Letting your child play outdoors is always a great idea. It contributes to shaping her attitude and perspective to life, while helping her become physically fit and strong. But there are times when you can’t let her play outdoors - like when it is pouring out there and when it’s too hot or cold outside, or maybe when she has a flu. This can be very frustrating for your child. All what your child needs is to be busy all the time while exploring new things. This is where indoor activities come in as a saving grace. Here are a few indoor activity ideas that could come in handy to keep your child entertained.

 1. Play-Doh

Children love making a mess. Well, with the Play-doh clay, she can go creative and messy at the same time. Shaping the clay according to her imagination can keep her entertained for a longer period of time. This also enhances your child’s hand-eye coordination, and who knows, she could be an artist in the making.

2. Board games

When there are two or more children that are way too demanding and noisy, you could give Board Games a try. Buy board games online like snake and ladder, chess, monopoly etc and they can keep your children entertained while teaching them about teamwork.

3. Drawing and painting

Getting your child some colouring books is yet another way of keeping her entertained and developing the artistic instincts in her. This can help her identify colours and also increase her observation ability. She will soon start observing things way closely than she ever used to. This will also teach your child to be more patient as she sit there sketching and colouring picture by picture, choosing the right shade of colour while making sure that it is neatly done.

4. Peek-a-boo!

Now this is a commonly used one which is quite easy to plan up. Count from one to ten and your child will hide in no time. Make sure that your child is safe while playing this. Gather up her friends and split them into teams, and they can have a crazy time ahead.

5. Arts and Crafts

This is going to be really interesting for your child. Get her some chart papers, glue, glitters, and a whole lot of artsy stuff. Let her go wild and crazy with her imagination, and she will come up with awesome stuff. You could get tutorials on the Internet on how to make DIY bookmarks, birthday cards, keepsakes, bottles etc. Show your child the tutorial and let her learn new way of making things every day. These art and craft items will keep her entertained while enhancing her creative skills.

6. Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunt is one of the most entertaining indoor games that you can plan for your children to keep them occupied. Hide a special something somewhere, write some clues, prepare surprises all the way and you will see your children taking part with enthusiasm and curiosity. The joy of finally finding the gift at the end of the treasure hunt is going to be priceless. This will enhance your child’s logical skills and help her be more observant, vigilant and street smart.

7. Building Blocks

How can an indoor activity list be complete without Building Blocks! This is something that your child will love and spend more time planning and building. This game can enhance your child’s planning abilities and hand-eye-mind coordination. But make sure that the blocks that you buy come with smooth edges as sharp edges can be harmful to your child.

There are plenty of indoor games out there that can help you keep boredom away from your children. Choose the right ones according to the likes, dislikes and capabilities of your child. Whichever you choose, make sure that you appreciate your child and let het know that she is doing a great job. Make sure that you encourage and motivate her to go ahead and be more creative, and your child will amaze you with something amazing! 

 Pregnancy is when you get to satiate all your cravings unapologetically. You become the boss and people around you get more inclined to pampering you and making sure that you are fed enough. Well we would rather call pregnancy the biggest brownie point of being a woman for that matter. But when you are getting spoiled with all the love and food, remember that there are certain types of food that you should avoid like plague to keep your baby and yourself healthy and safe. Some food could be really harmful during the pregnancy period. Here are some of the food that you need to avoid during pregnancy.

1. Caffeine

 If you are a coffee addict, bad news for you. Caffeine is a no when you are pregnant. Not that you must avoid it completely, but the intake should be reduced to less than 200 mg per day. No more gulping down of gallons of coffee to keep yourself awake at work whole day long!

2. High-Mercury Fish

One of the major food that you need to avoid during pregnancy is fish with high mercury. Mercury is mostly found in polluted water and hence, it is highly harmful to pregnant woman. The nervous system, immune system and the kidneys can seriously get affected by mercury and the best way to be safe is to avoid the intake of food with mercury. Some of the fishes with high-mercury are Tuna, Swordfish, King Mackerel and Shark.

3. Alcohol.

 Obviously! No amount of alcohol can be considered safe when pregnant. It can cause heart problems, intellectual disabilities, and fetal alcohol syndrome in the babies and could even lead to stillbirth or miscarriage. So please stay away from alcohol to be on the safe side.

4. Processed Junk Food.

 The yummy junk food in pretty packs stacked up at the supermarket racks can be tempting. But it is a no during pregnancy. They are high on calories and sugar and are pretty harmful to be included in your diet. It is important to put on some weight during pregnancy but know that such processed junk food can increase the amount of calories in your body and cause overweight. This could even pass on to your child as well. The best way to deal with this is to replace processed junk food with organic food items for pregnant women that can enhance your health and give you the nutrition you need.

5. Raw Eggs

 Raw eggs is a no during pregnancy as it contains Salmonella that can cause nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps. You should make sure that the eggs are cooked well before eating. Raw eggs may be present in cake icings, homemade ice creams, homemade mayonnaise, lightly scrambled eggs etc. So think twice before you eat something to be safe from further complications.

6. Unpasteurized Milk and Cheese

 Milk is a must in your diet when you are pregnant. But make sure that the milk you consume is pasteurized. If it is not pasteurized, it could contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria. This can cause great harm to your baby, as they have the potential of spreading infections in the unborn. Pasteurization helps in killing the bacteria in the milk while maintaining the nutritional value as it is.

7. Unclean food.

 By unclean food, we mean the fruits and vegetables that are not rinsed properly. Hygiene is extremely important when you are pregnant. Thus, make sure that you rinse the fruits and vegetables before consumption. Avoid street food as they may be prepared in an unclean and unhygienic way. Make sure that what goes into your body is clean, germ-free and safe for your baby.

Maintaining a diet with a whole lot of No’s is hard. But following such a diet is worth it as it determines the health and wellness of your baby and yourself. So plan your diet right away and chuck the food stacked up in your fridge or shelves to have a healthy pregnancy period ahead.

As women, we prefer conceiving naturally. But situations can be a little tricky. Intrauterine insemination is a saving grace in such situations. It is the medical technique of placing the sperm directly within the uterus to get you pregnant by enhancing the chances of fertilisation. No doubt this can be stressful, but it could hold a treasure at the end of it. The days following IUI can emotionally weigh you down - considering you would always be anxious and curious to know if you are pregnant or not. You could have your own doubts, looking for signs and symptoms that confirm that the baby is finally here! Here are a few symptoms that you need to watch out for almost two weeks after IUI.

Cramping

Pretty much the same old pain that we face every month during periods. But this could feel a little different though. You could feel mild cramping in your abdomen if you are pregnant. Make sure that you rest enough and do not strain yourself by doing strenuous activities. Take it slow and wait for the good news!

Implantation bleeding.

This could be mistaken for periods but if it happens two weeks after IUI, it could be a sign of pregnancy. This small vaginal discharge happens when the egg deposits itself in the lining of the uterus. Take it seriously and get yourself checked if you come across this symptom.

Menstrual delay

This is by far the most popular symptom of pregnancy. If you have been getting periods regularly and miss your period almost two weeks after IUI, congratulations! However, if you find mild spotting in between, it could be a sign of implantation bleeding. The ideal way to be sure is to consult your doctor and get it confirmed.

Breast Tenderness.

This is one of the common signs found during periods as well as pregnancy. Your breasts could give you trouble and make you feel they are tender than ever. You could feel really weird but getting to know that you are pregnant can transform the weirdness into joy!

Aversion to food

Surprisingly, you could start hating the food that you once used to go gaga over. No kidding but this is a common symptom in pregnant women. You could also start craving for food that you once hated like plague. Yes pregnancy makes such weird things happen. It is natural that you feel pukish and would want to puke when you get certain smell, particularly of certain food. Make sure that you take enough protein to keep your baby and yourself healthy and safe. Eggs, fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese etc are a few of the safe foods for new moms that you should include in your diet.

Increased body temperature

You will witness a rise in your body temperature if you are pregnant. This happens when there is an increase in the level of progesterone. Keep a track of it. If it crosses over a period of 20 days, you are there already!

Fatigue and nausea

Pregnancy makes you feel super tired - to the point where you would just want to be on the bed all day. You could also feel nauseous and feel sick in the morning. These are common symptoms in pregnancy. Give it some time and you will be alright soon.

If you find these symptoms in your body already, and it has already been two weeks since IUI, it is about time you get it checked and confirmed. Waiting can be hard. But what if you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Molding your child into better people is important. But it isn’t easy anyway. It demands a lot of patience, attention and understanding. You could raise your child in any way you want but what matters most is that he or she adds value to the lives of the people they meet as they grow up. A child’s mind is a white paper and it us, the parents who write on it for the very first time. Every experience contributes to molding him for better or for worse. So what are some of the good habits that you need to teach your children? Read on!

Teach him to be kind

Kindness comes first. Be an example to your child by being kind to the people around and he will gradually adapt it. Have random conversation with him regarding how important it is to be kind to his fellow beings. Teach him about helping the people in need, lending arms, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, helping the not-so-bright students with their studies, comforting the people in pain etc.

Encouraging physical activities

There are children who face obesity at a very young age. Obese children are most likely to be bullied in school. They become couch potatoes and prefer watching TV over going out and playing. Do not let your child do this! Urge him to get out and play with his friends. This can keep him physically fit and get more healthy in the years to come. Enroll your child at a sports club and let him decide which sport he would like to pursue.

Reading maketh a full man

Reading can widen the possibilities for a child. It lets him think from different perspectives and know more about the world around. It improves his communication skills and fills him up with the knowledge that can come in handy anytime. So make sure that you buy reading books for your children and encourage their reading skills.

Keeping his surroundings clean

Children aren’t grown enough to actually care about where the sweet wrappers go after they throw it around carelessly. They are not aware of the magnitude of their act that can affect the surroundings. Hence, make your child understand that every sweet wrapper he throws make the environment filthy for his fellow beings, animals and birds. He should be made aware of how a polluted environment can affect the entire world badly in the years to come. Motivate him to pick up plastic covers and bottles and chuck them in the bin and this could eventually develop into a habit.

Eating healthy

Children are inclined to junk food which is not very good for his health. The junk food with colour and preservatives added can be really harmful to the health of your child. To avoid this, get him used to all kinds of food right from the beginning. They may have an aversion against a particular kind of food but if you could cook it in a way which is appealing to his eyes, nose and senses, he would be more than happy to eat it without any fuss. Be smart about how you present the food which he may not be very keen on eating.

Respecting others

There is nothing more disheartening than seeing children disrespect the elders. Respect should begin from home. Make sure that parents talk to each other with respect before the children. This lays the very foundation of how he would perceive others. Motivate him to respect others, especially the elders.

Working hard.

Be it in his academics, or else where, your child should have the willingness to work hard no matter the circumstances. Success comes to those who work hard and hence, teach him the importance of working hard. Give him an idea about how beautiful it is to enjoy the results of hard work. For this, be an example that he can look upto.

Your call is to raise your child to be a better human to serve humanity when he is old enough. If you do it right, be assured of the fact that your child is going to conquer the world and make you insanely proud with his kindness and virtue.