Making Friends

It’s important that we give our children the tools to find good friends and become good friends themselves. Here’s how to start.

- Binal Zaveri-ghelani

Splish splash! Bath time may be designed to get little ones clean, but for many mums, it’s also an opportunity to calm fussy lil ones during the witching hour. The key to doing so is ensuring that the entire experience is as comfortable as possible — both for mum and for tot! Dr Navneet Kaur, consultant neonatologist and pediatrician, Apollo Cradle, Mumbai shares tips to give your baby a soothing bath.

Mums are an enthusiastic bunch. We often harbour a rosy picture of picnics in the park complete with a checkered tablecloth, cupcakes and fresh lemonade. We laugh and chat with our mum friends while our kids frolic around merrily, playing games, sharing their toys and enjoying each others’ company thoroughly. But then we wake up and the bubble pops because the reality of playdates with our friends and their kids is not always as we had imagined Toddler friendships are not quite as predictable and easygoing as one would envisioned them to be. A whole lot of factors come into play and if we take some time to understand these we will be equipped to set realistic expectations and also our little ones foster budding friendships.

AGE

Development of social skills is a gradual process. Babies love to explore and are not selective about who their friends are. They want to interact with everyone and don’t have one best friend. It’s only after five years that they start developing preferences. As they approach five years, you see more focus and more constructive play. They can play together, understand basic rules of the game and can sit down in one place and concentrate on one activity for a reasonable amount of time. Before this age, they get distracted easily and flit from person to person and from activity to activity.