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Playing together is easy. It’s enjoyable. It’s also one of the best ways for you and your newborn to get to know each other. All you need to get started is you and your baby.
Playing together helps you and your baby get to know each other. Through playing, you learn to trust and depend on each other, and the bond between you deepens. Research shows that playing together helps your newborn feel loved and secure. Feeling loved and secure helps babies to develop and learn.
Play stimulates new ideas and helps your baby’s brain to develop. Each new experience that your baby is exposed to helps parts of baby’s brain link together, grow and develop. This is one way babies learn more and more about the world around them, and about where they fit into the world.
Playing with your baby will help baby learn to talk and understand words. You might not always have time to stop everything and play. But you can still chat to your newborn about whatever is going on – cooking dinner, shopping, getting the bath ready and just about anything else that you’re doing. Singing to your child has the same benefits.
Play can reveal a lot about your baby’s personality. Rough and silly or quiet and calm, you’ll soon know what style your baby prefers. Follow baby’s cues – if baby seems startled or upset, tone down the game.
Ideas for playing with your baby
• Make faces, smile, laugh, roll your eyes, wave your hands gently. Your newborn is the one person who will be fascinated by everything you do., and will even want to try to be just like you.
• Give baby all kinds of objects to feel. Soft toys or a rattle are great fun, and so are different textures. Your baby learns by touching and feeling things, and this all helps baby to find out more about the world.
• Read soft cloth books to your baby. It’s never to early to start reading to your baby. And the great thing about cloth books is that your baby can touch and taste them too!
• Give baby different things to look at – outside, inside, different people, different rooms. Some tummy time – baby lying on the tummy – each day lets your baby look at eye-popping new sights like the side of a chair from different perspectives. This also gives babies time to practise holding their heads up each day. It’s not recommended that your baby fall asleep tummy down though. So put baby to bed in a position for safe sleeping when you start to see signs of tiredness.
Playing together is easy. It’s enjoyable. It’s also one of the best ways for you and your newborn to get to know each other. All you need to get started is you and your baby.
Playing together helps you and your baby get to know each other. Through playing, you learn to trust and depend on each other, and the bond between you deepens. Research shows that playing together helps your newborn feel loved and secure. Feeling loved and secure helps babies to develop and learn.
Play stimulates new ideas and helps your baby’s brain to develop. Each new experience that your baby is exposed to helps parts of baby’s brain link together, grow and develop. This is one way babies learn more and more about the world around them, and about where they fit into the world.
Playing with your baby will help baby learn to talk and understand words. You might not always have time to stop everything and play. But you can still chat to your newborn about whatever is going on – cooking dinner, shopping, getting the bath ready and just about anything else that you’re doing. Singing to your child has the same benefits.
Play can reveal a lot about your baby’s personality. Rough and silly or quiet and calm, you’ll soon know what style your baby prefers. Follow baby’s cues – if baby seems startled or upset, tone down the game.
Ideas for playing with your baby
• Make faces, smile, laugh, roll your eyes, wave your hands gently. Your newborn is the one person who will be fascinated by everything you do., and will even want to try to be just like you.
• Give baby all kinds of objects to feel. Soft toys or a rattle are great fun, and so are different textures. Your baby learns by touching and feeling things, and this all helps baby to find out more about the world.
• Read soft cloth books to your baby. It’s never to early to start reading to your baby. And the great thing about cloth books is that your baby can touch and taste them too!
• Give baby different things to look at – outside, inside, different people, different rooms. Some tummy time – baby lying on the tummy – each day lets your baby look at eye-popping new sights like the side of a chair from different perspectives. This also gives babies time to practise holding their heads up each day. It’s not recommended that your baby fall asleep tummy down though. So put baby to bed in a position for safe sleeping when you start to see signs of tiredness.
Baby showers are for mums – to – be – what birthday parties are for young and enthusiastic kids!
A girlie party to make the her feel special and loved. A celebration for the coming of a new, sweet cuddly baby into the family and friends circle.
The games and décor are important aspects of the Baby Shower Party. Here are some ideas that can be used as a first draft of your plan. Remember the mommy-to-be must feel that you have created the games specially for her : so personalise as much as possible.
GIFTS & FAVOURS
Let your imagination be your guide when planning the games and activities for a baby shower. Be sure to include prizes and party favours in your planning.
Appleofmyi likes : rubber ducks wrapped up with sweet-smelling soap; baby bottles or old-fashioned milk bottles filled with pink and blue marsh mellows and mints or bath salts; flower seed packets, or pastel-coloured flowers tucked into tiny flowerpots; small picture frames; or a chocolate truffle in a box tied up with a pretty ribbon, or specially decorated muffins.
GAME IDEA : DAIPER BAG MEMORY
Place ten baby-related items in a diaper bag. Choose a range of items, some practical, others silly, to make the game fun, and include some items in multiples. Items might include a bottle, a storybook, diaper pins, booties, diaper rash ointment, a small stuffed bear and a washcloth. Give each guest 30 seconds to look in the bag. After 30 seconds is up, ask everyone to write down the contents of the bag on a piece of paper. Prize goes to the guest who remembers the most items.
GAME IDEA: I REMEMBER WHEN
Give guests a small piece of paper and a pencil. Ask them to write down a memorable event from their own childhood, a passion they had or something unique about themselves as a child. For example, “When I was six I wanted to be a clown,” or “I played the drums in a girl’s rock band when I was eleven”. Decorate a corkboard and make a game sheet as described in the “Baby Face” game, below. Pin the memories to the corkboard with corresponding numbers and give each guest a game sheet to guess which guest belongs to which memory.
GAME IDEA: NURSERY WORD SCRAMBLE
Before the shower, make a list of ten to fifteen baby-related words or phrases and scramble them. Example words are pregnancy, lullaby, diaper, midnight feeding, bassinet, crib and rocker. Copy the list for each guest. The guest who unscrambles the words the fastest wins. You can also make the game more interactive by writing one word at a time on a chalkboard and giving a prize to the guest who unscrambles each word the fastest.
GAME IDEA: BABY ANIMAL MATCH
Give each guest a list of animals and ask them to write down the name of the animal’s baby.
For example, goose would be gosling, kangaroo/joey, horse/foal, penguin/chick, shark/pup, deer/fawn, fox/kit, frog/tadpole, giraffe/calf, goat/kid, hedgehog/piglet, owl/owlet, sheep/lamb, spider/spiderling, and zebra/colt.
GAME IDEA: BABY FACE
Ask guests to send you one of their baby pictures for a guessing game of who’s who. Decorate a corkboard to match the shower theme. Make a “Baby Face” game sheet on a piece of paper with a list of numbers corresponding to the number of guests and a blank line next to each one. Make enough copies of the sheet for each guest. As the pictures arrive, pin each one to the corkboard along with a number. When you’re ready to play the game, give each guest a game sheet. Tell them to guess which numbered picture goes with which person, and write it down next to the number on the sheet. The guest with the most correct answers wins.
GAME IDEA: NURSERY RHYMES FILL IN THE BLANKS
Choose a familiar nursery rhyme and replace some of the key words with fill-in-the-blanks. Don’t actually show guests the nursery rhyme; instead ask them to suggest words to fill in the blanks, such as a noun, adjective, colour, name of person in the room, and so on, and then read the often hilarious results back to them. Jack and Jill might look like this:
Jack and Jill went up a (noun),
To (verb) a (noun) of (noun).
Jack fell down and (verb) his (noun),
And Jill came (verb ending in –ing) after.
Or you could the simple fill in the blanks, you may receive some very funny answers!
WITH ALL THIS THE MUM-TO-BE AND HER FRIENDS & FAMILY ARE SURE TO ENJOY 
That first school morning of the year can be tough. But if you don’t get an efficient school morning routine in place as the kids go back to school, it may not get better later in the school year. These tips will help you streamline your school morning routine, and get everyone back to school with less stress.
Ensure that you are stocked up with all the stuff that you and your kids will need at home and in school for the school term.
Wake Up Early (at Least to Start)
On the first days back to school, start 15 minutes earlier than you think you need. As the school year goes on, adjust your wake-up times.
This goes for both parents and the kids. Figure out how much earlier you should get up before the kids. Can you just roll out of bed and wake them or do you need your morning coffee before you see their bright cheery faces? Either way figure 15 minutes extra at the beginning of the school year.
Wake-up time is directly related to bedtime, especially with younger kids. You may want to start of the school year with an early bedtime too and adjust later, if it seems warranted.
Get It Done the Night Before
Do everything that can be done the night before, i.e Plan tiffin, lay out clothes, plan breakfast, gather homework and other things that go back to school. This probably includes showers and baths, especially if your kids need help. Make these things part of the kids’ bedtime routine.
Learn to Delegate
When kids are little, parents must do everything for them, and sometimes we just stay in that habit. A new school year is an ideal time to take a look at kids’ skills and add new jobs to their school morning routine.
However, a school morning is not necessarily a good teaching time. So if you want kids to take care of a job that you’ve previously done for them, like making breakfast, tying shoes or getting dressed, spend time teaching this in the summer or on weekends. Don’t try to squeeze it into your already hectic school morning.
Don’t Stress over Breakfast
Ask kids what they want for breakfast the night before and plan out simple breakfast ideas. Of course, many kids can’t plan that far in advance but just starting them thinking can be helpful. Kids will take it much better if they find out the night before that you’re out of their favourite cereal, rather than when they are still foggy from sleep.
Have a Jobs Checklist
Either write an actual checklist or just repeat the jobs kids are expected to do on a school morning until they remember it. In our house, the school morning jobs include:
• Brushing teeth
• Eating breakfast
• Having a bath
• Getting dressed
• Combing hair
• Shoes on feet
• Backpack by the door
And when your child reports that all their morning jobs are done, just do a recheck , “Are you sure there isn’t anything else you’ll need as we are walking out the door?” Because it seems someone always needs something.
Give Kids an Incentive
You may care about getting the kids to school on time, but many kids need more motivation than something as abstract as the threat of a late slip.
So give kids an incentive to finish early. When you choose your wake up time for school mornings, build in a little extra time. That way kids who complete their school morning routine early are rewarded with some time for TV, reading, a computer game or something they’d like to do before school.
Keep Trying
Tinker with the routine until it works for all, including you. If you find you are 5 minutes late everyday, maybe you need to get up 5 minutes earlier. But maybe the problem can be addressed in another way, like doing more things the night before or simplifying breakfast.
CARRY TO SCHOOL
Tiffin box
Water bottle
Sipper
School bag
Towel or napkin
Umbrella
Basket
SUPPLIES FOR SCHOOL
Box of pencils
Eraser
Hand held sharpener
Pocket Folder
Glue Stick
Wax Crayons
Colouring Pens
Colour pencils
Coloured markers
Chalk
Kids paper punch
Stapler & Pins
Board pins
White Board Markers
Scribble Pad
Art Paper
Art Book
Craft Paper
Glue Stick
Stencils
Stampers
Chart paper
Scissors for kids
Art Apron
AT HOME & READY FOR SCHOOL
Study Table & Chair
Black Board
White Board
Pin board
Magnetic memo board
Education Charts
Table Sharpener
Alarm clock
DRESS FOR SCHOOL
Boys
5 – 6 Basic cotton T shirts
2 – 3 Cotton Shirts
1 hoodie or sweat shirt
3 pairs of Jeans , Trousers or Track pants
3 pairs of shorts or Capri shorts
1 Cotton kurta pajama set
1 light jacket
6 vests
6 underpants
6 pairs of socks
6 handkerchiefs
1 belt
1 cap
1 pair of Crocs
1 pair of floaters
1 pair of sneakers
Tags and set for safety pins for ID cards
Girls
4 -5 t shirts
1 hoodie or sweat shirt
3-4 cotton dresses
3 pairs of jeans, Carpis, trousers
2 pairs of shorts
2 skirts
1 light jacket
2 cotton ethnic wear sets
Hair band and hair clips as per length of hair
6 pairs of socks
6 vests and spaghetti tops
6 girls underpants
6 hankerchiefs
1 cap or sun hat
1 pair of Crocs
1 pair of sports sandals or floaters
1 pair of sneakers
Tags and set for safety pins for ID cards
HEALTHY FOR SCHOOL
Hand Sanitizer
Sun block
Tissues
Wet Tissues
Band Aid
Any medication that needs to be sent with the child
Antiseptic moisturising cream
CARRY TO SCHOOL
Tiffin box
Water bottle
Sipper
School bag
Towel or napkin
Umbrella
Basket
SUPPLIES FOR SCHOOL
Box of pencils
Eraser
Hand held sharpener
Pocket Folder
Glue Stick
Wax Crayons
Colouring Pens
Colour pencils
Coloured markers
Chalk
Kids paper punch
Stapler & Pins
Board pins
White Board Markers
Scribble Pad
Art Paper
Art Book
Craft Paper
Glue Stick
Stencils
Stampers
Chart paper
Scissors for kids
Art Apron
AT HOME & READY FOR SCHOOL
Study Table & Chair
Black Board
White Board
Pin board
Magnetic memo board
Education Charts
Table Sharpener
Alarm clock
DRESS FOR SCHOOL
Boys
5 – 6 Basic cotton T shirts
2 – 3 Cotton Shirts
1 hoodie or sweat shirt
3 pairs of Jeans , Trousers or Track pants
3 pairs of shorts or Capri shorts
1 Cotton kurta pajama set
1 light jacket
6 vests
6 underpants
6 pairs of socks
6 handkerchiefs
1 belt
1 cap
1 pair of Crocs
1 pair of floaters
1 pair of sneakers
Tags and set for safety pins for ID cards
Girls
4 -5 t shirts
1 hoodie or sweat shirt
3-4 cotton dresses
3 pairs of jeans, Carpis, trousers
2 pairs of shorts
2 skirts
1 light jacket
2 cotton ethnic wear sets
Hair band and hair clips as per length of hair
6 pairs of socks
6 vests and spaghetti tops
6 girls underpants
6 hankerchiefs
1 cap or sun hat
1 pair of Crocs
1 pair of sports sandals or floaters
1 pair of sneakers
Tags and set for safety pins for ID cards
HEALTHY FOR SCHOOL
Hand Sanitizer
Sun block
Tissues
Wet Tissues
Band Aid
Any medication that needs to be sent with the child
Antiseptic moisturising cream
To promote the love for the environment and beautiful creatures that inhabit mother earth – Wild Repulic toys bring joy and developmental benefits to your child.
appleofmyi recommends: Wild Animals – Cuddlekins range of wild animals like Red Panda Cuddlekins, Black Bear Cuddlekins, Chimanzee Cuddlekins, Humpback Whale Cuddkekins, Giraffe Cuddlekins baby, Hippopotamus Cuddlekins, Brown tiger Cuddlekins, Snow leopard Cuddlekins….
Interactive Birds : Mountain Blue Bird, California quail Bird, purple Martin, American Gold Finch, Black capped Chickadee, California Wren
Fun comes naturally with the Wild Republic brand because they educate children about the beauty and wonders of nature in entertaining and creative ways. Wild republic hasa wide range of interactive and innovative toys that spark the imagination and make learning fun.
Wild Republic has been delighting and educating children with our expansive collection of nature-related toys and gifts since 1979. Founded as K&M International as a family-owned and operated business, our Wild Republic brand has grown into an internationally recognized company distributing unique products throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Denmark, and Singapore. These products are available in India at the appleofmyi stores.
The Wild Republic products have garnered the praise and endorsement of some of the most prominent conservation organizations in the world including Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Geographic, The Natural History Museum, AZA and the Australia Zoo. We are proud to be associated with these prestigious institutions and look forward to providing even more top notch products that meet the exacting standards of these organizations.
The company’s devotion to high quality and the strictest safety requirements has earned them a reputation for having exemplary products that exceed industry standards. They are converting their production processes to include reusable packaging, phthalate-free non-toxic materials, and sustainable resources.
Wild Republic product offerings : wide variety of realistic plush, distinctive gifts, decorative accessories, developmental toys, and engaging play sets among many other items. Skilled, in-house designers consistently research and develop new incarnations of the company’s values and goals and put new twists on prevailing favorites.
Check this out when your baby is 6 weeks old!!
Now your tiny baby can sit and see the world.
The bumbo seat is a uniquely designed seat for your baby. It’s been specifically designed keeping a baby’s posture in mind by an international team of designers. This award winning chair enables babies to sit upright all by themselves. It is suitable for infants who can support their head unaided.
The chair is soft, comfortable and a snug fit for your baby. The bumbo seat is a light weight, portable, easy to clean and non toxic baby seat. It’s an ideal gift for your child to explore the world.
This chair is recommended by doctors and therefore safe for your baby!
Breast feeding gives your baby the very best start in life. Breast milk provides babies with all the energy and nourishment they need, it helps strengthen their natural defences. But it’s not just your baby who benefits from breastfeeding, you will too.
Breastfeeding – the benefits for your baby
Breast milk is perfectly balanced to suit your baby. It is easy for them to digest and contains antibodies which help support their growing immune system. It also contains nutrients called pro biotic oligosaccharides, which the friendly bacteria in your baby’s tummy feed on. These bacteria then help to fight off bugs and potential infections, helping your baby to grow up happy, healthy and ready for anything! And it even contains fatty acids that help your baby’s brain develop!
Why breastfeeding is good for your baby
• It’s completely natural.
• It contains all the nutrients and antibodies they need.
• Breastfeeding can help to protect your baby from chest and ear infections and some allergies, like asthma and eczema.
• Research also suggests that breastfed babies go on to have healthier blood pressure as children and are less likely to become obese adults.
Why breastfeeding is good for you
• Breast milk is free and it’s always at exactly the right temperature!
• When you’re breastfeeding, your body releases oxytocin, also known as the love hormone, to help you and your baby bond.
• Mums who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing pre-menopausal breast and ovarian cancer and fractures from osteoporosis.
• Breastfeeding helps your uterus return more quickly to its pre-pregnancy size and might help use up any extra pounds you may have gained during pregnancy, helping you get your figure back more quickly!
• Breast milk is readily available, whenever and wherever you are, there’s no need to sterilise bottle
The incidence of gestational diabetes, caused by the hormones produced during pregnancy, has spiralled in India from a mere 2% in 1980 to 17% today
When 33-year-old Anita conceived, she was overjoyed. But the joy was tempered when, in the seventh month of pregnancy, diagnostic tests revealed that she had diabetes. Both her parents were diabetic but this had not prepared her for her own condition. “When I was carrying, I felt weak and heavy. That is when doctors discovered I had gestational diabetes,” she says.
Anita is hardly unusual. The incidence of gestational diabetes, caused by the hormones produced during pregnancy, has shot up in India from a mere 2% in 1980 to 17% today. This diabetes usually occurs between the 24th and 27th weeks. The pregnancy hormones reduce a woman’s sensitivity to insulin, sending blood sugar levels soaring.
What’s particularly alarming is that babies of affected mothers are more likely to be obese, both as children and adults. They are also more prone to diabetes later in life. The mother is at risk too because 30% of women who get gestational diabetes also develop maturity-onset or Type 2 diabetes seven to 10 years after the pregnancy.
Experts say that the spike in gestational diabetes parallels the recent rise in diabetes cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that India may see a rise in diabetes from 135 million cases in 1995 to 300 million in 2025 — a whopping 120% increase. Asians are already regarded a high-risk group and have 11% more prevalence of gestational diabetes than the rest of the world, say experts. The global average is between 4-8%; in the US, it is 6%.
The rise of gestational diabetes cases in India was confirmed during a diabetes and pregnancy awareness project by Apollo Hospital, Chennai, in 2004.
The four-year project, which screened some 13,000 people in Tamil Nadu, revealed startling statistics, says Dr V Balaji, senior diabetologist at Apollo Hospitals.
The results led to mandatory screening for glucose intolerance in pregnant women at all state government centres.
So what happens to a woman with gestational diabetes? Doctors say it affects the mother in late pregnancy. It could strike earlier if a woman has a family history of diabetes, polycystic ovarian disease or obesity. The mother’s increased blood sugar levels are transferred to the baby. This, in turn, causes the baby’s pancreas, which start working within 11 weeks of conception, to produce extra insulin to get rid of this sugar.
“Insulin, incidentally, is a growth hormone. As the baby starts getting more energy than it needs, this gets stored as fat, leading to an abnormal weight gain, usually over 3.5 kg,” says Dr Ambrish Mithal, presidentelect, Endocrine Society of India. “This may require delivery by caesarean section and cause breathing and shoulder problems at birth for the baby.”
Although gestational diabetes is only a temporary phase and it disappears after pregnancy, there is a 65-70% chance of it recurring. Therefore, it is vital for the mother to control her sugar intake and monitor blood sugar levels.
Mithal says gestational diabetes is often treated with insulin and dietary control rather than drugs. If treated in time, no complications ensue.
Mithal says that many people don’t know that pregnant women have lower blood sugar levels than those who aren’t.
The baby absorbs nutrition from the mother, causing blood sugar levels to fall. So the pre-diabetic phase in a normal person becomes gestational diabetes in a pregnant woman. Testing is done an hour after fasting in pregnant women as sugar levels are highest at the time. Normally, this would be done two hours after fasting.
One of the important tests to get mean glucose value for the last 90-120 days of pregnancy is the HbA1c test. A woman with an HbA1c level lower than 5.3 does not indicate gestational diabetes, while one above 6 would.
PREGNANT DILEMMA
Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women, especially those with a family history of diabetes and obesity
INCIDENCE
Up from a mere 2% in 1980 to 17% presently
WHEN DO YOU GET IT
Generally strikes during mid to late pregnancy
SYMPTOMS
Increased thirst and urination, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, bladder and yeast infection, blurred vision
FUTURE COMPLICATIONS
30% women with gestational diabetes develop Type 2 diabetes later
WHAT HAPPENS
Extra sugar from mother passes to the baby, whose pancreas start making more insulin. This gets stored in the baby as fat, causing obesity and diabetes later
WHEN TO TEST
Soon after conception; follow every trimester. It generally surfaces between 24 and 27 weeks
Sugar levels for pregnant women
Fasting | Should be less than 90 mg/dl PPS* | Should be less than 140
Sugar levels for non-pregnant women
Fasting | Should be 100-125 mg/dl PPS* | Between 140 and 200
*Post-prandial sugar
Decorating your baby’s room is one part practical planning, one part pure fun. This will be the centre of your baby’s new world – for nursing, changing, lullabies and first smiles. As you plan for your dream nursery, choose colours and furnishings that create a warm, inviting room, and reflect your personal style.
Paint the Walls
Inspiration for colours might come from the gender of your baby, a favourite accessory, such as an antique quilt or toy; or a piece of furniture you’d like to make the focal point of the room. Children of all ages love bold, cheerful colours, and studies show that brighter colours stimulate brain activity in infants. Add visual interest by painting the walls with stripes or a multicoloured checkerboard pattern. The closet door and ceiling also make ideal canvases for murals. Appleofmyi has some interesting wall decorating ideas. Check the store.
Try to Stick to a Theme
Themed nurseries make decorating easy because everything coordinates – from crib bedding and rugs to window valances. The Applofmyi home section has collections include themes for boys and girls, as well as gender-neutral designs.
If you are looking for more of an eclectic look, mix gingham and stripes with solid-coloured fabrics.
Fill up the room!
Beyond colour and theme, choose sturdy, stylish furniture that is expertly designed with comfort and safety in mind. A crib that converts to a toddler bed is a smart investment, as is a changing table at a comfortable height that can be used as a dresser later. A cosy oversized chair provides a special spot for sharing precious moments with your littlest one.
Other essentials include a cupboard with baskets for storing clothes, changing essentials, cosy blankets and more. Spacious shelving is perfect for displaying keepsakes like framed photos and first footprints alongside books, toys and other playful accessories. Finish the room with a plush, soft rug where your baby can crawl and play.
A little planning and a lot of love will help you create a warm and inviting nursery for you and your baby. To help you complete the room, start a checklist of all the things you need to accomplish and the items you need to get. This will keep you organized as the big day approaches.
Check our Baby nursery checklist in this section!
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