Does My Baby Need a Massage?

The act of massaging involves taking some massage oil in the palm of your hand and gently rub it against the part of body to be massaged. For a baby this simple step can open the doors to a path of growth that helps the  baby to adjust much better to the situations and the challenges that one faces as physically the baby is fit and strong and mentally agile and alert. The massage when done properly and with the right kind of Baby massage oil can trigger optimal mental and physical growth of the Baby.

Even though the idea is to give the baby a complete body massage yet it can be divided into

Massaging the Arm’s of the baby: Here the oils is applied to the palm of our hands and fingers and then the arms of the baby are rolled between your hands. Starting from the arms of the baby the motion of your hand should gently stroke and rub against the baby’s skin coming up to the wrist. At all time make it a point to be very gentle with the baby.

For the baby’s Neck Massage : One should use one hand to support the baby’s head and the upper body.Then one should place the thumb of the other hand on one side of the neck and two fingers on the other side of the neck the massage should be performed by gently rubbing the neck in circular motion very very gently.This should be continued a few times.

For massaging the baby’s Legs: Gently but firmly one should start massaging from the thigh area and bring the hands down up to the ankle of the baby. This motion is to be repeated a couple of times and then the same process is to be repeated on the other leg.

Massaging the Baby’s belly: For this the hand is to be kept at the baby’s belly. Then gently massage with the fingers in circular clockwise motion the belly area of the baby. Make sure to be gentle with the baby at all times.

In case you suspect the baby is crying due to colic first give the baby a belly massage .Then bend the knees of the baby up to its tummy, hold for about thirty seconds and then release. This step is to be repeated a few times .Then one should place the edge of the hand on the belly of the baby and then glide it downwards starting from the bellybutton in an attempt to release the gas.

Now the point is which oil should be used for the baby's massage. Olive oil is supposed to make the baby healthy, nourish the skin and make the baby stronger. Almond oil moisturizes the skin. Luckily for us parents Dabur has come up with its Dabur Baby Massage oil that not only has Olive but also Almond oil. This duel combination of oils give the benefits of both the oils. The good part about this product is that there are no artificial colors added that could have harmed the baby's skin. It is also free from Paraffin's and PArabens. Thus making it completely safe for the baby. It has also been dermatologically tested and found to be completely safe for the baby's skin that is delicate and soft. A good regualar body massage helps the baby grow and with Dabur's Baby Massage Oil ,the massage experience, the results and the growth is even better.

“I am participating in the #FirstLove activity at BlogAdda in association withDabur“.

A Good Massage is one of the best childcare practices

It is said that a child is a new thought of god and when a child comes in to our life it brings a great deal of responsibility as we are the only one responsible about every aspect of the little baby. We have very little experience in looking after the new arrival in our house and lives. Even though it may not be the first baby to arrive in the house but each child is an individual with distinct likes and preferences. It takes us quite some time to understand the needs of our baby and beginning to communicate with each other. This puts even more responsibility on our shoulders as a parent
For a new born the mother’s milk is the best this is the advice passed on from generation to generation Every mother, grand mother and mother in law gives this advice to the new mother. The second most important activity that the mother indulges in is to give a bath to our little prince or princess. However conventional wisdom suggests that a oil massage is essential in order to make this phase of the child’s growing up period more enriching. The question arises as to what type of oil should one use to massage the baby. A lot of research has been done in this field and a number of independent studies reveal that olive oil happens to be the oil of choice as it strengthens the muscles and bones. This would help the baby grow up into a healthy person. The growth would be optimal. If we were to do a massage with almond oil than an additional benefit of moisturizing the baby’s skin can be achieved. So Dabur has come up with a baby massage oil “Dabur Baby Massage Oil”  It has premium quality almond and olive oils so the baby can get benefits of both the oils.
Dabur being a responsible brand has ensured that there are no artificial colours present in the Dabur Baby Massage Oil. It is also free from Paraffin’s and Parabens.
 This makes it a product of choice that massages the body as well as moisturizes the skin of the baby.

Being a baby centric product Dabur’s design team has made even the packaging of the Dabur Baby Massage Oil very attractive for the little babies.They are happy playing with the packaging and this happiness further relaxes them.A dual purpose is served as the massage relaxes and nourishes your baby. Thus we must take care not to neglect the massage part which is very important for our baby's growth and development.
It is said that a child is a new thought of god and when a child comes in to our life it brings a great deal of responsibility  as we are the only one responsible about every aspect of the little baby. We have very little experience in looking after the new arrival in our house and lives . Even though it may not be the first baby to arrive in the house but each child is an individual with distinct likes and preferences. It takes us quite some time to understand the needs of our baby and beginning to communicate with each other . This puts even more responsibility on our shoulders as a parent
For a new born the mother’s milk is the best this is the advice passed on from generation to generation Every mother, grand mother and mother in law gives this advice to the new mother. The second most important activity that the mother indulges in is to give a bath to our little prince or princess. However conventional wisdom suggests that a oil massage is essential in order to make this phase of the child’s growing up period more enriching. The question arises as to what type of oil should one use to massage the baby. A lot of research has been done in this field and a number of independent studies reveal that olive oil happens to be the oil of choice as it strengthens the muscles and bones. This would help the baby grow up into a healthy person. The growth would be optimal. If we were to do a massage with almond oil than an additional benefit of moisturizing the baby’s skin can be achieved. So Dabur has come up with a baby massage oil “Dabur Baby Massage Oil”  It has premium quality almond and olive oils so the baby can get benefits of both the oils.
Dabur being a responsible brand has ensured that there are no artificial colours present in the Dabur Baby Massage Oil. It is also free from Paraffin’s and Parabens.
 This makes it a product of choice that  massages the body as well as moisturizes the skin of the baby.

Being a baby centric product Dabur’s design team has made even the packaging of the Dabur Baby Massage Oil very attractive for the little babies.They are happy playing with the packaging and this happiness further relaxes them.A dual purpose is served as the massage relaxes and nourishes your baby. Thus we must take care not to neglect the massage part which is very important for our baby's growth and development.
.“I am participating in the #FirstLove activity at BlogAdda in association with Dabur“.

A review of 10 simple ways to keep the house clean

As a busy professional always on the go I juggle many responsibilities at home and at the office you can say that chasing and trying to meet deadlines is my full time profession and with very little free time left for myself and my home my top most aspiration is to have a neat and clean home free from dust, clutter and where everything is in its place. Even though I have a maid who is supposed to do the cleaning and look after the home but more often than not I find her to be the Gabbar of the family who would hold me and the household to ransom whenever I plan to host a party or have guest over. In reality I have to tell (or rather ask her ) if there its ok to have a get together as without her  approval she would torment me by absenting  herself and leaving the mound of dishes to be cleaned by me. The other side of the coin is that there no better way of cleaning your home without personal involvement .These belief about cleaning our home were re enforced when I came across the article on the rewardme  website. https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor/article/10-simple-ways-to-make-your-house-look-cleaner-every-day the article claims that maintaining a clean house can be a task which can be achieved by devoting ten minutes of your time.

So the onus of cleaning and more importantly maintaining a clean house hold remains on me. This particular article seems quite helpful and lists ten steps to maintain a clean household.

#1 it talks about maintaining a separate public and private space.  This basically means that rooms near the door or entrance are public spaces and here one should keep no clothes, no papers and no storage areas. As these are the areas that visitors see so if we keep these clean then it gives our home the look of a clean house in the eyes of those who visit us and see only the drawing room .So keeping the most visited part of the house clean is the best beginning to keep our house clean.

#2 The article suggests that we put all the dirty dishes directly in the dish washer and clean them ASAP instead of piling them in the sink this way we can avoid the stinking smell associated with dirty dishes. The dirty clothes must be put directly in the dirty clothes basket and not left in the baskets . This gives a neat appearance to the house.

 # 3 talks about clearing the things which come under the category “I might need this someday” items these are clothes that you may not wear again,games and toys that are broken and would not be used again or a kitchen appliance that you do not like to use . Clearing out all these things out of the house clears out the clutter and mess.

#4 Opening mails and backpacks near the waste paper bin is a good way of disposing off unwanted paper ,school circulars etc directly into the wastepaper bin with having them lying around and adding to the clutter and untidiness of the home.

#5 This points talks of a simple regime of assigning a time of ten minutes and have the whole home clean the house for ten minutes . This way the house ends up much cleaner with ten minutes of family time effort. I agree completely with this point of collective cleaning.

#6 The floor should have only furniture on it . Toys ,papers and other stuff should be assigned to where it belongs .Things which cannot be assigned to respective places must be disposed off. A floor free from clothes, toys, papers give a much cleaner airy and clutter free look to the floor and the house.

#7 This point suggests that kitchen should have only those appliances that are used daily such as a cooker or a toaster. Appliances that are used infrequently must be removed to avoid clutter in the kitchen.

#8 The article suggests a simple technique of maintaining a clean floor by keeping two welcome mats. One outside and the other inside the front door this way  debris and dust don’t spread in the house.

#9 The author suggests that we makes our bed every day as a kept and made bed gives the feel of a clean room as compared to a room with an unmade bed.

#10 The last point of the article focuses on the bathroom as a easy way to keep the bathroom free from clutter is to store the makeup, toiletries and everyday use articles in bags or bins under the sink

All these tip are simple to follow and do not take much time and can surely help us maintain a clean and healthy house

The original article can be found here

https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor/article/10-simple-ways-to-make-your-house-look-cleaner-every-day

other useful articles in the category can be found here

https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor/

“I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

Home made decorations that really work

I remember when I was young and of school going age Christmas used to be a very special occasion for us. For one it used to be the winter vacation and it meant no more venturing out into the cold early in the morning to attend school and more so it used to be time when we used to get together and create some simple but beautiful Christmas decorations. Sing carols and drink chocolate milk with marshmallow’s dipped into it.

However of late the celebration of Christmas has become more about going to the market pick up the decorations and come back home to decorate your Christmas tree. In some cases I have even seen pre decorated trees being sold  which you buy and bring it home. This leaves very little participation in preparing for the Christmas festival.

So when I came across an article on the rewardme website about making your own Christmas decorations it helped be travel my childhood days and relive those fond memories.

This article here https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor/article/christmas-diy-decorations-in-minutes lists some very simple and easy to make Christmas decorations that anyone can follow.

It lists a number of decorations like the Bow Wreath that is created by using a few colorful ribbons and all it involves is to tie the colourful ribbons into a tidy and beautiful bow. As children we used to compete to see who makes the most beautiful Bow Wreath.

Then there is one about formal chairs: where one covers the chair with satin and then decorates it with all kinds of things like broaches ,jewellery, trinkets etc. As children we used to make sure that we had at least one such chair spcially for Santa so that he  could come ,sit, relax and enjoy his milk and cookies when he visited us to give us a gift for being a good child.

The article covers Creating decorations like bubbly bubbles which can be colored or decorated with sprinklers or tinsel.

The posts also covers using Art glass: Which can be used by covering glass bottles after covering them with solid colors and using motifs to create patterns.

No Christmas is complete without the Santa cap and so the article helps us get into the Christmas spirit by filling the Santa cap with goodies and hanging on the wall.

For all those who are deliberating as to have or not to have a Christmas tree. The post suggests that if one does not have a Christmas tree   than one can convert any tall leafy tree into a Christmas tree .

One can even uses scarves or feathers and pearl garlands to add to its beauty.

Silver loops as the article reminds me of are made up of silver paper or wrapping paper or foil paper. They are those paper loops that inter twined into one another and held together with glue .They are great way to decorate the tree, the walls or ceilings. That’s one decoration you cannot go wrong with.

 An integral part of Christmas decoration taking a cue from the article https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor/article/christmas-diy-decorations-in-minutes

Which suggests that a nice center piece can be created by having large bowls filled with candy canes, red and white peppermint balls, multi colored chocolates filled in a bowl. If the color of the bowl is green or red it adds to the flavors of the season.

The card poster idea mentioned in the post is one of the better way of not just decorating all the cards together but it also gives the guests the opportunity to write or doodle in the empty spaces. I remember that as kids we always used to compete with each other as to who has the maximum number of cards and messages.

The Angle candles mentioned is something I have never tried but the idea of having paper wings attached to the candles and use of paint to enhance the beauty and effect looks interesting.

I feel the use of stencil messages where messages are cut out using stencils on paper with adhesive on one side and sticking it on a chart paper is something than can be cleaned and removed after the celebrations are over and it can be removed from the walls without causing any damage.

Over all it’s a very useful article that gets one in the mode for creating Christmas decorations ourselves.

 “I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

https://www.rewardme.in/home/home-decor

An easy to create gluten free treat

I have seen people follow gluten free diet either due to a medical condition such as gluten intolerance or a diet plan that they may be following in either I find them eating their food as a routine job. I am of the opinion that food is all about celebration. One  should experiment with the ingredients available and a bit of thinking innovatively and out of the box. If you are bored of the regular gluten free menu here is a simple recipe to try spice up your food .

The recipe I am going to tell you about is a spicy treat.

It is Paneer or cottage cheese Tikka.

The optional twist is that I am going to roll the cottage cheese cubes in a batter of chick pea flour batter . This is an optional step used to enhance the flavours of the dish.

Cottage cheese 200 grams cut into cubes the size you want to serve

You would need hung curd 1 cup.If you do not have it handy than you can use plain unsweetened yogurt and hang it in a soft claen cloth for about two hours. This would drain the water and what remains in the cloth is hung curd.

To make is spicy (optional) ½ tsp chilli powder

Ginger Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Chat Masala 1 tsp

Lemon ½

Salt to taste

Bell Pepper / Capsicum 1

Onion big: 2

Oil for roasting

Besan or chick pea flour 3-4 tsp

Mustard oil or cooking

3-4 pinch of turmeric powder

The Paneer Tikka’s are served with green chutney

They require ½ cup mint and coriander leaves

Green chillies 1-2 to spice it up

Fresh curd ½ cup

Garlic 3-4 cloves

Ginger diced and chopped

Black salt 2-3 pinches.

Salt to taste

Sugar ½ tsp

Roasted Cumin Powder ½ tsp

Chaat Masala 1/4^th tsp

Roast 2 tblsp of besan with mustard oil and cumin seeds and let it cool

Take the hung curd in a bowl and add to it 2 tblp of roasted besan  or chick pea flour.Add the Ginger garlic paste to it add chilli powder, turmeric powder,chaat masala to it.Add a few drops of lemon juice and mix all the ingredients.  This is dip in which the cottage cheese cubes are dipped and  left to marinate. Leave them to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Cut and chop the capsicum/ bell pepper and onion into pieces the size you want to serve. However make sure they are large enough to me pierced in the middle for roasting.

Once cut add them to the marinate mixture so that the flavors get in.

In the meantime the marinating process  is taking place I prepare the dip

For this I grind the coriander and mint leaves in a grinder with salt, ginger and roasted cumin seeds.

Once a uniform blended mix is created the curd is to be added to it and gently blended to homogenise. The dip is ready.

Add the marinated pieces to a skewer or a toothpick for grilling.Arrange the pieces in a sequence like one piece of cottage cheese then one onion,then capsicum and the repeat the sequence all over again till the skewer or toothpick is full. Add a few drops of mustard oil over the vegetables and cottage cube pieces added to the skewer. This would help the ingredients cook well. The best cooking technique is to roast it on a grill. However in case one does not have a grill Even a griddle /non stick pan can be used to cook the tikka.In the case of a griddle/non stick pan being used add a few drops of cooing oil to help cook the vegetables and the cottage cheese cubes.

Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice to the cooked tikka so that it becomes tangy.

Serve it hot with the Dip we prepared earlier . A nice delicious is ready for you.

https://www.rewardme.in/food

“I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

An easy gluten free diet Substitute

I visited a friend at her home who was rushing out of her in a state of great hurry. She told me that she was out of gluten free bread and other gluten free items and as her son is gluten intolerant  she asked me to wait for her at her home and she would be back with the weekly diet of gluten free products. However by the time she reached the store they were already out of supplies. She was already late in getting there. She returned back teary eyed not knowing what to do without her weekly supply of gluten free diet.

It was time to step into the situation and help her out of her predicament . She poured her heart to me .I assured her that there were options that are easily available in the kitchen that can be used to create a gluten free food. She looked at me with amazement and surprise. I held her hand and took her to her kitchen. There I pulled out a jar full of chick pea flour or Besan as it is colloquially known as . I share my knowledge with her that Chick Pea flour is a gluten free food. This news came as a great surprise and relief to her. Now the question was what to cook with the chick pea flour . I opted for a very simple dish that is Chick Pea Flour pancakes.

For this I took a cup of chick pea flour. And added salt and chilli flakes(optional) to it . I even added some chopped fresh green chillies. Now the addition of the chillies both green and the flakes is purely optional if you want your pan cakes to be chilly. Now the point to be noted is that these pancakes are supposed to be salty in taste . Once a smooth paste is formed I keep it aside and decide a number of addition ingredients to it. I like to add chopped cheese or boiled corn to it.

Next I take a flat cooking pan preferably non stick so that the use of oil can be restricted to the minimal. I put the pan on the flame an as it begins to heat up spread some cooking oil on its surface so that my salty chick pea flour pancakes do not stick to the cooking surface. Than use a big spoon pour the liquefied chick pea flour on the cooking surface of hot cooking non stick pan and spread it out using a ladle in circular motion. Immediately I can add additional boiled corn , boiled peas and diced cottage cheese and spread it out evenly with the ladle. As the pancake cooks and the chick pea flour becomes firm from the liquid state the add on toppings would be set in place. Pour some cooking oil/ olive oil on top of the cooking batter this help it cook well and leave the cooking surface when cooked.As it begins to cook the edges will begin to get brown and leave the surface.Using a spatula flip the pan cake over and let it cook from the other side. Each side is to be cooked only once and when both sides are cooked golden in color take it off the heat and serve it with chutney or pickle. Your gluten free salty pan cakes are ready to be eaten.

https://www.rewardme.in/food

“I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”