Rinda AngomThis time on our Meet the Mom podcast, we bring you Tanya Khubchandani, a health strategist and a content creator on Instagram @mommydiaries. She is a mother of two and also a dog mom too. In this episode, she talks about her book on parenting tips, on dealing with her kids & travelling with them during the pandemic, her take on reopening of schools & kids’ vaccination and much more...
Speaking to our Brand Head, Neha @nehamsood, she says her book was a result of the notes she started taking down when she gave birth to her first child, Riaan. She started noting down her own experiences, the actual practical ones that really helped her and those became her blog.
“So the book of course is a very re-written version of the blog and then completely done from scratch to the most of it because it’s anecdotal and it’s not really in point form. And it’s really an interesting read, I know a lot of people who’ve told me that they have read it fully, literally the full book in one-night cuz it’s very light, it’s easy to read. But it covers everything on parenting, from feeding and weaning to introducing solace, to introducing siblings, pets and even like life lessons and journeys that I’ve learnt along the way.”
On discussing how it was like as a new mom for her, she shared about her experiences, she also feels new moms tend to get very overwhelmed and they also need attention.
“I just feel like one of the most important things to take away is that new moms tend to be really overwhelmed and the focus totally shifts when the baby is born from the mom to the baby and everyone who is visiting you and checking on you is asking about the child but the mom gets left behind. And that can be a very isolating experience.”
Tanya is blessed with her kids getting along and having there for each other. But she definitely can’t wait for the schools to reopen so much so that she would celebrate. It’s not that she doesn’t like having her kids around but it’s a lot to expect out of the parents when they play the role of a teacher. Also, the fact that many parents are working from home and it’s difficult to take uninterrupted calls or work without being uninterrupted.
Tanya is adamant on sending her kids to school even though they have not been much out in the public. She shared about her daughter’s experience in the mall when they travelled to the U.S. during the pandemic and how everything was so fascinating for her daughter having cooped up at home for a long time. Neha also agrees with Tanya on kids going back to school and expresses the importance of social interaction.
“Because it’s about the priority. Instead of stepping out and going out to the world, this is a very important experience, going to school and meeting with your friends. More than what you are learning in the class, you are learning how to be around children and that social interaction is something that is so important.”
And when it’s about going back to school, kids vaccination is important. But Tanya has a say about the kids’ vaccination. “I am not a super optimistic person but I’ve been really optimistic that this 3rd wave will not be everything that they are saying. And at the same time, everyone I talk about the kids’ vaccine, will not be happy to vaccinate their kids until it’s something that’s tried and tested. So I feel if it was a Pfizer or something that’s been used the world around, yes. But if it’s an Indian vaccine or something that’s not been tested or is still in phase trials, I don’t think everyone will be comfortable with that, I don’t know how comfortable I would be with that in spite of being in the healthcare.”
Tanya is also very active with her vaccination camps for slum dwellers and villagers with the help of crowd funding, NGOs and working with panchayat. She said they are trying to get everyone vaccinated with the bare minimum prices the government has set for them. However, she believes vaccines should be free.
Learn more what Tanya has to say in detail on our Meet the Mom podcast.