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Yes, you read the title right! You’ve been looking forward to seeing your child at the end of the day, and rush to pick them up from daycare, only to be met with silence or crying because they don’t want to leave. This can be heartbreaking and frustrating!

This isn’t uncommon though; some kids act out at pick-up time. There are tantrums, they may not seem happy to see you, or they just don’t want to leave. It becomes a power struggle getting them to put on their bags and exit the daycare center, which can lead to tears and shouting.

There are usually two reasons for this: your child is having too much fun at the moment and doesn’t want to leave, or they’ve had a long day and are tired and act out with the person they are most comfortable with –you.

Here are some tips to help you avoid a tough time during pick-up:

• Don’t rush your child during pick-up. Yes, you’ve had a long day too and want to get home. But give your child time to finish whatever they’re doing, allow them to say bye and get ready to leave. It also helps to hug your child and tell them you can’t wait to hear about their day on the way home.

• Have a routine for pick-up and talk to your child about it in advance. Say you’ll be picking them up at a certain time and show them on a watch. During pick-up time walk around with your child and say bye to their teachers and friends. Another idea is to have a special snack ready for the drive back home after daycare.

• If you’ve reached daycare and your child is too engrossed in an activity or playing and not ready to leave, tell them that they can have five more minutes of play time before it’s time to go. Set an alarm on your phone or watch and show your child. Tell them that when the beeping starts they have to stop whatever they’re doing and get ready to go home.

• Make leaving fun and interactive. Tell your child that you need help carrying your bag to the car, or inform them that daycare is closing and ask if they would like to lend a hand by switching off the lights. While heading to the car from daycare, have your child hop like a bunny or sing a funny song together during the walk.
• Once your child and you are home from pick-up, set aside 15 to 30 minutes of special time where you can color together, play or read stories – whatever your child enjoys doing. This way there is something for them to look forward to after daycare and they’ll be excited to get home.

Your child is feeling under the weather at school, but both you and your partner are stuck at work. Who will pick your sick child up?

 Your partner is travelling and you have the flu. Who will help you watch your child?

Nowadays, most of us live in nuclear families and we aren’t always prepared to deal with such situations. Often there is no support system to fall back on and compromises are made and work-life balance suffers.

This wasn’t always so. Our grandparents, many of our parents and even some of us were born and brought up in huge, sprawling families. There were enough eyes to watch the kids and more than enough hands to feed and take care of them. But in our generation things have changed. Nuclear families, for a variety of valid reasons, have become the norm.

There is an African proverb that says that it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true. We first come to this realisation when we become parents ourselves. We learn how hard it is to take care of a baby, the many challenges that come with it and how much help we need.

In those early days and nights, there is sleep deprivation, numerous diaper changes and learning to feed and bathe the baby—all the while balancing housework and office work. Phew! And as your child grows older, new challenges come up. Which parent will do school/ after-school activities pick-up and drop? Who will watch the child while both parents are at work? Which parent will stay at home when the child falls sick?

So, you start relying on the people around you and you build your village. Your parents, in-laws, nannies, siblings, friends, neighbours and even teachers at school or day care facility all become a part of your tribe. These are the people you can count on. These are the people you can trust to watch your child. These are the people who help you balance work and home.

But, it takes time to build these relationships. There are those of us who have immediate family living nearby, which makes it that much easier. There are many of us who live far from family due to work, life etc. In this case finding your village takes some effort.

So, how do you go about it? If you’re a new parent join parenting groups on social media or even in your community—breastfeeding group, babywearing group, post-natal groups, there are plenty. You will meet other parents going through what you are, which is the first step towards feeling less lonely on this journey of parenting. As your children grow together there will be more to share and connect over. You will have a host of people you can turn to!

Do you have older kids? Create a community for them. Get to know the other parents in your apartment building or locality and be there for one another. Carpool and take turns dropping and picking the kids up from school and other classes. During summer holidays, plan neighbourhood activities to keep the children occupied and let the grownups alternate supervising them.

We have to put ourselves out there in order to create this network. Often, we are too afraid to ask for help. We feel we have to do it all. And that’s when we get overwhelmed and things fall through the cracks. So, reach out and ask for help! That is the first step towards building a village. If you can afford to, hire a nanny or enroll your child in day care. If childcare isn’t in your budget, ask family and friends to step in and help in whatever way.

Parenting is the hardest job in the world and we all could do with the extra help. When we have support we are less stressed, more present, and in turn our children feel secure.  So surround yourself with people who will be there for you in your hour of need. And as you build your village to raise your child, remember to be a part of someone else’s village and help them raise their child.

What should I pack in my child’s lunch box today? This question runs through the mind of every parent, every single morning. The snacks have to be nutritious, tasty, easy to handle, should have variety and most importantly, your child must be willing to eat it! Such an overwhelming task.

Maybe we can help!

Crunchy treats

Most kids love biting into something with a crunch. But this doesn’t mean you have to send unhealthy, deep fried foods. Instead try flavoured makhana or popcorn. Swap regular French Fries for Sweet Potato fries. Air-fried mixed veggies are another crunch-filled healthy snack as well.

Hide the veggies!

Having a tough time getting your little ones to eat their vegetables? Worry not. Stuffed parathas (think cabbage, grated radish or even potato) and cutlets filled with peas, carrots and beans, are a great way to get your child to consume their veggies. Another way is to blend all sorts of vegetables to make a pasta sauce and serve over spaghetti or penne. You can even add zucchini to a muffin or beetroot to a cake. There are plenty of options, and tons of recipes available.

Grazing platters

We’ve talked about grazing platters before, and we bring it up again, because it works! Fill your child’s snack box with a variety of eats in small portions – along the lines of sliced grapes, cut carrots, cubes of cheese and maybe a hummus dip. You could also add crackers, dried fruits and nuts and even apple slices with peanut butter as a dip. They can try different combinations of food and will get their nutrients in, without even realizing.

Fun Foods

A great way to get your child to eat is by making their food interesting to look at. Star-shaped rotis and animal-shaped oatmeal pancakes are a good idea. You can turn a simple open toast sandwich into a funny face—halved boiled egg for the eyes, slices of avocado for the mouth, grated carrot for the hair. Another option is banana slices for the eyes, strawberry pieces for the nose and peanut butter for the mouth. Get creative!

Presentation is key

Pack the snack in a colourful lunch box, and separate foods from one another by putting them in tiny containers. Include cutlery that your child can easily hold. Add a little note or drawing inside. This will get them excited to open their snack box and see what awaits them.

There will be days when your child won’t eat as much, and days when they will eat everything you send. It’s normal. But make sure that the snack you send to school has a good mix of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. This way each bite your child eats is filled with nutrients!

Whether your child is going to school for the first time, or heading back to school after the long summer break, or even joining a new school, there is bound to be some amount of tears and anxiousness!

Here are some ways in which you can prepare your child (and yourself) for the first day of school:

• Talk with your child about the fun they will have in school, the new things they will learn to do and the friends they will make and get to play with. This will help them look forward to going to school.

• Plan a day out with your little one to buy school supplies. Let them have a say in choosing their stationary or backpack, if possible. They will be excited to go to school and use their new supplies.

• Discuss your child’s new schedule with them ahead of time. Let them know what time school starts and when and who will pick them up. Tell your child that there will be a snack time and playtime and when to expect that.

• Have your child help pick out their outfit and pack their snack box for the first day of school. Does your little one love cheese sticks or sliced strawberries? Include that as part of the snack. Write a little note or make a cute drawing and put it in their bag for them to find later. This is a great way to make them feel special and comforted.

• Make sure your child knows that they can come and talk to you if there is any problem at school. Let them know that it’s okay to be nervous and that other kids will be going through the same emotions.

• If your child has a friend going to the same school arrange for them to go together on the first day. If that isn’t possible, maybe they can meet at the school gate so they can enter together. This way they will have each other for company.

• Make sure that your child and you go to bed on time the night before the first day of school. This way your little one will be well rested and ready to tackle the day ahead, and you will be in the right frame of mind to prepare them for the day.

Change in routine, change in place, change in any form is hard. There will be an adjustment period, so give your child and yourself time to settle. Pretty soon your little one will be enjoying school, and you can look forward to hearing all about their day and the new experiences they are having.

The short answer is that this is a very personal choice, and completely depends on the parents and the child. There are daycare centers for babies as young as 3 months old, and this makes sense if both parents are working, if they don’t get enough maternity and paternity leave, and if they are unable to afford one-on-one childcare for their baby. There are also parents who choose to wait for their child to reach toddlerhood before putting them in daycare. This works if one parent is able to stay at home until then, or if they can hire childcare. It all depends on the situation.

Ideally, the first 6 months of a baby’s life should be spent under the care of their parents and caregivers, because at this stage a baby needs one-on-one care. It is also recommended by doctors and medical organizations that the baby is solely breastfed for the first 6 months.

After 6 months of spending day in and day out with their baby, it’s probably time for parents to get back to work. A parent might be wary of putting their child in daycare the first time around. Isn’t my baby too young to be away from me? Will the daycare be able to take care of a baby this young? What if my baby catches an infection from other children? These worries are completely normal, but many daycares are equipped to take care of infants in a safe environment and have trained staff just for this.

Here are some things to look for when planning to put your child in a daycare center:

Infant stage

Post 6 months of age, your baby will be on the move – turning over, attempting to crawl. At a good infant daycare center, the staff will engage with the baby and help them develop these skills. They will also interact with the babies in a positive way and introduce them to music and books. There will be some amount of personalized care – as naptimes and feed times may differ from child-to-child. Look for a center with low caregiver-to-baby ratios, and spend time getting to know the people who will be taking care of your child. It is also important to check that the caregivers are certified in emergency medical care.

Toddlerhood

Once babies discover they can walk, they are never still welcome to the toddler stage. This is the age when your young ones are discovering themselves, learning constantly from the people around them and their surroundings. This is also the age where a child is learning to communicate their feelings, and temper tantrums are normal.

Find a daycare center where the staff and caregivers are patient and equipped to take care of kids this young. There should also be plenty of engagement and activities to help your toddler develop their fine and gross motor skills, as well as meet speech, social and cognitive milestones. Within the safe confines of the right daycare center, your toddler will be able to explore their surroundings and build confidence and independence, thereby helping them become better prepared for formal education.

Older kids

From ages 3 and above, children are adding to the language and other skills they already have. It is advisable to put your child in a daycare/after-school program center, which have plenty of activities on offer. Storytelling sessions, outdoor playtime, music and art will not only keep your child occupied, but also help them acquire new skills and open up their world. Daycare is also a place where your child will get the opportunity to socialize and play with other kids, this bonding is very important to their social and emotional growth.

Remember, no matter how old your child is, the daycare center you put them in should be clean, hygienic and safe. Every child is different in their own way, and has different needs. A daycare centre’s Admissions Counsellor should be able to answer all your questions and ease any worries you may have about your child adjusting at daycare.

It is said that the world is divided into two types of children, those who read and those who never found the right book to begin with. Igniting a love for reading within your kids is one of the best things you can do for them and for yourself. After all, a child who is reading will be too busy to get into trouble! But how do you go about raising a reader in today’s technologically driven world?

Books everywhere!

Fill their lives with books. Keep books by their bedside table, and get them their own bookshelf and fill it with books. By making books accessible to them, they can pick one up at any time and flip through the pages. When they pick the right book that interests them, they will be hooked.

Reading role model

Children copy the adults in their lives. What you do, they do! So, ditch the phone and tablet, and pick up a book and read yourself. When your child sees you reading, they will be curious and more likely to pick up a book and read as well.

Read aloud

From when your child is a newborn, read aloud to them. You will be surprised about how much of what you read to them, even at that age, sticks with them long after. Pick a variety of books and make sure to read to them every single day. When they are learning to read themselves, read aloud along with them. Be patient, and help them when they stumble. After all practice makes perfect.

Kid’s choice

You might have some ideas about what your child should be reading, but allow them to discover what interests them. Take them to the bookstore and library, let them browse and pick out their own books. As long as it is age appropriate, let them explore books from different genres and develop a love for reading.

Read, repeat

When your child is young, they might want you to read the same book to them over and over at bedtime. As boring as it may be for you, don’t try to steer them towards some other book. Young children thrive on and learn from repetition. Eventually they will move on to another book. Till then, hang in there.

Make reading fun

It’s only in the first few years of your child’s life that they will want you to read to them, so make it fun. Snuggle in at bedtime and read a book out loud. Do the voices of all the characters, get expressive and make reading time special. As they grow older and start to read themselves, create a cozy reading nook, a space where your child can read and relax. Make reading a pleasure, not a chore.

A child who reads will never be bored. Their horizons will be broadened, and the habit will serve them well throughout their lives. By putting in a little work during their formative years, you can raise your child to be a great reader, who is passionate about books.