Tag: parenting

My child refuses to sit at the table during festive family gatherings

In one of my consultation calls last holiday season, a mother said, “Riddhi, I spent all of Diwali lunch running after my 2-year-old with a bowl of food while relatives watched and judged. I didn’t get a single warm bite of my own meal, and my toddler ended up screaming under the bed.” I could see the sheer exhaustion in her eyes, because I hear this exact story from almost every parent I coach during the holidays. During holidays, our expectations for mealtime naturally shift. We want our children to sit nicely, …
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Festive Parties vs. Toddler Naps: Finding the Balance Between Tradition and Sleep

As Diwali approaches, my inbox fills with variations of the exact same panicked text message: “Riddhi, the evening puja is right during bedtime, the loud firecrackers start just as my 18-month-old falls asleep, and we’re expected at a family dinner during his sleep time! Do I skip the celebrations, or do I risk an overtired meltdown?” The festive season brings warmth, bright lights, and cherished family gatherings. But for a toddler whose emotional stability relies heavily on sleep predictability, it can feel like a sensory storm. Here is the good …
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Why Restricting Snacks Backfires at Birthday Parties

During a recent consultation, a tired mom sat across from me with a confession so many parents carry in secret: “Riddhi, I try so hard to keep our home free of processed chips, cookies, and sugary drinks. But the second we go to a birthday party or visit relatives, my 2-year-old acts like he’s never seen food before. Why is he so obsessed with foods I don’t even keep in the house?” If you’ve found yourself in such situation at social gatherings, take a deep breath. You are not alone, …
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How to Boost Iron in Your Kid’s Diet

During a recent consultation, a worried mom sat across from me and said, “Riddhi, my doctor says my 18 months old needs more iron, but every time I try offering eggs or meat, he spits them straight back out. How do I boost his iron on a vegetarian diet ?” If you’ve ever stared at a bowl of plain khichdi feeling that exact same panic, take a deep breath! You don’t need fancy ingredients or forced feeding. With just a few simple tweaks to our everyday Indian pantry staples we …
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Tiny tummies, maximum nutrition: How to double the calories in every bite naturally

In almost every BLW India consultation I run, the most frequent question parents ask me isn’t about recipes; it’s about weight gain. “Riddhi, how do I get them to eat more?” My answer always surprises them: Stop forcing bigger portions. Let’s make every single bite count. If you feel constant anxiety about whether your toddler is eating “enough,” you are not alone. Toddler stomachs are roughly the size of their closed fist. When stomach capacity is that small, volume matters far less than density. Filling that tiny space with watery …
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How to Stop the Mealtime Chase When Your Toddler Refuses the High Chair

A few weeks ago, a mother in my practice sat down, visibly exhausted, and shared a scene almost every Indian parent knows too well: “Riddhi, my 18-month-old treats the high chair like a cage. The second I walk toward it with a bowl of khichdi, he arches his back, screams, and stiffens his legs. My mother-in-law says I shouldn’t force him and suggests running behind him with a plate around the living room. Now, every meal is a 45-minute marathon of chasing him while he plays with toys. How do …
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When Festive Cheer Meets Toddler Meltdowns at the Dinner Table

Ganesh Chaturthi pandals are glowing, dhol-tasha drums are echoing through the street, house guests are arriving for aarti, and the kitchen smells divine with fresh ukadiche modak. It’s one of the most vibrant, heartwarming times of the year for Indian families. Yet, as you sit down to a festive meal, your toddler takes one look at their plate, screams, pushes the food away, and collapses into a full-blown meltdown. In an Indian household, the reaction to this is almost instant: “Why are they acting out today of all days?” “They …
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How Much Ghee Does Your Child Actually Need

If you grew up in an Indian household, chances are ghee was treated as the ultimate medicine, energy booster, and culinary essential all in one. From the moment a baby transitions to solid foods, well-meaning grandmothers and elders eagerly offer advice: “Add another spoon of ghee to the dal,” “It makes bones strong,” or “It helps them gain weight!” While traditional wisdom gets a lot right about ghee, modern feeding practices often swing to an extreme: pouring melted ghee over every single meal until the plate is swimming in fat. …
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What to Feed Your Child When They’re Sick and Refusing Everything

This is the one feeding concern where even the calmest parents start to panic. This is the one feeding concern where even the calmest parents start to panic. When a healthy child skips a meal, most parents can talk themselves through it. They’ll eat at the next meal. It’s fine. But when a child is sick, that rationality disappears. A fever shows up, energy drops, appetite vanishes, and the quiet spiral begins: “He hasn’t swallowed a single thing today.” “She’s refusing even her favorites.” “How long can a small child …
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Why the 4 PM snack is ruining your baby’s dinner (and how to fix it)

It is a frustrating cycle that plays out in so many homes every single evening. It is 8:00 PM. You have set out a fresh, balanced dinner for your child. But the moment they sit down, they aren’t interested. They pick at a single bite, turn away, squirm out of their chair, or reject the entire plate out of hand. Naturally, you worry. Why aren’t they hungry? Are they falling sick? Is it a sudden phase of picky eating? Before you stress over the dinner menu or assume your child …
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My 6-month-old is not eating solids- Here is What’s Really Going On

This is one of the most emotional conversations I have with parents of six-month-olds. Not because anything is wrong. But because nobody prepares them for how completely underwhelming the first few weeks of solids can actually be. The messages I receive from parents usually sound something like this: “She’s just playing with the food.” “He takes one lick and then throws everything on the floor.” “We’ve been trying for two weeks and she barely swallows a thing.” And then comes the real question hiding underneath all of it: “Is my …
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