It’s not possible to eradicate all the toxins from your child’s life. However, having an awareness of what’s out there and taking some simple steps to reduce your child’s exposure to these 5 toxins is a great start. Continue reading
Dear New Mama, You won’t find this stuff in any pregnancy book, so I thought I should tell you… Relax! Spend less time preparing for the baby and more time doing things just for you (read books, take day trips, go out with the girls…). Because for the next few years, your hours will be consumed by Baby’s never-ending needs and your innate desire to satisfy all of them. “Down time” will consist of shuffling through activities in a comatose state or a sleep broken by your heightened alertness for another’s cry. Don’t plan too much, since plans have a way of falling to the wayside. Just buy the basic baby gear. You’ll know more what your baby really needs once she’s here. You’re not going to be a perfect mother. And that’s a relief! Nobody likes perfect mothers, anyway. Your child will learn mostly from your words and actions, … Continue reading
Welcome to Part 2 in my series on Parenting Tips from Natural Moms— honest, firsthand experience to complement the researched knowledge on all things parenting. Part 1 covered issues around pregnancy, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing and cloth diapering. Below you’ll find parenting tips and advice from natural moms I’ve connected with in the areas of childrearing, discipline, education and more. Enjoy! Raising Children Naturally A Common Sense Guide to Vaccines (with printable) from Nourishing Joy Teething with Amber Necklaces from Simply Healthy Home A Remedy for Bedtime Fears in Toddlers from Real Food RN Supporting Your Child’s Imagination from Hybrid Rasta Mama 5 Ways to Encourage Your Children from Nourishing Joy How to Teach Our Kids About Our Faith from Nourishing Joy Helping Children Handle Death from Eco-Mothering Should You Give Your Daughter a Barbie? from Authentic Parenting How to Avoid Parenting Conflicts at Family Gatherings from Authentic Parenting Technology and Childhood from Hybrid … Continue reading
While there is a wealth of factual information on all things parenting, sometimes the most cherished advice comes direct from other moms. We prefer to hear from women who are going through exactly what we’re going through. We want that honest, firsthand experience to complement the researched knowledge. Below you’ll find parenting tips and advice from natural moms I’ve connected with in the areas of pregnancy, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing and cloth diapering. Be sure to check out Part 2, which includes personal stories and guidance on childrearing, discipline, education and more. Pregnancy and Post Partum Exercises for Pregnancy from Healing Cuisine by Elise Essential Oil Safety in Pregnancy from Hybrid Rasta Mama Things a Pregnant Woman Really Needs from Hybrid Rasta Mama 5 Natural Birth Control Options from Healing Cuisine by Elise Hypnobirthing from Healing Cuisine by Elise 50 Eco-Friendly Baby Names from Eco-Mothering 15 Tips for Easing the Post Partum Hospital … Continue reading
This is Part 2 of my series on natural baby gear basics. You can read Part 1 here, which discusses baby carriers, car seats and breastfeeding. Cloth Diapers Cloth diapering is traditionally the natural mama way to go. If you’re on the fence, read this objective comparison about the aspects to consider in cloth vs. disposable. And this article provides a cost analysis breakdown between the two diaper options (and also includes links on how to create a cloth diaper stash on a budget). You’ll find that there are a myriad of cloth diapers on the market these days. For budget reasons, we went with the basic Chinese prefolds. They are the cheapest, and the diapers earn a very extensive second life as cleaning rags afterwards. (We’re still cleaning with Sofie’s prefolds seven years later!) I bought a basic starter package that included diapers, covers, inserts and laundry bags. As … Continue reading
Baby registry lists and big box stores offer a wide variety of stuff they make you think you actually need. You can get sucked into all of that (it isn’t hard), or you can simply buy the basics—which comes as a relief to moms-to-be who plan to parent more naturally. Mothers have been parenting successfully long before we had baby monitors and bouncy seats. So don’t feel like you have to take out a loan to prepare for a baby. You’ll save space, money and the earth by sticking to the basics. Below, I talk about four baby gear basics: carriers, car seats, breastfeeding supplies and strollers. Part Two of this post goes into bedding, diapers and miscellaneous items. Babywearing Carriers Baby carriers are one reason I wish I had another baby. While they weren’t so popular or accessible when Sofie was born seven years ago, now there are so many … Continue reading
January 31, 2014 begins the Year of the Horse in the Chinese calendar, which dates back to Buddha’s death around the 5th century BCE. According to legend, the Buddha sent an invitation to all the animals — stories differ on whether he invited them to a dinner or a final goodbye before his death. Either way, the first 12 animals to show up were chosen to “protect the year.” To determine the order of the zodiac, they participated in a race (with my sign, the sneaky Rat, winning). Similar to shamanism, the Chinese believe that the characteristics of your birth animal have a powerful influence on you. Learning about your zodiac sign can help you harness and understand the energy of that animal in your life. So if you’re giving birth this year (or if you know a Horse person in your life), here are five traits common to those … Continue reading
Today my daughter turns seven, and I’ve decided to honor the day by sharing her birth story, which I wrote shortly afterward. “Dancing Elephants” Shamans believe everyone has power animals — animal spirits that reside with each individual, offering protection, wisdom and power; they usually make their presence known through dreams or visions. The elephant is my power animal. And I called on her late in my pregnancy when it seemed my own strength had run out. My baby girl was still turned sideways in the womb at 36 weeks. Concerned that the large fibroids growing near my cervix might obstruct her turning, my doctor ordered a sonogram for the following week. If it showed my baby to still be lying transverse, she would schedule me for a cesarean as soon as possible. The threat of a cesarean had hovered over most of my pregnancy due to these fibroids. And … Continue reading
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