Categories
Baby & Toddler Health

Daily Hacks to Burn More Calories

Is it better to be healthy than to lose weight? Yes! You’ve probably heard that losing weight can solve half of your health problems. This thinking relates to the earlier question. The level of awareness about the food we eat and how to burn calories quickly on a daily basis has risen significantly.

Your body will fight back as you lose weight, something we are all aware of to some extent. This is a scenario in which you may be able to lose a lot of weight rapidly and effortlessly at first, but it may slow or stop after a while.

So, to keep the enthusiasm going, here are a few things that can help you cut down on that unwanted fat and burn more calories on a regular basis:

Feeling of Being Cold

Feeling-of-Being-Cold

You may simply burn calories by taking an ice-cold dip.

Your body requires more calories and, as a result, fat to maintain a temperature of 98°C. A cold shower burns calories far faster than any diet or activity.

Athletes who consume 12,000 calories per day prefer swimming in chilly water to reduce weight.

Cold exposure has even been found in studies to activate brown fat, which produces heat and burns the fat. Take ice baths to increase your calorie-burning process by multiple factors.

Ideal Sleep: A Great Way to Lose Weight

Ideal-Sleep

On a daily basis, we don’t notice how binge-watching or a late-night job task might add up to additional calories. Poor sleep makes people more prone to gain weight than those who get the recommended 8 hours.

Poor sleep is harmful to both your waistline and your health. The sleep of 8 hours enhances the body’s metabolic rate and makes it one of the most calorie-burning workouts.

Intake of Water

Intake-of-Water

While 70% of our bodies are water-based, the burning of fats is most underestimated. After drinking 17 ounces of water, a person’s metabolic rate increases by around 30%. In the next 30 – 40 minutes, this expansion came to a peak in less than 10 minutes.

Increasing your water consumption by 1.5 liters per day will result in a 40% boost in calorie burning over the course of a year.

Monitor Progress

Monitor-Progress

Keeping track of what you eat is critical if you’re trying to burn more calories. Those who keep food diaries or photograph their meals lose more weight than those who do not.

At the same time, we must be cautious of any health issues such as anxiety, blood pressure, and so on before committing to something harmful to our health.

Coffee Before Working Out

Coffee-Before-Working-Out

Coffee is commonly known as an energy booster, but it may also help with fat metabolism by increasing epinephrine/adrenaline production. So, have a cup of coffee at least 30 minutes before your workout.

In short, 100-400 mg (the actual amount depends on your level of comfort and how sensitive you are to caffeine) of caffeine can aid in boosting fat oxidation. This will certainly be a good hack for those people who like and use caffeine (for instance, no medical contraindications, this is not the first time they play with it) by testing it according to no-risk levels. It should be taken around half an hour before exercise.

Don’t Miss Meals and Eat Less Portions

Dont-Miss-Meals

It is possible to gain weight by skipping meals, particularly in the morning. You should also eat smaller, more frequent meals. When you eat a substantial meal, it takes your body longer to burn those calories. Staying active and eating smaller meals will aid in effective calorie burning.

Chewing a Gum

Chewing-a-Gum

While you’re doing other things, chewing gum can help you burn calories. Chewing gum also makes you feel fuller, causing you to eat less.

Chewing gum has also been proven to enhance metabolism in several trials. A faster metabolism leads to faster weight loss. However, make sure you chew sugar-free gum because chewing gum with sugar leads to increased sugar consumption and hence more calories.

Prefer Stairs

Prefer-Stairs

One of the best exercises is stair climbing. It can also help you lose weight. Next time, instead of taking the elevator, opt for the stars. Taking the stairs will also help you lose weight. It’s a quick and easy exercise that you can do anywhere. It’s simply a matter of making a decision that can benefit you in a variety of ways.

The summary is losing weight is not always easy, and a number of circumstances hinder it. Let’s understand on a basic level, if your calorie intake is more than or equal to caloric burn, you will not lose weight.

Some strategies to explore include mindful eating, keeping a food diary, eating more protein, and engaging in strength workouts.

Finally, weight loss and lifestyle changes necessitate patience, dedication, persistence, and endurance. Anything that is led with patience and enjoyment as a combination can be won over.

Categories
Kid's Fashion

6 Hacks on How To Do Smart Online Shopping for Kids

If you are someone who can take children to a store or shop while they try on things quietly, kindly share your secrets with me. Since it has been really a challenge, I am dependent on smart online shopping for kids.

Shopping was a lot easier when my kiddo was little. However, at the age of 3, his buying threshold is quite low. What’s more, since I don’t frequently have time during the week to hit the stores without him, I buy at least 80% of his clothes and shoes online.

It may seem confusing to gauge size and quality online. However, the more I do it, the better I become at predicting fit, wear, and longevity. It’s also much easier to try on clothes in the comfort of our own home rather than deal with fitting rooms, bare feet, and tugging garments over a reluctant child.

So for those parents who are more willing to balance work and changing requirements in as quick as a swipe of a thumb, I have got 7 best tips for smart online shopping for kids‘ clothes, shoes, and accessories—because at some point we all need a break from our regular needful efforts.

1. Pick your win-win deal in between Tuesday till Thursday

Pick-your-win-win-deal

Tuesdays and Thursdays can make it a win-win for quick buying when discounts are all over and fit in your budget for frequent buying. I, especially, wait for a sale for Babyhug on Firstcry, which is the best place to shop for children’s clothes, offering 40% off at least once a month, and Carter’s will have a 25% out regularly too.

Whereas the deals are most loved by you in November when smaller or just-launched brands are more likely to put better offers on their products.

This spree goes on with the post-Christmas sale in January where all big brands stand curious to be your buying choice. Cheers to the love of shopping!

2. Compare Products

Compare-Products

The comparison instinct works best when it comes to online shopping for kids. Being cute little creatures, their fashion does change speedily, and so do the expectations of their parents.

Being a toddler’s mom, comparing apps is kind-a-common-behaviour. Firstcry, Hubscotch, Amazon, and Myntra score well for the purpose. Amazon throws a fair deal for a set of 5 pieces of clothing or a top-bottom combo, whereas Firstcry carries a series of trendy apparel, shoes, and more. So, you better need to put your clock to work when scrolling online.

3. Shop from Both Sections

Shop-from-Both-Sections

(Img credit – myntra)

If you are on a newborn/ infant shopping spree, this is going to be a big help. It is tricky to find the right colours while buying clothes for a baby boy. Likewise, picking good denim for a baby girl is not that easy. Well, switching over sections will surely be a relief when looking for these particular preferences.

I buy leggings, pants, and joggers kinds of clothes from the girls’ section for my son while shopping for kids online.

4.Premium Membership or Insider Points

Premium-Membership

(Img credit – myntra)

Shopping isn’t complete until those extra favours are given by websites. This may seem like spending extra, but I find it worth it for paying no shipping cost, having a wide window of choices, extra discounts, early pricing reveals, and much more for a long time.

Especially shopping for clothes for kids, I realized that the amount we might pay for premium membership will save extra shipping costs at least for a year. Amazon and Myntra are some of the best places to shop for children’s clothes that provide premium membership.

5. Read Reviews 

Read-Reviews

They say, “Why bother when there are others?” Well, not literally, but there is no harm in keeping a clear eye on what others have to say about the product you are interested in buying.

That instinctive feeling can save you from struggling with returns and overpaying in case the product, in reality, is not worth it.

However, keep in mind while shopping for kids online that a user review posted on a retail website is only one person’s opinion, and the final call has to be yours. Because we usually ignore the best and worst ratings, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Or else Read Point 4.

6. Check Return Policies

Check-Return

Return policies save your buck, especially when purchasing clothes for kids online. Though I’m not sure of the size, I buy for myself too. So better be safe than sorry darlings. See that X Days Return is available before you add the product to the cart.

Returns are practically unavoidable when shopping online, but they will become less common as you become more familiar with the size of the stores you visit.

Conclusion 

Using these hacks will surely be a fair deal if you’ve been doing time-bound online shopping for kids, especially if you are a new mom, a busy homemaker, or a working woman.

Share what hacks you think would help our fellow readers in the comment section below.

Categories
Education

25 ways to Increase your Baby’s Brain Power

Infant development experts say that the first years of a child’s life are the most important for learning, yet it can be difficult to come up with new ways to engage your baby and increase the power of the baby’s brain. 

As a mother, I always want the best for my child. Hence, I’m always looking for ways to help my baby grow into a healthy, active, and smart baby. During pregnancy, I used to search for how to improve a baby’s brain development during pregnancy on GoogleAfter doing my fair share of research, I have compiled a list of tried and tested activities to improve brain development in children

Allow these enjoyable—and educational—activities to motivate you.

Help Developing Baby’s Vision

Help-Developing-Babys-Vision
  1. Let your eyes do the talking. Take advantage of the few seconds that your newborn’s eyes are open and connect by looking right into them. He’s working on his memory every time he looks at you. This technique has been proven to strengthen the child-parent relationship.
  2. Stick your tongue out. Studies say that newborns (as young as two days) can copy simple facial motions – smart babies can do it easily, proving that babies possess problem-solving capability at an early age.

Make her laugh by chatting with her!

Make-her-laugh-by-chatting-with-her
  1. Go ahead and blab. Even if all you get is a blank stare, leave small pauses where your infant would normally utter words. She’ll soon pick up on the conversation’s pace and begin filling in the blanks.
  2. Sing a song. Create your verses or learn as many tunes as you can. As research suggests, knowing music rhythms is linked to learning maths.
  3. Give him clues. You’re teaching cause and effect when you say, “I’m going to turn on the light now.” before flipping the switch.
  4. Give her a tickle on her toes. Tickle her all over. In fact, the first step toward developing a sense of humor is to laugh. And games like “Jonny Jonny Yes Papa” (ending by imitating laughter) educate your child to predict events.
  5. Make a funny face. Make your cheeks puff up and let your child touch your nose. When he does, poof! He’ll do it when he’s ready. Pull your ear and then stick out your tongue at him.

Bond Every Chance You Get

Bond-Every-Chance-You-Get
  1. Turn the television off.  Instead, take this time to strengthen your child-parent relationship by interacting and engaging with your baby, which no educational television show can do. 
  2. Remember to take a break from it now and again. Spend a few minutes each day on the floor with your baby, without any music, bright lights, or distracting tactics. Smart babies are born curious. They want to explore the things around them. Allow them to go where they want to go and see where they take you. 

Take a Walk

Take-a-Walk
  1. Create a play area. Allow your infant to climb and crawl all over you as you lie down on the floor. It’s less expensive than a jungle gym and a lot more enjoyable! You’ll assist her in improving her coordination and problem-solving abilities.
  2. Create a variety of steps. Place sofa cushions, pillows, boxes, or toys on the floor and demonstrate to your infant how to crawl over, under, and around them to improve motor skills that let Increase the baby’s brain power.
  3. Now follow his directions. As your child grows older, he’ll stretch his imagination to see whether you’ll truly do things like make funny noises, crawl backward, or laugh.

Discover New Environments

Discover-New-Environments
  1. Share what you see. Take your baby on a walk in a front carrier, sling, or backpack and describe what you notice — “Look at the cute dog!” or “Did you see the fairy?” — to provide your child with a limitless opportunity to expand his or her vocabulary.
  2. Take a shopping trip. Visit the grocery store when you need a break from your song and dance routine. Make faces, and sounds, and show her colors around to keep your infant entertained.
  3. Switch up the scenery. Place your child’s high chair on the other side of the table. Challenge his memory when it comes to remembering where things are placed during meals.

Play and Be Silly

Play-and-Be-Silly
  1. Surprise her. She’ll be surprised. Blow gently on your baby’s face, arms, or tummy every now and then to please her. Make a pattern with your breaths and observe how she reacts and anticipates them.
  2. Test three-card shuffle skills. Take a couple of empty plastic food containers and place one of your baby’s little toys inside of one of them. Allow him to shuffle the containers and find the prize.
  3. Have a game of peekaboo. Your hide-and-seek games are more than just amusing. Your child learns that objects can vanish and reappear.

Teach Texture

Teach-Texture
  1. Feel your way. Walk around the house with your baby in your arms, and touch his hand to the cool window, some soft laundry, a smooth plant leaf, and other safe objects, labeling items as you go.
  2. Let your child play with her food. When she’s ready, serve foods that vary in texture—including cooked peas, cereal, pasta, or chunks of cantaloupe. She’ll get to practice her pincer grasp and explore her senses.

Teach Language and Counting

Teach-Language-and-Counting
  1. Keep track of everything. Count the number of blocks your child can stack. Alternatively, the number of steps in your home. Or his toes and fingers. Make it a habit to count out loud, and he’ll soon join in.
  2. Take time to read books. Over and over! Scientists discovered that when a narrative is read two or three times in a row, newborns as young as eight months can learn to remember the sequence of words in the story—this is believed to help babies learn a language and develop brain power. So go ahead and read your baby’s favorite bedtime stories for children
  3. Make up tall tales. To make it more fun, substitute her name for the main character in her favorite story.

Toddler Suggestions

Toddler-Suggestions
  1. Have fun in the rain. Splash around in puddles. Sit together in the moist grass. It’s a fascinating, albeit messy, way to learn about wet and dry materials. 
  2. Give your child a job. Sorting laundry into darks and whites can be done with the help of small children. Your toddler could even be able to identify which garments are hers.

Conclusion 

The importance of parents in babies’ brain development is well-established; there is no second opinion about it. So utilize the above-mentioned activities to help your baby’s brain grow in ways that are fun and enjoyable for both babies and parents. Also, these activities can be a great way to strengthen the child-parent relationship.  

Categories
Play & Toys

10 Best Nursery Rhymes for Babies & Toddlers with Lyrics

Nursery rhymes have helped me in many ways whether it’s making my baby happy or learn new things or expose to reading and singing or entertain him. Certainly, these rhymes add significantly to a child’s cognitive development. Each rhyme’s lyrics help making pronunciations for alphabets, numbers, animals, and other daily items easier for the child.

What is a norm for a good nursery rhyme? The most important part while introducing nursery rhymes to a one-year-old baby is its catchy melody and lyrics. You must have heard a few rhymes from your parents as a youngster, and your parents may have heard some from their parents. Here are some famous nursery rhymes with actions for babies that your baby will surely enjoy.

1. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Reference – LooLoo Kids – Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
When the blazing sun is gone
When he nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are

2. Baby Shark

Reference – Cocomelon  Nursery Rhymes


Baby Shark

Do do do do do do do do!

Baby shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Baby shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Baby shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Baby shark

Mummy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Mummy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Mummy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Mummy shark

Daddy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Daddy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Daddy shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Daddy shark

Grandma shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandma shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandma shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandma shark

Grandpa shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandpa shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandpa shark doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Grandpa shark

Let’s explore doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Let’s explore doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Let’s explore doo doo, doo doo, doo doo
Let’s explore!

3. Wheels On The Bus

Reference – Cocomelon  Nursery Rhymes

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town.
(Roll hands around each other)
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
all through the town.
(“Swish” hands in front of you like windshield wipers)
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
all through the town.
(Slap palm in front of you like honking a horn)
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
Open and shut;
Open and shut.
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
all through the town.
(Push hands back and forth in front of you)
The Driver on the bus says, “Move on back,
move on back, move on back;”
The Driver on the bus says, “Move on back”,
all through the town.
(Point thumb over your shoulder)
The babies on the bus say, “Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah”.
The babies on the bus say, “Wah, wah, wah”,
all through the town.
(Rub fists in front of eyes)
The mommies on the bus say, “Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush.”
The mommies on the bus say, “Shush, shush, shush”
all through the town.
(Hold index finger in front of mouth as if saying shhh)

4. Old Mac Donald Had A Farm

Reference – Dave and Ava – Nursery Rhymes and Baby Songs

Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a cow
E-I-E-I-O
With a moo moo here
And a moo moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo moo
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a pig
E-I-E-I-O
With a oink oink here
And a oink oink there
Here a oink, there a oink
Everywhere a oink oink
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a duck
E-I-E-I-O
With a quack quack here
And a quack quack there
Here a quack, there a quack
Everywhere a quack quack
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a horse
E-I-E-I-O
With a neigh neigh here
And a neigh neigh there
Here a neigh, there a neigh
Everywhere a neigh neigh
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a lamb
E-I-E-I-O
With a baa baa here
And a baa baa there
Here a baa, there a baa
Everywhere a baa baa
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had some chickens
E-I-E-I-O
With a cluck cluck here
And a cluck cluck there
Here a cluck, there a cluck
Everywhere a cluck cluck
With a baa baa here
And a baa baa there
Here a baa, there a baa
Everywhere a baa baa
With a neigh neigh here
And a neigh neigh there
Here a neigh, there a neigh
Everywhere a neigh neigh
With a quack quack here
And a quack quack there
Here a quack, there a quack
Everywhere a quack quack
With a oink oink here
And a oink oink there
Here a oink, there a oink
Everywhere a oink oink
With a moo moo here
And a moo moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo moo
Old Mac Donald had a farm
E-I-E-I-OOOOOOO………

5. Humpty Dumpty

Reference – CVS 3D Rhymes & Kids Songs

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
couldn’t put Humpty together again. (x3)

6. One, Two, Three, Four, Five

Reference – LooLoo Kids  Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs

One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
Then I let it go again.

Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right.

7. Incy, Wincy Spider

Reference – Super JoJo – Nursery Rhymes

Incy Wincy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain
And Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again (x2).

8. Hey, Diddle Diddle

Reference – Little Baby Bum Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

9. Jack and Jill

Reference – LooLoo Kids – Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Then up got Jack and said to Jill,
As in his arms he took her,
“Brush off that dirt for you’re not hurt,
Let’s fetch that pail of water.”
So Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch the pail of water,
And took it home to Mother dear,
Who thanked her son and daughter.

10. Baa, baa, black sheep

Reference – ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane!

These nursery rhymes are just a few of the popular rhymes that have been fun-filling in a child’s learning journey for years. You can sing some of these to your child while also spending quality time with him! The child’s interest may change after 2.5 years and need to shift him/her to cartoons like Tayo the Little Bus, Mash and the bear, Baby Bus and more.