Month: November 2017

5 must-have books for 0-1 years

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Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. You have an interested baby and parent. But what do you read?
Read on for tips on how to choose books for your infant and the only 5 books you really need in your library for the first year.

How to choose books

A. Sturdy.
You want your child to handle the book too independently. Make sure the book is a fabric book or board book.
B. Colors. 
For babies below 5 months, books with high contrast black and white images are great. We skipped this and used bumper cloths in the same color.
For slightly older babies, the book needs to have brightly colored pages.
C. Size
Big isnt always good. Those small books are perfect for the little fingers.
D. Content
Pick up books that have large, bold illustrations with little or no words.There are opposing schools of thought about realistic vs cartoonish illustrations.
… Click to read the rest
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How to read to your infant

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So you already know why it is important to read to your baby. But the quintessential question arrives- how do you go about it? Fortunately for you, I made a list.

1. Go by your child, not the clock

This is a universal rule applicable for almost every situation, no? So there are going to be days (sometimes stretching for weeks), when your baby would be interested in the book for 30 seconds, and sometimes it may stretch to half an hour. Either ways, follow your baby’s lead.

2. The surrounding

Have a dedicated reading corner. It helps if you have a routine, probably before sleep-time. But then again, follow your child’s lead.

Ensure that there are no other distractions or loud noises to over stimulate your baby.

Although we had a reading corner and started out reading in the morning and before sleep, owing to the house filled with my books, we sometimes picked them up at any point of time too, including, during travel.… Click to read the rest

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Toilet learning- the Montessori way

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Phew! Just when you think you have diapers and a poop routine figured out, people start asking if your child is toilet trained yet! The woes of  a parent never end eh?!
Why toilet learning? Why not toilet training?
Toileting is more than just a milestone. It is an everyday skill that is about independence and self esteem.
Toilet learning, is more child-led, more about a child learning to use the toilet and less about an adult telling the child “you’ve gotta pee now, the way i want, when i say so”.

1. Readiness

Obviously one cant expect a 2 year old to write 4 languages. Similarly, the sensitive period for starting toilet learning happens somewhere around 12-months, give or take.
At months baby V finally started showing signs of readiness. By this, I mean, she started being aware of when she wanted to pee and when she was peeing (this started with a keen interest in pee).… Click to read the rest
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