To Vaccinate...Or Not?

Most parents are like I used to be: completely trusting of doctors, unquestioning of "tried and true" medical procedures, and...completely ignorant. I call these people the "mainstream." If I had to put them all in a box, they would: formula feed, vaccinate on schedule, give their baby medicine every time she sniffles, use disposable diapers, and clean their houses with bleach. Oh, and then the baby would get baby food from a jar, get vaccinated to attend school, and sustain himself on preservatives and artificial coloring for the next 12 years.
We'll forget about all the rest for a second and focus on vaccines, also known as immunizations. I do not call them "immunizations" since they have not been proven to provide immunity against disease. I've got lots of information about childhood vaccines . This topic has come up again for me due to the recent mumps outbreak. This article states that the ones who GOT the mumps had even had both doses necessary to provide immunity. The answer? To add a THIRD dose! Then what? When will they stop?

This completely baffles me. It just does. I just spent a few minutes at the CDC website and I can see why people are confused. First, they are putting their trust in the CDC. But their information is well written and very easy to fall for. There's just something about it. But the more you learn about the CDC, the more you want to run away screaming.

I fully vaccinated my son through 24 months. He was 2 and my daughter was 6 months when I woke up to the insanity that we were living. The vaccinations stopped there. That is also when the "well baby" visits ended since my "well" babies would end up sick a few days after their visits. Imagine that!

Please do some serious research about vaccinations and don't just trust your doctor. Keep in mind that there are many doctors who don't vaccinate their own kids! You might get the cold shoulder from your pediatrician, but if you don't DO the well baby visits, they won't be able to give you a hard time. Take your baby to the doctor when she is sick, and they will treat her. My daughter was only seen when she was sick, and the topic of vaccines never even came up. (They can't vaccinate a sick child, either.) For what it's worth, moms know their babies better than a doctor that spends 10 minutes with a baby. If your baby is acting different or you just have that gut feeling that something is wrong, bring him in.

By the way, I'm pretty sure I didn't dream this, but one of the respected medical establishments (CDC? AMA? AAP? APA? XYZ? ;o) finally released a statement that the link between vaccines and autism is possible and they need to do more research. If you are more on the ball than I am, please send me any information pertaining to this. I'm sure I didn't dream it...my dreams are MUCH hotter than that!

Sunscreen for Your Natural Baby

You may have heard by now that staying out of the sun can actually CAUSE cancer. This is because studies have shown that vitamin D is beneficial to preventing cancer, and because vitamin D is produced in our bodies by the sun.

But if you have a baby, what do you do? First, don't slather on the sunscreen. If you opt for sunscreen, look for a natural one. I don't know how safe these are, but check the ingredients and do your research. Use a natural sunscreen sparingly, and only when you will be outside for extended hours in the heat of the day.

If you will be at the beach this summer, use a tent to cover your baby's play area. Allow her to venture out toward the water without sunscreen so that she can soak in some healthy rays. Be aware that sun bouncing off of the sand can come up and burn a young child. Also, make sure you use sunglasses to protect your baby's eyes. A hat with visor works well, but if your baby will wear sunglasses, go for it!

Once your baby is a toddler you will know whether or not he burns easily. Neither of my children burn, and they get darker and blonder throughout the summer. But my stepdaughter constantly burns. If you have children with varying skin types, you will need to watch the "burners" more carefully than the "tanners." But all should be allowed some time under the sun!

The best "sun time" for babies and toddlers is before 10 am and after 4 pm. Keeping these in mind will help naturally keep your baby from burning. If you go outside first thing, and only after 4, there is very little chance that your baby will get burned, no matter what you cover him with. When you are unable to work around those times, you might want to look into swim wear that covers more than bottoms!

All Natural Mosquito Repellent

When you go outside during summer, you probably find yourself scheduling activities around the mosquitoes that come out just around dusk. Or perhaps you live in an area where the mosquitoes are out all day long. What do you do? I know that most people use products like "Off" but if you are reading this, you are probably not like most people!

The problem with mosquito repellents is the chemicals that are used in them. Most problematic is "DEET" which experts have said we should avoid. Other experts disagree, and no matter whom you want to trust, there is a reason why most bottles of insect repellent state that you should wash off after use. The question becomes: Do I want to trust people who can't agree on this topic, or should I err on the side of caution? I always "err" and so should you. That is part of being a natural parent, and part of always trying to do the best for our children and not just what everyone else is doing.

You can get an all natural mosquito repellent that comes in "full strength" for older children and adults, and "baby strength" for those under 12 months. One ingredient among the all natural ingredients is Lemon Eucalyptus, which is on the CDC's list of suggested insect repellents. According to the CDC, "Oil of lemon eucalyptus, a plant- based repellent, is also registered with EPA. In two recent scientific publications, when oil of lemon eucalyptus was tested against mosquitoes found in the US it provided protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET."

Other ingredients in this "Bug Stopper Spray" work in conjunction with the lemon eucalyptus to provide you and your family the best possible protection.

Cleaning Around Your Natural Baby

Last week I was sitting with my family at Subway when the young man working there had nothing better to do than spray Windex all over the door right next to the table where we were sitting. You can probably guess where I'm going with this. My eyes bulged out, my temple pulsed and before I even said, "What is he DOING?!" I think he got the hint. Yes, my next few bites tasted like Windex and I really didn't appreciate it!

Last year when I was with my children at a children's gym, someone was cleaning the "Sibling Room." While I appreciate the attention to cleanliness and the attempt at providing a sterile environment for my children to "enjoy," I made it clear that this was not an acceptable practice to clean while children were in the building- and never with BLEACH! Yes, they were cleaning with bleach, the old standby when you want to dis-infect. I had to step outside to breathe. (I have a sensitivity to chlorine after competitive swimming my entire life and packaging chlorine for my dad's pool store).

So it's obvious that people "out there" don't have much concern for safety or health when it comes to our children, or US for that matter when cleaning their establisments. But that doesn't mean we have to accept that for our own home! There are tons of cleaning products on the market, most of them unsafe. But how do you know where to turn? While I do purchase some cleaning products from Ecover, 7th Generation, and other brands, the only way to safely guarantee the safety of what we are using around our babies and children is to make our own cleaning products.

If you are interested in trying this, you want to check out these non-toxic cleaning instructions. This is a great way to get motivated to use safe products, which is important for little ones, especially during pregnancy. Did you know that dangerous chemicals have been found in newborn's cord blood?! This dispels the long-standing myth that our bodies protected babies from the environmental toxins in our air, and possibly answers why childhood cancers are on the rise. So now more than ever, it is important that we are especially vigilant about the products we bring into our home and use around our children. Make your own cleaning products and never worry that your cleaning products are harming your little ones!

Winterize your Natural Baby

Winter is definitely on the way, and you know that that means. If you live in a cold climate, it means more time indoors, dry air, dry skin, and coughs and colds. Of course you don't have to be miserable this winter, and you don't even have to be sick! Hopefully some of these hints will help, and I KNOW that the products we recommend below will give you and your baby some relief.

Let's talk skin. It's common knowledge that skin gets dry in winter. I've lived in the humidity of Georgia and the dryness of Kansas, and in both climates you deal with dry skin. Probably the best way to keep your home humid is to place bowls of water in each room. This makes a huge difference. But you may still have dry skin problems to combat, especially because frequent hand washing (which is especially important during fall/winter) will dry your hands no matter what the season. You might also notice that your baby's cheeks are getting red and even rough feeling.

For dry skin prevention we recommend Natural Body Butter. We have used this for two years and LOVE it. I use it for dry hands, dry baby faces, and dry feet. It was developed and is still handmade by a work at home mom who is devoted to providing products as natural as possible.

For extreme cases of dry skin, you might need another product which also helps eczema, psoriasis, diaper rash, jock itch, minor burns, cradle cap and dermatitis. This All Natural Baby Salve is

• Non-Toxic
• Totally Organic, Totally Natural and Totally Effective
• Free of many common allergens
• Steroid-Free, Preservative-Free, Dye-Free, Fragrance-Free, Paraben-Free, Alcohol-Free, Aluminum-Free
• Handmade with a soothing blend of herbs, including lavender, licorice, and myrrh in a base of coldpressed, organic olive oil,100 % pure vegetable glycerin, and beeswax.

Since skin conditions tend to get worse in extreme weather, you might find this skin salve useful for the entire family. And best of all, it was developed for babies, so it is safe for your littlest member of the family!

After dry skin, probably the second most frustrating winter problem is runny noses or respiratory problems. I remember as a child being rubbed down with Vicks Vapor Rub, and I remember that gross gunky feeling that seemed to hang on to you for days. While the best thing to do is avoid getting sick (we will discuss that in a second) it does happen on occasion. For head colds we suggest Baby's Vapor Rub. This can be massaged into your baby's chest, neck, and even under the nose for breathing relief. This all natural, petroleum-free and menthol-free formula uses a shea butter base which is absorbed into the skin (no more sticky mess!) Providing an aromatic natural vapor, the Baby's Vapor Rub is a comfort to your baby or toddler for every cough or sniffle. It also works for Mommies, Daddies, and older siblings as well! Just open up the jar and inhale and you will see what I mean.

So the question that probably comes to mind is how you avoid getting sick in the first place. The best defense is to eat well, drink plenty of purified water, and take your vitamins. Children as young as 13 months (and YOU) can take the best vitamins on the market . Formula fed babies (even newly born) would do well with vitamin C and omega-3 oils added to their bottles. Breastfed babies can benefit from supplemental vitamin C as well. For young babies, the biggest threat is older siblings, relatives, and even mommies who come into contact with them without washing their hands. Children get sick from each other, and they will bring it right to a new baby with a fresh immune system. Make sure that you wash your hands frequently, and any children or other family members do as well.

When out and about, here is a great anti-infectious hand wipe recipe. Use it on cloth wipes and wipe your children's hands when you get back into the car, before eating, and especially after playing at children's gyms. For older children, you can probably send a small bottle to school with them so that they can clean their hands periodically throughout the day. While soap and water works wonders, they are coming into contact with germs much more frequently than they are able to wash their hands!

For additional help staying healthy this winter and keeping older children that way, check out Super Healthy Kids, an ebook dedicated to boosting children's immune systems. While you can't prevent all illnesses all the time, you should still put forth a great effort so you can avoid antibiotics, cough medicines, and other drugs that while seem safe still have negative side effects. I wish you and your family a natural, healthy winter season!

Babies In Utero: Not so Natural

I don't want to get real wordy with this post, and simply want to share this study. It totally blew me away. This justifies high quality nutritional supplementation (not "prenatals") during pregnancy in order to protect our unborn babies from toxins which DO get to them.

"Though scientists once thought that the womb protected developing babies from pollution, a new study of umbilical cord blood from newborns found an extensive array of industrial chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants. Ten newborns averaged 200 contaminants, and 209 pollutants had never before been detected in cord blood."

http://www.ewg.org/bodyburden/results.php?study=bb2

When Baby Can't Breathe

Pediatric asthma: Is it really that dangerous?

What might our children pay 20 years from now after the full side effects of asthma drugs are known?

Curing pediatric asthma with time bombs.
When you discover that your child is suffering from asthma your doctor will undoubtedly reach for the prescription book. If he is a particularly good doctor he might hand you a couple of leaflets on how best to cope during your child's asthma attack. What he probably won't do is mention the possible side effects of all the drugs your child is going to start taking. And taking. And taking. Do you really want your kids to have go through this day after day? Isn't there a better way? There is. Pediatric asthma does not have to begin and end with drugs. Drugs which could cause more harm in the longer term than good.

Let's start with what young junior is going to have to take. He'll probably have two inhalers. One called a 'reliever' and another called a 'preventer'. In the reliever you'll find usually one or several types of Bronchodilator. These types of drug work to increase the diameter of the airways. Don't you just love natural remedies? Ok, ready for the bad news? Here are some of the possible side effects: nausea, actual vomiting, feeling restless and nervous, and finding it impossible to sleep. Depending on the Bronchodilator that your child takes, they could also suffer from headaches, irregular heat beats, diarrhea, depression and leg cramps. The preventers don't have those problems. They are normally made up of Corticosteroids. Which are worse. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory drugs and people have died while switching from oral medication to inhaled medication. Other things to watch out for are mood swings (just what you need in a teenager), coughing, weight gain, muscle weakness, cataracts and osteoporosis. The options available in pediatric asthma are few and far between but they do exist. Would you like to take care of your kid's asthma without drugs?

I did. For years I had to blindly submit to the whims (and down-right boredom) of several doctors. Then I came across a new form of not just living with asthma but beating it too. Many people are now taking advantage of this drug-free method, especially children, who don't have the bodies developed enough to cater for all these drugs. Pediatric asthma need not be one drug after the next and hoping for the best. Doctors may say that the drugs are safe, but have they done twenty years of tests on them? Do they know what effects these drugs will have on our children's children? Do you want to take the risk, however small?

About the Author - Karon Beattie is a former asthma sufferer. She is the author of several books including "Naturally Free From Asthma" which describes how she eliminated her own asthma. This book has helped many other sufferers WorldWide do the same.