How To Keep Mosquitoes Away Naturally - Tips & Tricks

With monsoon comes the mosquito menaces and so are the diseases like Dengue, Malaria and chikungunya. Real fight for a parent is to protect children from these diseases and we all know the side effects of various mosquito repellents present in the market. In this post, let us look at natural alternatives to keep off the mosquitoes.

Here are some popular natural mosquito repellents DIY recipes that should drive the mosquitoes away.


Neem Oil

Neem oil is considered as one of very effective mosquito repellent. Neem oil is easily available at nearest chemist shops.

You can dilute this oil with coconut oil and apply on body.

Citronella

This is a popular essential, it is derived from a species of lemon grass and the smell of it is researched to be quite offensive for the mosquitoes, especially the dengue-causing variety. Many top brands repellent cream has this citronella content.

Clove oil

Clove is again a very common ingredient in Indian kitchen and also another very popular and easily-available oil, this too have insect repelling feature.

If using on a small child, mix this oil with coconut oil and apply.

Lemon Eucalyptus Oil (OLE)

A very well-documented mosquito repellent, OLE is known to have an effect as powerful as a chemical repellent. If you read the labels, you will find it listed as an ingredient in most natural insect repellents. If you wish to use it, try and procure the insect-repellent version of it and not the essential oil as the efficacy of the latter is not yet confirmed.

These oils do not work for longer hours, most have an efficacy of maximum 2-3 hours.

However, you can reapply these oils.

Remember

• While taking your child to park, ensure they wear full sleeves
• Use mosquito nets or apply mosquito repellents on the hands & legs that are not covered

Here are few plants you can have in your garden to keep mosquito away - 

• Citronella (lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena)
• Geranium
• Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• Basil
• Anise
• Mint
• Marigold
• Catnip
• Wormwood
• Lavender
• Cedar
• Tansy
• Cloves

Ready-Made Natural Mosquito Repellents

If you do not have the time & patience to try out the above recipes. Here is a ready-made solution for everyone. I have been using these two all natural mosquito repellents and they work great for me & my family. You might want to check them out!

Do share in comments if you have any tips or tricks to keep mosquito away naturally.

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Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori & Waldorf inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

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How To Make Ecofriendly Natural Homemade Holi Colors With Kids

Are you looking for a super simple recipe on how to make natural ecofriendly holi colors at home this year? Check out this tutorial where I tell you how to do that with kids from your kitchen ingredients. This year, let us play Holi with natural colors & refuse synthetic toxic colors!

Holi is a festival of colors & being a North Indian, I have enjoyed this festival immensely all these years. But in the recent past, I have become more aware towards nature & I really hate to see artificial synthetic toxic colors being used to smear each other. The water & soil are being polluted in the name of the festival & our skin and bodies are prone to so many issues if we use these colors. 

Last year, my son was 2 & I gave him plain simple water with a pichkari to play Holi with his friends. I also made a simple mixture of flour & turmeric to make yellow natural Holi color. This year I decided to make some more natural colors with my son.

So here are few eco friendly, natural homemade Holi Powder recipes that can be safely used for kids too.

Using Rice Flour & Food Grade Colors

Watch this video below to see my 3 year old son making his own natural Holi colors (dry Gulaal). All you need is rice flour, water & food grade colors. Instead of food grade colors, you can also use turmeric for yellow, beetroot for red & spinach for green. 

You might like other fun activities me & my son are doing this Spring season here in this YouTube Playlist.


Using Real Flowers 

You can sun dry rose or hibiscus for dry red color, tesu for dry saffron color, grind them & mix some flour to make the consistency nicer.

You can boil marigold flower in water for wet yellow color.

You might like this Holi song that describes the story of Holi in simple terms. Click here to watch.

Using Leaves/Vegetables

You can mix turmeric powder with any flour to make dry yellow color

You can mix heena powder with any flour to make dry green color

You can boil pieces of beetroot in water and strain the water for wet purple/maroon color

You might want to check out these simple fun activities for Holi that you can do with your kids. Click HERE to browse.

Do you have any more ideas, suggestions or recipes to make natural Holi colors? I would love to know! Please share with me in comments below.

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Do not forget to follow "The K Junction" on Facebook page & closed Facebook group, Twitter and Instagram for day to day updates that might not always find a place on this blog. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to know more about our early learning journey, DIY & Montessori & Waldorf inspired activities for kids, kids books & toys reviews and much more!

Hope to see you around. Happy Parenting!

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Palmer's India Products Review

Being a Momstar has its own perks ;) I received this Palmer's hamper from Babychakra to review.

Here is my quick review of these products. The detailed description of these products can be found on the Amazon links shared below. You can also buy these products from Babychakra HERE.

The baby wash is superb. I used it when I was traveling & it worked like a charm. Nothing harsh, very mildly fragranced and it can be used as a shampoo too. It left my toddler's skin & hair soft.

I loved the cocoa butter stretch marks cream a lot. I am 2 years postpartum so not sure those remaning stretch marks that I have will even go away now but the cream in itself if so mild & gets absorbed super quickly into the skin. The smell is so so good & pure, I love coffee so I had to love its smell.  




I have not used the baby bottom cream because we have passed the stage of diaper rashes, my son is toilet trained now :) But the description on the cover of the product looks good!




The skin therapy oil is awesome too! It is absolutely non-greasy & immensely moisturizing.  


All in all, the quality of the products is very good. I would certainly recommend them.

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9 Benefits Of Gardening With Toddlers/Kids (VLOG)

It was me 2 years back who sowed the seeds and would patiently wait for the greens to grow. Now it's my toddler's turn :)

My then 25-month-old son sowed Fenugreek seeds and we harvested fresh and lovely Fenugreek leaves after few weeks. He said he will eat methi paratha with those tender methi leaves! He loves it! And that is why I chose Fenugreek so that he is able to appreciate the process from start to end - from sowing seeds to watering the plant to seeing micro greens to seeing mature leaves to harvesting to actually consuming it happily. 

He now knows how important trees and plants are for us, specially in hot summers these days, trees provide us shade. And of course, that plants give us food.

This generation kids need to know the importance of going green so much more than our generation for obvious reasons!

My now 26-month-old son sowed Spinach seeds recently, here is a sneak peek of our cute gardening exercise.

Gardening in itself teaches a lot to kids of all ages, starting from toddlerhood! Let us look how does it benefit - 

Multisensory Learning 

Montessori focusses on learning through multiple senses because that is how toddlers learn! While gardening, kids can touch & feel the soil, seeds, water, leaves. They can see beautiful colors of nature. They can smell the earth & the plants & flowers! They can hear the lovely birds chirping on the terrace & the wind blowing. And of course, they can eat what they plant (conditions apply)

Motor Skills
As seen in the video above, a lot of large & small muscle movements are required end to end. A great way to enhance gross & fine motor skills while working in nature, no frills activity, no activity box needed!

Sequencing
A very important skill to master, in addition to using puzzles or printables to teach the lifecycle of a plant, it would be great if we can give toddlers a hands-on experience of the same. They would remember this for ever then.

Science
According to the age, we can talk about basic science concepts like photosynthesis, composting, worms, insects etc. And further, we can supplement it with book readings. This can be a starting point of deep conversations with the toddlers. They are super curious & answering their questions related to gardening would be fun science lessons.

Life Lessons
Caring & Responsibility, patience, cycle of life, confidence, focus - all these deep & profound lessons can be learnt while gardening, taking care of the plat & seeing it grow.

Healthy Eating
If kids grow their own food, and are involved from end to end, they are likely to eat better & of course healthy.

Hands On Maths Lessons

From counting number of seeds to sow to measuring the right depth to sow the seeds to counting petals in a flower or leaves in a green to measuring the height of a plant, maths is everywhere. And gardening in every way is helping the child to sharpen his maths skills.

Bonding
A Sunday morning sowing seeds with mom or dad - the child will always cherish such beautiful memories. Gardening gives us a chance to bond beautifully with our kids & have great conversations.

Relaxation & Mindfulness

Gardening for me is like a meditation. It is therapeutic. It relaxes & helps us to become mindful of our surroundings our nature. And it is the same for kids too. Read my post HERE about 6 ways to develop mindfulness in kids.

I would love to know how & what did you do with your kids in your terrace garden! Hop on to our facebook page or closed facebook group to be a part of this parent-tribe :) And do not forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, I would love to see you guys in my next video!

Happy Parenting :)

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MamaEarth Baby Products Review - Asia's 1st MadeSafe Certified Brand

Motherhood is full of questions of various sorts, very important question being which products to use for my baby. My son is almost 2 years old now & we have been choosing his products very carefully, be it a soap or shampoo or oil or toys or clothes or diapers. We as a family try to be as close to nature as we can. Our kitchen has a good share of organic stuff like organic milk, organic pulses, aata etc. We use natural products for our skin, even for we adults. We use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.

And now, watch this TEDx video if you haven't yet!



When we were purchasing products like oil, shampoo, soap etc for our son, we were shocked to see that the so-called baby products also had so many chemicals in them. Read my full post HERE about the toxins that might exist in baby products & why we should #readthelabel before we buy anything for our children. One fine day I got to know about this new brand called MamaEarth that is Asia's first MadeSafe certified brand & claims to be 100% toxin free. I was so happy to receive this premium kit of MamaEarth's 4 awesome products (courtesy : IMC & MamaEarth). I have been using their products for the last 3 weeks now & I must say very happy with them. And now this calls for an honest review from my side! So here it goes.

MamaEarth - A Brand By A Parent

mamaearth

The best thing about MamaEarth is that it was started by parents like us! When they (Ghazal & Varun) were researching & selecting products for their little bundle of joy, they were shocked to see that so many baby products had toxins & that was when came up with the idea of developing products that are completely safe for the babies. You can read their story HERE.

MamaEarth is the ONLY toxin free, MadeSafe certified brand in India & Asia! Their products go through all the required tests and meet the safety standards. The MADE SAFE (Made with Safe Ingredients™) seal means that a product is literally made with safe ingredients that are not known or suspected to cause human health or environmental harm. It’s the first nontoxic certification to apply to products we use every day, so that for the first time, you can find things that are safe to use on your body, with your families, and in your homes.

MadeSafe

MamaEarth Product Range

They have almost the entire range of products a parent would need for 0 to 5 years - Shampoo, Massage oil, Moisturising lotion, Body wash, Diaper Rash Cream, Sunscreen lotion & insect repellant. MamaEarth products are available at Amazon & FirstCry. 

My Review

This is what I got in the MamaEarth premium kit. Each of the products is dermatologically tested and contains the MadeSafe seal.- 

• A beautiful carry bag - Once I opened their parcel, I was super impressed by their packaging & this beautiful bag! It is so lively in color & quality is great. It can easily accommodate some quick baby items when you are on the move. 

• 1 bottle of Massage Oil - A blend of sesame, coconut, olive, almond, jojoba & lavender oil, it is very light on the skin, spread nicely, absorbs well & works great for my son's dry skin. The bottle has a press pump nozzle which ensures there are no accidental spills even when your toddler grabs it from your hand to play around ;) yes my son does that! I love the heavenly (natural) smell of the oil, it forces me to hug & hold my son for longer & keep kissing him, haha!

• 1 bottle of Moisturising daily lotion - It contains Shea butter & Jojoba oil & is again very light on the skin, gets absorbed very easily & yet very moisturizing. My son has a very dry skin & a combination of massage oil before bath & this lotion after bath works great for him, even in this winter season where the air is very very dry here in Pune. 

• 1 bottle of Insect repellant - It has a natural blend of essential repellent oils like Citronella, Peppermint and Lemon eucalyptus with a base of Soya and Castrol oil, 100% natural & Deet free. It can be sprayed & applied to the skin & your child is free to venture out in the park with mosquitos around!

• 1 bottle of Shampoo - A gentle, tear free shampoo with a ph suited for baby's skin. It contains coconut based cleansers and Jojoba oil to nourish the scalp. I liked the touch & feel of the shampoo. It leaves my son's hair soft & smooth.

In general, this is what I loved about MamaEarth products

• Safe & certified by an international authority so we can be assured we are giving the best to our babies
• Excellent quality products
• Very natural, mild & sometimes no smell in the products. I loved this fact because that actually means there are no perfume additives that might be harmful for the baby. And I love natural smells! Ah, not to miss, all this helps retain the smell of your baby, which is heavenly, especially with newborns :)
• Very competitive pricing - their products are priced at 299 INR each, which is not at all high for the quality & certification it comes along with.
• Lovely packaging as I mentioned above. And different animal cartoon pictures on the products make it interesting for toddlers too ;) 

If you still have more questions or doubts about their products, HERE is a big list of FAQs.

Conclusion

It is finally such a relief to have a 100% natural & safe brand around for our little ones & I cannot thank enough to Ghazal & Varun from MamaEarth for this venture. We loved the products & would surely recommend these to the fellow parents. Go ahead & give safe & 100% natural products to your children :)

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10 Toxic Chemicals That You Did Not Know Might Exist In Baby Products

Pregnancy is the time we take utmost care of ourselves. We eat right, we breathe right, we sleep right. We know how tender & vulnerable our little one is inside.

And, after the baby is born, we rush to the chemists & buy those baby products like soap, shampoo, powder, cream, oils, wipes, lotions etc, the best brand that we can. 

In all this madness, we forget, Infants and their skin are so tender! In fact, the first three years of a child’s life are very crucial as far as health is concerned. The immune system and central nervous system are still immature and developing. We should be wary of what chemicals we expose to the child for obvious reasons.

It is sad to see that some baby products which claim to be natural or organic or baby friendly are not really good for the babies. They contain harmful chemicals. We see the brand name of the product on the front, flip the bottle/box to see the price but, do we check the product for its chemical composition! Rarely do we #ReadTheLabel!

Click HERE to read my complete article on Indian Moms Connect that lists 10 toxic chemicals (best avoided) that one should check especially while buying baby products! 

I bet you would want to keep this very important information handy while buying products for your baby next!

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Just 4 Dots – Good Knight Fabric Roll-On Review

Choosing a mosquito repellant is not easy for a mother of a baby or a toddler! There are thousands of questions in our minds. Will be safe for the baby? Is it too harsh for the baby’s tender skin? Will the vapours cause discomfort? Which form of mosquito repellants (cream, spray, vapouriser etc.) should I use? So on & so forth.

I found this newly launched product “Good Knight Fabric Roll-On“  mosquito repellant. I quickly started using it for outdoor protection.  I have been using the product for last two weeks and have been very happy with the results. 

My review for this product has been featured on Indian Moms Connect. Click HERE to read.

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