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

Road Safety to you & me...

Journey is fun, entertaining and joyful, especially if it is with your loved ones. The boring journey which you would have, can be vanquished if some of your loved ones are there for company.But when we add Safe to Journey, It is not only your or your loved ones duty but all the Public who are involved in that Journey. Be it your bus conductor in which you are travelling, to the traffic policeman, to the Pedestrians & to the taxi driver who is travelling along with your bus; everyone's action matter. If in any circumstance any of them makes a wrong move, it can have a disastrous end.

Hence when we talk about "Road Safety", it is not only your action which matters but also others.Every individual when stepping outside has a discipline to be followed towards road safety. The below episode is a small tit bit of what I want to convey

"Aravind was crossing a road when he got a call. He answered the call. A few hours later , he was found in a hospital bed. You can find such stories in the newspaper every now or then.

Why does it happen. Was it the drivers fault who didn't see Aravind or was it Aravind who took a call and missed the speeding bike."

Source : NSDF

Matter of Fact, if each individual follow certain steps on Road safety we can combat it. Rules and regulation of road safety is something which has been taught to us from our school time. During my childhood I was very excited, especially the different signs, which was taught to us in schools to see them in the road. But over the time when we grow older, these signs are neglected. Hence safety starts from basic.

Do you know your Basic Rules? : Half of the drivers who drive never know the basic signs and signals. Even the few who know never follow them.Hence people who follow are left in a penny size. When such people tend to follow rules, others blame them. Hence people have forgotten which is right & which is wrong. Rules learnt in schools has been limited to school exams and never implemented.A strict action should be organised to revamp this wrong. 

I would also like to bring some light on some key areas which needs attention

1. High Beam/Dim dip: This I believe is a very serious crime, when travelling in city limit, people put High beam lights.The opposite end vehicle is impacted highly. Any new learner would cause an accident due to it
2. Overtake and/or no Signal: Half of the accident in Bangalore happens due to overtake and/or no signals. 
3. Drinking & Driving : Needs no introduction as even popular famous people have caught in the act.
4. Using Mobile while driving : Term "Mobile" means able to be moved but using a Mobile Phone while driving can harm others.Just a call can end a life.
5. Honking: It can be irritating when you hear honking when there is a red sign ahead.Please be patience & don't honk unnecessarily.

Don't neglect the audience! It is not only a Drivers responsibility but also other passengers who are seated in that vehicle on a road safety mission. Any distraction caused can result in damage. 
For example, 

1. It is not only for car drivers to wear a seat belt but also the passengers. 
2. Also in Public transportation, many a times we notice people don't follow certain arrangements while climbing or when getting down especially in Buses/Trains. Hanging around the doors can be stylish but cause accidents.
3. Challenging/encouraging drivers for a road race in a busy streets can be catastrophic.
4. When you are with your kids/pets, make sure you direct them on how to behave in busy streets while you drive.
5. Even few action of Pedestrians can result in accidents. Accidents can happen due to the negligence while crossing roads, sleeping in footpath, jogging in roads, running to catch buses, etc.

Hence to avoid every Indian needs to be aware of the safety measures irrespective whether they drive or not.

Bike Riders!!!Footpath is for Pedestrians and not for 2 wheeler's. I am stressing on 2 wheeler because majority of Indian, rides bike or scooter. Even though it is small compared to other vehicles; it is a cause for major deaths & accidents.

Few attitudes of riders which needs attentions 

1. No Helmet
2. No Licences
3. More than 2 people
4. No  Age limit 
5. Bad Maintenance - No Rear Mirrors / No Horns 
6. Short cut Mania
7. Stunts

Traffic Men khi Jai!!!!! Of all the people in India, Traffic men are the ones who are in charge of these rules & safety. But are they the guider or the neglecter!! 

Bribe, Scam and Restless behavior of them are seen and heard most of the times. These safety men are meant to serve their duty which they have forgotten and during safety drive should be monitored and reported.

Blaming is not a motivation, we need to help them & get them their appreciation of what they deserve too, as there are few good men in them too.

Lastly I would say that there are many other safety measures which I haven't mentioned here but the ultimate thought of road safety is that 

"Death, Accident results in a loss of someone so dear, think about your dear one when you want to mend a rule..are you ready for a lose due to your childishness?"

Source: NSDF

This blog post is written as a part of  a contest held by Indiblogger & Nisan India on road safety in India. Also to add on Nissan India is back with their "Nissan Safety Drive Forum" which campaigns about the road safety & its responsibility. This year's concept is "Safety starts from me".

To get more details on this forum , please visit their website.
https://www.nissan.in/innovation/NSDF.html