Monsoon for children is the most playful time of a year. Getting soaked in the first rain builds life long memories. Paper boats, counting droplets on leaves and chasing frogs bring giggles and laughter. But proximity to nature brings a bout of insect bites and an influx of germs. While children are determined to splash every puddle that comes their way, us moms have to make sure that we up our game in terms of keeping them safe and away from germs. Some simple things incorporated in the daily life during rainy days will help keep them healthy during monsoon.

Food: Children are often prone to coughs/colds bouts of flu and gastro problems during this time of the year.

• Increasing the intake of foods rich in VIT C and anti-oxidants will help with the immunity.
• Humidity in the air still causes a lot of sweating so it becomes important to keep the children well hydrated even the wet season. An additional tip here is to give an extra bottle of water to school because one never knows when the water purifiers in schools were cleaned.
• Gastro related problems like bloatedness, stomach cramps are complaints that children often have during monsoon. This is because the digestive system slows down during the rains. Give them light, home cooked meals that are easy to digest. Soups, khichadi, dal rice etc.
• Make every day water a wonder cure for gastro problems by adding some Cumin/ Ajwain / Coriander seeds in it. Soak the ingredients overnight, strain out the ingredients and consume the water. This will help relieve your little one any stomach related problems. Nothing boosts immunity like some basil leaves and a glass of warm turmeric milk with saffron added to it.
  

  

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Hygiene– It becomes necessary to get the kids squeaky clean before they hit the pillows during the rainy season. A normal bath just won’ t cut it during monsoon. Instead add any anti septic liquid of your choice to their warm bath water to get rid of any residual germs. Adding drops of eucalyptus oil to a hot water bath will relieve them from a congested chest. Always pat dry and apply anti-fungal powder between crevices (arm pits, under the chin, between toes) as these are breeding grounds for fungal infections.

Clothes – Weather during the rainy season is quite fluctuating. It goes from wet and cold to hot and humid in no time. Dress them in light layers of cotton so that it’s easy for them to keep adjusting to the changing weather. Make sure that the clothes are always completely dry. Damp clothes are an invitation to skin problems and body ache and flu. If you are looking for a way to keep clothes fresh during monsoons click on the link.

Having said and done everything, if the cold does decide to come then there’s really nothing we can do about it. So, here’s a DIY cough n cold drops recipe for you.

Cough drops recipe – 1/4^th cup water + 1/4^th cup honey, an inch of fresh grated ginger (or dry ginger powder), some cloves and half a lemon. Boil the mixture to a syrupy consistency. ( if unsure of the consistency, add a drop of the mixture to a bowl of cold water and see if it solidifies) Wait for it to cool down a bit before you drop these gorgeous golden droplets on a butter paper. Freeze them for a couple of hours and sprinkle them with some powdered sugar or corn starch so that they don’t stick to each other. You can use a steel plate too, they come off pretty easy once frozen.

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This mixture can also be consumed as cough shots for adults. Just leave them at syrupy consistency. Alternatively add hot water to dilute the mixture and sip on it during a cold rainy day.

Rainy day activities for kids – With the skies pouring down on us, the kids are cooped up at home and keeping them entertained is no easy feat! Here are a few fun/ fuss free pinterest inspired activities to keep your children entertained when playing outdoors in not an option

1. Make your own toasties – All you need is an assortment of spreads/jams/pickles/ chutneys ( anything your kids fancy) + cookie cutter and bread. Let the kids choose their favourite spreads to smear on the bread. With the help of cookie cutters they can make any shapes and then toast them for a warm evening snack or serve them with soup for the perfect rainy day supper.
   

   

• Paper plate tennis rackets – Wondering how to get the kids to expend their energy? Easy! Take a couple of paper plates and tape them together. Next use wooden spatulas to scotch tape them to the plates. Voila! Your very own rackets are ready! Crumple an old newspaper and turn it into a ball to hit and your kids are all set for a game of tennis right in the home. And you don’t have to worry about them breaking anything.
• Fuss free painting – In a big zip pouch add dollops of acrylic paints. Tape the pouch on a window and let the children finger paint on it. It’s completely fuss free as the paint stays inside the zip lock bag. Whats more acrylic paints are washable so these zip bags can be reused.

So that’s it for this write-up. Do write in if you found these tips helpful and share your suggestions with me. Here’s wishing you and your little one a happy and healthy monsoon.

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