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Some children often feel shy and embarrassed to speak up in public or in a group. Children with this are often low in confidence. They will be hesitant to mix with other children. They will not communicate with their friends, their teachers, their cousins, relatives etc. Parents usually want their children to develop good social skills. However, it is important that you do not force your child and take him/her out to weddings and other such functions. This is because without tackling his ‘fear’ of people or shyness, forcing your child will be of no help.

Try and not term your child as shy and introvert. Treat him as if he has appropriate social skills. Gradually, your child will open up and interact. All children are not very good social talkers. Some of them are good listeners as well. May be your child is a good observer. Some children take time to enter in a group and start a conversation. Give your child that time if he demands.

Observe your kid at occasions and in situations and try to find out why your kid feels shy. Once you identify the problem, it becomes much easier for you to talk to your child on how should he tackle the situations that make him/her feel uncomfortable.

If you observe your children, your children also observe you. Hence try and be an effective role model. Introduce your kid to your friends and let him see how you make your conversations and how interactive you are with your friends. Try and organize parties so that your child gets a chance to meet people and interact with them. This is a sensitive issue. Do not be impatient and handle it carefully.

Nutrition is crucial for a baby’s health. In infancy, breast milk is the best source of nutrition

Later, after the baby is nine months old, nutrition requirement for the baby will change. Food like vegetables, cereals, and fruits can be consumed by the baby now. Well cooked food is advisable for babies so that they can digest it easily.

It is advisable to give well-cooked and strained food. Small and soft bites should be given. Pastas and crackers can be introduced at this stage now. Remind the child to eat slowly and chew the food properly to avoid choking. Parents should avoid giving foods that have little nutritional value. These foods include chips, candies, chocolates, wafers, dry oily snacks etc. Some of the foods that can choke and should be avoided are chewing gum, hard sweet, peanuts, popcorn, banana and potato chips, carrots etc.

Visit a nutritionist to know what food will best suit your child and help him in his growth. You can also read books in child nutrition so that you make sure you are giving your child adequate nutrition. . Parents can also follow nutrition charts for infants to know what exactly is suitable and best for your child.

And it is not just the responsibility of a mother but a father as well to see to it that the child gets right amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. This is something which parents should not ignore.

Hobbies are a great way to spend time creatively. What most people do is develop a hobby but after some time due to other work pressure they do not put enough effort to develop it. Cultivating a hobby is important for your kid and not just cultivating but developing and working towards it as well.

Some of the creative hobbies that your kids can develop are stamp collection, coin collection, origami, poetries, sketching, skating, dancing, singing, playing any musical instruments, gardening, cooking, reading, making scrap books, family tree books, embroidery, candle making, painting, bird watching, star gazing, wood carving, sculptures, photography, knitting, soap making, pottery, poetry reading, map collection, puppets, calligraphy, collage making, glass painting, yoga, aromatherapy, computer games, languages etc.   [ list of hobbies  ]

Reading is one of the most common hobby people have. It can take your kid to places which he has never visited, thoughts which have never occurred to him. It allows your kid to enter the world of fascination. It will tell your kid about the importance of good virtues. Creative and experimental cooking can be quite fun for your kids. Cooking can relieves stress. Music is a hobby for many. Vocal or instrumental music can teach a lot to students. Exposing a child to the sound of music is a way of developing their interest in music. It is a hobby that can be turned into a career as well. Gardening is yet another hobby children love to indulge in.

Children, who do not have a hobby, can always cultivate one. Hence parents must encourage their children to develop a hobby which will surely help them in the long run. 

Computers, mobile phones, I-pods, Laptop, Television and so much more! Technology has made life fast and on the move. Everything needs to be quick and sleek! There is no time for anyone…Do you, as parents, have time for your kids?

 Today, it is said that parents are not spending as much time with their kids as they use to spend in early days. Mothers have started working and getting busier. Fathers are tied down with a host of responsibilities. With nuclear families being the "in" thing, the idea of grandparents is also fast vanishing. In such a scenario, how should you devote your time for your kids?

 First a fall, as parents it is an inherent responsibility to spend time with your kids and nit just time but quality time. You may ask what kind of quality time? Quality time essentially means spending time with your kids in such meaningful discussions and talks and games where there is a scope for kids to learn.

 Teaching your kids about not lying, respecting elders, table manners, being polite etc are all extremely important. These things may be taught in schools but the way a mother or a father can teach a child, no one can! Devote your time for your kids by indulging in some games and good discussions. Your kids will also feel happy and they will be able to share their problems with you easily. This will also help them to build good personality and communication skills.  Hence, start a family night meet today itself!  

 As a parent, you may face the situation when your child starts demanding things and until and unless he gets it he throws tantrums. Because parents want to avoid such situations, they give the child what he or she wants. This should absolutely not be encouraged because the kid starts developing a mechanism whereby if he or she wants a particular thing, they will start throwing tantrum until they get it because they know they are going to get it!

Do not fulfill all that your child demands. If he or she cries or throws tantrums, try involving him in some other activity that he likes doing. This will divert his attention and he will forget about his demand atleast for the time being. Then when he demands it again, try to explain him the reasons why you will not buy him what he wants. As a parent, this is the chance to improve on your child’s performance or make him do what he otherwise wouldn’t do! Tell him to complete a particular task only after which you will agree to buy him what he wants.

This will also make your child realize that nothing comes easily. One needs to work for it. Pampering your kid with whatever he wants will not just spoil him but also not lead him to become a responsible individual.

Healthy food that contains all essential nutrients helps your kid to grow up in a healthy manner. At every stage in your child’s life, he or she will need healthy food to be fit and fine and their growth will be perfect. Today kids are eating a lot of junk foods. All kinds of chips and soft drinks lure for kid’s attention!

Kids watch a lot of television and along with that they tend to eat all kinds of junk and packaged food. As a parent you should make sure hat your child minimizes the intake of junk food and increases the intake of healthy nutritious food. It is necessary that parents become a role model to kids. Once you, as parents, start eating healthy food, the kids will start emulating you soon!

One thing that parents do is force the kids to finish food. While this indeed is a good habit that your child should develop, do not make him overeat and feel discomforted. Increase the intake of nuts, fruits and vegetable in your child’s diet. Try and sit together for the meal so that your child learns to sit and eat with other people around. Encourage table manners but do not be very rigid on the same.