Secret of Aditya's Soft Skin

New to parenting can be a tedious job especially if it's your first child. I have experienced this as recently I have entered the world of motherhood. Aditya, our son, has just completed eight months now.  But these months have been ups and downs. From sudden crying & sleeping tantrums to his 1st smile, it has been a roller coaster ride. 

One of the factors to look for when you have a baby  is to retain that soft skin of your little one. I am not an expert in this, but here are according to me, based on my recent encounter, the 5 important aspects to look for when it comes to maintaining soft & safe skin of your infant.

Breast feeding

Question arises, is breast feeding an important factor for babies skin!

My thought is that to keep babies skin safe, we would need to make sure they are well immune to bacterial & other infections. Skin damage can be from frequent infections. While Breast feeding increase immune system of the babies; we can try avoiding skin damage to certain extend by breast feeding.

Also breast milk contains lots of vitamins, mineral and other nutritional substances; which can act as skin protector

For instance, during his 1st month, he had red spots on his face. As a home remedy, mom suggested to apply breast milk to these spots. It was effective & natural compare to other chemical lotions.

Lotions, Soap, Powder, Wipes:

Moisturizing is most important for maintaining a soft skin. Market is filled with different variety of brands of baby products; hence choosing a  suitable one as per your babies need is crucial.

We apply lotions to Aditya after bath and during bedtime. We also use it while potty cleaning, especially if he had a rough time. Along with lotion we sprinkle talcum powder to retain the moisture content. Many Pediatricians are against talcum powder, but according to my experience, a minimum quantity of powder is a must. Also, there are a variety of powder puffs in the market, which assures only a few grains falls to your little one's body.

Aditya is a sweaty person. He gets heat rashes; especially during summer season. We use prickly heat powder as a remedy.

During Rainy season, he had got diaper rashes due to frequent urination. On such occasions, a Diaper rash cream comes handy.

Utilizing a recommended soap is best for maintaining a soft skin. It should be free from harsh chemicals and should not hurt babies cute eyes while bathing. 

Clothes can harm the soft skin while potty cleaning. Utilizing water many at times can damage skin or he can catch a cold. To avoid such hassle, we use wipes. It prevents rashes & very convenient while travelling too. Few wipes can be used to clean faces too.

Oil Massage:

Before Bathing, applying baby oil for a few minutes is a good practice. While oiling, massages is a must. This makes bones & skin flexible, which helps in developmental activity. For skin, oiling prevents dryness and massaging result in advocate blood flow, which in turn helps skin glow.

Timing for bathing is also important. Bathing should be done before 11 am, preferably early morning hours. This practice has been done from ages as it said that an early morning bath boasts body and mind. Evening hours are for short showers. Short showers are needed when you start them with solid foods as dirt will be accumulating in the neck, ear hands & legs. .

Clothes and toys

Baby clothes with beautiful prints, attractive design, colorful buttons are in the market these days, but are those soft for your lo skin?

We prefer white cotton clothes as bed sheets and blankets as we can identify dust easily. We used 1st 3 months white nappies instead of diapers. Diapers were used only during nights. As he was born in summer and climate here is sunny we prefer cotton thin clothes. After Bath, we swaddled for 1st 4 months to retain babies skin moisture and prevent from damage. Selecting good towel  & soft brush for combing is advisable. 

During rainy season as mosquito can harm his skin, we used mosquito nets or full sleeves shirt and pants.

Now he has started crawling and as a result, we see skin darkening near his knee. So we have started wearing knee pad for protection. These are made up of soft woolens, hence are soft for skin. We also have huge  play mats so that his playtime is skin friendly. 

Toys should be baby friendly too, as  babies have a thumb rule, i.e. 'anything on hand is in the mouth'.

Search for no sharp edges toys, as minuet sharp edges can rip of their soft skin easily. 

As they start with their developmental activity like rolling over, crawling, sitting and standing; they are bound to fall. So we need to make sure that surfaces where they play or sleep are safe, soft and clean.

Last but not the Least

Diaper:

The hardest job of parenting is to make sure your child has a good night sleep. Babies are very sensitive ;wakes up immediately after urinating. Diaper are savior in these cases and better than protective sheets.

Selecting right brand which is compatible for your kid is a difficult task. I have been using many brands based on his body structure as first 6 months he used to gain weight spontaneously and we had to shift from one size to another. If  Diapers are too tight it can lead to red rashes and if it's loose, it leads to leakage.

But a key point when  it comes to choosing diapers is we need to make sure water retained should not create moisture inside the diaper. This moisture makes them irritated and later creates rashes. If your LO is urinating frequently, diapers need to be changed frequently. Pedestrian recommends changing diapers every 4 hours is best practice.

Best among them are Pampers active and Pampers Pant. During the early months as I had to change diapers on a regular basis, I preferred active as it was open diapers. As of now he sleeps for 6 hours continuously, hence I prefer Pants.

I have recently purchased Pamper Premium and yet to try it out. The product targets soft skin as its main goal and this feature has lured me into it.

Here is a little intro of Premium from the makers themselves; It is sure to attract everyone.

Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy.

To conclude, it's all about the experience which matter when it comes to taking care of  that innocent little one. So make sure you have your elders at hand length when in need. Try to be cautious about major road blocks, but we don't need to worry too much about the minute ones. As motherhood comes only once in life, we need to enjoy it along with these warnings. 

At the end, it's their happy smile which matters the most. 

Isn't it!!
Prathi

Leisure books 2015

I have been away from my work for almost an year now. I am an exhausted and thrilled mom for an 8 month old boy but few at times when I get leisure, its books which comes to my mind. From Sachin Tendulkar sensation book " Playing it my way " to classic like" Gone with the wind " ; my collection set this year varies from one form to another. It would take a while to think and write about all the books which I read, hence I will select few which was in dark from my knowledge but had impressed me at the end

1. "The Black Box" by Micheal Connel -

A thriller novel which has usual storyline as per this era but the way it has approached and depicted quite creates scandal in itself. I mean when I had started with it, I kept guessing what could be the reason but at the end when the climax was out it really was fascinating and interesting.

Harry Bosh yet another case of murder mystery with a tittle which depicts that when a plane crashes we try find the black box to complete the investigation. like wise in all cases we need to find that black box whether it is think or info or someone to complete it

2. "Night fall " by Nelson demille - 

I cant completely say this is a friction as the story line is not. It has happened in US, where a flight had broken to flames in the midair. Many people claim to see a streak of light like a rocket which propelled and hit the plane. But the investigation had no proof on that streak of light beam and hence it was closed as mechanical failure.

Author Nelson gave a twist to the real fact by adding a friction to what might have happened to the investigation if there was a glimpse of proof for this beam of light.

The climax is such a take back that none can ever imagine. What a end.

A 'Must' read book.

3."Pendragon Legacy - Sword of light" -

This is pure friction and harry potter fans might like it. It consists of 4 books and this one is the 1st of them. Its about a girl whose surname is Pendragan and how she overcomes fear and becomes the bravest among the whole kingdom. She  challenges her evil cousin just by her innocence which makes the story even more interesting.

My encounter was as surprising as this book. I got this book from our city library. Its a tale to be read and without the next 3 book in series this tale is incomplete. I am still finding hard to be patience to get my hands on the next series.

Yes its half review but the point is not review but its awareness is what I want to publish. If you ever find the 4 in together, it can be a great collection in bookshelf.

4. 'My Days ' by R.K. Narayanan -
Need no intro as it is the very famous 'Malgudi days' authors autobiography.

I am incompetent to review this as his standard is higher than any author in this world. Hence I will not review the book. Its a must if you are fan of him, i cant imagine if you are not. You can find some rare pictures of his life and you get a visit to his personal life. There is also cartoon illustration by another great person and his own little brother Mr. R.K.Laxman which is remarkably funny.

I would say that despite being a great author, during that time authors had lot of contents to write. A simple exam is of a street light man which Mr. Narayanan has explained in his 1st chapter and that too so beautifully.

Might be it would have been best to born at those times as hard work and success was hand in hand.

Think about it & I will leave you to it.
Prathi

Grandma #madeofgreat

Decades ago (1940's), she rode with her brother letting an unapproved father behind, around 12 miles far away from her home. She wanted to complete her education and enter the world of teaching. She used to brief out that her parents were not so willing but she never gave up.

This is a short abstract of someone who is undeniably #madeofgreat for me, 'My Grandma'.

Ever since I know her, she is a multitasking lady; stands like a wall for all obstructions. Her mode of speech brings warmness to anyone who listens to her. She is open like a book and yet so secretive. Sometimes, when I think of her influence in my life, It brings her residue into me. My mom takes up few situations a bit more serious than required, but she was calm, composed yet firm. This behavior, I always try to follow, few at times I succeed, but mostly I fail but still I never gave up

Work life balance - 

"Working as a school teacher till retirement, mom of 7 and a great cook" is what describes her. Her dishes are the best in the world and if you ever had a chance to taste it, you would definitely say it is the best South Indian food ever tasted. When we asked her, 'how do you do such simple rasam so tasty?', she used to say that 'measurement is the key'. Been working and handling household has taught her that being organised is time-saving. 

Being a mom has not killed her career. She is even now remembered as the best teacher of her times and all her stories and riddles are resided by each and every student of hers whenever they meet. When they visited her, they used to tell about her greatness and how she used to handle their tiny fights with patience. 

Grandma has always been a proud teacher which has reflected in her life even after her retirement. This has taught me that when we are satisfied with individual accomplishment, it brings us peace within; which reflects on our social life.

Catastrophic : 

At the age of 45, Grandma lost Grandpa. All the financial and social activity was handled by Grandpa. At 1970, It should have been devastating as she was not much aware about banking, shopping and all other social problems. Only because of her self confidence and 'never give up' nature, was she able to handle and take care. 

During Grandpa's death, my uncle had married against our religion and this had caused lots of humiliation around her neighborhood. Being a single parent, she handled the circumstances very well; with an open mind, welcomed her and greeted aunt as her own daughter. 

Can you get a woman who can be so human when the whole world; still says 'religion is greater than humanity'??

Physical Appearance :

She is not the prettiest of the lot & she is partially handicapped, with one leg bitten by a snake during her childhood. Even when I was rejected at marriage proposals due to height, she assured & said; 'Don't give up. People who evaluate you by your physical appearance are not worth marrying'

On 31st May 2015, She had her last breath. She was not well from past 4 years and was bed rest for a year. Even while in such condition, she used to smile at the guest who visited her & welcomed everyone. 

I miss her guidance. I miss her patience. I miss her. Wholly I miss a great lady & even more a great soul who is a representation of being an empowerment for the new generation.

This is an inspirational story made it available for the tag #madeforgreat. It's a campaign by Tatamotors. You can get more details on the campaign here - http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/

Along with the campaign, there is also a contest for readers. 

Answer this simple question to win Amazon vouchers

'What do you think of Tata Motors' association with Lionel Messi?' 

Until next time, Cya 

Prathi