Sonika Madala's Blog

If you are looking for the list of baby items that could buy before the baby is born, here you go.  You will have more stuff to buy when the baby comes.

• Baby clothes:
  • Receiving blankets ( 4 or 6 pack)
• • Baby blankets – to cover your baby while sleeping – 1 or 2
• • One nice homecoming outfit for baby.
• • Bodysuits (Pack of 6) newborn or 0-3 months.
• • Full body suits. Very useful to save your baby from mosquito bites.
• • Caps and socks, mittens-6 pairs. Baby doesn’t get hurt when the nails grow if he/she has mittens. Caps and socks to help baby to keep warm.
• Nursing Stuff:
  • Breast Pump ( I used Medela hands-free double electric pump)
• • Feeding Bottles 2 or 4  ( I used Medela because I can use them for both pumping and feeding )
• • Nursing gowns (Nighties). You may need at least 4 of these. Personally, I didn’t find them any comfortable than my tees.
• • Nursing bras. I didn’t like them much either.
• • Nursing pillow, I find it very useful in the beginning.

• Diapers stuff:
  • Diapers  – new born size. I have used Huggies for my daughter.
• • Diaper rash cream.
• • Baby wipes
  • Diaper changing sheets – 3 to 4
• • Diaper-genie. It is a trash can for diapers and helps bad odor from spreading.
• • Compact diaper bag
  • Small plastic diaper changing sheet to carry in diaper bag

• Baby’s medicine cabinet:
  • Gripe water to relieve gas
• • Thermometer (digital)
• • Nasal aspirator bulb syringe for removing mucus from a stuffy nose
• • Safety manicure scissors
  • Rubbing alcohol and Johnson’s Safety Swabs, to clean the umbilical cord area for 2-3 weeks.

• Baby Toiletries
  • Baby oil
  • Head to toe baby wash
• • Baby hooded towels 2-3
• • Bath tub, if you are not comfortable giving baby bath on your legs.
• • Washcloths to clean newborn until his first bath ( 6 or 12 pk)
• • Safety manicure scissors

• Pack your suitcase for the hospital.
  • Nightgown and slippers, Toiletries, including toothbrush and hairbrush. Clothes for your return home: choose comfortable clothes you wore mid-pregnancy or later. Sanitary Pads- you can also get them at the hospital, just in case.
• • Don’t forget supplies for your husband (perhaps even a change of clothes!).
• • Clothes for your baby to wear when coming home: undershirt or onesie, and an outfit with snap closures. Receiving blanket (your local weather will determine if additional blankets are needed) Baby wipes.
• • Nice outfits for your baby and yourselves if you are going to have a new born photo shoot at the hospital.

• Baby Furniture
  • A Car Seat. Make sure your baby’s car seat has been installed properly before you go to the hospital. We used Graco Snug rider.
• • A Crib / Bassinet. I like the Crib better for long term use.
• • A Swing
• • A Rocking Chair

Try to get as much as you can before the delivery. I am sure your husband and you will have your hands full with all the shopping once the baby is born as well. All the best!

Bhogipallu Ceremony is performed to the children, usually below 12 years, on the day of Bhogi festival before the sunset. It is believed that this ritual will protect the children from any evil eye (called “Nara Dishti” in Telugu) and will bless them with better health and abundance of prosperity.

Friends, family, and neighbors are invited to participate in this fun-filled event. Bhogipallu mix is prepared by mixing up the “Regipallu”, coins,  flowers, Akshinthalu, and pieces of sugarcane. As “Regi pallu” represents the Sun in its shape, color, and brightness, we hope to get his blessing through these fruits.

For this happy event, the children will be attired in traditional clothes, wear ornaments, and have the kumkuma applied on their face (and turmeric applied to the feet if it is a girl). The child will be seated facing East in a chair. The mother of the child takes a handful of Bogipallu and moves her hand in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction for 3 times each in front of the child, while uttering “irugu dishti, porugu dishti, intlo valla dishti, bhayata valla dishti, antha povali” and shower the Bogipallu on the head of the child. The guests will follow the same procedure to bless the child/children.

At the end of the event, Harathi is offered to the child/children. The guests are offered with Thambulam (2 beetle leaves, beetle but, two fruits). After the event, showered Bogipallu are offered to the homeless or can be thrown away in a place where they cannot be touched by the feet.

Preparations & Shopping Checklist:

• Invite the guests
• Prepare Bhogipallu mix
  • Regipallu, pieces of sugarcane, coins, flowers, whole chana dal
• Decorate the location with toys and fresh flowers
• Prepare Harathi plate
• Arrange refreshments for guests

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This is one of the very first ceremonies performed to the newborn baby on his/her 21st day. It can be performed at home, banquet hall or at the temple as you like. We had it at home for our baby girl.  This ceremony is performed to put the baby in the cradle for the first time.

Friends and family can be invited to be part of this event. Check out the auspicious time of the day to carry out this ceremony. Some people prefer to go to the temple before the ceremony. We went to the temple and had abhishekam performed to lord Shiva. We have also done puja at home to purify the house.

Decorate the swing to your imagination. Apply turmeric and vermillion (pasupu kumkuma) to the swing first. Then decorate it with flowers and garlands. We use mother’s thalambralu saree as a bed sheet in the swing. Thambulam  (beetle leaves, beetle nut, two bananas, one coin, flower) is placed at each corner of the swing as well as under the swing. Baby gets to wear a new dress for this ceremony, preferably Pattulanga.

 Elders in the family gently places the child in the swing for the first time, blesses him/her with Askshithalu and swings the baby at a slow pace for 3 times. Also they will break a coconut and shower its water on to the swing  for the prosperity of the child.

Then we will ask the guests to bless the baby and gently swing the cradle for her to get used to it.  Offer pasupu kumkuma to the female guests in the beginning of the event. Offer thambulam to each female guest as they bless the baby. Food is served to the guests after the event.

Note: The day baby was born is counted as day 1. If the baby is born on Jan 1st, then the 21st day will be Jan 21st.

Preparations & Shopping Check List:

• Find out the auspicious time to celebrate this ritual
• Invite the guests
• Arrange food for the guests
• New cloths for baby
• Get a Swing
  • Shopping List: Swing
• Decorate the swing with fresh flowers
  • Shopping List: Flowers, garlands, any decoration items
• Arrange Thambulam sets
  • Beetle leaves, somp packets, two bananas, one coin, flower
• Arrange these items
  • Mother’s Thalambralu saree, Hammer, turmeric, vermillion, Akshinthalu
  • SL: Coconut

 

In Andhra, we have a tradition of  celebrating each baby milestone with a corresponding sweet dish. Giving away these sweets to friends and family to mark the baby milestone is always a super fun activity for us. Here is the list I have put together to the best of my knowledge. All the best !

• Navvuthunnavani (Social Smiling)                   – Nuvvula undalu
• Borla paddavani (Roll over on tummy)            – Bobbatlu, Boorelu
• Pakuthunnvani (Crawling)                                   – Paalathakulu
• Adugulu vestunnavani (Taking first steps)     – Ariselu
• Budi budi adugulaku (Taking first steps)         – Boorelu
• Gadapa dhatavani (Crossing doorsteps)          – Gaarelu
• Chilaka palukulaku                                                 – Panchadhara Chilakalu
• Lottalu vestunnavani                                             – Lollypops
• Vulu koduthunnavani  (Cooing)                          – Undrallu
• Manavadu/Manavaraliga puttavani                   – Mithailu
• Aaduthunnavani                                                      – Atukulu
• Gola chestunnavu ani                                             – Goru mittelu
• Busy ga untunnavani                                              – Biscuits

Since I am in USA, I couldn’t perform all these to my baby girl at the right time. So I am planning to have these sweets in her first birthday celebrations.

 

 

 

 

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The “Anna Prasana” ceremony is performed for the child to introduce the solid food. This ritual is held on the 6th day of the 6th month of the child. For example, if your child was born on 1st of January, then the ceremony date will be 6th of June. By this age, the child will have his/her first teeth sprouted which is one of those indications that he/she is ready to digest solids. If the child is weak, this ritual can be performed on the 8th day of 8th month. If you cannot perform this ritual on these two days, you can choose an auspicious day in the 6^th month or in the 8^th month as per Thidi, Vara, Nakshatra to conduct this event.

This ceremony is carried out either at the temple (Annapurna Devi temple is preferred) or at the home with help of a priest. The host family (parents of the child) invites the guests to attend this event. The paternal grandparents would bring a silver bowl and spoon to offer the first food, Sweet Payasam, to the baby.

Payasam is made of rice, cow’s milk, jaggery, and ghee. Do not use nuts or cardamom. Cook it to a paste-like consistency for easy digestion for the  child.

After the bath, dress up the baby in new clothes (bought by his/her parents or grandparents preferably). Arrange the puja items requested by the priest. The priest will conduct this ritual by reciting prayers to the lord Ganesha followed by goddess Annapurna Devi and to your favorite deity. Payasam is offered to the deities as “Prasadam” in a silver bowl.  After the puja, the priest will ask the father to feed the “Payasam Prasadam”  to the child. The father dips the golden ring in the Payasam bowl and offers to the baby to lick on it while the priest chants the “mantras”. He feeds the baby for three times and blesses him/her with Akshithalu. The same process is followed by the grandparents, mother, and guests at the event. During the ritual, the child sits in his/her mother’s lap  or with the person he/she is comfortable with facing east. From now on, solid foods can be given to the child in small quantities.

A fun filled game is held after the event. During this game, the baby is encouraged to crawl and pick up the objects placed near him/her. If your baby is not crawling yet, feel free to lay the objects closer to the baby so that he/she can reach out to them using hands. The objects such as fruits, gold, money, book&pen, food,toys, flowers etc are laid in a row on a red carpet/cloth since the bright colors attract the babies at this age. Each object signifies something to do with baby’s future. The baby will have three attempts to catch the objects. It is believed that the first object touched by the baby symbolizes his/her future.  For example, if your baby chooses Book & pen, he/she is believed to be blessed with knowledge and wisdom. If the child catches the same object more than once, he/she is believed to be excelled in that sector.

Book & Pen –  Blessed with knowledge and wisdom

Fruits –  Blessed with Good health

Gold / Money –  Blessed with wealth

Payasam / Sweets/Food items –  Blessed with passion for food

“Dhakshina” is offered to the Priest after the puja to get his blessings. Lunch or dinner is served to the guests after the main event is over. If the event is performed at the temple, you may have to purchase a ticket from the temple separately.

Preparations & Shopping checklist:

• Find out the auspicious time for the event
• Arrange the priest to conduct this ritual
• Get the list of items required for puja
  • Shopping list: Purchase the items as per the list. Rice – 5lb, Incense sticks – 1pkt, beetle leaves -30, beetle nuts (10), flowers – 3 bunches, 3 types of fruits – 3 each, banana 1 dozen, coconuts -2,
  • Kumkuma, turmeric, Sandalwood paste, Akshithalu
• Invite Guests
• Arrange food for the guests
• Silver bowl, spoon to offer payasam to the child
  • SL: Silver bowl, spoon
• Prepare Payasam
  • SL: Rice, Jaggery, ghee
• Arrange new dress for baby
  • SL: Dress for baby
• Arrange the objects for the game
  • Gold, cash, book& pen, fruits, food, toys, flowers etc
• Red Carpet to layout the objects for game
  • Red Carpet
• Arrange Dhakshina for Priest. It is a monetary gift offered with Thambulam

Ear Piercing Ceremony (Chevulu Kuttinchadam) is performed to the girl child (in some cultures also for boy child) when they are completing odd months like 7th, 9th or 11th month. If is this ritual is not carried out in their first year, then it can be conducted in the odd years like 3rd or 5th. Usually, in Andhra, this event is combined with the “first-time head shaving” (puttu ventrukalu theyadamu) ceremony.

This ritual is usually performed at the temples. An auspicious day is chosen with the help of a priest to conduct this event under the sunlight . This event is conducted by child’s maternal grandparents and her uncle (menamama).

Carry puja items (like turmeric, kumkuma, coconut, flowers, incense sticks) to the temple where the ritual is performed. Abhishekam is offered to god on behalf of the baby girl. After puja, she will get her head shaved off while the child sits in her maternal uncle’s lap (menamana). The barber will apply the alum (Patika) or sandalwood paste (gandham) on shaved head to treat any cuts. A monetary gift along with a white towel and 1 or 2 kg of rice is offered to the barber after the ritual. Also, the dress which baby was wearing for head shaving ceremony is given to the barber.

After that, both the child and her uncle will take a holy bath at the temple and wears new clothes offered. For the baby girl, new clothes are offered by maternal grandparents, while for her uncle new clothes are offered by her paternal grandparents.

Then she will get her ears pierced by the goldsmith while the child sits in her uncle’s lap. Left ear is pierced first for the girls, right ear in case of baby boys.  A monetary gift is offered to the goldsmith after the event.

After the ceremony, food is served to the guests.

Preparations & Shopping checklist:

• Find out the auspicious time to carry out the ceremony
• Invite Guests
• Arrange Puja items for Abhishekam
  • Shopping List: Turmeric, kumkuma, coconut, flowers, incense sticks
• Arrange the items to be offered to the barber
  • Baby dress, White towel, rice
• New clothes for baby girl, New clothes for her uncle
  • SL: New clothes for baby girl, New clothes for her uncle
• Monetary gift for barber and goldsmith
• Arrange food for guests
• Prepare diaper bag
• Carry her favorite toys and food to distract the baby when she cries