Story time!

It's 12 pm and while I'm busy prepping up for lunch in the kitchen, I'm interrupted by tiny fingers trying to reach out to me. It's D (my 16 month old daughter) She drags me to her play area and persuades me to take a seat. 

The next thing I know is she runs towards her pile of storybooks, grabs one and quietly comes and sits back into my lap. This is "our routine" Something we follow multiple times a day and so I know it's my turn now! I open the book and start reading out to her... soaking myself in satisfaction that D has developed a love for books at an early age! 

Being a parent in a technology dominated  world has not been easy, it comes with its pros and cons. While I have the convenience of handing D an iPad (which I do, and she loves her video time) I don't want her to miss out on the simplicity of learning from a book. Basically, even if not a 100 percent, exposing her through realms of the kind of technology-free childhood I had.

Talking about my childhood - I remind myself how I was born and raised in India, as against raising her here in the US. I realize that our desi culture won't come to her by default, and if I lack the effort to teach her about India or things back home on a daily basis, she might grow up to be completely ignorant of her Indian roots. 

Fortunately, I'm not the only South Asian mommy with a similar thought process! Reena Puri and Mital Telhan from Desi Babies have actually gone a step forward by designing baby books that teach kids about our culture. 

Their latest one being- 10 Noisy Rickshaws!

The book is a perfect way to introduce numbers to your little ones and what I absolutely love love love is how cute and Indian the illustrations in the book are.

D was absolutely thrilled to start exploring the pages as soon as the book arrived and watching her do so was priceless.

10 Noisy Rickshaws has become a very valuable addition to D's library of books and if you ask me- I couldn't have found a better way to get her to learn counting while she also learns about a few Indian things. 

You can buy the book here and also get a 10% discount using promo code: IGAW

Photo credit: Saumya- a dear friend and an amazing food blogger! Don't forget to check out her blog @upclosewithsaumya

The Tent is the latest addition to D's play area! Its not only our reading nook but also her secret hide out whenever she wants to run away from me!:)