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The sighting of rain clouds with sporadic thunder and lightning announce the arrival of rains. Changing seasons affect the children as much as adults as it means time to pack up the roller skates, colorful hoopla rings and bicycles. Keeping their little angels busy indoors during monsoon is a daunting task for most mothers. These are few of the things that any mother could do to keep the young ones inside – dry, warm and happy.

Cuddle up with your kid(s) on warm rugs near the balcony or close to the windows to watch the pitter-patter. Teach your children to listen to the rain and its different sounds and appreciate the beauty of nature in many forms. Your kid will love to listen to your childhood rainy season memories time and again. Sip on hot chocolate and eat crispies to make it more fun.

Your child will be thrilled to make small colorful paper boats out of craft paper and float them in water puddles or stream of rainwater. Race with your child to create most number of paper boats.

There are numerous indoor board or card games for kids during those long rainy afternoons. Word games like scrabbles, pictionary, card games like Uno or board games like monopoly and snakes and ladder are popular choices.

Read out fairy tales, Enid Blyton or Harry Potter series. Rains are the best time to encourage kids to unleash their creativity. Encourage your kid to try their hand at poetry or story writing. Drawing and painting are great ways to keep children busy.

Children love to do the “big people’s job”. Involve them in daily household chores. Teach them basic cooking skills and let them try some fun recipes. Acknowledge their effort and time with a suitable reward so their interest levels stay put for the next time.

Enroll your kid in a class to learn a new sport or activity like gymnastics, yoga, dancing, theater, and ballet or learn to play a new musical instrument.

With a bit of creativity coupled with thoughtful planning, the rainy season can be as fun as any other!

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Does your kid not love to play with toys? Doesn’t he/she demand the latest toys every now and then? Parents can go toy shopping at any time of the year. Surprise your kid with his/her favourite toy without any notice and see the smile and happiness that comes on the face.

Shopping for toys is not an easy task as there are many different kinds of toys for kids at each age. Toys should be age appropriate. Would you buy a scrabble for 2 years old? Read on why is it essential to buy age appropriate toys for kids…

0-12 Months – Well, a newborn especially for first 3 months will just observe it’s surrounding like bright bold coloured patterns. When your infant starts to play with toys, give toys that engage all his/her senses and promote interaction in many ways. Best bets for toys in this age group are rattles, teething toys, colourful play rings, floor gyms, etc.

1 – 2 years – Well, at this age, the baby will love to play with toys that respond to his / her actions. Say like hitting the ball with the hammer, pressing the buttons to play music or characters that talk. Engage your child with toys like nesting boxes, stacking rings, push/pull noisy toys, and shape sorters.

2 – 3 years – A growing kid’s playtime has to become more purposeful. Your kid will pretend play, complete a puzzle or build blocks to make a building, etc. You can also teach your kid to ride a tricycle. Toy telephone, tea party set or kitchen set, tricycles, construction toys or a large train or car with horn or whistle.

4- 5 Years – The crucial age where learning ability is tremendous for kids, thereby making it a best time to introduce interactive education toys that teach various skills. Buy toys, which teaches positive things. Introduce your child to interactive phonics toys, art supplies or craft kits, big construction sets or puzzles, and bicycles with training wheels.

In young years, kids will develop their own interests by learning from parents, teachers, and peers. So it is best for a growing kid to play with toys that gives them a sense of mastery and competence.

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Bedwetting is a common problem for many toddlers. Though children are trained for “pee” and “poo-poo” by the age of three - four, bedwetting continues to happen many kids.

Why does bedwetting happen? Bedwetting happens as a child is having small bladder capacity, which means it cannot hold much urine, not telling when he/she wants to go for a pee or during stressful times.

Some kids mature out of this bedwetting problem, while it continues for some kids till many years. To increase number of dry nights and less of bedwetting, here are few suggestions:

Tell your child that this is normal for kids for their age. It is not his/her fault and he / she is not doing it on purpose.

Do not punish your child for wetting his / her bed. Inform other family members not to tease your child about it.

Do not allow your child to drink water or any liquid in large doses near bedtime.

Make it a habit for your child to use the toilet just before going to bed.

Put a plastic sheet in between covers or cover and mattress, lest your child passes urine in the night.

If your child is willing to help clean the soiled sheets, let him / her help. Your child will feel better knowing that he / she has helped out.

Get your child to do bladder-stretching exercises. With these exercises, your child learns how to increase the time between urinating during daytime. This will help him / her to hold more urine at a stretch at night.

If your child continues wetting at night, consider awaking him / her every two or three hours to urinate.

This is a frustrating problem for both the parents and child, so you have to be patient. This problem usually resolves once the child gets older.

You can speak to your child’s doctor if you come across any signs of another medical condition. The doctor can check for UTI, constipation, bladder problem, or any burning sensation while passing urine.

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