Love for Babywearing

A lot have been heard, written and spoken about baby-wearing already and so it needs no introduction here. As a millennial mom, we do have access to a lot of information online and otherwise too. Nevertheless I am going to be giving you a gist of what babywearing is, its benefits and a little more about my favorite  carrier too.

I would start by saying babywearing is an art by itself. An art of carrying your new born to toddler securely and comfortably on you and going about your everyday chores hands free. It has , is and will be a savior for a lot of moms/ dads during the initial stages of parenting  from sleepless nights, colic babies, teething, general toddler tantrums, cranky toddlers to vaccine visits( of course the difficulty continues later too  but hey you sort of get used to it 🙂 )

The benefits of baby wearing is not only making you hands free but the list just only starts there.

*Healthwise, it promotes better digestion during the early stages

*It helps in promoting attachment parenting which in turn has a lot of benefits. More on this in my next blog may be

*Babies sleep well and less fussy

*Helps in steady weight gain in preemies too and promotes some crucial developments for them

*Helps/promotes in cognitive ans social skills as they hear/ observe us.

For MOMS:

*Breastfeeding made easy in public ( wear them and nurse them)

*The weight of the baby is evenly distributed and hence less pressure on the spine

*Walk more and hence chances of loosing weight

*If you ,like me don’t like strangers grabbing/touching/lifting your baby, baby wearing helps you in that too!!Keeps them close.

But all these comes down to choosing the right one. Not all products available on the market are ergonomic. There are different typea of carrier ranging from full buckles to wraps for the beginners to people who are familiar with wrapping the baby.

I have tried a lot od Indian ergonomic brands and my favourite for now is Kolkol.

My first ever carrier was also Kolkol incidentally, but I had got a meh dai. Its a full buckle meet wrap kind of a carrier and I loved the concept .Unfortunately Tanny didn’t have the patience to hold on until I tie him up,so I had give up. Next i went for a ring sling and stayed with it for a while bedore switching to a couple of more full buckles (from other brands)  which I wasnt very comfortable with. Funally, I thought babywearing isnt for me until I tried Kolkol compact and fell in love with it.

Got one immediately and have been using it ever since.

What I loved about compact is

-True to its name, it is super compact and doesn’t need a lot of space

-The shoulder padding that Kolkol gives is beyond comfort. Its easy on your shoulders and doesnt cause any trouble even during longer hours of using the carrier.

-The waist belt ,which also is a primitive part of the carrier is sturdy and does the job perfectly.

– There are just simple buckles to fasten and easier to use for first timers.

I have also tried Leela ( Kolkol’s newborn to toddler carrier)  which also boasts of similar comfort.

On the whole and since I have been tryimg a lot of other brands too, I can safely say that Kolkol is and will always be my Favourite. Again, this is completely based on my experience .If you still have doubts about  choosing the right one for you, try it before buying it from your local babywearing libraray or Kolkol has an excellent travelling program for moms to try before buying.

Good luck wearing your baby.

An ode to single moms living with thier husband!

As  world celebrates the International Women’s day , we the bunch of bloggers have come together with Neha from sharingourexperiences.com , Deepali from myteenytot.com and Anubhuti from criesnlaughter.com to rejoice this spirit of womanhood.

I would like to thank Neha from https://nehajainu.wordpress.com who so kindly introduced me and also welcome Simran from seamlessymphonywho will be joining us tomorrow! Go give them a thumps up.

#adorewomanhood

When I was in my tweens and twenties, I was super judgmental about a lot of things and one among them was DIVORCE. I used to think people with fickle minds and stubborn asses were the only ones who were divorcing left right and center and that too after a baby! How could people be so cruel.

But now that am older and wiser and understand the nuances of life to a better extent, really applaud those courageous souls who have had the balls to take a better decision and didn’t just bend the way society asked them to!Rather they wanted to live their life thier way! I sincerely dedicate this women’s day to single moms! I have come across a lot of phataka moms doing a great job.

And am really glad that our society is moving towards an open mind for women who dare to face life single handed my with a baby. Not only a baby but also household and an excellent career alongside! Kudos to the women!

I guess childbirth gives you a lot of inner strength and confidence that no other experience can give. It gives you an insane power.

This aside now, let’s come talk about something that more than 70% of the households face, Single moms living with their husband or in laws. Yes, am talking about #soloparenting, us women who live with our husband / in laws but still get no required help for varied reasons.
1.No time.There are some genuine men who struggle to find time. And then there are others who try to find more excuses.
2.Doesn’t know to take care , cause he is such a spoiled brat.
3. Always traveling for work. This lot of men are the pitiest.
4.Because he could be a fat head who thinks its a women’s duty.
5. Not set his priorities right.

And so many more.
How do you tackle life with a tiny little hand tugging at you every single minute!?
Well, patience is the only trusted and tested way!

1.Try and loosen up a little bit by putting on loud music on your headphones and zone out
2.Talk to your husband, chances are, he thinks you are handling everything yourself really well and wouldn’t know that help is required.
3. Ask for help in politely or slyly (whichever best suits your partner)
4.Dont ever self pity! It’s the worst kind of pity.
5. Keep insisting about dad and baby bond and how good it is in the longer run whenever you get the chance.
6. Make sure you leave them both alone for atleast 30 mins a day
7. Don’t neglect him, make sure you do everything you used to do before the baby came in ( like cooking special meals, etc) . I know it’s tedious but try and do OPOS. A lot of recipes are available online.
8. Last but not the least, don’t hesitate to ask for help when and if required.

Hope this helps you guys! Is there something that you would like to add? Do let me know! Good luck!

Also adding a few lines here with respect to women who struggle ! We , as a fellow women/ mom should understand and help each other rather than start judging ! Somewhere someone once wrote that women are women’s worst enemies. I genuinely think our generation has walked past this and the upcoming ones will not be !

How Motherhood changed me?

It has been a rollercoaster ride , the past one year! Actually If I take pregnancy into account, 2 years! But if i have to relive and alter it, I wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s what Motherhood does to you, isn’t it?

Every mom is a hero in her own right. Fighting the struggles she has to go through.

My journey to the person i am now started  soon after i heard a little wail on the 4th of October early in the morning! The first wail and the first touch! (Not being melodramatic here).

So, whats changed?

Earlier,i would always shy away from grown up conversations/ arguments. Always taking a back seat while the real grown ups did all the talking and solving. Never wanted to grow and never will. So from a happy go lucky child to a responsible person, Motherhood changed me or should i say enhanced me quite a bit.

My baby also gave a second chance to my own childhood and so we started our journey together

*Motherhood taught me to handle poop, burp,pee and vomit all in a go and being grateful for all this coming out of the little human and a silent prayer that it isn’t all coming together.

*Patience has become my new best friend, in spite of my ear drumming with constant wails ,things shattering, whistling cookers and dirty laundries

*Motherhood taught me to not cringe at my own reflection( both shadow and on the mirror). The little jingles on my love handles and boobs almost saying hello to my tummy! But those adoring eyes and a peck on my cheek tells me that i am the most beautiful mom through my son’s eyes!

*Motherhood did open one more bigger hole in my eyes! (pun intended) !When something happens to somebody else’s baby, tears just wont stop!

*Getting paranoid by the minute! Sometimes i even touch his little nose to see if he is still breathing!

*Hey,it also made me a pro googler! Ask me anything! I swear to give you an answer in 2 mins 🙂

*Motherhood also gave me super powerful instinct! I can smell something is fishy miles away!!

*MOtherhood gave me super powers like running fast to catch baby before taking the fall or swatting the mosquitoes!

*Mherhood made me appreciate a lot of things my mom does for me

*Most of all Motherhood made me a more compassionate person

*On a last note, Motherhood gave me a new wardrobe,a penchant for DIY activities, ability to do everything in one hand and a few dimples on the skin 🙂

Am indebted to Pooja Kawatara for giving me a chance to participate in this Blog Train!This post is part of the Blog Train started by her.Check out her blog here for more details.

I would also like to thank SumiraBhatia,a supermom and fellow blogger for introducing me and would like invite the super talented Elina of Momfunda fame ,a nutritionist,PHD student and a mommy blogger to hop on this train to share her wonderful journey MOtherhood. Check  out her blog here

 

 

 

Things a new mom wants /wishes her husband would have known

As a new mom or I would rather say as a parent be it mom or dad, we go through so many emotions and stress about everything and anything..

Its overwhelming to have a tiny little human who always wants your attention all of a sudden when only yesterday everything was only about you as a couple or just you. It’s even more traumatising for a girl I would say , having gone through mental, physical , emotional turmoil during labour. Sometimes as a partner you won’t even recognise the behavioural changes that happens with a woman who had just had a baby. Hell, she herself wouldn’t understand. What would you do? Here are certain pointers to help you around the time until she is up and about almost herself again.

1. She will need a lot of pampering from you especially like how you guys were together before baby happened sometimes and other times she just wants some space. Give her time she will when you feel she needs space but don’t let go always.

2. She would not want to be social at all be it her relatives or yours. She would hate having visitors around. She would rather sleep or be with you and the baby.

3. For some women depression happens before you can even spell the baby’s name.. It’s because she has gone through so much of trauma and her happiness hormone is yet to be secreted ( yes , there is an hormone for it ). Just make sure you say the right words or at least stand by her.

4. She will not feel beautiful, infact, she will feel her ugliest during these days. Don’t go around telling her to lose her weight or point out her stretch marks or worse even comment about it in front of people!! She might have been taking it easy before the baby but definitely not now!!Remember what she has given you!!!

5. She doesn’t want new cloths , she needs them.. Nothing , I mean , nothing is going to fit her , so it is always better to give a hand with it before she points out.

6. If she is staying with her parents away from you , make sure you visit her often or atl east make it a point to talk to her everyday.

7.And nappies, yes you will have to change them definitely !! It’s not her job.

8.She will be over protective of the baby, you know ‘wouldn’t want people to touch the baby, hold the baby , hug the baby’ kind of over protective. Every mom has this thing going on her head.

9. She might be ridiculously fighting for no reason for the baby.. Like if her choices are questioned!! Whatever said and done moms know the best!! So just go with the flow!!

10. She is super possessive of the tiny human and you ( yes,you). Now you guys are her world.

11. Pregnancy shrinks the brain (scientifically proven) , so yes now you know what to expect!!

hopefully  she is be bouncing back to normalcy in a span of 6 month to a year, until then take care of her guys!! After all she has been through , she deserves the best from you !!

Diaper Bag Essentials

Ever since I had my little one and was in need of a diaper bag I was pretty adamant to not buy alone with cartoons or toy printed diaper bags and I have been searching forever for a nicer version.. I did get a few but they were waaaay past my budget.. Come on who would want to spend 7k on a diaper bag although it looks drool worthy and then I came to know about this awesome brand Baby Jalebi and I grabbed mine as soon as I can.. I love flowers and flowery stuff, so this bag is just perfect!! You can view more designs here 🙂

The best part about it is it can be carried three ways – sling , backpack and shoulder strap.
It has two spacious pockets and one with a zipper along with a compartment for bottles which is insulated and has easy access from the outside too!! (Isn’t this cool?) apart from the ones on the outside.It also comes with its own changing mat. It is just a dream come true bag 🙂 I carried only this bag for little Mr.T for a two day trip !!

So now let me tell you the necessary items inside the bag for a 6 month old infant
1. Water – if you started to give the same – I dint introduce feeding bottles to mine , directly went to a Sippy cup. Featured here is an Avent sipper but to be honest I prefer the Chicco one as it is spill proof too which is very much necessary if your little one does yoga poses like mine

2. I am a cloth diapering mom and hence featured here is the Bumpadum Duet diaper. I have been using cloth diapers for almost 3 months now and I feel bumpadum is the best so far!! The inner shell  is so soft and the absorbency level is super excellent!! You can buy them here.. They also have awesome starter packs for first time users and they have just introduced organic ones( how awesome is that)!!!But do keep in mind that not all brands work for all babies!!( it’s like our lingeries, the same brand doesn’t fit all girls the same) if you are not a cd mommy, No worries , just carry a diaper of your choice. I was using many polo pants for my little one

3. Snacks – I once made a mistake of not taking anything for him and ended up getting stuck in traffic and felt like I failed as a mom 😑 So always carry a snack. I carry Ragi porridge and an apple. ( and a feeder ).

4. Blanket – For the cozy sleepyheads ( as if they sleep ,but a mom can dream ). Features here is his favourite starry Sumer blanket ( not sure from where).

5. Nursing stole – if you are a BF mom then this is a must. This featured here is from momzjoy. It’s super comfortable and trendy and does the work. They also have a wide range of pregnancy and nursing wear that is amazingly in trend and super comfortable. You can check them out here !

6. His favourite teether – Sophie la giraffe .. The one featured here has a delicious vannila flavour,it’s handy and 100% baby safe. It’s the best teether available in the world and is super safe!! You can get yours here at My Baby Babbles

7. Wet Tissue- I have an unscented Mammypoko pop up box of wet tissues.. I don’t function slowly so I end up drying all the wet tissues but not sealing it properly. This box comes handy and can be used with any brand of wet tissues.

8.Wet Bag – This is a life saver if you are using a cloth diaper . Just dumb the soiled or wet garments/ diaper in them until you can laundry it. It’s closed space prevents the formation of any type of organisms. You can get quirky printed ones from any of the cloth diaper vendors.

9. Toys – Especially if your baby is still young, definitely carry his favourite toys. The one featured here is a colour changing , singing rattle.

10. Plush toys- I am a sucker for all things handmade and that’s how I ended up with this beautiful crochet bunny from ConnectZoey , oh and she also makes quilts for babies. You can check out her Instagram page here. She responds pretty soon .

11. I am also a baby wearing mumma. If you would like to know what baby wearing is , there are “n” number of blogs and articles about the same. The one featured here is a ring sling( a type of baby carrier) from Soul. You can learn about different types of baby carriers and Thier benefits on Thier page here

12. A spare set of cloths for your little one and a top for you too ( just in case he/ she vomits😑)

13. Wash Cloth & bib – This is a must if you are going to be feeding the baby

The rest all are for mummas

14.A powerbank- almost as important as your mobile

15.Vanity Kit – lip balm, lip color, hand cream, perfume( always ask for samples when you buy the bigger version), shades,claw clip ,sanitizer and a spray bottle and of course your wallet