Whichever part of the world we’re in right now, as parents we are all on the same boat with regards to our children. It’s probably never been tougher to be a parent during these trying times when we are under some form of isolation due to Covid-19. How do we keep our children busy, happy, and entertained during these long hours of being indoors? One week into our lockdown situation in Singapore, I was already tearing my hair out! It is then that I started forming ideas on how to create a routine for my kids. In this post today, I’d like to share one of the ideas that has been very successful for us five weeks into our “iso life”.

What is the idea?
I instituted something called the “Grandparent Academy”. The concept is simple: I set up time for the grandparents to teach something to my children five days a week at a specific time of day. It is built into their daily schedule and something they look forward to! Of course, this idea can easily be applied to other family members like older cousins, aunts, or uncles living far away.

Why it worked for us
The secret sauce is basically that it is a win-win situation for everyone involved! For my kids, it is a way for them to learn something new or interesting from someone other than their teacher or parents. For the grandparents, it is a way to interact with their grandchildren while also staying connected to family far away. For us parents, it’s an hour of our day free of the kids, allowing us to work or take a break. The bonding over these 5 weeks of Grandparent Academy has been incredibly heartwarming to see! I dare say, my older one has learned more from these sessions than from school remote learning itself!

How to implement it

- Start off with 20-30 mins sessions and increase the length of time as needed (depending on age and attention level of your child)
- It's good to plan out topics in advance for the week ahead. That way, the grandparents (or whoever is teaching) can think about the topic and how they want to teach it. In our case, the grandparents found fun YouTube videos or photos as visual aids for these sessions. It's really cute to see how they get into it!

- Keep the topics varied and diverse. Also ask what your child would like to learn more about!

- Follow the child's lead - if they are asking questions and seem engaged, that's a great sign! If you happen to go off on a tangent, don't sweat it. The intent is to have a session to talk and discuss about things - not a rigid learning structure per se

- Introduce surprise guests to mix things up! Even though it's called "Grandparent Academy", we've had older cousins, aunts, and uncles come to teach as well!

Topics we have explored so far

I had talked about Grandparent Academy on my Instagram and have received numerous messages from people who have also adopted this idea with great success. The question I receive frequently is: what are the topics you cover during these sessions? Well, these sessions are geared more towards my 6.5 year old son so the topics I share below are relevant to the 5-7 age group. Having said that, hopefully these ideas inspire you to come up with topics that are suitable for your child or to adopt a modified level of these topics.

• How does a car work?
• Space related topics
• Solar system and the different planets
• How a rocket launches into outer space
• Cycles of the moon
• Solar and lunar eclipses
• How to solve a rubik’s cube
• Answering fun riddles together (here's a link)
• Learning about cricket (or any sport that is of interest to your child)
• Learning about an animal of choice (we've covered cheetahs so far)
• Mythology
• Dush Avatar (learning about the different avatars of Lord Vishnu over each session)
• Ramayan stories
• Mahabharat stories
• History of India
• Stories from the Independence Movement (like Salt March)
• Famous characters and personalities - Jhasi ki Rani, Tipu Sultan, Mahatma Gandhi, etc 
• Math: Math made fun in daily life
• Learning to tell time on an analog clock
• Spelling bee
• Learning about continents and oceans
• Reading a book together online
• Trivia Quiz (many websites but here is one)
• Learning or practicing a language (in our case, we do Hindi and Thai)
• Learning about flags of the world - what do the colors represent, etc
• Reading and discussing poems and learning how recite them expressively 
• Learning about a specific country (so far we have started with India and the USA)
• Reverse sharing time: The child teaches or presents something they want to talk about

Other topics I've heard from those who tried out "Grandparent Academy" were: Morse code, science-related topics, inventions and how they came to be, cowboys, Harry Potter, lifecycle of a particular animal, and animal habitats.

If you do decide to try this out, do drop me a line and let me know how it worked for you! I would also love to hear about the topics you covered. 

Good luck!

AAAH, summer holidays with the kids! It means no early morning wake-ups to get the kids ready for school. But the flip side? Finding ways to keep them busy! Whether you're a home-bound mom or an office-bound mom, it's a struggle either way. In my case, my older one (who is 5 1/2 years old) is past the age of taking naps in the day. At the same time, I'm away at work so I have to think of ways to keep him occupied while he's home. Here I'm sharing a few tips and ideas on how I plan to keep my kiddos busy this summer. (Note: Many of the ideas keep in mind a mom who has to head to the office every day. Also, many of them will be more applicable for kids age 4 and up).

Before I begin...

Thought #1: First of all, be okay with boredom. I definitely believe that it's important for kids to actually be bored for certain periods of time. Boredom allows downtime for your child, gives them time to synthesize their thoughts and learnings, and even breeds creativity. So see the summer break as "downtime" for children without the need to constantly pack in learning all the time.

Thought #2: Having said the above thought, children still do need to channel their restless energy into something productive. So I highly recommend making a daily or weekly plan of activities for the kids. This way, you'll be well-organized and feel like the children are engaging in good, happy play!

Alright, now let's get started with these ideas!

1. Assign 4-5 mini-projects for the children to do daily. To motivate them to do it in your absence, agree with them ahead of time that completion of these activities will earn them screen time that day (that strategy always works but if you’re not comfortable, pick some other reward system that works for you). See section below on "Activity Ideas" for some at-home things to do.

2. Create an "activity box" with a whole list of things to do. This is something for them to resort to when they have run out of ideas on what to do on their own or if they have completed their mini-projects for the day (as listed in #2).

3. Playdates! It's essential that you plan ahead for some playdates with other moms. Let's face it, other moms are in the same situation as you and would love for their child to have some company. Arrange to send your child to a friend's house and return the favor on a separate day. It's a win-win situation! (Tip: The kids can even refer to the "activity box" for ideas on things to do together).

4. Plan for some outdoor activity everyday. At this age, kids need have plenty of exercise and outdoor time. Plus, it's a good way to tire them out! For every day of the week, plan something that takes them outside - be it swimming, picnic, playground, bike riding, scooter time! This can be done with you around or with the nanny/helper while you're at work.

5. Plan for the kids to do some baking, something they can easily do with the nanny even if you are not around. This can range from rainbow bread painting, making sugar cookies with sprinkles or fruit kebabs (see here), to muffins recipes which are healthy and delicious (see here).

6. Try out science experiments using ingredients and materials easily found at home! I have done a bunch of them with Krishnav and it's been really fun! We've tried the volcano lava explosion, puffy paint food art, secret letter with invisible ink, lava lamp in a bottle, and slime making.

Puffy paint 3D art using basic ingredients from your kitchen

7. Plan a day out for your child along with a couple of his friends. I'm talking about a day at the zoo, a visit to Bounce trampoline park, the National Library, Bedok Forest Adventures, playareas, the ArtScience museum or Science Center (so many options)! Plan ahead with the moms and decide on a date when the kids can have their day out with adult company and supervision. Be sure to pack snacks, water, sunscreen, and other necessary items the night before!

8. Summer camp and summer classes: Admittedly this is the easiest way to keep the kids busy for a big chunk of the day! There are lots of options of summer camps to consider and you can read all about it on the Sassy Mama page. However, these camps do get expensive which is why I have also shared my ideas above for some of the more "home-based, inexpensive" things to do.

I would also recommend the holiday camp and storytelling workshops by Creative Kulture. These classes are run in small group settings and focus on teaching different topics to children (e.g., learning about the solar system, healthy eating and digestive system, etc) through fun arts & crafts. This group also teaches kids about Indian culture and festivals in a colorful, interactive way.

Lastly, you can also look into interesting, one-off workshops for the kids to try. For example, the pottery class for kids at the Goodman Arts Center sounds like a cool experience!

Specifically for office-based moms: 

9. Bring your child to the office! If your office allows for you to bring your children to the office, they can easily come for a half-day and spent some time sitting next to you and doing coloring and other quiet activity while you work. Plus, they would love the chance to visit your workplace. I know this isn't possible at all workplaces but it's something to consider.

10. Talk to your manager about flexi hours in the summer. Arrange to leave work earlier so that you can get time with your little ones in the daytime hours. Once they're in bed, you can log back on again to finish your work.

Activity Ideas:

Cognitive skills
Puzzle making

Social skills
Write a letter to your cousin or friend or grandparent - like, a real letter letter! Wouldn't that be fun?
Facetime with your grandparent and say hello!

Vocabulary building and reading/writing skills
Read a book (pick an age-appropriate one) and write down the words you don't know.
Pick a book and write down the sight words that you recognize (it, he, she, and, or, etc...).

Phonics and fun play
Use a camera phone to take pictures of 5-10 items around the house that start with the letter __ (pick a letter of your choice)

Outdoor exploration
Pick 5 different leaves from outside. Then tape them on a piece of paper. On a separate piece of paper, draw them out the same way they look in real life. Note the differences in shape and size.

Use materials from outdoors to build something of your choice (example below of a bow & arrow set that Krishnav made from twigs and leaves)

Observation skills
Use a camera phone to take pictures of 5-10 objects around the house that are round or circle in shape (or some variation of this)

Motor skills
Peel an egg.
Pop bubblewrap!
Use Legos or blocks to build something (a fort, a castle, anything) and tell a story about it.

General Knowledge Building
Draw and color in the flags of different countries

Arts and crafts
Take an empty bottle and put a treasure map inside it. The treasure is some chocolate or candy stashed away somewhere. This is to be played with a group of friends.

Create a book with drawings that illustrate a story (a made-up story or one you already know)

Stock up on arts & crafts supplies like glitter, paint, markers, buttons, pom poms, glue, string, colored paper, playdough, etc. (Daiso and Spotlight are places to check out in Singapore). Then come up with a fun art project to do. You can easily find great examples online but here are some unique ones: making a necklace with colored pasta, making rainbow crayons, and bubble paint project.

Thanks for reading this and hope you found this helpful. Good luck, mommies! 

One of the most common sights that you might find nowadays when you visit a restaurant is families sitting at tables with their little ones glued to the iPad screen while being fed. Some might raise their eyebrows at this scene or judge. But from my own experience, I know better than to judge because I've been there. The journey from being a new mom to a mom of 2 boys has been an interesting one and as with anything, I've made mistakes along the way and learned from them. Indeed, we've come a long way from how we handled mealtimes with our first child, Krishnav (age 5) and how we approach it with our younger one, Arjun (age 20 months). I have always been conscious of screen time for my kids and luckily, they have never been that addicted to the TV, iPad, or iPhone. But there is always room to improve, and my husband and I have found approaches that have been effective in our household. 

I'll tell you straight away that this isn't going to be one of those preachy posts telling you that screen time is bad and should be completely eliminated before it turns your child into a zombie! Nope, I don't actually subscribe to that thinking. There are reasons why I titled the blogpost with "cutting back" on screen time rather than "eliminating" and here's why:

1. I don't believe that all screen time is bad - it's about the length of time spent watching and about the type of content shown to the child. 

2. I believe in practicality - we live in a world where it is difficult to completely forgo the presence of technology, and it's important to recognize that technology does have its benefits. So, in moderation, I believe exposure to some screen time is inevitable and also a matter of survival. Have you ever just wanted 15 minutes of downtime to yourself or wanted to have a sane dinner in a restaurant with your spouse, free of meltdowns and fussing from your child? Yeah, I'd say all of you. 

By having this realistic thinking about the situation, I find that I'm much less stressed out or worried about screen time with kids. In my opinion, it's important to be pragmatic about it. At the same time, I think it's important to try to adhere to the following recommendations set by The American Academy of Pediatrics: avoid screen time for children under 18 months of age, show limited amounts of video or high quality apps for ages 18 months to 2 years with adult accompaniment, and no more than one hour for children ages 2-5 under parent supervision.

So what approaches worked for me? Below are some techniques which worked in cutting back on screen time with my kids - some of these were learned from mistakes I made with Krishnav and which I consciously told myself not to repeat with Arjun. 

1. It all begins with strong foundations. 

To begin with, delay the introduction of screen time (during meals and in general) as much as you can. The more you put off introducing videos and TV to kids, the lesser the reliance on it. The focus should always be on real life interactions, engaging activities, play time, and books for kids. If you form this foundation early on, there is less of a likelihood for the child to form unhealthy attachments to TV/screen time. 

1. Focus on eating as an activity in itself. Ingrain this habit early on. 

Food is something to be appreciated and enjoyed, not a chore for a child to complete and get done with. By having that healthy approach to eating, your child will also absorb that attitude from you. In other words, don't rush meal times and show excitement about the food laid out in front of you and your child's plate. For example, with Arjun, I always describe the food that he will be eating with a smile on my face - "Wow, Arjun! Scrambled eggs for breakfast today. Yummy, right?" Or "Ooh, look at this blueberry! It's so sweet and delicious. Want to try?" 

Furthermore, with toddlers, let them explore foods and their tastes, play with their textures, and encourage self-eating with their hands and with utensils. This is an aspect of baby led weaning, which I tried with Arjun but had not done with Krishnav. It's been highly effective with Arjun and I see the difference - he has a more healthy, open-minded approach to eating than Krishnav ever did! I have realized that eating should be viewed as a fun, exploratory activity for kids. Once you do that, there is a lower reliance on videos. 

2. Don't use videos to create unnecessary distractions in order for your child eat the quantity YOU want them to eat. 

By focusing on their plate of food, your child is more aware of how much he/she wants to eat and when they are sated. This is learning self-regulation: learning to stop eating when they feel full (not when YOU feel they are full). When Krishnav was younger, (around age 2-3.5 years), I used to show videos to him during meals and try to sneak in a few extra spoonfuls of food until I was satisfied with the quantity that he had consumed. The poor kid didn't get a chance to tell me he was full or even if he said he was full, I didn't think he meant it. Looking back, it was a terrible thing to do and I believe it played a part in him seeing mealtimes as a cumbersome activity. I corrected this habit with him soon after my own realization on this matter. I decided to stop being "an Indian mom", so to speak - the kind who wants to constantly feed her child and never feels like he has eaten enough! 

With Arjun, my approach is more easy-going. I follow his cues - the moment he turns his face away to food or doesn't want to take more bites, I know he's done. Then I don't push it with video distractions, etc. Furthermore, even if I feel that he could have eaten more, I hold back. Sometimes Arjun eats a lot, sometimes he doesn't. It all balances out. After all, a toddler's appetite is so dependent on appetite-level, mood, teething phases, etc. Have faith that if you give your child a chance to feel hungry, he will eat as much as he wants. Accepting this has transformed the way I approach eating with my kids.

3. When necessary, replace the video with a more wholesome distraction.  

Now you might argue - Richa, points 1 and 2 are great but my kid is too distracted all the time to sit through a whole meal and that's why I have to show him videos. I agree. I'm no pediatrician but it's safe to say that as a child grows from baby to toddler phase, he/she begins to show greater signs of activity and interest in exploring everything around them. When Krishnav and Arjun were around 15-18 months of age, I had noticed how it became more challenging to make them sit still and eat their meals. They were just too wiggly and too distracted and as a result, wouldn't always focus on eating and finishing their food. Given their short attention span, this is normal. But instead of falling into the trap of showing videos right away, I try the following things: 

For the toddler age group: 

• Sing songs while they eat or while you feed them (you can even play the music from your phone but just don't show the video). Sometimes I find myself having to put on a whole performance for the little one but hey, it works! 
• Use the verbal art of storytelling: I used to make up entire stories and tell them to Krishnav when I was going through the phase of reducing screen time with him. He would sit and listen to me while eating, riveted by the inane storyline. But it worked! He didn't need the videos.
• Show a picture book/read a book: Keep them engaged with something interesting and visual. 
• Bring out 2-3 small toys for them to see and play with during the meal. I've found this to be effective with Arjun. Sometimes, he just needs something to fidget around with  and focus his attention on. This seems to do the trick. Why go full throttle with a video then, right? 

For the slightly older age group (such as ages 3 or 4 and above):

• Eat meals together and have a conversation with your child about each other's day, what you learned, what you did, etc. 
• Play a game of story-telling wherein each member of the family adds on a piece of the story. For example, I would start the story with "Once upon a time, there lived a prince...". Then Krishnav adds another piece of the story followed by Papa. We just go around in a circle doing this until we've weaved a story of our own. It's been fun to do in restaurants too without resorting to the video crutch. 
• We like to play word games, which helps to enhance their learning. For example, I'll make up a topic like "Birds". And each of us will take turns naming a type of bird. No need for videos because you're focusing their minds on something else while they eat. 
• Read a book of their choice.

4. Defer screen time to after meals as a reward. 

We started doing this with Krishnav around the time he turned 4 (of course, this system doesn't work with younger toddlers with whom it is hard to communicate the concept of action and reward). My husband and I formed a new rule in the house - that if Krishnav ate his dinner himself, he would get to watch 20-30 minutes of cartoons before bed. It works for us and keeps Krishnav on the ball. Krishnav is a slow eater and sometimes still needs assistance from us to finish his meal. But by and large, he eats himself and tries to do it relatively quickly so that he can get to his reward later. 

5. Make food that your child will want to eat. 

This might sound like a no-brainer but it deserves a mention. I noticed this clearly with my kids. Whenever we cook something that they don't enjoy eating, they are less likely to eat it...and then as parents, we resort to other tricks to make them eat so that the food doesn't go to waste. That's when the video habit slips in!

To avoid this slippery slope, make a list of 5-10 foods that your child really enjoys and cycle through these dishes over the course of the week. Krishnav is not an exploratory, adventurous eater by nature. So what's the point of cooking something that he won't enjoy and will take forever to eat, making me resort to videos to placate him? During dinner time on school nights, we like to play it safe with his repertoire of preferred dishes so that he eats his fill. The weekends are when we encourage him to try different foods when we're less rushed, and this has worked to slowly expand his palate. As for Arjun, well - this little toddler is still discovering new tastes and new foods and it's been a joy to experience this with him!

No one ever said eating and meal times are a breeze with kids. Honestly, we are all doing the best we can to ensure that our children eat well. Undoubtedly, TV, phones, and iPads offer a quick and easy solution and believe me, I still use them with my kids! But if we try to make small changes in our mindset, in the eating habits we instill in our children, and some alternate approaches to videos, these can go a long way to reducing our reliance on these gadgets.

I hope you found these ideas helpful! Readers, do share any tips and tricks that have worked for you!

via Pinterest

Lately, I had begun to feel tired and low on energy. I think the madness of the last few months had caught up with me due to work and work travels, family commitments, kids stuff, and life in general. I was searching for a break when an unexpected offer came my way. ..

The solution to my tired, aching body

When Serena Spa from the Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel contacted me and invited me to try their spa facilities, I was intrigued. When they further offered to let me invite five of my girlfriends and turn it into a “spa date”, I was sold! It had been a while since “us girls” did something together and a spa session sounded like just what we all needed. Most of us are working women and all of us are mommies – put that equation together and you get a situation where occasions for meeting up and chilling together are quite infrequent. So I did what any girl would do – I quickly created a Whatsapp group of my mommy friends and told them to block one Saturday morning for spa therapy! On the day when we showed up for our spa appointments, the six of us gathered in the cozy lounge area of the spa, catching up and chatting away like it had been ages! Like a typical blogger, I suggested we put on face masks and cucumbers on our eyes and take pictures together in our white robes. You know, kinda like that photo above? Yeah, no...that was shot down pretty quickly. Haha! 

Picking the right spa treatment

Soon it was time to begin our treatments. The spa menu does offer quite a broad selection of body therapy, body scrubs, facials, and manicure/pedicure treatments to pick up. Some of us picked facials while others picked a massage therapy. Regardless of the treatment, the sessions begin with 15 minutes of relaxation in the steam room. The idea behind the steam room is to help you unwind and loosen the tension in your body before you get started with your actual treatment. While most spas will have a common sauna/steam room, I liked that Serena Spa has individual steam rooms for each person.

I chose to get the Marma signature massage which is an Ayurvedic spa using herbal oils. It started off with a head massage with warm oil, followed by a body massage, and ended with a body scrub. The whole experience was so therapeutic and relaxing. My therapist knew what she was doing and checked in with me often to ensure that she was applying the right amount of pressure. I personally like firm pressure during a massage so I thoroughly enjoyed my Marma massage. If strong massage pressure is your thing, then I highly recommend this treatment!

For my friends who chose the different types of facial, they enjoyed their treatment as well. However, do keep in mind that some facials from the spa menu involve extractions while others do not. So ask your therapist about this in advance to ensure you pick the right facial treatment for you.  

Facilities and service

Overall, our interaction with the spa and its staff was smooth and pleasant. The spa itself would not be considered as big and luxurious as you might expect from hotel spas on the Orchard Road strip. But the facilities are certainly clean and comfortable and tastefully done. What’s more, the Marriot Tang Plaza Hotel is centrally located and easy to access (MRT stop: Orchard).

Promotion Offer

If you’re feeling like you want to have a “relaxing mummy break” with your girlfriends too, worry not dear readers! Serena Spa has been kind enough to provide a discount offer for first time visitors for a limited time only.

Serenity Full Body Massage for 60 minutes at $78++ or for 90 minutes at $98++  (Please mention code URBANSERENA to avail yourself of this discount offer)

Location

Serena Spa at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

320 Orcahrd Road, #04-01, Singapore 238865

www.serenaspa.com

Tel: +65-6831-4526

We’ve all seen them - those dreamy photos of a family with beautiful children running across a meadow carefree, a mother lifting up her child as he smiles away, or a couple holding hands and leaning against each other lovingly. Those were the images in my head when I had arranged for my first ever family photoshoot a few years ago. Unfortunately, it didn’t go too well for a number of reasons (more on that later). I realized I could have avoided a few pitfalls and so, I saved those learnings for the time when I would need them again.

Recently, I had the opportunity to do a family photoshoot with Megha from Sunflare Arthouse Photography. There were a few small things I did differently this time around but they made all the difference (of course, having a great photographer played a big role too)! Sure enough, the whole session went much more smoothly and also relatively quickly, which is important when you one child climbing up on you and another running off to god-knows-where.

Folks, the end goal here is to have a happy photo-taking session without the fake smiles and cheesy poses. So here are the 7 mistakes to avoid when doing a family photoshoot. This isn’t rocket science and you’ll find most of these tips to be very practical. But believe me, sometimes we overlook the most obvious details. So let’s begin…

Mistake #1: Putting undue pressure on yourself

One doesn’t do family shoots often and so, there is a certain level of importance placed on getting the photos just right. Perhaps you planned to use these photos for a special event, or a photobook, or a family photo wall? But once you place that kind of importance on a photoshoot, expectations and a certain level of stress inevitably begin to creep in. Drop that pressure and have fun! After all, it’s the positive vibes and emotions that will be reflected in the photos. So smile more, worry less.

Mistake #2: Not investing in the time to find the right photographer

For my first photoshoot, I found a photographer who was good with fashion photography. So I assumed he would be good with family shoots. I was wrong. Despite his well-meaning and kind attitude (bless his heart), he did not have the necessary experience needed for putting children at ease and capturing candid moments. The result was awkward poses and photo editing that would be more suitable for fashion blogs. So this time around, I knew that I should go with word of mouth recommendations or take the time to look through a photographer’s previous works on their social media platforms. Consider their style aesthetics and editing. If you come across a photographer whose work you like, you don’t need to look much further.

Mistake #3: Picking a day and time that doesn’t suit you and your family

This might sound like a no-brainer but so often, we end up accommodating the photographer’s busy schedule rather than our own. It’s very important to carefully work around children’s naptimes and our own personal and social commitments. So be sure to pick a date and a time of day that doesn’t clash with these things.

Another mistake is not listening to yourself when you know better. Going back to the experience with my first family shoot, Krishnav was actually down with a cold and was a bit under the weather that day. I still pushed ahead with the plan because I didn’t want to cancel something we had worked hard to plan. The result? A sick child who was clingy the whole time and refused to smile. I learned my lesson that it’s better to postpone and do it right rather than rush into a shoddy job now. So don’t be afraid to postpone the shoot if needed.

Mistake #4: Not taking the time to think about location (for outdoor shoots)

Location is so important. But I don’t only mean choosing a beautiful setting. I also consider factors such as the following: Will it be hot outside during the chosen time of day? How crowded will it be and will that affect our shoot and comfort level? What is the lighting like? Is the place reasonably close by and accessible from our home? Are there bathrooms nearby in case of bathroom emergencies or outfit changes? Will the kids feel comfortable in this location?

Keeping all these factors in mind, I had picked the East Coast Park for our most recent shoot with Arthouse Sunflare. The location is beautiful with open green space and the blue sea in the backdrop. The kids were relaxed and familiar with the surroundings. Also, it is very accessible from our home so the convenience and proximity factor was a winner.

Mistake #5: Not bothering to pre-plan

One way to avoid getting stressed about the photoshoot is to simply prepare for it. Make a checklist of items to bring so you don’t forget them in the pre-photoshoot rush. Because believe me, it’s always a mad rush out the door when you have kids with you. Case in point: During my first photoshoot, we were running late and rushed to our shoot location without carrying the essentials with us. I had no water for Krishnav when he grew thirsty and no face cloth to wipe our sweaty faces which would be inevitable in the heat!

This time, I was better prepared. I packed the items I would need in a bag a few hours before the photo-taking session. My personal list of items included:

· Water and snacks for the kids

· Comb and makeup for your touch-ups

· Props/toys for the photos, such as a ball or stuffed animal for the kids to play with or hold

· Additional distractions to keep the kids happy and busy rather than bored and grumpy

· Outfit changes if you plan for them

Mistaken #6: Not knowing when to stop

Being a blogger, you would expect that I love the camera! Indeed, I seem to fork out an inordinate amount of patience for multiple takes in various angles and poses…whatever it takes to get the right shot! BUT I’m the exception to everyone else in the family. In my first photoshoot experience held outdoors, I pushed everyone to keep going despite a slightly unwell kid and a husband sweating profusely under the hot sun. As time wore on, so did their patience. Pleasant smiles slowly melted into pained expressions captured on camera. It wasn’t pretty. This time around, I had my own internal cues for knowing when to stop. When you notice the children starting to get restless and your spouse’s mood starting to turn, that’s when you know it’s time to wrap up!

Mistake #7: Not planning your outfits ahead of time or planning too many outfit changes

The clothes you wear and the number of times you choose to change is directly proportional to the crankiness of your husband and kids. Keep all outfits smart yet comfortable for everyone. If you are planning an outfit change, make sure you know where the closest changing room/restroom is if the shoot is outdoors. In my recent shoot with Sunflare Arthouse, we chose not to change our clothes for the outdoor session as it would have been too complicated with 2 kids and no restroom within easy reach.

A lot of the mistakes I’ve mentioned above are related to minimizing a negative experience and promoting a fun session. Be relaxed, find a good photographer, make a checklist, go into the shoot well-fed and well-rested, pick a time of day that isn’t uncomfortably hot, and be quick. You will thank yourself later! No one wants a kid having a meltdown in the middle of a photoshoot. And no one wants to be bickering with their spouse about “C’mon, suck and tuck!” or “Are we done yet?”

I’m so happy with how our photos turned out. We were lucky to have a photographer who did a fantastic job and had a great attitude. Megha was such a delight to work with! Her easy-going nature and friendly smile put us all at ease, making the shoot a very relaxed affair. I particularly appreciated how she tried to engage with my two boys in a playful manner and didn’t try to force anything upon them. Somehow she managed to capture sweet, candid moments of our family. It was really lovely and I would highly recommend her. Do visit her page at Sunflare Arthouse and her instagram @meghasunflare.

Candid shot which isn't perfect but shows all our happy crazy emotions!

 

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Remember when you had your first kid? You'd go to Dr Google for every little thing, from what it meant if your baby didn't drink enough milk to the meanings of different colors of poop. You'd obsess over their sleep schedule or lack thereof. You'd drop everything and run to your baby if they so much as sneezed or let out a whimper. You had the desire and enthusiasm to take your 6-month old to all sorts of classes - music, dance, baby gym - to instill early childhood learnings and raise a genius child. As a first time parent, you were full of vigor and anxiety at the same time, trying to do your best and praying it was good enough.

But the "second child parenting approach"? Oh, it's a different ballgame! I have less of the anxiety and uncertainty about things that came with being a first time parent. I feel more in control and at the same time, have learned to let go a bit more (and honestly, who even has the time to sweat the small stuff with two kids?). I'm not constantly worrying about my baby's sleep routine and whether he'll ever grow out of his 4-month sleep regression going on month 7 (he will, eventually). If he's crying, I know the world won't collapse if I let him cry a little more while I finish up something I was doing. Oh and that "no salt, no sugar" rule for one year thing? I've totally thrown that out the window. Even going back to work was easier this time around. I had less of the emotional baggage with leaving my kid at home. Raising a child isn't any less hard but what has changed is my perspective.

For you new moms out there, believe me that it does get easier. For the more seasoned parents, how is it like for you?