Category: Parenting

One trick that has always worked for me and my clients is to tell the kids what they CAN do, instead of telling them just what not to do, so there is no confusion.
Kids mostly love to please their elders, hence showing them how they can, would really help them.
In this scenario the main goal is to model  gentle behaviour in front of them, something which they would copy or at least start to register consciously.

In this post I  will share things that have proven to be helpful to me and my clients. You know your child best, hence feel free to tweak  the suggestions  as per your comfort. You would have to deal with biting, shoving or hitting the moment you see it happens. Waiting even for a minute or until you get home isn’t going to help as by that time, they would have already forgotten the incident and won’t  be able to understand  the severity  of the situation.

When should you stop a child from hitting?
I know it isn’t an easy task to figure out how to stop a child from hitting!
For the first time Parents it’s an even more shocking and tedious  process.
How one helps the child stop hitting would look different for different age groups, however in this post I would share my expertise of what worked for my thousands  of parents and kids clients.

If your kids have lied or have tried to deceive you, you must understand that it is normal childhood behaviour. It is a parent’s job to teach them right from wrong. Take out special time to guide them away from lies and towards an environment where they can openly speak the truth. They would definitely thank you for taking the extra time to teach them this important life lesson.

Educational toys are the change that will take the process of learning to the next level, since they can Kickstart your kid’s play and support his or her development.
While one might feel choosing the best Educational toys for the kids would be easy, it does indeed require a good amount of effort. Finding the best educational toys could be difficult for both teachers and parents.
The best toys for the kids are the ones that engage both their minds and bodies.
The perfect toys are the ones that challenges kids and help them learn in in a fun way.
Here are a few points that could help you pick the right kind of Educational Toys for your kids:

Don’t change yourself

Have you already started feeling that Parenting took away a part of you that was important to you once?

Have you Changed yourself after becoming a Parent?

Do you miss being yourself?

If the answers to all the above is YES, Please read on to know about the one thing that my husband were quite sure of during our first pregnancy.

Being a mother of two I have witnessed how different kids develop new skills and abilities at an individual pace and in a steady progression as they grow. Both my daughters reached their respective milestones and developed various skills at a different pace.
A Growth curve assesses the way a kid grows over a period of time. Read this blog post to know all about Growth Curve.

Language development of your newborn by talking often :
Talking is the biggest milestones for a baby and there’s a lot that a parent can do to help the baby to be a master at chatting once he grows older. Get all your questions related to ‘Talking to your baby’ answered in this post.

Parenting During Pandemic is hard. The children are likely to show emotions and feelings that they must have not shown before.
Check out this post to know about some practical and simple tips.
Even though it isn’t a great feeling to see one’s children in an emotionally weak state, we must accept that it’s perfectly OK if they show some signs of anxiety or sadness.

If you feel that separation anxiety is just for kids, hold your thought and read on.
When you become a parent, you are likely to experience a fraught with emotions. You may find yourself feeling extremely happy and joyous at your baby’s birth at one moment, and may experience an immense sense of responsibility. At certain times you would feel an intense fear to do everything right for your baby.
There might be times an extreme desire to be able to protect your baby from the world around may lead to a couple of problems for your baby and you.

One of the best ways to make some fun memories with your family is by engaging in board games. In this article you would find 5 Best family board games that would help you spend some quality and engaging time with your family.

After hustling to school and work for most of the week, we all crave to hit a pause button and make some definite room for memories that would last a lifetime.
We often crave to connect with our family the old fashioned fun way – without any portable electronic devices.

This live video is going to benefit all parents and people who deal with kids on a daily basis. The Topic for this live was – The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act which is also called as (POCSO) Act and we have also discussed in details about Child Abuse.

Did you know that kids from the age of 7-17 often suffer from anxiety or depression? In this blog post I will help you decode both the cases. Identifying these can help you take necessary help right in time. Many children have worries and fears, and may feel hopeless and sad times and again. You may watch the video below to understand this in more details.

If your life looks great on paper but feels not so great in real life, we need to take a pause.

I can help you enjoy the success you have strived so hard to achieve without having to sacrifice your soul to find it.

I can help your child balance academic well being with personal health and happiness.

A session with me help you become the happiest person you would know.

I beleive that each of us have the potential to create the change we want to see in the world. but too often we get stuck feeling like we can’t.

I would love to help you and your kids change that.

If you have a child between 7 -18, this blog is for you! It could be just what you’ve been looking for! My name is Preetjyot Kaur and I have been sharing about my parenting journey on my blog mylittlemuffin.com since over 6 years. I loved my job as a mom blogger.. But over time when I connected with various mothers through my blog and I realised something!

It can get difficult to toddle around with your baby for hours while trying to complete chores, unless one has an army of helpers to do the daily chores or have arms of steel.
A baby carrier can be a blessing for all such parents who want to multitask and yet ensure that their baby is comfortable.

Byju’s Early Learn App – transformed the way my kid learns.

This pandemic has brought online learning to the forefront!

Whether schooling your kids through online classes or learning new skills for professional growth, all of us are fast evolving as a tribe of self-initiated learners!

Thank God for BYJU’S, the app has literally transformed the way my kid learns. The course material, innovative technology and its mentors have helped in improving my younger ones retention power. 

Unrealistic expectations can break you.

During the beginning phase of lockdown did you start with plans of doing something truly meaningful and productive?
Have you been pushing yourself to self-improve and focusing on your productivity?
If this is true it’s quite possible that you are feeling overwhelmed because you are simply not able to achieve the ‘unrealistic’ expectations you may have set for yourself.

Loving myself makes me a happy and content Parent. No! That doesn’t make me a selfish Parent. Hang in there and read the quote on the image below please. Now read this again! Keep reading this affirmation again and again until it hits you hard.

Corona Virus – How to talk to your kids

As the global outbreak is progressing and the schools are being shut, we parents are facing tons of questions from our children.

Perfection- it’s ok to redraw the lines on your map.
When you are following your roadmap to love, happiness and success, it’s ok to redraw the lines on your map.

Decision – Take charge and write your own story. We often obsess over making the right decision. Did you wonder why? I believe that most of us assume that the universe would reward us for one decision and punish us for the other.

Hidden away in the inside of my jacket I found the boarding card of the flight I took when I was travelling to Mumbai for my wedding.This was nothing less than an adventure ?

Want To know these magic parenting formulas? The moment I realized I was expecting my first child, I was determined to be a good mother just like any other woman. I always knew I wanted to do it the right way. Everyone around me showered me with their take on motherhood. I was in constant search for a magic parenting formula.

When I spoke to #mybigmuffin and discussed this, she had just one thing to say – “Mama, we can do this’. She had a great confidence in her tone and I felt so proud of her.

Here is a list of a few things that I feel are important to help my child succeed in school??? Its evident that the family’s involvement in young children’s education may contribute not only to a smooth transition to elementary school for children, but also for parents, by helping to prepare them for later involvement in their children’s learning.

I breastfed my first child for 2 years and the second one for 1.6 years.
I was not worried about how the world would react to it, all I cared about was how I would judge myself for doing it.

I didn’t expect the note to do so much for my daughters. My only intention was to make them smile, in case they felt a little lonely at the new school.
This note did much more for us than that.

It made our girls realize that we were in this together.

Sorry?

We don’t make our daughters say ‘Sorry’!

In this post you will find what we do instead.

Time and again I have seen and I’m too sure you must have too… a child runs past and almost knocks down another child, screaming an unapologetic ‘Sorry’ and runs off to continue playing.

Children are often taught to say ‘Sorry’ way before they are capable of feeling sorry for any of their actions. Does this sound familiar to you?

Post delivery Truth bomb – Other mothers might feel and look better than you: I won’t lie! This truth is extremely hard to swallow. But I’m glad I got over this feeling soon enough. We must understand that everyone has their own way to deal with things. Just the way others won’t go through what you did, you wouldn’t go through what others did.

Fun Memories are what your child’s memory bank needs. We make infinite deposits in our children’s memory banks everyday knowingly and unknowingly.

Dining out with the kids and the trick that helped me get started.Dining out with the kids can be overwhelming for most parents and since I keep getting queries related to this I thought of sharing about our journey. In this post I have shared how it all began for us.

One of the most important tasks as a parent is to model and nurture healthy self esteem in our children. It does take a lot of time and care to help a child adopt the habit of body positivity. It won’t be an easy feat, and I must warn you to be ready to be bombarded with some tough questions that have extremely tough answers.
Read this post to know how I work towards immunising my daughters against poor body image.

Self love is the key to being a happy mother.
Don’t be too hard on yourself to become a better parent.The world around you changes overnight after you become a parent. A baby doesn’t just fill your life with new responsibilities but also influences your sleep, daily schedule, your diet and most importantly the amount of time you spend in the washroom. Read this post to know how I fell in love with myself all over again.

When I say feed your child’s brain, you really are technically feeding the brain first.
Even though genes play a significant role in determining a child’s intelligence, research shows us that nutrition also plays an important in developing intellectual capabilities during formative years.
Today I would be talking about food that would not only promote good health, but would also give your child the best possible nutrients for his brain to concentrate, remember and think clearly.

Lets all pledge to stop tagging our own or others’ kids as ‘ a SHY child’. Lets stop making a hue and cry over our child having her ‘SHY’ moment. Let’s not judge our kids or others’. Lets just let the kids enjoy the beautiful phase they are in.

Trick to limit Screen Time – Our little Secret. With the motive to limit Screen Time I started following this simple trick. Bonus: Happier kids. I let my daughters sit in front of the computer or any other gadget, that’s because I choose to teach my girls how to balance spending time in front of a gadget in a healthy way in their life. Check this post to know what is it that we are doing differently.

When it came to introducing music to my girls, I knew that Casio Mini Keyboard would be the best choice.

I wanted to recreate memories with this cool instrument that holds a special place in my heart.

For the happy nappy brigade – dancing, singing and making music comes very naturally. Musical activities also have a unique way of distracting and changing your little ones mood.
Check out why you must introduce your child to some musical instrument.

Staying Up Late? Try Some Natural Sleep Aids

Whether you’re having trouble falling asleep or you are a night owl, getting good quality sleep is tough. But you need to get in your seven to eight hours so you won’t be experiencing sleep deprivation symptoms like brain fog, confusion, mood instability and of course fatigue. Stop yawning and try these tips to help you sleep better.

Return gifts end up leaving a lasting impression on a child, hence deciding on a perfect return gift is extremely important.

Please read on if you don’t want to work overtime and wish to have an easy way out in finalising the most perfect return gifts for your child’s friends.

Dear 19 year old Rish,

OK now if you wondering who I am, hold in a little more and you shall know it. Until then just take me as one person who would always wish well for you..

Dear coffee,
I really wish ours was a mutual love affair. I wish you needed me in your life as much as I need you. We both know that this wouldn’t be possible.
The truth is that if I stopped drinking you today, you won’t even notice. Read this cool letter to my favourite Drink.

Dear 18 year old Preetjyot,
Hang in there girl, I have a big secret to share with you. Something that could change your life forever. I’m your future self and I took special power from the Momsteins to send you this letter to let you know what you are getting into.
It’s your first day in college and I know you are pretty nervous, so I thought I will let you know that this new phase is going to be the most rocking one.

An open letter to my Boss.
It’s been over 5 years since I have been working on my own terms, all thanks to my Real cool boss ?. Read on to know what I wrote to her.

Dear crazy 3, I know you know pretty well that life would totally be out of focus without you 3 being around. We do end up fighting almost 50 percent of the time, but trust me I wouldn’t wish to be made fun of for singing like a frog or chased around the house with a fake lizard, by anyone else but you guys. You definitely have to deal with me and love be back, no matter how mean I get for no reason or how my voice could bring down the entire house.

I’m a firm believer of learning through play.
It’s highly believed that quite a less number of kids are born with mathematical talent, while the rest don’t have the ability to succeed at a higher level. Cognitive science has lately proven this myth to be wrong.
Human brain isn’t hardwired. It continues to develop throughout one’s life. Incremental learning could help in the emergence of new abilities. Check out my post to read about some awesome benefits of incremental challenging toys.

Selecting a car seat for your child is something that requires a good research and is the first step in car seat safety. It’s really important to pick up the right car seat that would fit your child, your vehicle and would be easy to install.
Here is a cheat sheet that would help you in keeping your child safe in your car.

Here’s a crazy letter to Santa from a crazy mother | a letter that all mothers wish they could write
I write this letter to you hiding in my secret hideout place (in the washroom), the lights are shut (so my girls wouldn’t know I’m in here), and my phone’s torch is being used along with my daughter’s crayon that I just smuggled out of her precious crayon box.

tea and coffee lovers.
It’s become a trend that people prefer one of these beverage over the other in huge numbers and develop a disliking towards the ones who don’t love their preference. Often they also end up typecasting the other category. Check out various opinions that coffee lovers have about the tea lovers.

My daughter’s first letter to Santa disclosed something really sweet about her
I was surprised at her confidence. Not even once did she stop and looked confused. She knew what she wanted right inside that tiny little head. Totally headstrong to finish her first letter.

Garlic is not only a delicious culinary ingredient which gives a distinct flavour to food but is also really healthy and is used to cure various diseases, exactly why odourless garlic supplements are gaining the popularity they truly deserve.
I have recently started using Garlic Supplement from Zenith Nutrition and would love to share my experience with you all.

Tons of extra love, ‘brutal honesty’, ‘Pullable cheeks’ and galore of infinite questions is what could describe children the best. This children’s day let’s appreciate the blessing children are and make them feel that they are loved and valued. Here are some cool Children’s day ideas that I’m sure no one gave you before .

I was detected with oligohydramnios during my second pregnancy and learnt that about 8 percent women have low level of amniotic fluid. I was lucky to have found the right maternity hospital that helped me throughout my pregnancy. If it wasn’t for my gynaecologist, I would have been in distress. Exactly why I suggest all expecting parents to choose your maternity hospital wisely. 
If you would like to know more about oligohydramnios and how your maternity hospital could help you, please read on.

STEM education and toys are getting all the attention it deserves. The toys that our child plays with has a huge influence on his development. It’s important to introduce your child to the world of educational toys which would allow him to learn while having fun, during his growing years.
Any kind of toy would offer value to a child’s developing brain, however instructional, learning or educational toys would produce a specific value to his development.
I have been recently introduced to the world of STEM education since my daughter’s new school follows this system and I would like to share my learning about it with you all.

With the festive season right upon us, we all are gearing up to shop for gifts for our loved ones. You might be one of the person who has received a long wish list from your little one for some cool new gadget or some trendy toy.
However as a parent I’m sure you would want the Gaming consoles, iPads , tablets or any other gadget out of focus this festive season. The best gift for your child could be a toy that is low-tech and which could help develop his cognitive, social, emotional, motor and language skills.

Check out what’s my rocking mommy style. It’s a normal phenomenon for people to come up to me and ask why I always wore the same clothes.To a NON-MOMMY person, my look might sound like a clumsily thrown out look.But the truth is somehow different!!

Its about a confession. Confession of a New mom.I write to tell you you’re not alone.
You’re not alone when you realize motherhood is the single hardest thing you’ve ever done (Been there).

Here’s a letter to my daughters on their first birthday together?… And yes! They aren’t twins.. I could feel magic the moment I saw them both first. I felt I was wearing a cape the moment I held them, to sweep them away from any tough situation, to wrap them up in my arms and keep you safe.

Check out my video for some Rude Things People Say When You’re Pregnant. Some worst (yet hilarious) things I have ever heard while sporting my baby bump.

There’s just something about a baby bump that makes people lose their filter. They end up blurting out the first thing that comes to their mind – and chances are that’s it could be seriously offensive.

Modern Indian Woman is someone who has broken all the stereotypes and is the one who believes in herself immensely. There has been a gradual change in the activities of Indian Women. From being a part of a pastoral society to enjoying the contemporary and global society, a woman’s role has changed tremendously. From a typical ‘GRAHINI’ who used to believe in just catering to the household responsibilities to a Woman who is  also working towards the socio-economic and  cultural aspects of the society, Modern Indian woman is ready to Rock it completely.

Let me share with you the 5 Reasons why I choose to buy fewer toys and you would be surprised to know the number of benefits it has. My little girls have gained a lot by giving away their toys and to know how, please read on.

The biggest fear I had when I had my second child was that I should never make my first child feel neglected. She was our lifeline and would always be. The only time I felt that would be making her feel neglected would have been the breastfeeding time. That urged me to find a solution for it. Hope this helps all the mothers who have two kids or are planning to have the second one.

I always thrive to break the stereotypes if it makes rational sense to me. Even before my first child was born, my husband and I had decided to bust the usual gender stereotypes in our family. We wanted to give a gender neutral environment to our child. Today, I want to share with you all about how I bust gender stereotypes and how I ensure that my little muffins know, that they could achieve anything they want in life, irrespective of their gender.

Things you would understand if your parents are strict

I totally love my parents!!
Like most of us do..
I have really attentive, supportive, hard-working and extremely strict parents.
I’m talking about come-back-home-by-6-or-you-would-be-dead kind of strict.

Check out this #hilarious take on what a #workathomemom feels about the abrupt questions thrown at her??

Let me show you an interesting way you can send fruits to your child’s school for/her birthday.
I couldn’t find some good books for my child’s birthday this year, so thought of going ahead with sending fruits.
Well!! But I didn’t want to go the boring way.
Thought of doing something crazy with the little apples for my little muffin.
The boring apple were going to be crazy talking apples.

I am shocked at how my three year old has grown up into an intelligent little kid. As a parent never underestimate a toddler. It’s not wise to feel that your toddler doesn’t need to know a piece information about something, merely coz you feel they won’t understand.

Does your child always act difficult early in the morning when you are trying to get him ready for his school?
Do morning chores give you a headache?
Do you end up giving up on your patience after your child wakes up?
If yes!! This one goes out for you Mommy!!!

In the midst of trying to make your child’s vacation happening, we often miss out on a very important thing. That is making sure your child is safe in such a busy environment.

In this recipe, I was able to transform bananas into this delicious smoothie!
For all the the people who dislike bananas like me, this is one recipe that can be tweaked as per your liking.

Woo hoo!!!
No housework day!!!
April 7th is celebrated as this special day..No guilt… No Work… Only pampering…
You deserve this..Here’s a fun and relaxing plan for you:

#READINGISFUNNYDAY
Yes!!!
I am not kidding, there really is a day called Reading is Funny Day. Though this a rare known fact. 1st April is also celebrated as reading is funny day 😀

Have you come across a book for your child that made you fall down laughing?

I am sure that’s a rare case !!!
Yes!! There are definitely some fun books that would make you laugh out loud!!! If you are looking to have a fun laughing session while reading with your young ones, read on.
Here are some books that will definitely make you laugh your lungs out:

Make sure you practice reading out aloud (which a skill, trust me!!), with your little muffin. It’s a skill to be able to draw attention of a child, by changing your volume, pace or voice.

You should pay attention to what you are reading. Make sure you reflect the drama and emotions through your voice. These emotions would also be visible on your face. The best trick here is to act silly.

It’s that time of the year that you can do something to make a change. And all you have to do to make this change is to turn your lights off for an hour on 25th March at 8:30 p.m.!!!
Here are some ideas of Fun activities to enjoy with your kids during the earth hour…

I discovered this magic combination of scrub a couple of months back which helped me to get soft, smooth and whiter underarms. This scrub will also help you get rid of any body odour and keep your armpits clean and fresh throughout the day.

Do you feel guilty every time you indulge in chocolates? Here is a perfect way for you to fulfill your chocolate fix without feeling guilty. Who said chocolate is just for your tummy. You can use for to make your skin yummy too. The delicious raw dark chocolate, is truly a delectable treat, but with health benefits.

With the summers just around the corner, I feared babywearing would become difficult. I was worried that the dreadful sun would make it difficult for me and my baby to roam around in the baby carrier.

Are you always running away from mosquitoes? Are you always clapping your hands hard to murder some of these ruthless fellows? Are you one of those people who attract every mosquito in the neighborhood while others around you don’t get a single bite?

You definitely need to find time for yourself . Yes!!! now that’s going to be a big task: FINDING TIME.
Here is what I did, and it definitely helped me get a ME time:

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”

I hope everyone reading this is having a really good day. And if you are not, just know that in every new minute that passes by you have an opportunity to change. It could be a complete transformation, an interchange or just an exchange of ideas, thoughts, feelings, and more importantly a refreshment of your MIND and by this you become different.

No Maida,No Sugar..Healthy and Yummy … perfect for kids..Whole wheat banana cake.. Here’s a yummilicious recipe shared by a rocking mom, Reshmma J Kadam, from our facebook group mylittlemuffin.

It can be a pretty scary business the first time you have to trim your baby’s nails. I am sure most of us would have had accidents while trimming baby nails .If you’re tempted to skip it, know this: nail trimming is important since babies often don’t have very good control of their arms and could accidentally scratch their face, or worse yet, an eye.

Are you scared of Cradle cap?? Check these awesome home remedies to cure it…Don’t be scared if you notice a patch of skin on your newborn baby’s head that looks odd and unattractive.

I’m sure all new parents must have given atleast one thought to cord blood banking for their little muffin. I’m sure most of us would get lured by the fact that how miraculously cord blood could save a precious life.

Are you too struggling through the ” let me read to you” PHASE, while your child would simply refuse to sit still? Ultimately, reading is a wonderful thing! Even if your little ones act uninterested that doesn’t mean they won’t become interested soon though if you push through.

Its difficult to imagine what it would be like if I would be getting back to work after being a stay at home mom for so many years.
Even though I’ve moved mountains during this gap, my resume shows that I haven’t worked. A traditional resume would never quote my performance.

I suffered from something called Rhinitis, and the reason Why I wrote about this is, that the studies show that over 30 pregnant women go through this nasal congestion, called rhinitis of pregnancy. Even then, neither my gynecologist, the E.N.T. specialist nor my normal physician was aware of it.

Do you allow your child to CLIMB UP slides? Do you look down upon mothers who don’t stop their children from climbing up the slides? Do u feel annoyed when your child is trying to slide down and another child child tries to climb up right before that?

Is it a criminal offence to raise an English speaking child in India? I am not here to judge any language or any country. But have a little request, before we want to judge a family that raise an English speaking child, let’s judge our educational system first, let’s change the environment at work places. And if we can’t change all that,then let’s respect the parents who are making an extra effort to help their child survive and excel in this English oriented world.

Going Back to Work or Staying Home with your baby? Confused ???
Ask yourself these 8 questions to help yourself solve this confusion. This should definitely help.

Check these T-Shirts to Boast Your Breastfeeding Status. I found PLENTY of T-Shirts and onesies with funny and thought-provoking and in-your-face breastfeeding slogans. These slogans give out great message, which I wish all breastfeeding mothers could wear.

Mom now I know what u mean when u say “a daughter has a solution for all her moms problems”… U r so right mom…

Mom: “baby sing rain rain go away”
Baby: ” no mumma, I like rain, I won’t”
My headstrong baby

Are you tired of watching your baby put his hand,or fingers or even foot in his mouth? Do you want your baby to stop sucking thumb? Here is what worked for me…

Have you ever thought about why have you been following this old school ritual of putting a big black mark on your baby’s face ? As a mother, I chose to break the most important rule in our country of marking my baby with a permanent black marker.

Thanks for stopping by my website. I am going to assume that since you are on ABOUT ME section of my Website , you might want to know a little about me. I am Preetjyot K. Mehra (Juhi- as my loved ones call me) , the author of this humble website. This is my own little corner of the web, a place where I share interesting articles and ideas .

Have you come across times when your child just constantly interrupts you? Screams ,shouts and tries to do all possible things to gain your attention , just to give you a small message, while you are in the middle of a very important conversation. Do you feel embarrassed by your child’s behavior when he interrupts ? And do you know what to do in such a situation?