Super Mammy Diaries

While my last few posts have been about nursing, post partum recovery and your health (and I have much more to say on that yet), this one forays right into the depths of toddlerhood and deals with the least flush able topic of all : toilet training. While it's a topic that can bring great stress it need not, because the downside is diapers for longer, which is really not all that stressful if you think about it - trying to find a bathroom when your little one can't hold it in and you are in the middle of a movie, or worse - in the middle of a public park, is much more nerve racking. Below are some tips to make your little one's diaper independence a little easier on you. Note: There are several pages and videos that claim they will get your child toilet trained in three days or less - just leave them naked around the house and keep putting them on the pot or rush them there when you see they are about to start. I did this - for each of my puppies. For my human babies though...

I am a hands-on mom. It may not be considered a defining characteristic but it's something that has been incredibly important for me to maintain as I think about the kind of parent I want to be. I didn't have help with my son when I lived in the US (other than my amazing mom) and in spite of living in india I've chosen not to keep designated domestic help for my daughter - atleast until I go back to work. Yes, people think  I'm crazy to do that when I have other options and no, I'm not looking for parenting accolades either - it's just important for me to give as much of myself as I can to my kids at this age because frankly - they are not going to be that tiny for long. It's just as important if not more to have my kids love each other.  Sure, they will fight once in a while, but overall I need the theme to be love  - my brother and I would torture each other at times but  we couldn't be closer as adults. Ok fine, I don't fully accept that he's ...

Dear Moms, Dads & Parents-to-be, Happy New Year!! Instead of starting the year educating you or talking about toddler health and education, I thought I should entertain you instead with some of the new years resolutions I have drafted for my (almost) 2 year old! Since many will be painfully identifiable, feel free to borrow, and also to send me any that I may have missed. 16 New Years Resolutions Every Toddler Should Attempt:  1. I will not howl every single time my mom gives me a bath (the shrieking shall be limited to when she washes my hair). 2. I will not scream on an airplane, even if there is no internet, I will not yell "Youtube"or "wheels on the bussss" hysterically. 3. I will not pretend my dad's television is a touch screen and shake it when it does not listen to my demands. 4. I should probably try and eat something other than sugar, bread, nutella, cheese and raisins this year.. but I will take this under advisement. 5. I will not crawl on the fl...

Once your tot is talking away, it's easier to figure out what they know and what they have learned in the year and a half or more that you have been having one sided conversations. This is also the time when they begin to imitate us and tuck away information to surprise us with later. I've been having all sorts of fun, now that my son is (finally) jabbering away, and when I can understand him it always amazes me. Since I know how hard it is to constantly come up with new ways to entertain, and to entertain educationally while resisting the urge to prop your baby in front of the iPad, here is a list of some of the different ways our kids can and do enjoying being taught. Hopefully this will be particularly useful during the holidays! 11 Fun ways to teach your tots:  1. With stickers: Stickers are a great way for them to learn body parts and even to see what they know by making them stick little things in different places around the room, on themselves or even on you! Buy inexpen...

I have realized that I no longer say I have a child, I find stating the fact that I have a toddler a lot more accurate and gratifying. It really is because toddlers deserve a category of their own, much like teenagers, and toddlerhood is often called the first adolescence. However, through this journey of sleeplessness, joy and mania, I have found a few pearls of wisdom that help me navigate toddler behavior. Below are some more tips and tricks on toddlerhood. For Those who missed the first part to this post, click here to read 31 things every parent should know about their toddler. 30 More Things that Every Parent Should Know About their TODDLER: Toddler Behavior : (For more on toddler behavior, click here to see my previous post) 1. If you believe that imitation is the best form of flattery, you're in luck. Toddlers imitate, a lot. Not only is it a sign of affection but it's a sign that we have to watch everything we do because sooner or later your little one is going to do i...

TODDLERS!!!!!  Require capitals letters and exclamation marks to express all the emotions they bring up in you - or at least in me. On a daily basis it ranges from sleeplessness, joy and unbridled happiness to frustration, stress and even fear. Hopefully however, you - like me- get to circle back to peace when those eyes finally do close for a few hours - if not for the night. There's an endless list of things that we should know, do or say when it comes to out toddlers. While it is not my style to tell you what to do or say to your toddler, here are some ideas for those looking for toddler activities, along with some tips, tricks and things you should know about your little tot. (For those looking for tips and tricks for younger kids, please read through the new mom series - 51 things every new mom should know , Another 56 things every new mom should know, yet another 50 things that every new mom should know, still 52 more things that every new mom should know  and lastly, ...