Parentune : 12 ways to keep your child away from TV

With summer vacations on, keeping children away from the TV sets is not easy. They have their set of excuses—the weather is too hot to play outside, we are bored, what to do—for watching TV continuously for hours. But before your house becomes a battleground, we get you some strategies that will help you keep your child occupied and hence limit his TV watching.

1) Start the day early: Wake them early and take them outdoors while the sun is still bearable. Let them play on the swings, run around, get their hands dirty in the mud, or collect knick-knacks etc. This will tire them out and will get them to sleep through the hot afternoons. Evenings again can be planned on the terrace/balcony or at a friend’s house.

2) Set a timetable: Set a time table for your child. Look around for activities, classes, camps, sports coachings etc that she is interested in and get her enrolled. But do not force her. The time table should be relaxed and the child shouldn’t feel stressed out with it. Give them a choice on what they would like to do: try their hands at cooking or photography?

3) Keep them involved: Look for fun activities that will keep child engrossed. Paper machie, origami, clay, painting etc are some options. Get them board games, science kit sets or a large jigsaw that they can play with a friend or a sibling.

4) Plan an activity a day: Think of age appropriate activities for children and allot them according to days. One can be a room cleaning day, garden tending day, taking care of the pet day, cooking for family day. Start on the chore yourself and have them pitch in. Even three days a week will suffice.

5) Organize play dates: Organize play dates for children in the afternoon when they can’t go out. Have a themed play date, a fancy dress play date, a story telling session, or organize games for them such as making a tent out of an old bedsheet (tie it around furniture legs) and let them imagine it to be an army camp!

6) Let them enjoy: If she likes playing with water, set up a splash pool for her; if mud is what they like, let them get their hands and clothes dirty. Let the children have fun. These activities will keep the children busy for hours. Take necessary safety measures though such as keeping the pool in a shaded area or a bathroom.

7) Restrict family TV: It is not fair on the child that the mother or grandmother is watching TV while he is not allowed to. Communicate to the whole family that TV watching has to be controlled in the house. Be firm about it. And no meals in front of the TV. Let children make an effort to get up and eat food when hungry.

8) Include more family time: Make a conscious effort to provide the child with more family time. Go out together to a friend’s house, sit down for a meal together, ask them to help you arrange the table for lunch, go on a walk together. She will definitely prefer this to TV.

9) Have them watch programs and not just TV: Limit the mind-numbing content of cartoons. Instead, sit down together to watch a documentary or short film that is of his interest such as something on animals, space, machines, medical science etc. Or exchange rhymes and educational CDs with friends. Make a treat of this sort of TV watching. Sit down with popcorns and a shake.

10) Loosen your grip: Don’t make it a battle. Let him watch TV for sometime—maybe an hour. Keep a clock next to the TV to remind him when the hour is over. Also, do not let TV run in the background. Switch it off when not needed or the child will be tempted.

11) Be available to the children: House chores and cleaning can wait. This is more serious issue. Make an attempt to participate yourself or at least start them off on an activity such as a board game or a puzzle etc. Children require company.

12) Talk to them: Explain to them without exaggeration or threats, the disadvantage of excessive TV watching and how it will isolate them. Keep the tone level and understanding.

These tips though may sound difficult, once applied will eventually help you keep the child away from TV. But remember, most importantly the initiation has to come from you, the parent. You will have to become your child’s company—after all isn’t that better than she finding a friend in the idiot-box.

About Parentune : Parentune empowers each parent to achieve more for their child & become a better parent, a true Proparent community, It’s a MUST visit & use site for every progressive parent looking to achieve more for his/her child.

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Parentune.com : Best Parenting Websites in India

Parentune, is a proparent community empowering parents to do more for their child. Founded by Nitin Pandey with a vision to improve the quality of development for the child.Parentune is undoubtedly the best parenting website for parents who are on the lookout for quality solutions for their children.
Parentune focuses on helping parents true to their own context, making parenting a joyful experience thereby reducing parental anxiety.It is guided by the belief that each parent can achieve more for their child given a pro-parenting support. Parentune strives to help each parent achieve better quality of development for his or her child. To bethe best parenting website for parents, Parentune.com avoids generalised prescriptions, instead helps parents with quick & easy to use, parent-focused widgets & sections relevant to their specific parenting need. Parentune.com has interesting and exciting tools & applications, which are specific, relevant & useful for parents, also validated by parents & experts they trust.
The various features and benefits that Parentune has, which helps it become the best parenting site for parents who are on the lookout for quality solutions include:-
a.    Parent Verification – A best parenting websites  should either have parents or not. At Parentune.com, all the members on the website are real parents who are validated and verified by fellow parents or by the admin team
b.    Parent Talk – At Parentune.com, you get Useful books for Children and validated solutions from fellow parents through the interactive application called Parent Talk – another reason why it can be the best parenting website
c.    Search – In today’s highly paced world when people are racing against time, there is a need to ensure parents get what they want in the shortest possible time. What makes parenutne.com the best parenting website is the fact that there is search tab, which would help the parents to search for what they have actually come looking for – instead of going all through the site
d.    My Interest – Everybody has their own interest and their interest may not be the same as that of another. At Parentune.com – the best parenting website, they have ensured that Parents need not go through the website to find information relevant to them. Their interest areas can be pre filled, and one click on the Tab My Interest, provides them with all information on the site relevant to their areas of interest
e.    Expert Panel – To become the best parenting site, you also need experts who support the same cause. Parentune.com has a host of experts in their panel – experts which include Doctors, Nutrition for children and Wellness specialists, Psychologists, Oral Care experts, Parenting experts and child development and education experts
f.    Privacy Settings – When information is confidential, and you wouldn’t want the world to know all about you and your actions, the best parenting website, has a special feature, which allows you to control your privacy settings, allowing you to mark certain things private which you would want visible only to a select group or circle.

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Parentune.com : Parenting Workshop

The Parentune Expert Panel was a part of the recently held World Children Expo (WCE ’13) where they undertook a unique parenting workshop, “Raising happy children”. Parenting workshops are in line with the parentune mission of empowering parents to tackle real time parenting issues. The parents were unanimous in admitting the unexpected parenting challenges thrown at them. There is perhaps ample around us to reflect the phenomenal changes in terms of work culture, technological advancement and Internet boom. All this and more have pushed joint-families to give way to nuclear families and have more and more working mothers. Urban parenting today needs an approach updated with today’s time.
Driven by the awareness around the challenges faced by the urban parents the Parentune expert panel - Dr. Ann Simi John, Clinical and child psychologist, Ms. Tanuja Sodhi, Nutrition and fitness expert and Mr. Nitin Pandey, Founder CEO of Parentune, Child development and education expert, conducted the workshop “Raising happy children” at WCE. The workshop offered insights to strengthen and smoothen out the parent-child bond by addressing several important areas covering nutrition and fitness, handling aggression in children, how role-modeling is no longer a choice and more
As a part of ever growing abundance in urban lifestyle we find ourselves over-feeding our children offering them calorie dense foods and empty nutrients. Moreover, with all the safety issues and time crunch we find ourselves and children doing less of physical activities. So, as a consequence more and more children are fighting dangerous side effects of the likes of obesity and juvenile diabetes. In such a scenario the importance of healthy eating and active lifestyle cannot be over- emphasized.
2) In case you notice the aggression in your child, watch out for the root cause like insecurity, frustration, unexpressed anger, some recent change at school or home, death of a pet or of someone in the family and avoid curt reactions to child’s anger. Parents can perhaps help by offering acceptance and by being firm in letting the child know that it is not OK.
3) Educating children about the importance of being assertive rather than aggressive, by leading by example in person. Role modeling can do wonders in this area. So think before you abuse in mid of a traffic rage or an argument with a friend or a colleague over the phone.
4) Children are good copycats and they learn crucial behavioural lessons from their own parents, so parents can definitely help by consistently displaying a behavior in action that they would wish their children to emulate.
The parenting workshops was concluded by an energizing question-answer session wherein the Parentune team cheered parents actively offering answers to their queries and also rewarded the three most interesting questions by giving Parentune goodies and the parentune badge.

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Parentune.com : Parenting Teens Blogs

Parenting a teen is perhaps the most humungous task parents ever encounter while growing their children. Often parents are clueless about how to handle the always new and unique instances with their teens. Parenting teens blogs have often been an effective way of both expressing one’s experience and also seeking advice from fellow struggling parents. The blogs tend to cover a lot of perspectives such as the physical, emotional, hormonal and psychological turmoil that the teen goes through, the sudden need for him/her to take decisions related to their life, the change in lifestyle, the new found freedom, the access and exposure to all kinds of information, managing peer pressure, and how the parent and teen must strive to handle these situations together as a team. Parents world over now realize that they are not the only parents going through the task of trying to reason with their teens. The parenting teens blogs have managed to soothe the helpless feeling of such parents, they have also managed to bring the virtual community of parents of teens together through this medium.

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Parentune.com : Being a Mother- The Amazing Bond

In today's time when every things manages to give one happiness and
surprise, i realised that a child manages to do just that in the simplest possible way.

I was expecting my second baby when my elder son was 4 years old,
I believed I would have a tough time explaining him what's coming next but i was in for a pleasant surprise. To make the it easier for my son to connect and understand, I took him with me in the sonography sessions

Then one day we all were going for a family dinner and my father in law was driving the car. He didn't see the bump ahead and Shaurya, my elder son, shouted at him "dadu! My little brother will get hurt". I was so taken aback!! I had not expected that at all. All throughout the journey he kept turning from the front seat to look at me and was constantly asking me if I was ok!

The bond and love of a child and mother can only be felt once u become a mother.

Parentune.com is a Proparent initiative driven to empower parents to do better for their children & also be more effective as a parentParent. It’s driven by the core belief that Parent perhaps has the single largest impact on each child’s growth & development. This is a last-mile tool to bring in a big impact to how children grow through their crucial learning & development years.

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Parentune.com : Winter Food For Children

Ever wondered why your ‘little sunshine’ unexpectedly crinkles her nose on eating her favorite fruit- strawberry or refuses to eat her carrot beyond a bite? May be the strawberry tastes sour and the carrot tastes bland, and gorging on them is not fun anymore! Don’t badger yourself crazy over the issue, as it may be a mere case of seasonality. Foods that are seasonal have better taste, texture and flavor than artificially produced food that travels thousands of miles to reach the supermarket shelves. Foods that are chilled and shipped lose flavor at every step of the way, i.e. during chilling, during transportation and on being stored in warehouses. These may even be injected or artificially prepared to meet the demand for that food.

On the other hand, fresh and locally harvested foods are ‘real’ foods having their full flavors intact, which are released only on being eaten. Even research suggests that eating with the season is healthier as there is a variation in the nutrient content of veggies when they are harvested off-season. Besides the fresh fruits and vegetables, there are certain other delectable ones like dried-fruits, nuts, grains, beverages and dishes which have seasonal relevance.

Indian seasons are basically divided into 3 parts: summer, monsoon and winter season. In this series of seasonal foods, I cover winter foods this month.

Winter Windfall

What’s better than the savory- rich delights on a nippy, crispy winter day to thaw you and warm you up from the inside out?

Fruits: Winter lugs with it a bagful of fruity delights. Pamper your child with a whole array of fruits ‘handpicked’ by my son in order of his preferences. Hence, this list has the endorsement of a child:-

1. Banana: A fruit loved by kids universally, it is delicious and easy to consume. It has myriad health benefits attached to it. It is a major source of energy, regulates blood pressure and reduces chances of muscle cramps. It also boosts cardiovascular health, controls sugar levels and is a mood-lifter. Banana has Vitamins C and B6, calcium, potassium, fiber and lots more. It is suitable to be consumed round the year.

2. Orange: Tangy and savory, oranges are essential for vision, help against oral & lung cancer risk and reduce blood cholesterol. They provide a good amount of vitamin C to the body and are a good source of vitamins A & B, fiber, potassium and calcium.

3. Kiwi: One of the exotic fruits that are available all the year round, It helps maintain BP, proper fluid balance in the body, proper cell & brain function, normal muscle contraction and nervous health. It has more vitamin C than oranges. It also has fiber, antioxidants and potassium.

4. Grapes: This exquisitely tangy fruit is good for boosting immunity and nervous health. It has very potent antioxidants that are beneficial for heart health . It contains vitamins A, C, B6 & K, folate, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium and fiber to regulate the digestion in a child.

5. Guava: One of the richest sources of vitamin C, guava comes with a bevy of benefits. It builds immunity by preventing cell damage caused by free radicals; it helps in the absorption of iron; necessary for heart functioning and improves eyesight. Besides being loaded with vitamin C, guavas are loaded with nutrients like vitamin A, B, E, K, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, calcium, zinc, phosphorous and selenium.

6. Pineapple: Another exotic and juicy fruit that is a powerhouse of vitamin C, manganese and fiber, it strengthens immune system and helps in the formation of bones.

7. Pomegranate: Pomegranate is packed with more antioxidants than green tea and even berries. It strengthens immune system, gives energy and is great for the skin and liver. It is a rich source of potassium, iron and vitamin C.

8. Pear: Pear boosts the immune system, keeps skin allergies at bay and is good for eye and hair health. It aids in healing of wounds and repair of blood vessels. Pear also regulates BP and is recommended in case of heart ailments. It is rich in vitamins C, A, folic acid, potassium and fibre.

9. Cheeku: It helps in preventing heart ailments, boosts immunity and takes care of eye health. It contains vitamins A, B, C and E.

10. Indian Gooseberry (Amla) It is a repository of vitamin C and must be taken regularly to build immunity against flu, common cold and other viral infections. It could be added to mint chutney or to a glass of vegetable juice to fortify it further.

11. Apple: Apples are packed with vitamins A, B-1, B-2 and C, as well as minerals such as calcium, potassium, iodine, iron and phosphorous. These nutrients are essential to your child's growing body, particularly in the bones, tissues, muscles, organs, skin and blood. The antiviral properties of apples can help in attacking bacteria in the mouth, cleansing teeth and strengthening gums.


Vegetables: While children may fuss for lack of adequate food choice during summers, winter season offers a wide and vibrant range of vegetables such as:

1. Fenugreekleaves (Methi): These are rich in calcium, phosphorous and iron. Their consumption regulates blood sugar and bad cholesterol. They are good for hair health too. My son just loves the crisp methi paranthas and the methi bhaji that are an exclusive winter treat.

2. Spinach: Popeye with his spinach tin was my son’s favorite toon. Although he moved on from cartoon watching to watching more meaningful shows as he grew into a teen, spinach stuck on with him, and I’m definitely not complaining! Spinach builds immunity, helps in creating red blood cells and thus prevents anemia. Eating spinach regularly ensures healthy skin, bones, teeth and blood vessels. A mighty source of myriad nutrients, spinach should be a regular part of your healthy eating plan. It’s a rich source of vitamins C, A & K, folate and iron. Palak panner and palak paranthas are loved by my son and many of his friends.

3. Cabbage: It helps reduce bad cholesterol and BP, and builds immunity.
It is a powerhouse of vitamin K & a decent source of vitamins C, B6, folate, fiber, manganese and potassium. It may be surprising, but my 15 year old has always liked this vegetable when cooked lightly in mustard seeds and whole red chillies without too much masala.

4. Sweet potato (Shakarkandi): It is a very good energy source that controls BP, lowers cholesterol and keeps blood sugar levels stable. It helps improve digestive health, plays a crucial role in vision, and boosts immune system's response to infections and illnesses. It is a great snack with nutrients such as vitamins C & A, complex carbohydrates, potassium and fiber. Give a boiled shakarkandi with a pinch of salt and a dash of lemon to your kid instead of cookies to make for a healthy snack.

5. Beetroot: This ever-blushing vegetable controls Blood Pressure and reduces the risk of heart ailments and osteoporosis. It helps lower bad cholesterol, prevents anemia and fatigue. It is loaded with folic acid and is also a good source of vitamins A, B & C, and minerals like iron, calcium & potassium. Make it a part of the salad platter for your kid every day.

6. Ladyfinger (Bhindi): Also known as okra, this vegetable reduces bad cholesterol, risk of heart ailments and diabetes, controls BP, looks after bone & teeth health and prevents anemia. It is a good source of folate, calcium, potassium and fiber. Most kids are die-hard fans of bhindi as they know it.

7. Cauliflower & Broccoli: Both the vegetables have similar nutrient profiles. They have cancer-fighting ability; they build immunity and are great for the health of eyes, teeth, gums and blood vessels. These cruciferous vegetables are high in potassium, vitamins C & A.

8. Mustard Greens (Sarson): It is essential for strengthening immunity, for bone health, against anemia and blood clotting. Like most other greens, sarson is high in calcium, folate, vitamin C and fiber. Your family’s winter is declared incomplete if you haven’t gorged on ‘makki ki roti & sarso ka saag’ combo- A true body warming and heart-warming dish!

9. Carrot: Remember Bugs Bunny with his signature carrot? My son drew inspiration to eat this scrumptious vegetable from this iconic toon, and loves it to date. This is the best vegetable for your vision health. Carrots also boost immunity, help in production of blood cells and hoist metabolism. Carrot is packed with the punch of vitamin A like no other vegetable. It also has fiber, vitamins C & K. Feed it as a part of finger food platter, grate it and add it to the idli or add it to pasta if you please.

10. Fresh Green Garbanzos (Chholiya): Fresh green chickpeas are the winter food that tastes super good. It contains virtually no transfats or saturated fats. . It promotes a healthy digestive tract, reducing the risk of some types of cancer, controlling diabetes and maintaining healthy blood glucose levels. This one is an absolute delight with the pods hanging from long leafy stems. You can get these at most vegetable vendors. Beat them raw or boil them, add some tomatoes, onions, salt, lemon juice and red chilli powder and serve as a healthy snack to your little ones. Chholiya is “nutrient dense”, containing good amounts of vitamins A,C,& E, potassium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and calcium, folate and fiber.

11. Ginger: The goodness of ginger just cannot be ignored. Winter is the perfect time to take the advantage of the medicinal properties of ginger. Ginger not only keeps the body warm but also helps in speeding up body metabolism. Ginger is rich in antioxidant, and when taken with honey it an excellent remedy to fight cold and flu. Ginger also helps you to build a strong immune system. Though it is not a dish in itself, it adds zing to most Indian dishes.

12. Garlic: Garlic not only makes food tasty but also helps to prevent many medical problems. Like ginger, garlic also helps in building strong body resistance to fight winter cold and flu. It also aids in digestion and lowers bad cholesterol.

Dried Fruits & Nuts: Dried fruit and nuts make a delicious snack between meals for the kids. You could even sneak-in a handful of these in your kid’s tiffin box. It’s a first- hand tip from my personal experiences. Even the fussy kids don’t mind eating dried fruits and nuts when discovered in their tiffin boxes.

Their combination of protein and carbohydrates will satisfy body fuel needs, help in tissue growth and in better concentration. The nuts that are great in Indian winters are: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts. Dried fruits that make a great snack choice are: raisins, apricots, dates, plums and figs. Dried fruits and nuts will not only keep your kids warm but will also satisfy their sweet cravings in a healthy way. They are a powerhouse of nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins E & A, protein and fiber. They help lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol; they also keep diabetes and heart problems under check.

Other Food Delicacies: Try avoiding the greasy bites at snack time and replace them with these healthier options given below:
(a) Steamed Idlis
(b) Steamed Dhoklas
(c) Poha (Beaten rice)
(d) Upma
(e) Beans chilla/yellow moong dal chilla/green moong dal chilla

Hot Soups: A bowl of hot soup on a cold winter evening is just divine. Remember, packaged soup don’t make for a healthy choice. Some of the healthy winter soup options are: tomato soup/vegetable soup/tomato-spinach soup/carrot-bean soup/clear chicken noodle soup/wild mushroom soup/tomato shorba/ tomato rasam, etc.

There are varied flavors available during winters and the children have enough colours, textures and tastes to choose from. So, entice your little tykes to experience lots of seasonal tastes and textures that will not only satiate their taste buds but also provide ample nourishment.

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Parentune.com : Parenting A Teenager

What is the toughest job? You should ask this to a parent of a teenager, it is easier to rule a country than to raise a teenager. The travails of Sarah Palin on the campaign trail were probably nothing compared to her travails at home as the mother of a teenager!

From experience as a has-been teenager, and now a mother of one, I can certify that this is the most difficult part of growing up, both for the child as well as for the parent. There is a new challenge each day! Every gesture or word of the parent is taken in the literal sense but if anything is said by the parent, then they have to hear that they did not understand the purport of the words expressed by the child.

There are moments when you, the parent, would think you are caged in the vicious circle of arguments and you just don’t know the way to get out of it. Every point has to be noted and clarified and if you are unwilling to clarify it then you are not co operating. ‘Why’ and ‘how’ are the two questions that will be haunting you from time to time but you are supposed to act as the one who can never have any question and if by mistake you ask one then you will be told that they have the discretion of not answering them and you have to accept that.

For the child, this is the period in which they come to love, respect and acknowledge their sex, and they are caught in a vortex of emotions where they want to prove to the world that they are unique in their own way. Physical changes, both among boys and girls, could make them feel depressed at one point, and sometimes give rise to feelings of inadequacy, which the parent needs to appreciate and counter with careful support.

Every issue is sensitive! Be it studies, friends, love life, school anything and everything under the sky comes under the scanner. The parent needs to deal with every issue with a certain point of sensitivity and compassion.

As a parent we have to understand and analyse the crux of the matter and deal with it compassionately. We are not allowed to be rude or illogical at any given point. Teens face a massive change emotionally as well as physically and the only way to deal with the change is to be understanding.

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