourful Books
Books are the best way your baby can connect to the world. He will love to listen to the sound of your voice as you read. Choose bed time stories or books with contrasting and bright pictures for her to get attracted to them and respond. You will notice that she delightfully attempts to communicate back when she hears your voice and sees bright, colourful images. Some of the best books to pick at this time are:
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Toes, Ears and Nose by Marion Dane Bauer
2. Play Simple Word Games
Babies love to communicate and connect through games. Invent games that will involve the usage of words. The game can be very simple – just repeating a syllable, or saying a word over and over with rhythm. Babies attempt to mimic the words their parents use. This will encourage active communication and an engaging conversation with your little one, thus boosting language development in infants.
3. Play Copycat With Your Baby
Babies love to mimic their mothers and other caregivers. This can be a good idea to build their language development too. Simply spend time copying your baby's expressions, babbles, sounds, etc. Also create your own expressions and sounds when playing this game with your baby.
Watch: CUTEST Baby Talk Ever! We bet you won't be able to stop smiling widely while watching this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UfFY6PSVu0
4. Sing Songs For Your Baby
Babies love melodious tunes right from the time they are in the womb. Sing as much as possible to your baby - be it a lullaby, folk song or a nursery rhyme. Singing can comfort your baby. She will recognize your voice every time you sing to her and will try to hum the same. This encourages her to make an effort to use her vocal cords.
5. Name His Body Parts
When you bathe your baby or change his diaper, start naming different parts of his body. For example - baby's nose, eyes, toes, etc. You can also make up small rhymes as you do this. This activity helps develop body part recognition at an early age. This is very useful for developing language skills in babies.
6. Give Names to Your Baby's Favourite People
Babies soon start understanding more about their family members and distinguishing them from people they see only once in a while. A very beneficial activity for language development is to give names to all family members, pets, etc., and repeat them to the baby through the day. This repetition helps the baby slowly retain the information and learn to say it too!
7. Play Peek-a-Boo & Pass-The-Ball
Experts recommend that the games of peek-a-boo and pass-the-ball are excellent for teaching babies the skills of turn-taking, reacting and exchange - skills that are critical for language development in later life. Make sure you play these simple games with your baby often to promote language development from birth.
8. Talk, Talk and Talk!
Although your baby is too young and may not understand what you speak at this point of time, it is important that you actively talk to your baby on a daily basis. Keep a continuous conversation on as you bathe him, feed him, or take him out. Talk to him just like you would do to any other member in your family. He will learn the essence of speech and will attempt to communicate with you in his own way.
For language skills to evolve, parents need to make a conscious effort. It is important to engage your baby in language building activities. The first year of your baby is very important for language, cognitive development and speech. Your infant will be very eager to learn; you only have to support him.
As a parent you don’t need to be trained in helping your baby communicate. Simple ways at home can be used to nurture the perfect environment to listen and communicate. Go ahead and get talking with your baby! Read more
Suggested for you
Suggested for you
Anxiety in Dogs - Causes, Symptoms and Remedies
Similar to humans, dogs also experience fear and anxiety. While fear is a response to an external threat such as an object or a person resulting from previous unpleasant experience, anxiety is an anticipation of an unknown danger in the future that is imagined. Anxiety can affect the physical and mental health of a dog and how it relates to you and the world around it. Here are ways on how to figure out if your dog has anxiety and what to do about it.
What Causes Anxiety in Dogs?
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, there are several factors that cause anxiety in dogs. The most common ones are:
1. Fear
Anxieties related to fears can be triggered by loud noises, strange objects, strange animals and people, visual stimuli such as umbrellas or hats, strange or new environments, car rides, visit to the vet’s clinic, unknown surfaces such as wooden floors or lawn etc. Although these things seem inconsequential to us, if a dog has had a frightening experience with any of the above, they can become anxious.
2. Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is often the cause of unruly behaviour in dogs. It affects nearly 14 per cent of dogs. They are normally unable to find comfort on their own when their owners leave them alone or they are separated from their family members. The anxiety causes them to behave in undesirable ways such as urinating or defecating in the house, destroying items in the house or furniture and barking.
3. Age-Related Anxiety
As dogs age, they are affected by problems such as cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). It affects their learning, perception and memory similar to how Alzheimer’s disease affects humans. Their mental decline can cause them anxiety.
Types and Signs of Anxiety in Dogs
Some of the types of anxiety in dogs include:
Mild Fears: Signs of fear include withdrawal, tail tucked, trembling, reduced activity, hiding or passive escape behaviours.
Panic: Panicky dogs display active avoidance or escape behaviour and sudden, out-of-context motor activity that is potentially injurious.
Typical signs of sympathetic autonomous nervous system activity are dog anxiety diarrhoea.
Other Signs of Anxiety Include
Aggression towards people or other animals
Urinating or defecating inside the house
Panting or drooling
Destructive behaviour
Depression
Barking for long periods
Pacing
Restlessness
Repetitive or compulsive behaviours
What is Separation Anxiety in Dogs?
Separation anxiety occurs when pet parents or guardians leave their dogs alone while they are away from home. It’s a fairly common problem and often manifests in the dogs becoming destructive at home when the pet parents are away. They chew up the furniture or couch, bark, howl excessively or whine regardless of whether their guardians are gone for 5 hours or 5 minutes. Separation anxiety gets triggered when dogs become upset over the absence of their guardians or the people they are attached to. Some dogs suffering from this condition become agitated with dog anxiety whining when their pet parents prepare to leave. Some become depressed prior to their pet parents leaving and some even try to prevent them from leaving.
Possible Causes
There are many causes that lead to separation anxiety, some of them include
A change of family or guardian. This can happen when they are abandoned or surrendered to a shelter or given to new guardians.
Moving to a new place such as a new house or a new city can make them anxious.
A sudden change in the schedule when the dog is left alone for longer periods of time. For example, a guardian who works from home changes job and now has to be out for 8 hours a day.
The sudden absence of a family member, either due to moving away or death can trigger separation anxiety.
Symptoms
Here are some of the common symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs:
Urinating and defecating when their guardians aren’t around is common among dogs with separation anxiety. If they do it in front of you, the house soiling is probably not related to separation anxiety.
Dogs barking and howling when left alone or separated from the guardian is also a sign. It can be confirmed if they howl only when left alone and not by anything else.
Digging, chewing or destruction in the absence of the guardian can be a sign as well. Dogs often chew windows sills, door frames or dig at doors when they feel separated. They can also destroy household objects and these behaviours often result in self-injury of some kind. Broken teeth, damaged nails, scrapped paws are commonly seen.
Some dogs try to escape from a place they are confined to when they feel separation anxiety.
Pacing and trotting along a fixed path or pattern when left alone.
How to Diagnose Anxiety in Dogs?
When you see many of the above behaviours of anxiety in your dog, the veterinarian will first look to rule out other conditions that might be leading to those behaviours such as thyroid or brain disease. Toxic substances such as lead could also be leading them to behave in those ways. These can be ruled out with blood tests.
If the vet diagnoses a simple fear, phobia or anxiety, it can be treated with prescribed medication. The vet might also make recommendations based on the individual dog’s case such as the fear trigger, and behavioural techniques that can alleviate the dog’s anxiety.
How to Calm an Anxious Dog?
Before you start treating your dog for anxiety, you need to understand what is causing them to become anxious. Are they anxious about being left alone? Is it loud noises? Travelling or sudden change in the environment? Different conditions require different approaches. Here are five dog anxiety remedies for the most common anxiety issues.
Exercise is not only a stress reliever for humans, but also for dogs. There are two things that exercise accomplishes for a dog with anxiety. First, a good workout stimulates the production of serotonin, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain that improves their mood and makes them feel confident, just like in humans. Second, exercise is a good release for all that pent up energy that can exacerbate anxiety. A game of fetch, running along with you or a hike up a hill can help them stay well exercised and is one of the best dog anxiety treatments there is.
When certain situations such as fireworks or thunderstorms or large crowds make dogs nervous, distraction tactics work well on them. By distracting your dog, the focus is shifted from the stressor to something they are familiar with or find comforting. Although it’s not an ideal training situation, giving them a treat for commands like sit, lie down or roll over or their favourite toy will ease their anxiety. Dogs that are highly motivated by food will show the best results with this technique as they begin to associate frightening things with highly valued rewards. This makes their anxiety trigger more tolerable.
A compression wrap or thundershirts as they are more commonly known are popular among many dog owners. It’s a garment that snugly fits around your dog in a swaddling way to apply a gentle but continuous pressure on the nerves to calm their feelings of anxiety. Some find it very useful while travelling or in the midst of heavy noise to keep their dogs comfortable. Although there isn’t any definitive research to back it, some people swear by it. The compression wrap works on some dogs and others aren’t benefited from it.
A relaxing massage can work wonders for dogs, just as it does for humans. Massages that use long slow strokes have a soothing effect on the nerves which helps them calm down. A massage technique by Linda Tellington-Jones called TTouch has gained popularity among many pet owners for its benefits. It uses circular massage movements using fingers and hands all over the dog’s body. It is also well documented that massaging dogs have a calming effect on both the dog and the owner.
The last option that can be tried is dog anxiety supplements available at pet stores. It is better to consult the vet before you pick one up, even the ones with herbal composition.
How to Prevent Anxiety in Dogs?
It’s difficult to predict if your dog can develop anxiety, however, there are ways to ensure that they grow up without developing any anxiety related problems. Here are some of the things you should try.
1. Learn Their Body Language
The first step to tackle this problem is to learn how to read your dog’s body language. Knowing when your dog feels scared or uncomfortable and how it responds to such situations will help you avoid experiences that can be negative to your dog.
2. Socialize Your Dog Properly
A dog that is well socialized is afraid or anxious about fewer things. Introducing them to new people, other dogs, new animals, places and experiences will help them in not developing an exaggerated threat response down the road.
3. Obedience Training
Obedience training in dogs is a great tool for managing or preventing anxiety. It helps to lay the foundation for trust and a healthy relationship. A dog that is well-trained socializes easily and experiences new things without having anxiety.
4. Exercise and Nutrition
Regular exercise is important for the dog’s physical and mental well-being. A dog that is well stimulated through exercise is less likely to pick up undesirable behaviours. Good nutrition is just as critical to support this development so the dog’s physical and mental needs are taken care of. If the dog still develops anxiety, this can help in knowing which area the dog needs to help the most.
5. Situation Avoidance
When your dog is positively diagnosed with anxiety and you know the trigger factors, you can avoid such situations to protect your dog. For example, if your dog gets anxious around other dogs, you should avoid taking them to dog parks. If the situation that triggers anxiety cannot be avoided, you can take precautions such as body harnesses, leashes, basket muzzles etc to prevent dangerous situations such as dog anxiety biting.
Anxiety can be potentially experienced by all dogs. With good training, socialization and calming methods, it is possible to ease their anxiety and improve their condition.
Also Read:
How to Maintain Pet Hygiene at Home
DIY Dog Food Recipes to Try at Home
Tips While Travelling with Pet Read more
Sarika gupta has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 5 months
22 hours ago
Q. Am craving to have a burger at McDonald’s. Am 15 week pregnant.
Is it safe to have
Sarika gupta
Mom of 2 children
10 hours ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much and it is better to avoid this at this time and also if you want to eat burger then it is better to make it a home . Thanks and take care
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
21 hours ago
Q. It's my 12th week of pregnancy but last night I noticed some bleeding. So, my doctor prescribed Duphaston for 2 weeks. Is there anything to worry about? Please guide me.
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
21 hours ago
A. at present take rest and use medicines as advised by the doctor. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 3 months
15 hours ago
Q. I am 7 month pregnant with second baby I have severe abscess pain in armpit and buttocks pls tell me remedy for this ...Dr recommend antibiotics and ultracet pain tablet I have taken some doses of it but worried about the foetal development..does it hurt my baby
Read moreDr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
13 hours ago
A. You should have proper consultation with your treating doctor , as some examination or investigations may be needful, so that proper medications can be given And the treatment can be done very properly.
continue antibiotics regularly
Sai Prasanthi R L has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
9 hours ago
Q. Hello dr meri beti 6 days ki hai or use feed karwane ke bad nose or muh se milk bhar aa raha hai to aesa kyu kr rahi hai….me kya Dr ko dikhau kya???
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
9 hours ago
A. Hello dear parent! Keep your baby’s heart in a little elevated position while you’re breastfeeding. Burp your baby after every feed. Keep Babyhug tummy roll on handy. Consult your doctor for further assistance
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
8 hours ago
Q. #asktheexperts how to reduce belly fat after pregnancy and skin was loose .two year passes but problem is persist.How can reduce it
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
8 hours ago
A. For weight loss diet is good in intermittent fasting a good and but if your body is loose or you feel you really do tighten up your body then gymming or yoga both the things are going to be very good both the things are going to be helpful in tightening up your body and muscles at the same time but it is time consuming we just have to have patience
Ritika has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
8 hours ago
Q. my baby is one month old and have cold symptoms. can I consume buttermilk?
Ritika
Mom of a 4 yr 3 m old boy
1 hour ago
A. yes u can
Check out this new Memory
Arpan Shah
Father of a 2 yr 3 m old boy and 2 yr 3 m old boy
New Memory
#clicktowin
0 Likes
0 Comment
Check out this new Memory
Piyush Patel
Father of a 4 m old girl
1 min ago
#happybaby
0 Likes
0 Comment
Check out this new Memory
Neha sharma
Guardian of a 3 m old boy
1 min ago
#cutestbaby
0 Likes
0 Comment
Check out this new Memory
usha javvaji
Mom of a 2 yr 3 m old girl
3 mins ago
#clicktowin
0 Likes
0 Comment
Check out this new Memory
Preeti Raisinghani
Guardian of a 8 yr 9 m old girl
3 mins ago
#cutestbaby
0 Likes
0 Comment
Tell us more about yourself get More Personalised
- Infant0 to 6 Months
- Baby6 Months to 2 Yrs
- Toddler2 to 4 yrs
- Kids4-6 yrs
- Big Kids6+ yrs
- Expecting
- Trying to Conceive