Feature
Winter brings key challenges for new parents as newborns are more sensitive
New Delhi: The winter season can bring some key challenges for new parents as newborns are a little more sensitive and need extra care in the cold season. Ensure their skin is well moisturised and protected, say experts.
Rajesh Vohra, CEO, Artsana India (Chicco), in assistance with Chicco Osservatorio, suggests:
* Must-have body lotions for winter: To fight dryness of baby skin in winters, selecting the perfect baby lotion can be a task for parents as babies have thin skin which loses its moisture faster in comparison to adults. Body lotion with Parabens-free formula and richness of sweet almond milk are ideal for protection and moisturising baby’s delicate skin.
* Moisturising rich cream: In winter, parents should always make sure that baby is being moisturised properly, especially the most exposed areas like face, hands and legs after bath to keep the baby’s skin soft and supple throughout the day. Good quality cream with the richness of Omega-3 and Vitamin E helps in deeply nourishing skin’s driest areas keeping it nourished all along the day.
* Nourishment through massage oil: The skin of a newborn is very gentle and requires special care each day. Massaging the baby with special baby oil that is parabens-free and enriched with high nourishing properties of rice bran oil is very beneficial for the baby’s delicate skin.
* Winter apparels, for keeping your baby warm with comfort: While shopping for babies, parents must look for certified and high quality natural fabrics which are soft and comfortable so that it does not cause rashes and discomfort to the baby.
* Protection from dry air: In winter, the humidity level drops and dry air can affect baby’s health — from nasal infection to sore throat — which they can’t even let you know, and from dry skin and cracked lips to breathing issues in some cases. A humidifier in the baby’s room adds much-needed moisture to the air and creates favourable breathing conditions, allowing your baby to sleep comfortably.
Take extra care in cold season as winter needs more attention for your little ones:
C. Suresh Kumar, Head Of Department – Pediatrics and Neonatology, Apollo Cradle, suggests:
* Take Care of the skin: Do not apply too much of soap and leave it on the body for long as it dries up the skin causing irritation. Bath duration should not exceed 5 minutes in order to prevent over hydration of skin which may lead to easy fragility of skin and decrease threshold of injury.
* Give a quick bath: As baby skin is very thin and fragile you should dab rather than vigorously rubbing which results in damage to superficial layers of skin. Finish bath quickly.
* Include fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet to keep skin healthy: Fresh vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits like apples, bananas and oranges, should be given to increase immunity and health of the skin.
* Keep the child warm: Make sure the baby is warm inside the home. Your baby should be well covered while you take him/her out in the winter and must be covered in woollen clothes, socks and mittens (if there’s any allergy or irritation, use cotton). The child should not be exposed to cold winds which cause can cause cold, cough and pneumonia.
* Keep the skin moist: Always try to keep the baby skin moist. Apply moisturiser within a few minutes after the bath. Since the skin is very delicate, use moisturisers that contain coconut oil, olive oil and almond oil. This will also nourish the skin.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.