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Archive for January, 2014|Monthly archive page

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A Journey called Home

In Field Notes on 28 January 2014 at 4:45 am

Chetana, Amma to almost-four year old Disha in Bangalore, finds there is never a dull moment, right at home, a steady source of entertainment and comfort. 

I think for a long time, before D was born, I was under a misconception that staying all day at home could never ever be simulating, would be boring and it is for lazy people.

But D has shown me otherwise in more ways than one. For one – our home and neighborhood is all that she needs to stay happy, healthy and occupied round the clock! Painting MuralThe half-km radius around our house is enough for her and me to find our fulfillment in so many ways and we keep discovering newer ones everyday.
We travel quite a bit for pleasure or work or to visit people. And we love doing that. But coming back to home has its own charm. Read the rest of this entry »

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Resources for Continuum Learning

In What on 28 January 2014 at 4:31 am

Work with the fundamentals of lifelong learning from birth

Aravinda's avatarJivanshala

How do we set the foundation for lifelong learning?  In the early months and years of life, these five resources will help you practice continuum learning with your little ones.  Follow-Up to Attachment Parenting and Continuum Learning.  Scroll down for summary table of  Resources and Skills Learned.

1. Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding helps children learn a vital skill that they need all their lives:  how to eat.

Children’s first introduction to the flavors and feelings of food comes through breastfeeding.  As they gradually increase the variety and quantity of the food they eat, nursing serves as a safety net, allowing them freedom to try foods without any obligation to eat a given quantity by a given time.  Breastfeeding babies have time to acquire taste for a healthy variety of foods, while assured nutrition through mother’s diet.  Nursing also provides antibodies that help little ones as they explore the wider world and…

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Pro-breastfeeding pediatrician?

In Questions on 28 January 2014 at 3:22 am

Do you know of a pro-breastfeeding pediatrician in the Juhu or Andheri area?  I have recently moved to Mumbai from Hyderabad and took my son to a very experienced pediatrician here who recommended clear soups to be started for my four month-old baby as he is a little underweight. I am of the opinion that solids be initiated after six months and that too in little quantities, more for taste rather than a substantial form of nutrition. I have no problem nursing and would like to nurse my second child as much as I have nursed my first born.

Most pediatricians advise supplementing with formula which I do not want to do. Please help.

– Mamma of a 4 month-old and a 2 year-old in Mumbai

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Travel Rendezvous

In Field Notes on 17 January 2014 at 4:38 am

Swetha, Amma of 2 year-old Shishir in Irvine, talks about the joys of travel with her little one. 

First Train Ride

First Train Ride in Maui

We travelled quite a bit in Shishir’s 2nd year and to be precise, the travel adventure started when he turned one year old. Shishir and I went to India the day after he turned 1 and his dad joined us 10 days later. It was a very eventful trip and the main purpose was to introduce him to all of our extended family and close friends and spend some quality time with his maternal grand-parents. It was a month long hectic trip but Shishir really enjoyed meeting everyone and my family was very delighted to spend time with our little one. It made us realize how much he likes socializing. Read the rest of this entry »


Unbelievable Entertainment

In Field Notes on 17 January 2014 at 4:34 am

Sridhar, Nanna of Shishir in Irvine shares delightful moments from life with his 2 year-old buddy – who no longer fits into the palm of his hands, but never misses a chance to ride on his Nanna’s back.

Wow, has it been really that long since he came into our lives? Shishir, our “Litil Titil” (that very cute rhyme that my equally cute wife Swetha coined in his 2nd month) has grown up very fast that last few months – a little too fast for my imagination, but the bond between us grows stronger each day. I don’t think Shishir yet realizes the significance of a father…or Nanna as a relation.

Sridhar and Shishir1

Shishir meets his Nanna, Sridhar

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Communication without Words

In Field Notes on 17 January 2014 at 3:16 am
Srihari, Nanna to 6 month old Vibha in Pune, writes about the looks and gestures that help him and his daughter understand one another without words.
Vibha with her Nanna

Vibha with her Nanna

Ever since I heard about elimination communication, I wondered whether it was possible for months old babies to communicate subtle feelings.  And if they can communicate, whether we adults can receive that communication, given how dependent we are on verbal and written communication.  It is said that 93% of human communication is non-verbal (largely body language).  But body language is not universal and can be misunderstood.  Still, having communicated with pets through my childhood, I was hoping something similar would happen with our daughter. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sankranti Zindabad!

In Field Notes on 15 January 2014 at 8:05 pm

And perhaps in the celebration of Sankranti itself are ways for us to be the change …

Aravinda's avatarSignals in the Fog

We celebrated Sankranti yesterday.  We drew muggulu (rangolis) and topped them with gobbemmalu (decorated gobar balls).  We danced and sang traditional songs, including “Gobbiyello!” that details, verse by verse, every stage of the growth of a seed from the moment it sprouts, bears fruit to fruit till it ripens and we finish off by eating the fruit –  a జామకాయ (guava), as the song goes.  Each stage of growth is a cause for celebration and comment:

అవునాట అక్కలార?
 “Oh, really?  Is it so, sister?”

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Party Treats

In Recipes, What on 15 January 2014 at 2:30 pm

I’d have called this post “Healthy Party Treats” but in present company that goes without saying, doesn’t it?  When I was little, people used the word “healthy” pronounced hell-thee as a synonym for “fat.”  I would say “euphemism” except that it was actually kind of a compliment.  Pleasantly plump, with pleasantly understood.  Ah how times change.

Tender Coconut - fun for all ages

Tender Coconut – fun for all ages

What makes a food a party food …?  Is it merely something you don’t eat every day, eaten in the company of people you don’t meet every day?  Which if you think about it, means almost anything counts!  A plate of carrot sticks will disappear in no time amidst a lively crowd and yet who would think of carrots as party food? Read the rest of this entry »

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Free Sling

In How on 13 January 2014 at 5:47 am

Here is a sling you need not sew or buy.  No rings, straps or other fasteners.  Just a long piece of cloth and a square knot that you tie yourself.  A dupatta, lungi, or shawl, should do, or you can cut a sari in half.   Two metres or so is enough to tie around yourself comfortably.

It’s so simple … just go to any rural, especially hilly region in India and you will see many people wearing their babies with just this type of sling.  It in the city too, usually among mendicants and migrant workers.  Whether it is the Rebozo in Mexico, the Khanga in Africa, it is simply a piece of cloth used for multiple purposes, including baby wearing.  Our urban brothers and sisters have also discovered it, to their delight.  Read the rest of this entry »

Mid-twentieth Century Picture Books I Can’t Stop Reading

In Books on 12 January 2014 at 11:21 am

Every time I clean the bookshelves, there are some children’s books I can never give away.  I read them again and again.   Some of them were written fifty to seventy five years ago, and are as relevant today.  To name a few from my own childhood …

A timeless feminist fable is The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (1939) by DuBose Heyward.   Yes, the same author, along with Dorothy Heyward, who brought us Porgy and Bess.

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