Indian Parenting: How To Keep Your Kid/ Baby Entertained (Minus Screen Time)

In the previous article, I wrote about how I struggled to connect with my kid during the first 1-2 years. I eventually overcame the issue by putting in a lot of effort and going through a lot of trial & error. In this article, I am going to list out ways by which you too can overcome this issue if you are facing it yourself

1. Take Your Baby Out For a Drive

Kids of all ages even toddlers love long drives. If you are finding it tough to entertain your kid at home, I would strongly suggest that you take you kid out for a drive. I would recommend you invest in a car seat for your baby's safety. A long drive of approx. 30 mins should be preceded by putting a diaper in case of a baby or making him/her take a piss before you leave home.

Bonus Tip: Let your kid sit on your lap while you are within your society. Let them steer the car or bike a bit. They will love you for it.

2. Go To Your Neighborhood Garden

Most societies in Mumbai or big Indian cities have an indoor garden. But even if there isn't one in your society, there are likely to be several gardens within a 10-minute drive from your home. You can top the long drive with a visit to the garden. See-saws, slides, concrete airplanes etc will keep your kid entertained for approx. 30 mins. A lot of parents get their kids to the garden as it is a tried & tested formula to keep them entertained.

3. Toys

In the previous article too I mentioned how toys play a pivotal role in keeping your kids entertained. Be it a toddler or a kid who is in pre-school toys are very helpful. I would recommend sock puppets, drawing books & other educational toys that not only entertain the kids but even help in honing their learning abilities, and grasping power. You can easily entertain your kids for several hours with the right toys. You can also make paper rockets for your son or a boat (like you did in school in arts & crafts class) to play with them.

4. Bed Games

I invented some fun games to keep my 3-year-old son entertained before he goes to bed every day. Here are some games that I play with him every day while on our bed.

- Ding - A - Lang: This game involves me rolling from one end of the bed to the other with my kid while singing ding-a-lang in James Bond's soundtrack. My kid looks forward to ding-a-lang every day! It doesn't matter what you call this, what matters is you rolling from one end of the bed to the other with your kid singing some made-up song with funny words.

- Wrestling: My kid loves it when I try out wrestling moves on him on our bed. This game can be played only after your kid is at least a year old & is no longer a toddler. Try lifting your kid by the buttocks & putting him down gently on the bed. They are sure to love this irrespective of whether they have ever seen wrestling on TV. They love it when you lift them & put them down later.

- Horse Ride: This game involves me playing the famous 'lakdi ki kaathi' song from the Hindi movie Masoom on Alexa & asking my son to stand behind me facing my back. I then hold him by him by his arms, swing back & forth while singing the song. 

- Pillow Fight: This is just as simple as it sounds. Give your kid a soft pillow, while you too hold one. Playfully hit your kid gently with the pillow & ask him/her too do to the same thing in return.

5. Story Books

My wife & I take turns to read story books to our kid. You can easily buy kids story books online or at a retail store near your home. They key to narrate the story in an exaggerated tone & not a monotonous tone. Reading stories should ideally be done just before you put him to sleep at it slows kids down & puts you in an easy position to make them doze off within minutes.

6. Cycling

While my wife is good at keeping my kid entertained indoors, I prefer taking him outdoors. Cycling is the best way to keep your toddler/ your kid of any age up till they are even 10 years entertained. When my son was a toddler I used to spend a hour in the morning & another hour in the evening pushing his stroller around inside my society. Now that he is 3 years old, I take him out cycling on his bicycle with trainer wheels. He had a tricycle when he was 1-2 years of age. 

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