Raising a child is probably the most challenging task you will ever encounter! It requires utmost care and attention, complete dedication, handling various roles and responsibilities and being in sync with the child’s needs. While we have friends and family who can share advice from their own experience it is important to remember that each child is unique. Every child has different needs and therefore there are no ‘one size fits all’ solutions for raising a child! Some children eat more or less than others, some sleep more or less; there are some who easily take to new foods and others out-rightly reject!
Your child in unique too; you need to understand the individual needs and wants of your child and never in comparison to another child, even a sibling. Each child even within the same family brings new experiences, challenges, doubts and confusions. The best solution is always to ask the expert.
Common situations when you need to turn to an expert:-
- If your child is not eating enough or throwing out food without any signs of being ill, ask the expert!
- If the bowel movement is disturbed, even though no new food has been introduced, ask the expert!
- If your child is sleeping too much and displays signs of inactivity for a prolonged time, ask the expert!
- If you are introducing a new food but unsure about the allergies of your child, ask the expert!
- If your child is cranky and moody for a prolonged time, ask the expert!
- If your child is running a fever, and the prescribed medications don’t work, ask the expert!
- For any kind of sickness never give medications unless prescribed by a doctor, when in doubt, ask the expert!
- Teething queries, body movement doubts, seeing or hearing related questions- ask the expert!
Talking to people around you may increase your doubts, if not make the situation worse at times! An expert will be able to tell you the right answers that are relevant to your child’s individual body needs. No two days are the same, one day your baby may be active and the next sleeping for hours. These fluctuations are normal.
Anything that goes on for a prolonged time, say 2 to 3 days, must cause an alarm and call for expert solutions. You don’t need to run to the doctor every day as long as you make full use of the routine check-ups.
