Constipation

Infants put a lot of energy in passing their poop. You might have noticed that they have a different face/expression for it :). Many newborns find it easy to poop when feeding.
Some natural ways of getting rid of constipation are
1. Giving an oil(if possible with ghee) massage on the tummy. Make light circular movements around the naval.
2. Warm water bath and gently rubbing the tummy with warm water while bathing.
3. Exercising the kid little bit. Hold the legs and move them circular as if they are riding a bicycle.

Introducing Solids

When is a good time to introduce solids ?
Well, there is no absolute time for this- you can introduce as early as 3 months.

What should be the first foods?
To start with , you can get your baby taste a little bit of banana/mango(or any other soft fruit) pulp.
Getting your kid used to a new taste takes a while and so you might want to try them slowly. Banana is generally a favorite for kids. They readily accept it and it can be easily mashed which makes it easy for us to prepare :).

Should cereal be included ?
In good old days, people used to give cereal as a supplement. But now a days docs are saying that giving a cereal is not mandatory and you can add a variety of pureed and/or boiled fruits and vegetables to their diet.

Sunnipindi and Nalugu

Sunnipindi Preparation:
I have come across many variations of sunnipindi preparations by various people. This is a simple version of what my ammamma suggested to me.
1 kg Pesalu + 100 gm Senagapappu(for smoother skin) + 50 gm Rice + 50 gm Fenugreek seeds(Menthulu for sticky ness) + 25 gm Kachuralu(For fragrance).
Pindi mara lo pattisthunte, the first 3 can be done there and the last 2 can be grinded in a mixer and added at home.
With this combination, most of them are easily available and nalugu pettadaniki kavalsina ingredients kuda untayi. I used this for my kid from 4th month because doctors ask not to use any cosmetics until they are about 12 weeks.

Nalugu pettadam :

Nalugu pettali ante best position is for the baby to lie on your legs(as seen in the above picture).
Use any pappu nune - i used nuvvula nune, some use senaga nune. (ammamma amudam pedithe manchidi antundi kani jiddu vadalali ante it is going to take some time and effort!) Apply oil all over the body by massaging each part.
Then apply dry sunnipindi all over the body. kontha sunnipindi ala body ki athukkuni untundi. antha apply cheyadam aipoyaka, koncham nellatho sunnipindi ni ruddali. sunnipindi vadile daka koncham koncham neellu add chesi ruddithe saripothundi.
thalaku matram koncham sunnipindi vesi nellu vesi shampoo consistency tho ruddithe saripothundi. once done on one side nellu posesi motham poyelaga ruddesi, then turn the baby to the other side and repeat the same.
Now you can use soap to remove any excess oil remaining on the baby's skin :)
intha ruddi snanam cheyinchesariki pillalu alisipotharu and manchi morning exercise kuda aipothundi. ventane ollu ruddesi sambrani poga vesi battalu vese sariki nidraku ready ga untaru :)

Jetlag

This post is specially for all those parents who live abroad and take their kids on vacation!
Jetlag valla manam, pedda vallame chala ibbandi paduthu untam, inka chinna pillalu adjust avvali ante, it will definitely take some time. Here are some of the side-effects from my experiences. If you find any new ones, please update:
1. Feeds more/ less than normal.
2. Tries to stay close to parents(specially mom) all the time. This can be seen more in infants.
3. Dull and reluctant to engage in the normal day to day play and activities
4. Naturally, the poo schedule is disturbed. They may also have constipation. Let me deal with the constipation in another post..