Manu's Medley

This article is a continuation to "Newborn Essentials - Part 1", published last week. In that post, we discussed what the clothing and feeding essentials are, for a newborn. In case you missed to read it, click  here .  Without any delay, let us check out the next set of items your baby would need. Diapering Essentials: Diapers: Initially, buy a small pack of newborn diapers. Once you are satisfied with the brand and your child doesn't develop any rashes, you may buy in bulk. This is another essential and you have to keep upgrading to a bigger size, as the baby grows. You may try Kirkland and Huggies (US/ Canada) and Pampers (India). Tip:   Diapers are available at a very competitive price at Costco (US/ Canada). In India, check Amazon for best deals. Cloth Diapers:  You can use reusable cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers. Have at least a dozen of them, as just born wets and soils them quite often. Wet wipes: These are essential to clean baby's mess. Choose

It’s good to arrange all the essentials your little one would need before he/ she is born. So the best time to start buying and organizing would be at least 2 months before the due date. Once you have all the items in place, you can feel more relaxed and assured when you bring the baby home.  As a new parent, you might not be fully aware of all the necessary and good to have items for a newborn. This article provides you the list of items required like clothing, feeding, diapering, bath time, sleep time, medicinal, travel and other essentials.  Due to customary reasons, few families do not buy until the baby is born. In such cases, you might prepare the list in advance and also make a note of which shop/ online store you can buy them. Alternatively, you may also add those to the shopping cart. This makes your life a lot simpler when it is time to purchase. This list might look very big and costs a lot of money. But if you plan well, you can manage spending less and this article covers

During winter, there cannot be a meal more comforting than a warm bowl of soup. Vegetable clear soup is very easy to make, light on tummy, easy to digest and full of nutrients. Most importantly it can be served to toddlers as well (ensure the vegetables are mashed properly). You really don't have to wait for winters to enjoy it. You can relish it all through the year.   Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook   to read my latest articles!! Ingredients: Carrot - 1/2 cup (chopped)  Beans - 1/2 cup (chopped)  Broccoli stalk - 1/2 cup (chopped) Cabbage - 1/2 cup (chopped) Celery stalk - 1 (chopped) Chili - 1 Garlic - 1 tbsp (chopped) Onion - 2 tbsp (chopped) Olive Oil/ Butter - 1 tbsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Salt - per taste Water - 6 cups Procedure: Add 1 tbsp olive oil or butter in a heavy bottomed vessel  Once the oil turns hot, add chili and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds Add onion and celery and sauté for another 30 seconds  Now add all the chopped vegetables, pepper, salt and water and

Do you know when the baby is arriving? But not sure what to pack for the labor? Don't worry. I got you covered with a checklist on what to carry to hospital for you, your newborn and your partner (or support person).                                                     Below list will be very exhaustive. In a country like US, most of the items listed here will be provided by hospitals, based on your insurance coverage. At Canada, where healthcare is publicly funded, you might have to carry most of them. In India, some corporate hospitals provide basic essentials, however one has to plan and carry the rest. On the whole, I would suggest talk to your doctor or hospital help desk in advance to know what you might have to bring. That would be the starting point. Also have separate bags for you, baby and support person, to avoid any mix up. Let us go over the checklist now. Mom's bag: Hospital paper work and IDs: Have your health card, insurance details, IDs and all the documents/ fo

Winters in Canada will be very cold and snowy, with a varying degree of intensity across the country, ranging from -5° C to - 50° C. In one of my previous posts, I explained how brutal winters can be at Canada. If you missed to read it, you can check out the post  here .                                               You may find below few means to tackle the harsh climate at Canada. If you are new to Canada or planning to relocate to Canada or a similar place with terrible winter season, hope you might find this useful. Dress up in layers: First and foremost is to dress up in warm and cozy attire, even while indoors. When you are exposed to cold weather for longer duration, you may experience frostbite. Feet, hand, nose, ears are affected the most and they may become black, numb, swell and pain. At home, you may wears socks or slippers to keep your feet warm and avoid frost bite. When you intend to step out, do not forget to wear thermals, jacket, gloves, cap and   winter shoes.  Inve

I received couple of requests to share full day meal plan for expectant moms with gestational diabetes. I am sharing sample meal plan for 2 days in this article, which is inline with the diet plan I published earlier for mothers with gestational diabetes. You can read that post here .  Note: If you are a non-vegetarian, you may tweak this to include seafood and meat.  Meal Time of the day Day 1 Day 2 Breakfast 7.30am to 8am 1 slice of brown bread (toasted) with 2tbsp peanut butter spread ½ cup oats with 1 cup milk - topped with 2 tbsp of mixed seeds (pumpkin, melon, sunflower)   1 cup milk 6 almonds and 2 walnuts (soaked overnight) 1 cup dalia (broken wheat) upma with groundnut chutney Mid-morning snack 10.15am to 10.45am 1 cup yogurt (curd) 1 apple 1 cup butter milk 10 grapes Lunch 12.30pm 1 cup vegetable salad 1 p