Do you frequently feel the need to take a break from the devices and disconnect from the virtual world? Are you yearning for a Digital Detox even now during the Covid-19 lockdown? Well, Digital Detox is a common term used to describe a period of time when a person stays away from digital devices for his/her mental well being. Now, most of you will agree that staying away from devices is not easy. But, if you have tried this detox therapy then you can’t disagree with its benefits too.

Trust me guys, it is extremely beneficial! 

The simplest and easiest way to take a break from the digital world is to go offline for a certain period of time once or twice a day. But this may not be that helpful in taking away all your stress. One of the quickest ways to de-stress is to disconnect for the whole day (24 hrs). This will give your mood an instant boost.

Another popular way is taking Digital Detox Vacation to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul & come back recharged. You may want to check out our Travel Posts here!

But, things have changed now.

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Why Digital Detox is important even during this Covid-19 lockdown?

We are under lockdown due to Coronavirus pandemic and are forced to use digital devices for everything. Be it work, study, news, entertainment or social interaction!

And, no matter how much we crave for a break, we don’t want to miss anything that’s going on in the virtual world even if it’s taking a toll on our mental & emotional health.

Stages of Stress Build-up during Lockdown (my story)

I have realized that stress builds up over time, we can feel it but we keep ignoring it until we can’t take it anymore. This is my story of how stress took its toll on me. Only if I had realized the need for a digital detox sooner I wouldn’t have to go through all that mental & emotional agony.

Stage 1 of Stress build-up

We love travelling a lot and that is how we take constant breaks from digital life. But when Lockdown 1.0 (24 Mar) was announced in India for 21 days, we knew that it is the end of our upcoming travel plans. We accepted it since we had no other choice.

But deep down, it sowed the seeds of stress in me. As a result, I started spending most of my time with digital media, mindless scrolling on social media, reading everything related to the pandemic, binge-watching series on OTT media, constant checking phone for updates, etc., all that while doing other chores.

 

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A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit) on Apr 1, 2020 at 8:25am PDT

Stage 2 of Stress build-up

My son, Nemit had to go to a formal school from April but now he is forced to attend school from home. This was completely new for all of us. When there were no online classes, we would do things at our own pace. But with online classes, we had to set a stricter routine for us. A routine which left no time for me! I was okay for a couple of weeks, trying to accept the #NewNormal that’s when Lockdown 2.0 (14 Apr) happened.

 

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A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit) on Apr 7, 2020 at 5:59am PDT

Stage 3 of Stress build-up

Since I was not getting enough time for myself during the day, I started compromising losing my sleep. Now, I was spending more time online but not doing anything productive. I would open my notepad to write something but would keep staring at it. And, it was not the writer’s block!

I knew stress was at its peak now, I wanted to go offline but I was afraid of disconnecting. I wanted to stay updated on the current topics, news or otherwise. On the work front, everyone was churning out amazing content while I was struggling to find even 5 mins to sit in peace.

And a day came when I woke up in the morning and couldn’t feel my body in sync with my mind. I had a throbbing headache, my whole body was sore & I just felt like crying aloud.

Yes, I cried and cried for hours that day! 

Next day, I wrote a post on Instagram, asking this question, ‘Do we still need a Digital Detox while we are under a lockdown?’

 

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A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit) on Apr 20, 2020 at 10:19am PDT

I genuinely wanted to know if there are others too who were feeling the need for a break. But, I didn’t wait for the answers because I knew I had to let go of the virtual world now to regain the happy state of my mind. I took a 2-week long break from all digital media, no online series, no social media, no online games & no mindless scrolling for hours.

Now, you may ask why 2 WEEKS when I could boost my mood with just 24 HOUR Digital Detox? 

Well, within a day I realized I was addicted to my mobile phone. I was feeling too anxious to stay away from it even for 5 minutes so I needed more time.

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Here are 5 easy ways which I tried for a Digital Detox–

1- Take it slow. Start with 5 mins away from your phone, as soon as FOMO hits, go back to your phone and again take a break for 5 mins. It took me a week to go from 5 mins to 24 hours break.

2- Disable the notifications. This is one of the easy ways to not get distracted by your phone. Try disabling the notifications for Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook & other such apps. Also, mute your groups, please.

3- Use the Zen Mode on your phone for some motivation. I used this feature on my phone for the first time & now I love it. Start with the lowest time duration and try to beat your own record.

4- Use the phone for your happiness. Many of us don’t realize that we can be on our phone without feeling stressed. Use it to listen to some music, read a book, hear a podcast or try your photography skills using the phone camera. But refrain from the urge to share it online.

5- Focus on what really matters. You can make disconnecting fun by focusing on what matters the most. For me, it’s my family and nothing makes me happier than spending quality time with them.

Once I took a break for a continuous 24 hours, I felt extremely happy & thus wanted to carry it forward. So, I extended my digital break time for 1 more week. I ended my break on the day Lockdown 3.0 (4 May) was announced.

I really can’t explain the boost in my mood which I felt after this digital detox session. But, trust me, if you are feeling stressed, if you are not happy when online, you are getting irritated with little things then you should definitely try a 24-hour digital detox.

Don’t let the Lockdown 4.0 (18 May) take away your peace of mind. Your health & happiness matters!

If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it ahead and tell me in the comments if you too wish to take a digital detox during this Covid-19 lockdown.

The post Digital Detox during Covid-19 Lockdown – ‘Why’ & ‘How’ to do it? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

One thing which I keep hearing from parents is that traveling with kids is hard. Of course, it’s difficult, kids are an added responsibility on vacation when what we actually want to do is rejuvenate and have a stress-free time.

Last year we traveled a lot with our toddler. To be precise, we visited 8 new destinations in 12 months. It included almost all types of travel, road trip, weekend getaway, adventure trip, train travel, long flights, beaches, hill stations, plains almost everything except international travel.

Some of the trips were 7-10 days long and were quite hectic. But thanks to our love for traveling and superb planning skills (not exaggerating), we made the best out of all those travels. So, today I will be sharing some of our tried and tested tips to make family travel with kids stress-free and a lot more fun.

You may want to read – Top 5 Travel Essentials when Traveling with a Toddler!

5 Tips to make traveling with kids a fun family affair

1- Clear out the misconceptions

The biggest misconception most parents have even before taking a vacation is-

• traveling with kids is the most difficult thing to do.
• Or, you should not travel with babies, it’s a lot more work.
• And, of course, toddlers can make your life hell on a vacation with their tantrums.

NOT TRUE AT ALL!!! 

• Traveling with kids can be a little difficult but it is so much fun. If you will look closely, kids teach us the actual meaning of having fun.
• I found traveling with a baby much easier. You may need to carry a few extra things but that’s all, your baby won’t even put his preferences.
• We have traveled the most with our toddler, 3 international trips and 14 trips within the country in the last 2 years.

Com’on guys, traveling is not that difficult with kids, it just needs a bit of preparation & planning. So, before planning a vacation, make sure you clear out all such misconceptions. Also, stop listening to people who discourage you from traveling with a child.

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2- Proper planning is the key

I always put a lot of emphasis on planning and it is actually an umbrella term & covers a lot many aspects of traveling. It includes planning trip itineraries, booking hotel stays, making checklists of what to pack, finalizing day trips, deciding activities for kids, etc. And, if it is your first trip with your child, then planning plays the most important role.

You may also read – What to pack for keeping your toddler engaged while traveling?

A well-planned trip can turn your first travel experience with your kids into the best experience of your life. Our first ever road trip to Amritsar with Nemit (then 2-month-old) was a blunder due to lack of proper planning. But we learned from our mistakes and our next trip to Goa with Nemit (when 7-month-old) turned out to be super fun & we even extended it by 4 more days.

If you are not sure about traveling with your child, try taking a day trip or a weekend trip. You will get to know the problems and you can plan better for longer trips.

3- Follow a schedule & keep it simple

Young children usually have a set day & night schedule. Nemit wakes up every day around 5-6 am, he has a set meal time, school time, afternoon nap time, park time, family time, reading time & of course bedtime. It is very rare that he does things out of his routine. Although the schedule has become a lot more flexible now that he’s 3+, it was quite stringent from 6 months to almost 36 months. And, that schedule helped us a lot in planning things accordingly while on a vacation.

The most common mistake which parents do is not following this schedule. Instead of planning things as per their child’s routine, they make the child adjust to their plan. This obviously will lead to tantrums in toddlers & crankiness in babies.

4- Keep ample time for free play

Kids have a huge reserve of energy which if not burnt out can turn them into deadly volcanoes. And, you would not want that volcano to erupt while you are on a vacation. So make sure that you provide them ample free play time to burn off all their energy.

You can take them to the pool or to the kids’ play area. Each parent can take turns to keep a watch while the other takes a break. Or, better you join your child’s play. Nothing can make them more happy to see their parents spend time them.

5- A family vacation is a family vacation! 

Another very important point is to enjoy a family vacation like a family vacation only. You can’t expect thrills of traveling with a group of friends out of your family vacation. It’s not that traveling with family can’t be thrilling, it’s the expectations which can ruin the things.

I have seen a few families in which taking care of the child is solely a mother’s responsibility. Now, I can understand how that would feel to the mother on a vacation. She’s still doing everything which she does at home whereas her husband is in full vacay mode, enjoying & relaxing.

And, I have also seen children too attached to their mothers that they don’t let the father do anything for them. Both these situations have something wrong in it.

There’s a dire need for equal parenting here. When both partners work together in raising a child only then they can truly enjoy family bonding. I know I’ve diverted from the topic but it is one of the major reasons for parents, not taking up family vacations. Think about it!

Well, that’s all for now. See you guys tomorrow with another post.

I would love to hear your views on this. Write them down in the comments below. And, if you feel someone needs to read this post or it can be helpful for somebody, do click on the share buttons below.

Today is Day 20 of #BlogchatterA2Z and the letter of the day is ‘T’. My theme for the challenge is ‘Traveling with kids’ & I have chosen T for Traveling. 

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You may read all my posts under BlogchatterA2Z here!

The post How to make Traveling with Kids a fun family affair? appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hi guys, hope you all are doing well. Last Saturday we had planned a day picnic for Nemit at Indraprastha Park and with this post, I want to share my experience with you all.

We are already past mid-November and finally, it seems the pollution levels are going down in Delhi. And the temperature too! Yes, the winters are almost here and we just love this time of the year. It’s not too hot neither too cold, just perfect to roam around the city without a single worry.

You may also read – How Emotions & Emotional Needs of a child affects their behavior?

Nemit loves spending time outdoors, I see an instant change in energy in him whenever he’s out in open air. With his curiosity levels rising up, I feel this is the right age to start taking him out for city tours. I want him to learn things by experience, be bold, confident and outgoing. What better way than exploring our own city? Going out, visiting new places, meeting interesting people and exploring what our city has to offer this new generation.

The stats say that Delhi is the most visited city by foreign tourists in India. Then how can we not make it a part of our explorations?

Picnic at Indraprastha Park

The Millennium Indraprastha Park is on the outer ring road near Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi. I have seen this park many times in the last 4 years since we shifted in Noida. But we never got a chance to visit as we were not very sure to take Nemit to a park before. Being parents, we had our own doubts & worries about the cleanliness and the safety of the area. Also, if you know us, we are afraid of crowded places. Frankly, all these doubts kept us away from exploring Delhi till now.

You may also read – 30 Stimulation Activities for a baby’s cognitive development

But now Nemit is no longer a little baby and he has already traveled quite a few places with us, we feel he’s ready to explore Delhi as well.

For records, we had already taken Nemit for a picnic with friends to Children’s park, India Gate, Delhi when he was 11 months old but our experience was not that good. The second time we did a picnic was at Umiam lake, Shillong, during our Meghalaya visit this Diwali. You must have seen pictures in my Instagram stories. If not, you can watch them here.

Actually, this picnic at Umiam lake has motivated us to do it again.

 

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A post shared by Neha Sharma (@growing_with_nemit) on Nov 10, 2018 at 12:21am PST

Picnic Day – Fun Day

We reached the park at 12 noon, around this time it was not at all crowded. I think because it was a Saturday, there were not many families in the park. But we saw school kids running around as 2 primary schools have also come for a picnic there.

Parking area

When you reach the park, do slow down your vehicle as it is quite easy to miss the parking gate no. 3, which is the main parking. There was no signboard for parking and we had to take a u-turn and come back. Later, we found out there is one more parking which is a little farther from Gate no. 3, again no signboard was there.

Also, this second parking was free, no idea why. And the first parking was quite costly, charging per hour basis.

The park was quite clean and well maintained but I saw people littering trash carelessly and were not at all bothered to throw that in a nearby dustbin.

We found a nice peaceful spot for us under a tree and spread the sheets we were carrying with us. Nemit slept on the way so we made him lie down & let him sleep for some more time. Since Nemit’s grandmother (Nani) was also with us, she kept a watch on him while we did a quick check around. We saw that every cozy corner of that park area was occupied by young lovebirds. We were not bothered by them but then there were some freaks who were doing rounds and staring at each and every couple in the park.

Frankly, I get really uncomfortable if I get such odd stares. I have learned one thing from my experience, if someone stares at you, you stare back right in their eyes without blinking. This trick has always worked with me, at least they do not come back.

When Nemit woke up after 30 mins, it was time for some fun. We have carried a bat and a ball for Nemit and badminton racquet and shuttlecock for us. We all enjoyed playing and running around with Nemit. He was so happy and excited to see his parents and Nani giving complete attention to him. Just this moment assured us that we made the right decision of planning a day picnic here.

Picnic Lunch

After an hour of playing & running around who wouldn’t have felt hungry? Thankfully, we have carried homemade packed lunch with us. There is also a food court in the park, and they offer a variety of food items, snacks, and drinks at a reasonable price.

So, in case you don’t want to carry a packed lunch, you can order from there as well. But the sitting area around the food court was not very clean and I would say it’s better you bring your own food. But yes, you can buy snacks and drinks from here.

Food Court at Indraprastha Park

After lunch, we spent some time lazying around, watching the clouds. Nemit with his Nani fed poori to the dog who was roaming around. He curiously watched squirrels running up and down the tree. He also loved watching birds drinking water from a water puddle. It was a highly stimulating day for Nemit.

Check out the pics below –

Lazying around

Feeding squirrels

Squirrels

A Parrot eating rice grains

The World Peace Pagoda

The Vishwa Shanti Stupa, also known as the World Peace Pagoda is also located inside the Indraprastha Park.

The Wolrd Peace Pagoda in the background

It is a beautiful monument made with white marble and has a golden pinnacle. The architecture of the stupa has been inspired by the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh.

The Wolrd Peace Pagoda

The aim of the Shanti Stupa is to promote peace and non-violence across the world. The entry to the stupa is free and it can be accessed from inside the park as well.

We had a pretty fun picnic day at Indraprastha park last Saturday. Do plan a picnic with your family and friends at this park and have an exciting weekend.

You may also read – The caves at Nainital

Listing down some pros and cons of visiting this park-

PROS

1- The park is clean, green and well maintained.

2- There is a guard stationed near the entrance for safety purpose.

3- This park also has a food court.

4-The parking area is good.

5- The Shanti Stupa was inside the premises & there is no entry fee.

6- There is also a separate play area for kids.

7- No hawkers are allowed inside the park so no disturbance.

CONS

1- You will see many young couples in the park which some people may find awkward & may feel uncomfortable.

2- The food court area was not clean.

3- Parking is costly, Rs 40 for 1 hour and Rs 20 for every 1 hour after that.

4- The kids play area is not well maintained, some of the slides and swigs were broken.

5- There’s a free public toilet in the parking area but again it is not clean and needs maintenance.

I personally feel Indraprastha park is a good option to take your babies and toddlers for a day picnic. So, mommies and daddies from Delhi, Noida, Indirapuram & Ghaziabad, don’t think much, plan a picnic for your kids this weekend at Indraprastha park.

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In case you have any doubts why to plan a picnic with kids, you should check out the below points – 

1- Give your kids another option for outdoor play apart from taking them to a nearby park to play with other kids.

2- Picnic is a great way to spend time together as a family. In our busy and stressful life, we all need a break but we can’t go on a holiday every weekend to loosen up. That’s why you should definitely try out this picnic idea.

3- Spending time together outdoors will help in making your family bond even more stronger. If you want to spend some quality time with your kids and spouse then give it a shot. You will not regret.

4- Picnic gives an opportunity to bring your kids closer to nature, let them appreciate the little wonders of nature.

5- Picnic time can be a lot of fun and also a great way to teach your kids good manners and empathy. Teach them by example.

6- If I compare the visit to a park with a visit to an indoor play area then one can clearly save a lot of money. Entry to a park is free and you can carry your own food and drinks. The only money you need to pay is the parking fees.

I will choose a picnic outdoors on a good sunny day for my child. What about you?

If you liked this post, don’t shy away from sharing it with your friends and family members. If you have any place recommendations for a day picnic, do write them down in the comments.

Do catch up all daily updates on my Instagram and Facebook.

The post Plan a Family Picnic this weekend at Indraprastha Park, Delhi appeared first on Growing With Nemit.

Hi friends, first of all, thanks a lot for liking my last travel post. It is now the second most visited post on my blog with more than 10,000 visits in just a month. Thanks for all the love. Today I am here with yet another travel related post. And I am dedicating this post to the bond grandchildren shares with their grandparents all over the world.

We love to travel whenever we could, usually, we don’t plan much. We are in fact the last minute planners and finalize most of our vacations in less than a month’s time. Such unexpected travel plans are so much fun and thrilling. We just check out the lowest priced flights, book a decent hotel/resort, pack our bags and zoom we go. Thanks to various online travel companies like MakeMy Trip, GoIbibo, TripAdvisor, Trivago to name a few to do our last minute research, compare prices and steal some awesome deals. However, the last couple of trips were quite different. These were special as Nemit’s Nani & Dadi (grandmothers) were there with us on the vacation. We planned these vacations keeping in mind the comfort of our kid and his grandparents. I believe if there is anything you can gift to your kids and their grandparents, plan a trip together.

So, today I am going to share our best travel tips while traveling with kids and elderly to make the vacation comfortable and memorable for both.

You may also like to read Family time Fun time with Grandparents!

5 Best Tips when Traveling with Kids and their Grandparents

The definition of travel holds a completely different meaning when your travel partners are children and the big children (yes the elderly). You can’t just pick a destination and make last minute plans. So, last year we visited Kerela and this year January we traveled to the Andaman Islands with Nemit and his grandparents. And these 2 trips have taught us a lot more about how to make the vacation more fun and comfortable for both kid and his grandparents. Let’s look at some tips-

1. Start planning your trip at least 2-3 months prior to the actual date of travel.

Planning early not only gives you the freedom to book flights at a cheaper rate but you can select the best seats too. Involve the kids and grandparents while planning the destination, you will be amazed to hear their inputs. When you have lots of time on your hands before the vacation, you can invest more time in choosing the best resort for your stay. We make sure that the resort is kid-friendly and have comfortable cozy rooms. Also, make sure that you share all the details with your parents so that they too have enough time to make up their minds for the kind of holiday they are going to have. Trust me after 60, parents take their time to soak in details and get ready mentally. But once they are ready, nobody can stop them from having the fun.

2. Select a non-touristy place/location to get the best out of your vacation.

Now, this could get difficult to plan sometimes, but there are many famous destinations which have a part which remains untouched by tourists. We don’t like places which are always beaming with people all around. Vacation should have a motive, and if your aim is not to explore the whole place which is anyhow not possible with kids and elderly then make relaxation and rejuvenation your main priority. During our trip to Kerala, we chose places like Athirapilly, Munnar and Alleppey houseboat for our stay. Nemit and his grandmothers had an awesome time in the God’s own country.

3. Plan for relaxing trips without much of traveling as that is exhausting for both kids & elderly.

We all know how tiring it gets if we have to explore various locations and places during the trip. Plan the itinerary such that you include only 2-3 nearby locations which can be easily covered and everybody gets enough time to rest and relax. Usually, during our earlier trips, we would get ready around 9 am and leave the hotel to explore nearby places and would come back only around late evening. Don’t ever plan such itineraries when you have kids and their grandparents along. This will only leave them exhausted and irritated. Gift them a relaxing holiday.

4. If possible book a resort which has connecting rooms so that you can be together all the time.

You will thank me later for this tip. If you can find such resorts which have villas with 2 rooms or connecting rooms, nothing could be better than this. If somehow you are unable to get connecting rooms, do check with the resort management for adjacent rooms or cottages whichever you prefer. It will feel just like home.

5. Lastly, plan activities which are easy and can be enjoyed together.

With this I mean the activities you wish to do on your vacation, be it fun, adventure or just lazying around. You can’t tell your parents to try paragliding or river rafting neither your young kids can enjoy these. However, everyone can enjoy boat rides in place of river rafting and peaceful small walks in place of long trekking. Don’t shy away from asking your parents about their wishlist. I am sure they will share their own ideas of how they wish to enjoy the holiday. One last point, deep inside we feel happy that we will have someone who will take care of kids along with us on the holiday but doesn’t take that for granted. Let them make memories with their kids and grandkids and cherish them forever.

We made some best memories during our last vacations. And one of the best ways for kids to stay connected with grandparents is to travel together.

This post is part of the blog train which is initiated by a lovely mom Pooja Kawatra of  The Mums and Babies. I want to thank Upasana Goswami who blogs at M & M for introducing me as the next blogger.

Got a story to share with us on how to ‘Stay connected with grandparents’? Hop on this Blog Train where some wonderful mom bloggers share their views on this theme!!

It’s time to move ahead and meet our next awesome mom blogger. Rashmi Singh is a mother of a cute baby boy Ajisth. She is a teacher by profession and blogger by passion. She loves to share her daily life and parenting style through her blog Ajisth’s MomStyle. Do check out her post and show some love.

And if you liked this post then don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. And I love it when you leave some comments or feedback for me 🙂 So what are you waiting for guys? Tell me about the trip you planned for your kids and their grandparents.

The post 5 Quick Tips when planning a vacation with kids and grandparents appeared first on Growing With Nemit.