Reading to your little ones

How many of us like Reading books? Many of us, don't we?

Reading, not necessarily those weighty tomes, even Tinkles, Amar-Chitra-Kathas, Archies and Tin-tins provide comfort and let us stay absorbed for at least a wee bit of time. For, the world that we live in today is loaded with distractions in the form of TV, Laptop, Tablets, Smart Phones, Internet (Oh! The list seems endless)...where Multi-tasking rules (read ruins) us...where most of the family dinner times are spent viewing TV...where time with our loved ones is disbursed peeking into the lappie...where time in restroom that gives so much relief is spent looking for Facebook/twitter updates in smart phones...At times, I wonder who our real family and friends are??

Kids of this generation do have a lot of distractions and it becomes the sole responsibility of the parents to instill habits and hobbies in them that will last a lifetime and let them stay focused. Reading is one such therapeutic interest that kids could love right from a very young age, say right from they are 6 months old (and some kids right from they are born). And yes! It is no joke! Take a book (this needn't have to be Alphabets/Animals/Fruits/Numbers book, it could just be a storybook with predominantly bright pictures) and try reading it to your 3 month old everyday. You will be surprised to see that your little one will start to smile and coo every time you begin reading that book.  Once your baby is ready to crawl and reach out for things, you definitely will be awed to see them pull their favorite book out of the clutter of toys and books and gesturing to you to read. My daughter who is now 14 months old pulls down all the books she has and is so engrossed when she flips through them. And slowly she starts the ceremony of fetching the books one by one to me (or to her dad) to read.

I sneak peeked my daughter immersed in her world of bliss

Reading can act as a bed-time ritual too. Read a book to your baby as her nap time or sleep time nears for a few days. She will understand that she needs to sleep when you read to her for a while. And, she does go to sleep; well, at least most days. There could be days when the book could put the parent to sleep and the child would want to read more and more. Reading for toddlers and preschoolers can act as pacifiers, especially when they have temper tantrums and are not in the best of their moods. Pick a book they enjoy reading the most and the moment you start reading you will find that they are calmer and are more inclined to listen to you (After finishing the book, that is!!).

Once a child goes to school and learns to read on his own, he is so happy and enthused to read all by himself. So much so that, he drags his parents to a book store or to the library to get more books home. Books can come as a great companion always. More so, when you have to travel for hours and hours. Older children like to read new books, however toddlers and preschoolers prefer books they have read over and over again. It gives young kids a sense of security in a new place (or as you travel) to do things they are already used to.

Reading if inculcated right a very young age can let a child stay absorbed in his own world
(at least when required), even when the world outside is bombarded with attention craving amusements.
Reading to your child dearest, why not give it a try???

Walk in Solitude!

It was yet another power-packed evening...between running behind a toddler who has just started to walk (nay run), fixing dinner, folding fresh laundry and end-less chores!!! Phew, I was a piece of dead meat. As we were eating our dinner my DH just looked at me and said, perhaps you should go for a walk. I blurted out a "no-way" defending myself. I said I was way too exhausted to even clean up the table after dinner, let alone go for a walk. He gave me "it-is-for-you" to decide gaze. My DH knows me a little too well, when I am in not one of those good moods he doesn't speak much (Women always win arguments, don't they?).

As I was cleaning the table post dinner, my dad and I were discussing about something that was on TV. When, suddenly I asked my dad if he thought I was gaining weight. And smack came the reply “Of course!” He told me that I did look fatter than how I was a few months back. I knew it was blatant lie, because I weighed myself only a week ago and the weighing scale showed that I had lost a couple of kilograms (Thanks to bundle of energy, my DD!!). But he did tell me that I didn't look fit. I kept pondering over it for a while and decided to go for a walk!!

It was well past 9.30 in the night, I stepped out of the house with my walking shoes on. My ear phones were singing a track from radio. Weather in usually hot and humid Chennai was oddly pleasant. The cool breeze that kept teasing my hair was so welcoming that it wooed me to walk. Not to mention the mind-blowing orchestra of Illayaraja’s track “Rakkamma” from the movie Thalapathy and the occasional lightning shimmering the far away sky took me to a land of paradise. Slowly, as I picked up pace, it started to drizzle…Wow! Mother Nature was being too good to me. It felt as though, it was just meant to be my day.

I was beginning to reminisce about the last time I walked all by myself. Perhaps, when I was pregnant. Motherhood could be demanding and can take away the “ME” time completely…with priorities and responsibilities completely altering life. Most fresh mothers begin to have a feeling that she is inevitable and is plainly frightened to take the “ME” time out. She always thinks of the zillion tasks she has. I was one such mother too. I thought the house would become disordered in just five minutes of my absence. I always came up with excuses to not to be alone despite my family being fully supportive to give me such time. However, this walk in solitude was doing me wonders. Each step I took forward, the clutter and stress inside me was starting to melt away. Ah yes! It was calming…very soothing. By the end of the walk, I felt I had so much inner peace.

Now, I look forward to walking all by myself every night. I have come to realize that spending even fifteen minutes a day in solitude and doing things that one loves, leaves one recharged. I feel so rejuvenated after the walk that I feel fit both physically and emotionally. Taking care of a toddler, DH, Dad and running the house though requires a lot of energy is never too stressful anymore.

Ragi Porridge!

Ragi  a.k.a finger millet is a very wholesome and a nutritious food that can be introduced as one of the first solid foods to your child. To know about the nutritional facts of ragi click here. Ragi is rich in Calcium and other minerals that are essential for healthy bone development in kids. Besides, once you have the ragi flour ready, it usually takes less than 5 minutes to cook ragi porridge. Easy, isn't it???

Ragi is very affordable and can be found in any grocery store/supermarket. You also have an option between organic ragi and conventional ragi, though as many of us are aware, organic ragi is a little more expensive. If you can afford, organic food is definitely a wise option for your baby as it does not contain synthetic fertilizers/insecticides/pesticides. 


How to prepare Ragi flour??

1. Sprouted ragi has more nutrients than normal ragi. So it is worth it to sprout the ragi. I found a wonderful link that gives step by step representation on how to go about the entire sprouting process. 
2. Once your sprouted ragi is ready, let it air dry till all the moisture is gone. During summer it would take about a day or two, during winter it could take longer depending on the part of India/world one lives. While air-drying ensure that sprouted ragi is covered with a thin muslin cloth to prevent it from dirt and bugs. 
3. Add the dried sprouted ragi to a dry kadai. (If you feel the quantity is too much for the kadai to hold, split the ragi into desired quantity). Turn on the stove. Dried roast the ragi till you get the malted flavor.
4. Let the ragi cool for 10 to 15 mins. 
5. Put the ragi into a mixer and powder it till it becomes very fine. 
6. Now take the finest sieve you have at home and sieve the powdered ragi. Store the fine ragi flour in an airtight container. 

Once your child is a little older you can get ragi flour directly from any grocery store. Again, try going in for organic option if you can.  


How to make Ragi Porridge??

1. Take two tablespoons of Ragi flour in a cooking bowl. Add 3/4 th cup of water to it. 
2. Mix it well so that no lumps are visible.
3. Put the cooking bowl on the stove and keep stirring the mixture (If you don't stir continuously, then Ragi flour could settle at the bottom of the bowl and can get burnt).
4. In a couple of minutes you should be able to see the mixture thickening, if you feel the mixture is a little too thick, add water to it. (Children who have just started with solids prefer thin porridge. So add more water to it. Once your child is a Pro solid eater, he should like thicker porridge)
5. Finally when you see the porridge boiling, turn off the stove. 
6. Let the porridge cool to the room temperature before feeding it to the little one.

Ah yes! You don't need to add sugar/salt to the porridge. 

Your baby should like the natural taste. Again, if your child does not eat the porridge for the first time, give him some time. He perhaps needs to get used to the texture and taste of ragi. If he still does not eat even after relentlessly trying for a few days add expressed breast milk to the porridge.  

Once your child it accustomed to ragi, you can add barley, rice, jowar, wheat (one by one though!!) and other millet to the ragi flour.