Raising a multilingual child

Having lived in different parts of the country and overseas, I recognized the need of understanding the native language much too quickly. And when I got pregnant with Azeen, I was excited to see how early can a baby pick up multiple languages – and I was pleasantly surprised. As I did more research on ways to teach a baby to communicate, I realized that babies truly are like sponges and absorb everything around them, even the difference between languages. 

Research shows that adopting a multilingual learning system can strengthen the executive function of the brain. As children use two languages at the same time, switching consistently, it develops skills for functions like shedding inhibition, switching attention, and working memory. As such, they often perform better on tasks which require multi-tasking, decision making and problem solving.

Here are a few things that have helped me teach Azeen almost three languages so far(Yes! She really does understand most of the three at just 2 years old)”

1.       Start early – Speak to a baby, as you would to an adult. Babbling and gurgling with babies are fun, but the more you speak in clearer sentences, babies will try to repeat the sounds they hear and eventually comprehend that there are multiple languages being spoken. I have been speaking in two languages to my daughter since birth

2.      Repeat, repeat – Repeat the same word/sentence in different languages to help them understand that you are referring to the same thing simultaneously. I have read that it helps if the languages sound very contrasting. I experimented with English and Hindi and it worked for my little one

3.      Action words – Since you can use physical movements to teach these words, say the words in all languages. You will be surprised at how soon they respond to or repeat the action at the multiple words. The first few words I started with were – Up, down, come, hello, eat, sleep

4.      Picture this – Make it fun by showing pictures of your family or read picture books and try to teach the same person/object in different languages. I read her the same book of first words every night and she started pointing at it eventually at bed time

5.      Stay motivated – Don’t be disheartened if the baby is not repeating anything of what you are speaking. Studies show that most multilingual babies do take a little longer to speak but that is only temporary and nothing compared to what they are learning in the long run. A lot of friends and relatives unfortunately discouraged my method by saying I was confusing the baby but it really has turned out otherwise. She is not only comfortable but more confident in communicating in new social environments or with large groups of people

6.      It’s never too late – Don’t wait for them to start school to introduce English or a language they teach at school. Studies show that preschoolers can comfortably understand up to 3 languages so older kids will grasp them easily as well

7.      Encourage and appreciate – Even if they mix up the words or pronounce it weirdly, encourage them by teaching the right word. As they have a smaller vocabulary, they may use words from the language they are more comfortable in. I think my daughter’s Hinglish/Kanglish is adorable!

Most families in India stick to teaching the child one language - native or English depending on the family structure and social outlook, but that only limits the learning capabilities. Azeen was comfortably understanding English and Urdu/Hindi and when she started play school at one and half years old, she picked up a bit of Kannada within a couple of months. Every child has different learning abilities, please use this as only an informative experience and help bring out the best in your child. For more information on what books I use, links I refer to and any other questions and feedback, please comment below and I will respond to them at the earliest.

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DISCLAIMER: All suggestions above are based on my experience, expert advice and research. Please consult a medical professional accordingly. Remember every child is unique and needs to cared for as per their needs.

Home remedies for cold and cough in Babies

Hello fellow parents!

Aren’t we blessed to be able to soak in the warmth of the love that our babies give us and with all the wonderful moments, come the struggles that everybody deals with so often. Living in a nuclear family, I turn to Google for advice like most of the mommies out there and my ma even lovingly calls her grand kids as google babies. I have had many hits and misses over the years and these are my share of personal experiences that have helped me raise my 2 year old toddler daughter and help my sister raise my 7 year old and 5 month old nieces.

Winters bring not just warm hugs and cozy cuddles but also dreaded colds and coughs. I have personally suffered with breathing issues growing up and I know the difficulty (I was successfully treated with homeopathy and will get to it in another detailed post). I was one of them mothers that would run to the doctor if my little one just had a stuffy nose. But I’ve been very fortunate to have pediatricians that would send me back home assured to best treat it with basic home remedies. This winter again, the Khan babies have had repeat case of the sniffles. The following are home remedies and herbal approaches that have worked for my kiddos –

1.       Garlic oil method – Heat about 4 tbsp of Mustard oil, add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic, ½ tsp of fenugreek seeds (methi) and ½ tsp of carom seeds (ajwain). Cook until the seeds start to splutter and the oil changes color to brown. Strain it and rub the warm oil 3 times a day on top of the head, chest, back and feet. Store the oil mix for weeks and warm it up just before use. I have tried this with my toddler and it helps effectively with dry coughs and nose blocks.

2.      Garlic poultice – Thinly slice up about 6 cloves of garlic and put it in a muslin cloth(any thin cloth will do) and fold the two opposite sides of the garlic and then the other two sides on top of that like a burrito. Dip this in a bowl of hot water and squeeze it and place it under the foot of your baby and put a sock on. You can make two of the same for both the feet simultaneously. Make sure not to leave it on for more than 5 minutes as it can overheat the baby quickly and the garlic may cause skin irritation. This has worked wonders for phlegm and chest congestion on my infant niece and toddler.

3.      Onion method – Slice up onions and place it near the baby’s head to clear up stuffy nose in infants.

4.      Black seed oil method – Mix 1/s tsp of black seed(kalonji) oil and ½ tsp of honey to treat cough. This has been tried with my then 4 year old niece and it cleared up her cough within a few days.

5.      Carom(Ajwain) – This herb is my go-to for treatment of any ailments in babies. Heat the Ajwain leaf directly over a gas flame and once it changes color, squeeze and extract the juice from it and give it to the baby. Adding a little honey with it is recommended for babies over a year old. Alternatively, add finely chopped pieces of the leaves to their food and watch the cold and coughs go away overnight. For infants that have not transitioned to solids, roast 2tsp of ajwain seeds till they turn slightly brown. Wrap this like a small potli bag and place on chest and under the feet of the baby. The aroma from the seeds is very therapeutic.

6.      Steam inhalation – This is quite a tricky one as it gets difficult to hold their attention for long over the steam. I usually give the baby a musical toy and sit inside a bedsheet tent with the steam machine on. A couple of drops of saline water or spray(I have used nasivion s/nasoclear/physiomer babymist) in each nostril goes a long way before starting the steam. I follow it up with a Snot sucker (Nasobuddy nasal aspirator– Indian version of the Nose freida) to clear out the blocked airways.

7.      Saline nebulizer – These are for those times when the runny nose has been around for a few days and the babies are particularly cranky. They enjoy the cool mist from the nebulizer but keeping the mask in place can be an issue at times.

     

      These are my most tried and tested and methods and have worked on all the children of the house. I strongly suggest seeing a pediatrician in case of viral or if the cold and cough persists for more than a week. These methods are effective in treating the seasonal coughs and colds. It helps to use a warm wash cloth and avoid baths on chilly days. I also feed them hot soups and avoid cold foods. For more information on what nebulizer I use, recipes and any other questions and feedback, please comment below and I will respond to them at the earliest.

  

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DISCLAIMER: All suggestions above are based on my experience, expert advice and research. Please consult a medical professional accordingly. Remember every child is unique and needs to cared for as per their needs.