Of all relationships that you encounter in your life, if there is one which entails hundred percent responsibilities and needs utmost care, it is parenting. Parenting is a crucial responsibility that entails bringing up a child mentally, physically, and socially in the best possible way. It is a difficult task for both parents as well as single parents. In this context, Ayurveda can be of immense use to a parent.
Beginning with infancy, when the child needs breastfeeding, Ayurveda comes into play for the mothers. Mother’s milk is an infant’s sole food and nutrition for up to six months, and the sole source of boosting their immunity; and breastfeeding also strengthens the mother-child bond. In case lactation is not enough, Ayurveda can help to ensure that lactation is improved. Teething is the second crucial stage of a child’s life. In preparation for solid foods, children are given purees of vegetables and pulses, which have high nutritive value. Apart from these foods, some natural remedies to soothe teething can be practiced too, like biting on particular foods or rubbing the gums of the child with ayurvedic oils. As food intake increases, so does issues pertaining to indigestion, colic, loss of appetite, constipation or diarrhea. In such cases as well, herbal medicines like cumin, nutmeg, dried ginger and products like ashtachoornam, uramarunnu, etc., can be used, preferably when Agni of the child is altered.
Meditation and Yoga help stay calm, and are beneficial to parents as well as the kids if they are taught from the very beginning, as habits inculcated in childhood stay on till adulthood. Such habits including Pranayama, can enhance breathing and solve respiratory illnesses, and can also be taught early. Ayurveda aims at attaining an equilibrium of doshas, dhatus, mala, agni, i.e. healthy soul, mind, sense organs, thus constituting a healthy lifestyle. Dantadhavana(teeth brushing), Gandoosha(gargling), Abhyanga, vyayama in the form of yoga, meditation and prayer, incorporating foods and herbs/drugs that are compatible for life are prescribed ways, along with proper sleep and rest, to attain that aim. According to Ayurveda, ahara and vihara aggravate doshas.
With the help of Ayurveda and a healthy lifestyle, parents can provide holistic wellness to both their child and themselves. Leading Ayurvedic Hospitals conduct clinics to enhance such traits in Parents and Children.
