Ask Amma

Archive for the ‘How’ Category


Make good bread better

In How on 26 August 2014 at 12:00 pm
Voila! Whole wheat bread.

Voila! Whole wheat bread.

Mostly for the sake of bread aficionados in India who pine for a loaf of really whole grain bread every time they see the third-rate impostors in the market, I posted Baking Bread at Home, which you can do either in a bread machine or in an ordinary oven.  You can also use a convection oven, adjusting time and temperature.   Note:  Do not try this in a microwave oven, even if it claims to have a convection setting.

Please.  Just don’t.

Friends in Mozda tell me that they get delicious bread out of their solar oven and I take their word for it.  Everything tastes better out of those solar ovens.

For those who have no solar ovens, here is a interesting development: I recently learned that someone is selling bread machines in India, Read the rest of this entry »


How do kids’ tastes change?

In How on 18 July 2014 at 7:07 pm

I have been trying to understand how toddler’s tastebuds change, but unable to find right sort of literature for it. My son used to love all fruits and green smoothie until he was 11 months old.  His appetite reduced a great deal and after sometimes his tastebuds too changed drastically. Slowly he stopped eating fruits and green smoothie. He only used to have some bits of watermelon until 10 days ago. He stopped that too now. He only eats occasional chickoo.

Yummy in my tummy!

Yummy in my tummy!

I had read in several places about how mother’s diet affects child’s liking to certain foods through breastfeeds. I have done everything by the book, consumed lots of greens, fruits, etc. I thought it was working too until quite recently.  I really want to understand how his mind works and chooses certain foods over others.  Will he ever get back to fruits now? Read the rest of this entry »


EC 101

In How on 31 March 2014 at 8:10 pm

I am interested in understanding elimination communication. I may or may not be able to implement it because I will be working full time but at least I want to understand it and give it a try.

– Expecting in Idaho

Make that time and a half, dear Ayi-to-be in Idaho!  Every mother is a working mother.  If I hear you right, you are referring to work outside the home while your little one is in – or not in – diapers.  If your partner is also planning to work outside the home during this time then both of you will be handling the demands of the home and office.  Fortunately, infant hygiene is one of many departments where Ayi and Baba alike can take care of the baby’s needs, and diaper-free hygiene takes care of the need to be heard as well as the need to stay clean.  While you are at the office, whoever is taking care of the baby can communicate. Read the rest of this entry »

,

Going to work … baby’s gotta eat!

In How on 7 February 2014 at 4:56 am

How do I get our baby to eat solids? I have resumed going to my office a few months ago and my wife plans to do so in one month. Till now, she has been breastfeeding exclusively. I will then be responsible for some of the feeding and I need a strategy pronto! – Baba of a 5 month-old son in Siliguri

If your wife is breastfeeding, she is already introducing your son to the taste of solids, and by cooking you help to feed both of them. In fact, the foundation for healthy eating is breastfeeding. Not merely because it nourishes baby physically, emotionally and intellectually but because it serves as a safety net while growing children explore the world of solids and explore the world. Regarding how to offer solids, please see: How Children Learn to Eat and Introducing Foods.

In principle, the pace of eating solids need not change for baby when mother goes to the office, provided she knows her rights. Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

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 »

, , , ,

How to boost immunity

In How on 30 October 2013 at 10:25 pm

Our son is falling sick often. Last week he had another virus attack and this time it was foot, hand and mouth disease. He is doing a lot better now. But has lost some weight.  We feel it is certainly to do with his immunity, that he is falling sick so often.  How can we boost his immunity?

Parents of a 1 year old near Baltimore

Immunity depends on individual as well as community factors.  The example of Roseto* suggests that in a close-knit community, one is less prone to illness.  Although most discussions of health and immunity focus on tangibles, such as food, exercise, sleep, hygiene, environment and safety, intangibles play as much a role or more in keeping our immune system strong.   Read the rest of this entry »

, ,

Nursing in the sling

In How on 30 October 2013 at 10:10 pm

Nursing is a wonderful thing and a lovely little verb as well, referring to the action both of the baby and the mother, or as the International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization might say, it is the action of the motherbaby[1].

Nursing in sling. Image: Shutterstock

Nursing in sling. Image: Shutterstock

Some motherbabies nurse soon after birth and with no apparent learning curve.  Others take more time.  Some mothers donate milk to others who struggle with supply.

Two practices that make nursing easier are:
1.  Nursing while lying down / dozing off.
2.  Nursing in the sling.

Read the rest of this entry »

,

Slings

In How on 16 September 2013 at 10:10 pm
Vijay carries daughter in sling

Vijay carries daughter in sling

The SLING is the the thing I find myself recommending most often.  As they say, लाख़  दुखों  की  एक दवा है, क्यों ना आज़माएँ?

That evening fussiness that sets in usually anywhere between 3 weeks – 3 months?  Try the sling!

Baby takes such short naps I don’t know when / where to put her down?  Try the sling! Read the rest of this entry »

, , , ,

How children learn to eat

In How on 23 July 2013 at 4:00 am

How often do we hear that children won’t eat?  No one loves this message more than the food industry, which is ready to jump in with factory-tested flavours and bliss points, adding salt, fat and sugar, flavor, color and stabilizer in indsutrially calibrated quantities to design foods that hold mass appeal.  “Kids today don’t eat food!” declares an advertisement for a popular packaged meal.   On the screen we see a child pushing away a plate of vegetables, dal and roti and brightening up considerably when the packaged bliss comes forth in steaming digitally enhanced ringlets.

How often have we seen parents or grandparents run behind a child with a bowl of food or hire someone to perform this task?   Read the rest of this entry »

, ,

The Play School Dilemma

In How on 16 July 2013 at 3:58 pm

My son is 18 months old. I work as a free lance consultant and have a good support system at home. My husband and I have been thinking about playschool as our son loves physical activity and exploring new things and also interacting with other children.

What are your thoughts on play schools, the appropriate ages, what to look for in a good play school, its teachers etc?

Mama from Delhi

The neighbourhood is the appropriate place for an 18-month-old or really for any child who is looking for physical activity, new things to explore, and interaction with children outside the home.  Also the wide world beyond offers many attractions, but do not forget that there is much to explore locally, even within a kilometre radius as well. Read the rest of this entry »