4.22.2010

Happy Earth "Mama" Day!

Dear Mamas,
Since today is Earth Day, I am feeling inspired to share some thoughts on "green living". As a "Natural Mama", I try to keep our planet in mind everyday, wheather it is using canvas bags when grocery shopping, using natural household cleaners (that are home-made and non-toxic), carpooling or recycling. I encourage you to look at your own lifestyle and see where you are also being a "natural mama" or where you can make a change. In a future blog I will be giving you recipes on how you can make your own household cleaners!

Some ideas: Carpooling with friends to the store or school, always keep your canvas bags with you for grocery shopping, walk when you can instead of driving, keep a recycling bin (and use it!), have a toy/clothes swap with friends or donate them to a charity, keep plants in your house to better your air quality, watch your electricity usage, take shorter showers, make your own baby food and buy as little packaged/canned/jarred/processed food as possible.

Check out http://www.treehugger.com/ for endless ideas, articles and more on "being green".

A final thought: The Sanskrit word "Ahimsa" means "to do no harm" or "to avoid violence". This can be applied to many aspects of life - do no harm to others, to animals, to the planet or ourselves. This harm, which can be physical or mental, should be avoided at all costs.

Love your self, love your family, love your life...

4.12.2010

Bath time...

I am so happy that we have a bath tub! Ever since Nolan was an infant, I would take him into the bath tub with me so I could wash him. I did a few "counter top baths", but I felt uncomfortable with it and Nolan seemed cold and cried the whole time. I insisted on one of those bath sponges that the babies lay on. Only $5.00! No need for a fancy "baby tub" or "baby spa" that cost from $30.00 and up. I think it is very uncomfortable and hard on a mama's back to lean over the bath tub, and very clumsy at the beginning when baby can not hold his head up. If you are lucky enough to have a bath tub, take advantage of it! Get in the tub with baby laying on the sponge. You can fill up the tub a little over the sponge so baby has warm water cradling him. This is very easy for mama to wash and hold baby.

Our routine: Nolan and I will usually get into the bath in the evening. After washing him up, we relax in the tub together. It gives us some quite time alone to bond and start settling down for bed. In the early days, I discovered this was the perfect time to breastfeed him. The warm water and skin-to-skin contact keeps the milk flowing...there are no interruptions, and no clothes to get in the way. The warm water soothes him and quiets my mind. Now that he is a little older and likes to play, I let him before calling for Daddy to come and get him. As I finish up in the shower, Avery will dry, diaper and dress him and spend a few more minutes cuddling with him before putting him to bed. This works out very well for all of us. 

4.09.2010

Baby wipes...naturally

A great way to save money and make sure you are not using harsh chemicals on your baby's bottom is to make your own baby wipes. First, find your "wipe" - this can be a paper towel that is thick, soft and absorbent, or baby washcloths or a cut-up receiving blanket. You might need to experiment with a few different things until you find what you like best. Second, get a container. You can use an original wipe holder, a tupperware, or even a ziplock baggie. Cut or fold paper towels, washcloths or cloth scraps to fit container or baggie. Next, boil 2 cups of filtered water and add in a tablespoon of coconut oil. You can add in a few drops of essentials oils, like Tea Tree or Lavender. Stir well. Finally, pour mixture over the papertowels/cloths in container, making sure all sheets are wet. You might need to to increase your mixture amount depending on how large your container is, or how many sheets you have. Make sure sheets have cooled off before using on baby! Easy to make any time, and easy to travel with. With the fabrics, you can launder and reuse.

When diapering baby, this mixture is very gentle, but effective. The oil leaves a light emollient on the skin to soften and protect from wetness without over drying or irritating like some wipes do. It also prevents poop from sticking to the skin and makes for an easy clean-up!

Next time you are at the store, look at the ingredients in wipes. The front of the package will say something like "hypoallergenic", "alcohol-free", and  "all natural" - but look at the back. Do you know what ALL those ingredients are? If not, do you want to use it on your baby?

If your baby is prone to diaper rash, there are several culprits. It could be a reaction to a new food, the diaper type or the wipes. Nolan got a diaper rash when we started him on solids, and still gets a little red when he eats carrots or sweet potatoes. When he is a little red, I actually use a bit of Nipple Butter from Earth Mama Angle Baby or Hand Salve from Burt's Bees and that clears it up immediatly. I do NOT  use it all the time, just when he is a bit red. Diaper type - I will be discussing later, but I am a huge fan of cloth diapers and will explain why in a future blog. And finally, wipes can be the problem. A baby's bottom has very sensitive skin that can be irritated by chemicals. Add in some pee and a cheap diaper, and you will probably get a rash. For disposables, I ONLY use Huggies Pure and Natural. All others have given Nolan a diaper-rash, but every baby is different.

Another thought: too much diaper rash cream all the time can prevent the skin from "breathing". Slathering on the cream blocks the urine from touching the skin, but it also blocks oxygen, which the skin needs to generate new cell growth. Petroleum jelly is not good for the environment. And there are many studies that discourage the use of petroleum jelly and zinc on the skin for it's toxicity. As I mentioned above, coconut or olive oil is natural and soothing to the skin. If you visit http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/, you can get the Bottom Balm, which is a good option.

Despite all of our attempts to stay natural, Nolan did get a diaper rash once, and it was a bad one! We tried everything, but eventually we ended up getting a prescription topical cream, and the rash was gone in a day. Don't get too discouraged if you have to take that route - but try to prevent the rash in the first place by diapering/cleaning naturally.