7 Rules of early childhood care

Believe it or not, our children mean the world to us and each one of us strives to get the best for them in our own way and by our own means.Early years of a child’s life are highly pivotal and go a long way in building their future as has been proven by different studies and various scholars. The care and environment given to a child up till the age of 5 goes on to reflect upon him/ her even when he/she ages to their 50s and 60s.

Below are the seven rules to follow to achieve this target.

1 Minimal screen time – While television is the most accessible and convenient resort for our generation to get that much needed ‘Me Time’ or Free Time or Work time, it is also the most harmful and the one with a long lasting negative impact. We don’t realise it but TV is an addiction we make our kids prone to and the more we avoid it, the better it will be for us and our little children. It starts with half an hour at a time and then the time spent by the young children in watching television and becoming couch potatoes keeps increasing so much so that nearly 50% of our young children are either facing sight problems or some or the other disorder.

2 Spend quality time – It is the time spent with a child in their early years that remains with them through their life. We, as parents, are responsible for their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and the one way this can be facilitated is by spending quality time with the young bees, discussing about the different things in life and of course listening to them too. A child is a man’s father, who knows they may help you get an altogether different view of life.

3 Let the child decide – Say no to the ‘No’ word. Guide them but try avoiding imposing your views and decisions on them. The child should be conditioned in a manner that he / she seeks your permission for different things happily and not sulkily. Explain the pros and cons and then allow the child to decide what they wish to do. Storytelling way of explaining works best and in most cases the child would do as you guide but with a will of his own.

4 Explore the outdoors – At least an hour of outdoor activity, be it a visit to the park, cycling, running, taking swings or stroll or any other kind of outdoor sport or activity as your child may like is sure to impact your little one positively. The same has been proven by many a scholarly researches and studies.

5 Play dates  – Nothing makes a child happier than company of his / her own age and that is how play dates become an important suggestion for the all-round growth and development of your little one. Friends have that magic and this holds true for all age groups. Apart from the other advantages of these dates, the habit of sharing and caring too gets developed in the little ones which is an important aspect of humanity.

6 Read more books – We hear a lot of parents complaining about their child not being able to communicate well or read or write well but if they self-introspect, they will find the answer in not making their child acquainted with books at an early age. Books for all age groups are available and can be an excellent first birthday present too for your child. Small children love pictures and colours so to start with,one can pick on small board book (which the child cannot tear) with pictures and slowly build on their familiarity with story books and so on and so forth. We have personally come across children who just love their books and book time. The earlier you start, the better it is. This will also help in keeping your child occupied so that the child keeps away from television and cartoons which only impacts him / her negatively and stunts their growth.

7 Encourage your child’s curiosities – The early years of a child’s life are filled with curiosity which comes up before us as uncountable questions they ask about just everything. We in our busy lives tend to either ignore them or shoo them away which is the worst we can do. If you want to bond with your child for your lifetime, their early years and your participation and availability in these years play the most crucial role. It’s the   bond that you develop with your child in the earlier years of their life that lasts forever and nothing can beat that. So, next time your child asks you questions, sit down with them and reason it out and see how your little bud blossoms in the bouquet of life.

The child should be conditioned in a manner that he/she seeks your permission for different things happily and not sulkily. Explain the pros and cons and then allow the child to decide what they wish to do. Storytelling way of explaining works best and in most cases the child would do as you guide but with a will of his own.

Arti Sehgal is an economics graduate from Delhi University and a post-graduate in advanced financial planning. To her sound educational background she added the skills necessary to become a certified financial planner by clearing all six financial planning modules from Financial Planning Standards Board, India affiliated with FPA, Australia.

In the last decade and a half, she has to her credit hundreds of financial plans that she has not only created but also followed a robust review process towards ensuring that the financial goals of these client families are effectively met.Apart from financial planning, writing tops her interest list and now she is looking to merge her two most loved and passionately followed interests towards benefitting more and more people.