Weaning your child from breast milk requires a methodical approach

The mother child relationship is inexplicable; even when the umbilical cord is severed, the maternal instinct is what keeps the relationship going always. Post child birth, mothers are often advised to feed their new born babies with their breast milk, which is said to hold the maximum protein required for the baby’s mental and physical growth. However, the fact remains that feeding toddlers is not an easy task, ever. Moreover, a tougher task is wean the toddler away from breast milk after a few months. Here’s some help on how you can successfully wean your babies without causing too much discomfort.

When do you wean them away?

To be honest; it’s entirely on the mother how she wants to go about the feeding process. The concept is extremely simple; however, you need to know when you as well as the baby are ready for the transition from breast milk to other types of food. Ideally, post 6 months, you can safely wean your child away from breast milk and start putting him onto other types of supplementary food.

However, some doctors advise that you should let the baby decide when it wants to discontinue breast feeding. This is for the simple fact that babies tend to feel closer to their mothers during the breast feeding process. When the child is ready to discontinue, you should also be able to wean them away without any hitches.

Making weaning easier for you and the baby: some essential tips

Who said being a mother was easy? It not only comes with a lot of preparation, but also, needs a lot of effort to be able to proudly declare yourself a proud mother. So, if you want the weaning process to go smoothly, you should check out some of these steps:

• Keep a track of what you feed your baby: So the first step of weaning the baby away from breast milk has been done. But does that mean you can feed them anything? Feeding toddlers might be easy, but weaning is one task that has to be accomplished correctly. Consult a doctor and get a written list of what all can be fed to the baby (solids and formula milk), so that the child gets a nutrient efficient diet. Post breast feeding, they need a lot of iron, so you can consult your doctor accordingly.
• Supplement the breastfeeding time with other food items: Babies are extremely habitual which is why they may wake up again and again close to their feeding time. So whenever you’re feeding them, try and do it around the normal feeding time. This will soothe their frazzled nerves and help them move onto other diet options easily.
• Give your baby lots and lots of liquids: You don’t want to dehydrate your child, right? If you’re weaning him/her away from breast milk, make sure you supplement the diet with lots of water, juices and shakes. This will help them stay healthy and fit as a fiddle always, especially during the weaning time.

Weaning is extremely necessary for it ensures that the child is put onto a proper diet immediately. The whole idea of weaning is to make sure that the child does not develop any kind of deficiencies post the breast feeding ritual. Once you have successfully managed to wean him/her away from breast feeding, you can give yourself a good pat on the back for you have achieved a major milestone in parenting. 

 

NOMOPHOBIA: r u a victim too?

The closeness towards material belongings has long ago taken over personal relationships. In today’s date, we measure our success buy how many gadgets we own, how many cars are standing in our driveway or how many dwellings are on our name. With the excuse of “we have money and don’t know where to spend it” or “we are investing in assets which would be carried down to our future generations”, we have managed to fool ourselves long enough now.

Of all the things we possess, our cell phones have won over all other kind of gadgets. Building a connection with others is an excuse, for fixed line phones have majorly taken a backseat and mobile phones rule the roost. Even though we reside in a world where everything is just a ring away, we are still disconnected with ourselves.

The excuses to be in touch with everyone all the time is just a façade. Using it as a shield, technology has developed us into mere puppets in its hands.

Joining the list of phobias is another phobia, namely, ‘Nomophobia’. As many can guess, it denotes a stage where people are separated from their mobile phones. Either by loss of battery, credit or no network coverage, it drives the people to high levels of stress, rage and sometimes, even self deprecation.

Just leaves me amazed out of my wits. Could anyone have imagined that there could have been such a time when we would be rendered useless without the use of technology to aide us? Well, certainly not. The higher the dependency on mobiles, the need to remain connected increases manifold.

Consider the times when the call rates and especially, mobile handsets used to cost a fortune. Before making a call from your mobile, apart being ready to shell out Rs 15-20 for a minute’s call, we had to brace ourselves for making the call. The contrast has made itself glaringly clear these days. Available at every nook and corner, cell phones have become a must have fashion statement for everyone. Irrespective of the status symbol, or the strata of society you belong to, if you don’t have a cell phone by your side, you’re looked down upon.

Have you ever asked yourself…What would happen if you were stranded without your cell phone for a day, maybe two? If the thought has never crossed your mind for fear of being lost without it, then guess you are affected by the nomophobic syndrome as well. Surprised, but its true!

Addiction for drugs or alcohol has well been surpassed long back by this new development in the list of phobias.

Some reasons why people don’t want to switch off their cell phones:

Keeping in touch with friends or family is the main reason why they are so wedded to their mobile.

More than one in two said this is why they never switch it off.

One in ten said they needed to be contactable at all times because of their jobs, while 9 per cent said that having their phone switched off made them anxious.

Experts say nomophobia could affect up to 53 per cent of mobile phone users, with 48 per cent of women and 58 per cent of men questioned admitting to experiencing feelings of anxiety when they run out of battery or credit, lose their phone or have no network coverage.

This is true…The next time when you end up losing your cell phone’s charge, and are about to go into panic mode, then think again. You may be the next target for Nomophobia.

BAND AID BIRTHDAY

It was 11:45 PM, my drowsy eyes glued to TV (though all I could see were moving frames), the music on my laptop was playing softly, and all my endeavours to keep myself distracted from falling into deep slumber were proving to be infutile.

Water from my eyes dripped like a continuous flowing stream. However, my determination to cross the 12 AM mark was one of the two things that preoccupied my sleepy brain (the 1st being sound asleep...zzzzz...)

I felt as if the sleep goddess was trying to revenge some wrong made earlier. Every possible effort that I made to stay awake; it got countered by yawns and drowsiness. Being just 15 minutes away from the deadline made matters all the more unbearable and I could not, in any case, let the obscene tag of a lazy bum stick on me yet another time.

“How would Sasha feel if I was the only one who didn’t wish her Happy Birthday at the strike of 12?”

The room seemed cosier than ever and perfect for a Good Night’s sleep, even with the TV and music on. On normal days, when there is no pressure to open my eyes till midnight, the goddess is on strike but abruptly appears when I pray to her to keep me up and about till 12.

I smiled, as a witty idea creeped into my devilish mind. “Why not set the alarm and take a catnap for 5 minutes.”

Oh...!!! The very idea sent a wave of relief in me and I quickly set the alarm at 11:58 (2 minutes were enough to regain my senses). Before I knew, I was robotically pulled into the interior of my twin bed and in no time started my ‘Romance with dreams’.

The alarm cuckooed, ending my short stint with self gifted hibernation. Repelling the tough magnetic pull of my snuggery, I somehow sat cross-legged, crookedly smiling and eager to see the winning crown decorating my cranium in another minute. “Wow...!! I did it.” I was left amazed at my own triumph.

The Birthday girl’s number ornamented my handset’s monitor, and the thumb right in position to hit the green signal sharp at 12. As the moment to smash a rifle butt in everyone’s face neared, the excitement grew and so did the tension. Excited that I will wish Sasha after fighting a battle with my forty winks and tensed because what if, after all this effort, someone else goes on the first whishing spree?

The countdown began. 10 seconds to go. “Here I come babes, hu hu ha ha ha.”

Suddenly the phone started ringing. But with all my senses intact it sounded like my phones ring!! “Awww...the alarm!!!”

“The alarm??” I exclaimed with an eerie. “How come?? It already signalled me for a wake up and I just called Sasha!!”

“Crap! No, don’t tell me I was dreaming.”

Oh man, what do I see SASHA CALLING!! “An incoming call!! But where’s the alarm.” I thought.

Chuck the alarm. It’s supposed to be Sasha’s Birthday. How can she be the caller and me the receiver? “Maybe I am her lucky charm and she wants to start her beautiful day with my saccharine coated wishes.”

“Heyllo...!!! Would be Happy Birthday girl.” I giggled answering the call.

“It’s not would be, it is The Happy Birthday girl.” She said in the finest sarcastic tone ever, leaving my head spinning like an amateur boozer.

“The Happy Birthday girl? Oh Hello...!!! Your Birthday is tomorrow, still a few minutes to go.” I said with self-confidence like never before.

“And it is tomorrow, you sleepy head!” Sasha reverted, sounding more confident.

Without another word I started flipping news channels to confirm Sasha’s declaration, which meant another splendiferous defeat in my case.

“12:20 AM!!! How is this possible now?” I thought in bubbles.

All the channels showed Pandits, Guru’s and Devi’s predicting how the day for different star signs will be, reassuring it was the next day and Sasha as ‘The Happy Birthday girl’. How I wished the earth would have opened up and I never had to come out to face what was waiting next. I totally felt how Sita (Ram’s wife must have felt at that moment) I gazed at my cell phone dewy eyed and muttered, “I trusted you. But...!”

Sasha was still there. This fabulous idea of trusting the snooze ruined the whole midnight moment. I said keeping my hair on and eyebrows puckered, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sasha.”

“Yeah, Thanks.” She said sarcastically. “But tell me one thing. Why the hell you fall asleep on Birthdays. I mean you cursed or what?” And I heard a few people burst into laughter. “If you are done with your sleepy state, come downstairs, we are waiting for you.”

“Down???? Now???? WHYYYYYY???” I drawled....!

“Beggars are not choosers. You don’t have any right to question me as today is my Birthday. Come down in two minutes, else we are going.” She ordered.

Friends are the only ones who can curse you, kiss you, blame you, support you and Yes, order you ... all in one go....!!!

I gave one last angry look to my phone which made me look like a stupid loser in front of the birthday girl and then went to change into the proper attire.

In no time at all, I dressed as hurriedly as possible. When the time is short, and you know that your life is at stake, the body starts to respond automatically. For a change atleast! Running down the stairs, I quickly made a dash for the car standing on the opposite side of the road.

Everyone was standing outside the car. I hugged Sasha in a tight bear hug, cooing away ‘Happy Birthday’ mixed with ‘Sorry’s’. Giving me murderous glares, Sasha hugged me back after a few minutes (Actually, I’d refused to leave her till the time she did not forgive me).

“Its ok dahlin”, she replied, a big grin creeping along her round face. “Now, can you please get your big bum onto the rear seat so that we can be on our way!”

The taunts were surely hitting me right onto the spot…

Priceless moments in life....

Some of the priceless moments in life:
• Hair falling on your partner’s forehead when he/she is asleep

• The way your pet dog wags its tail on seeing you return from office

• Holding your first born baby in your arms and feeling it clutch your finger with his tiny hands

• Falling asleep in your partner’s arms without even realizing it

• Eating the food made by your mother, even though it tastes horrible, but just so that she does not feel bad

• Supporting your best friend in his/her time of need, even though you know he/she is at fault

• Seeing the boy/girl of your dreams, and secretly realizing how badly you want to have them by your side
• The first dance in the moonlight with the love of your life

Listening to the pitter patter of the raindrops on your window pane, with a cup of hot steaming coffee in your hand
• Candlelight dinner on the beach, with bottle of Champagne and your partner by your side

These may surely be some of the best moments in one’s life, for all the other things money can buy, there is always Master Card!!! Cheers…..

DREAMY ME...!!

Along with me was born a dream...!!

A dream to be the most successful person in life. A person at whom the world will look up to with admiration, and maybe, sometimes with envy as well. As I grew older, the dreams began to get more & more vivid, with life being the canvas, and my dreams playing the role of the water colors. Though the painting is nothing less than a chaos (which you will figure out soon) but then even MF Hussain’s so called modern art is considered to be a rare creation.

Sometimes, imagining myself to be a caped crusader, to being a muscular hunk like He-Man; I saw myself as a savior of mankind, saving the world from unseen blunders and humongous monsters.

The list was endless and the world my vast horizon, I set on a mission to carve out my niche in the society.

So here goes a list of my dream jobs…yup, not one b
ut a few (list just because the day I get one of these jobs it will no more be a dream, so don’t want my dreamy list to exhaust ever) Let’s see though, how many of these I am actually able to accomplish in this lifetime (wish there was an option to carry them over to the later lifetimes as well)

AN ANGEL (Dunno if there is a actually an angel who is a male)

The role of Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty inspired me so much; I ended up thinking myself to be invincible. I could not help but wonder, how cool it would indeed be, to fly on the clouds, look onto the sparkling water of the blue oceans, or just to be able to visit the stars at my own convenience (and even take my girl there).

To be able to flirt with the other angels (obviously those who are the female angels), and to be able to visit nah actually dine and talk with God, to sleep on a bed made of clouds, to jump on a running unicorn…and also have a halo over my head. With my skilled pair of wings intact and ready to flutter I won’t ever dread traffic jams even.

Or even crazy become a tooth fairy like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and have kitty full of shrink paste and amnesia powder, sprinkle it on people and erase whatever you don’t want them to remember. How cool! Abuse your boss (which I so wanna do) and then sprinkle the dust. (I know all of this is a myth, but then so is this job…it’s a dream after all guys!!!)

A FIREFIGHTER:

I remember, when I was just a small kid, I saw a big red colored fire fighting engine zoom past my car. Wondering what it could be, I asked my dad. He told me it was a Fire engine, and the way the Fire fighters were hanging out of the back of the truck was something which could not help but inspire me to bits. Thus, came up my next dream job. To become a fire fighter and rescue people from the trap of blistering blaze. The way, the orange flames snake up their way over its prey, with the hunger and passion no one can ever hope to possess, fighting fire with fire (the idiom) has always held true for me and made it one of dream jobs.

A BUSINESS TYCOON:

Seeing the overpowering personalities of the Ambani’s and the Birla’s and the Mittal’s has always left me in awe. The way they exude confidence and enthusiasm is something I would always want to achieve in my life (and be on the Forbe’s list as well).

Even I want to dive in my larger than life locker brimming with money just like Uncle Scrooge did and have money eyes twinkling like Dollar nah Rupee ` since the symbol is out! `

Like Mr. Lodge in the Archie’s comics, I have always wished to sway on a big leather chair, or to be able to control the business of big empires, and to have people on my beck and call. The thought is just too good to be true but then dreaming is tax free.

A TALK SHOW HOST:

Oprah Winfrey or Jay Leno or even our very own Karan Johar, how all the celebrities drool and die to be on their shows. (Even a coffee hamper excites a man more than Pamela Anderson on Karan’s show) And brooommm ask them anything from professional to personal to very personal to very very personal all they do is smile and hug you even if they hate to be asked such questions. But at the end you will be loved, respected and not to miss the most important become very FAMOUS!

TO BE A FARMER:

Would like to thank Farmville (FV1) and Frontierville (FV2) on facebook for such a dream. But only if it works the way it does on FV1 and FV2. Crops growing ever hour or even every 5 minutes, clobbering snakes and groundhogs. Using the unwither powder, friends coming and lending a helping hand on your farm and even you go visiting. Gifting barn material or chicken coop material. Where even being the first one to buy a milk churn for my farm makes my happiness shoot to a level as if I have just got myself a customized Rolls Royce. Wow this sure is crazy! And to top it the entire race to jump from one level to the other. (Aha! Only FV1 and FV2 addicts can understand what I am talking about LOL)

They say, “Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.”

And I say, “Who doesn’t want a long life! Bring it on”