5 NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR A TEETHING BABY

Now that baby Vienna is almost six months old I’ve had a few months of trying different teething remedies. She started with symptoms around 2.5 months and her first bottom tooth poked through about a week ago. We were pretty excited!! It’s a sharp tooth though — ouch. No more munching on mommy’s finger. Thankfully we’ve had no breastfeeding mishaps.

As a natural mama and holistic nutritionist it is always my goal to seek out natural remedies first. From red cheeks, irritability to drooling to restlessness, pain and even fever — these are all common symptoms that can happen from teething. These are symptoms that can be addressed naturally and effectively. In fact, Vienna felt like she was burning up one night so before I took her to the walk-in-clinic I called “Telehealth” and a nurse rest assured me it will pass and just to keep a close watch on her for any changes. Now of course, you must always be careful with fevers which is why I wasn’t trying to treat it naturally until I had confidence from a nurse that it was not high enough to warrant medication.

After doing extensive research and testing out different options, these are the 5 best natural solutions for lessening the symptoms associated with teething in this video (links all the products below). I have personally found them to be very effective with my babe.

Chew Bead Necklace: The necklace I’m wearing is awesome because Vienna LOVES chewing on it and the counter-pressure on her gums relieves pain. It’s made of silicone, not plastic. I also find it handy because when she’s nursing, instead of pulling on my hair she grabs the necklace — it’s a good distraction!

Amber Necklace: This has helped to lessen the drooling. These necklaces have some controversy because some people worry they are a choking hazard. However, you take it off at night and don’t leave it on your baby unattended. The length is perfectly thought out because it can’t get tangled on anything as it is pretty short.

Mesh Ice Teething Feeder: If your baby isn’t on solids yet, just pop in some ice. The cold will feel good on her gums and relieve pain. Once your babe is old enough and has tried out different foods you can add frozen fruit.

Camilia: This is an effective homeopathic medicine. It helps with irritability and restlessness. When Vienna’s cheeks get super red and I can tell she’s restless this really helps. I have been using it as a preventative as well.

LOVE! This needs no explanation. Love is a proven endorphin producer which is the best natural pain reliever in the world. When Vienna is a cranky-pants because she is suffering (those cheeks give it away!) I just give her extra hugs and kisses.

I hope you find these tips useful mamas. Please do let me know what you’ve found to be helpful.

Wishing you joyous health!

Author,

JOY MCCARTHY

QUENCH SUMMER’S THIRST WITH SAFER DRINKING WATER

No matter where you are in the country these days, chances are it is hot. From pediatricians to summer camp counselors the advice is currently the same: Make sure you keep hydrated. There are some 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth, but when it comes to summer thirst, it’s the tap water that matters. And while most tap water is fit to drink, that’s not always the case.

Though water companies and municipalities check and purify their water, a lot can happen between those tests and your tap. Water may pass through old lead pipes. It might acquire toxic vinyl chloride from PVC pipes. It could be over-chlorinated or contain bacteria picked up along the way. Here’s how to keep your family hydrated with safe water:

First, get a Consumer Confidence Report from your water supplier. All public water systems serving at least 15 connections and 25 year-round residents must supply these annual reports, which summarize your water’s quality at the source.

To make sure it’s arriving in a similarly drinkable state, test your water at a lab like Suburban Water Testing Lab or National Testing Labs or ask your supplier or environmental officials to direct you to a local lab. Testing is tricky because you’ll need to specify the contaminants to check for. Here’s some guidance:

Always test for lead, which remains all too common in water supplies.

If your water company disinfects with chlorine, check for trihalomethanes, toxins created when chlorine reacts with natural organic chemicals in water.

If you live in an agricultural area, look for pesticides.

If you live in an industrialized or urban area, or near a waste dump, research your neighborhood on the Environmental Defense Fund’s Chemical Scorecard which summarizes local toxic releases. Test for any pollutants the Scorecard lists for your zip code.

Well water is different than municipal water. Private well owners should check for nitrates and bacteria. For more information, visit the EPA’s website for private well owners.  If your kids are at a summer camp with well water and you’re concerned, ask the camp owners if they’ve tested their water.

If your water has specific issues, like discoloration or odors, consult this EPA Home Water Testing Fact Sheet to see what your test should cover.

Results will dictate what if any further steps to take. If you need filtration, our Find the Right Water Filter Easy Step will help you secure a safe water supply—the only kind worth drinking to!

Special thanks to Aisha Ikramuddin, who wrote the original June 2007 post from which this has been adapted.

Author,

Alexandra Zissu

4 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR CHILD’S ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Some 6.8 million American children have asthma. Help your child breathe easier with these asthma-fighting tips:

STRAWBERRIES TOP THE LIST OF WORST FRUITS AND VEGGIES FOR PESTICIDE RESIDUES

One of your kid’s favorite fruits is hiding a dirty secret.

Of all the fresh fruits and vegetables available for sale in the United States, sweet, sun-kissed strawberries are the most likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues, according to EWG’s 2016 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

This year, for the first time strawberries top EWG’s Dirty Dozen list of produce with the highest amount of pesticide, even after you’ve washed them. Other dirty produce includes peaches, nectarines and apples – previously No. 1 for five years running. Click here to see the full list.

EWG analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose tests found nearly 150 different pesticides on thousands of produce samples from 2014, the most recent year available. Nearly three in four fruit and vegetable samples contained residue from at least one pesticide.

But the results aren’t all bad. EWG’s Clean Fifteen list names the produce with the lowest amount of pesticide residues. Avocados lead the pack, with less than one percent showing any traces. Sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, frozen sweet peas and onions rank among the clean fruits and veggies as well. Click here to see the full list.

EWG’s 2016 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce aims to help parents make healthy shopping choices. Here are our top tips for putting this information into action:

Eat plenty of fruits and veggies, regardless of where they fall on these lists. The nutritional payoff is worth it.
To limit pesticide exposure, buy organic produce whenever you can. But if your options or budget are limited, focus on choosing organic versions of the Dirty Dozen to get the biggest benefit for your family.
Always wash fruits and veggies before eating, whether they’re “clean” or “dirty,” organic or conventional. Rubbing produce under running water removes not only pesticide residue, but also dirt and germs from handling.

INFANTS’ EXPOSURE TO TOXIC FIRE RETARDANT LINKED TO BABY ITEMS

Evidence of a chemical linked to cancer and hormone disruption was found in the urine of all babies tested for a new study from Duke University. The sources, researchers say, could be nursery gliders, car seats, bassinets and other baby products that might be treated with toxic fire retardant chemicals. The remains of a second chemical also linked to endocrine disruption were found in 93 percent of the infants tested.

The chemicals are TDCIPP (tris(1,3-dichloro-isopropyl)phosphate) and TPHP (triphenyl phosphate). Four years ago, Duke researchers found TDCIPP in 36 percent of the baby products they tested that were purchased between 2000 and 2010. In the new study, the same research group tested the urine collected from 43 babies for evidence of TDCIPP and TPHP, and the results were alarming.

Each of the babies tested had detectable levels of a chemical produced when the body processes TDCIPP, known as a metabolite. A metabolite of TPHP was detected in all but three infants.

Adding to the concern, more infants in this study had extreme levels of the TDCIPP metabolite in their urine, compared to toddlers tested in a separate study conducted last year by Duke and EWG. What’s more, the levels of both chemicals were on average higher than amounts previously found in adults.

The State of California lists TDCIPP as a known carcinogen and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission considers it a probable human carcinogen. It may also disrupt endocrine signaling – the chemical messages hormones send throughout the body – which is vital during the early stages of a baby’s development. TPHP is also linked to hormone disruption that may cause developmental or reproductive harm.

In the new study, the level of the TDCIPP metabolite in the babies’ urine was closely related to the number of infant products their parents owned. Babies whose parents reported owning more than 16 such products had on average almost seven times more of the metabolite in their urine than babies in families who owned fewer than 13 products. Children who attended daycare centers also had higher levels of the metabolite, suggesting that products there added to their exposure.

This study is not intended to be a warning to parents to avoid buying the things needed to keep their babies safe and comfortable. However, it does mean parents should consider doing their homework before shopping. Not all baby items have added fire retardants, and parents can choose items free of these chemicals.

Read this Guide to Fire Retardants in Children’s Products to learn what you need to know to minimize your family’s exposure to these toxic chemicals.

But smarter shopping may not be enough. The United States’ weak and outdated regulations fail to adequately protect babies or others who are most vulnerable from the effects of toxic chemicals. The system needs reform, so that parents can be confident that the products they buy for their newborns are safe. To learn more, visit EWG’s website on the Toxic Substances Control Act.

NEW FINDINGS ON PEANUT ALLERGY PREVENTION

Eating peanuts during infancy – rather than avoiding them – may be the key to preventing long-term peanut allergies in children.

The benefit of early exposure persists even if kids later take a year-long break from eating any peanut foods, according to a new study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (part of the National Institutes of Health), conducted by the Institute-funded Immune Tolerance Network.

The new study builds upon a landmark clinical trial called LEAP, or Learning Early About Peanut Allergy, which concluded last year. LEAP showed that eating peanuts from infancy to age five reduced the likelihood of developing a peanut allergy by 81 percent in high-risk children. (Children are considered “high-risk” if they have eczema, other food allergies or if peanut allergies run in the family.) Children in the study ate foods containing peanuts, since the nut itself is a choking hazard for children younger than four.

The latest study, called LEAP-On, was published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine and extended the research to find out whether kids who later stopped eating peanut foods for a year would be more or less likely to develop the allergy: They were less.

In a second study, led by King’s College London for the U.K. Food Standards Agency and released the same day, researchers tested whether the same approach could prevent other common food allergies, but the results were less conclusive.

Just six food groups cause a whopping 90 percent of children’s food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy and wheat. Rates of peanut allergy in particular have risen dramatically in the past 15 years, afflicting an estimated 2 percent of American children. Symptoms range from hives and wheezing to life-threatening anaphylaxis, prompting schools, community centers and even airlines to adopt strict policies aimed at protecting allergic kids from peanut products.

For years, parents have tried to ward off peanut allergies in their children by avoiding the food altogether. Beginning in 2000, doctors and allergists advised parents of high-risk children that they should not eat potentially allergenic foods before age three. By 2008, however, health care professionals realized the advice wasn’t helping, and retracted the recommendations.

The landmark LEAP study changed everything, shifting the prevailing wisdom from avoidance to exposure. After LEAP was published last year, 10 medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, agreed on new interim guidance that recommended early exposure. If your child is at high risk, however, talk to your doctor first. Click here for the Academy’s recommendations.

Now parents, health care professionals and the public have a chance to weigh in on what may become new, formal recommendations for peanut allergy prevention. The federal allergy institute, the agency that funded LEAP and LEAP-On, has drafted an update to its 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States. The update, which specifically addresses how to prevent peanut allergies, is open for a 45-day public comment period ending on April 18. All are welcome and encouraged to participate. Here’s how.

While the recommendations remain under review, parents should talk to their pediatrician or allergist about peanut exposure, especially if their child has ever had a reaction to peanuts; has other food allergies, particularly to eggs; has eczema or a family history of allergies.

Author,

Megan Boyle

5 Things Every Toddler Mom is Grateful For

Oh, toddlers. There's so much to love about the wonderful, complex little beings that are neither baby nor kid. There are the words beginning to come together into sentences, the slobbery kisses and hugs that turn into snuggles, and the way those little voices sound the first time they say “I love you” without being prompted. There's the sound of little feet stomping across the kitchen and the way they look at you, every minute or so, just to see what you're doing. Along with all the wonderful joys of toddlerhood though come all the dinners strewn across the floor, the red-faced shouts of “do-it-by-self!”, and the tantrums on the floor of the grocery store. As much as we know that these hard parts of toddlerhood are good, that they are discoveries of independence and testing of boundaries, they can also be really dang hard. As those hard parts arise, toddler moms find themselves particularly grateful for many of the modern conveniences of mom life.

Along with all the wonderful joys of toddlerhood, though, come all the dinners strewn across the floor, the red-faced shouts of “do-it-by-self!”, and the tantrums on the floor of the grocery store. As much as we know that these hard parts of toddlerhood are good — that they are discoveries of independence and testing of boundaries — they can also be really dang hard. As those hard parts arise, toddler moms find themselves particularly grateful for many of the modern conveniences of mom life.

Dry shampoo

Good old dry shampoo. I bet you thought that your long nights and showerless days would end as your newborn grew and transitioned to a baby and then to a toddler. Alas, the challenges of having a newborn are different than that of having a toddler, but you still might find yourself tired, un-showered, and in deep need of that can of dry shampoo your ever-so-kind sister gave you when you brought the baby home.

Grilled cheese, strawberries, and Cheerios

Remember when you were pregnant and spent hours researching how to make your own baby food?

Yeah …

By this point in parenthood, you've probably adjusted your expectations a few times, but it can still feel uber frustrating when you prep that fabulous spaghetti squash dinner for your toddler and it, again, ends up nowhere but the floor. At times like these, toddler moms are beyond grateful for their little one's “always” foods — for my kid, that's grilled cheese, strawberries, and Cheerios.

Grandparents who let Mama sleep in on the weekends

For toddler parents, there's nothing like a weekend at home with Mom and Dad. Home-cooked meals (cooked by someone else), a fire in the fireplace (made by someone else), and the RARE chance to sleep in while someone else watches your little one. Parents of any age are thankful for extra sleep, but toddler moms count their blessings, thank their lucky stars, and pull the covers up over their head when it actually happens.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Or Curious George or Elmo or Pooh … Toddler moms are thankful for their little one's favorite character for the love, comfort, and giggles they give them. When everything is going wrong in a toddler life — the lunch isn't right, the nap is too late, the socks are just too scratchy — their favorite character, in book, lovey, or TV form, always offers comfort that toddler moms are beyond grateful for.

Hand-me-downs and kid thrift shops

Everyone told you they grow up fast, but what they didn't tell you was to never, ever buy clothes new. I learned this lesson when my 9-pound, 9-pound newborn never got the chance to wear a single item of the newborn layette I bought him. Toddler moms know that their kids grow way too quickly for new clothes and are thankful for all the hand-me-downs that come their way and the kid thrift shops they use to complete their kiddo's wardrobes.

7 Ways to Stay Awake During Middle of the Night Nursing Sessions

Nursing mamas, let's get real for a second: the ability to feed your baby by pulling out a boob is pretty convenient, but there's one part that always throws me for a loop: the middle-of-the-night feed. Simply put: getting up to breastfeed in the middle of the night is kind of a drag. Sleeping when you have little ones is highly coveted, so waking up to a crying and hungry baby puts a slight damper on that glorious sleep.

I'm no stranger to the MOTN nursing session; I breastfed my first daughter for 16 months, and I'm currently exclusively breastfeeding my six-month-old baby. I'm not a whiz at math, but I know that combined, that's almost two years of being awake a whole heck of a lot in the middle of the night.

During those early newborn days, especially if you have a baby who likes to nurse forever, staying awake when the rest of the house is fast asleep can be extremely difficult. Sometimes I even have to turn on a light just to keep myself awake, while my precious little one sleeps on the boob, gulping down her midnight (and 2 am, and 4 am) snack in her “dream feed.” (And don't worry, there are plenty of times when she comes into bed with us and I catch some zzz's while nursing her–gotta love the side-laying position!)

I have some tricks up my sleeve that may help you keep your eyes wide open when all they'd rather do is close and go back to sleep.

Here are 7 Ways to Stay Awake During Middle of the Night Nursing Sessions:

#Way 1

Read a Book. It's no secret that moms have very little time to themselves once little ones come around, but one of the things I've missed from my kid-less days is reading. I have a Kindle app on my phone, and during each MOTN feed I pick up right where I've left off. Since the beginning of this year I've already read a dozen books with this method! The books I'm reading aren't super complicated, but they're fun, easy reads that help keep me awake long enough to nurse the baby. The bonus part to this is that I recently joined a book club; so nursing in the middle of the night is essentially helping me make friends! Win/win.

#Way 2 

Clean Out Your Phone Book. In this day and age, it's probably safe to say that your Rolodex is now stored on your phone, and if you're anything like me, you have dozens of numbers stored on there you probably don't need in there anymore. It's also extremely safe to say that you reallydon't have time in your day-to-day life to do something as mundane as looking through your list of contacts for people to delete. Well, now that you're up at oh-dark-thirty, you have plenty of time on your hands to take care of business.

 #Way 3

Play a Game. Nothing can make you doze-off faster than being bored and sleepy. Put that brain to work by playing a game on your phone. Words with Friends, Scrabble, or even that matching game you have on there for your toddler … anything that will make you think. I play games against friends, and you'd be surprised how many other moms are up right around the same time you are. Just don't be surprised if your baby finishes eating and you're still awake trying to get through just one more round. 

 #Way 4

Edit Those Pictures. I typically don't have time to post pictures during the day since I snap around a million photos on my phone just to get that one decent picture of my girls. When I'm breastfeeding I have some extra downtime to scroll through all my pictures, find the ones I like, and get them up on social media or into an email for the grandparents.

 #Way 5

Binge Watch TV. My first daughter was a marathon nurser, meaning she paced herself and was in it for the long haul for each feed. Thankfully, we had a subscription to Netflix, so I binge watched shows in the middle of the night. Consider this an opportunity to catch up on all those shows you've been meaning to watch someday.

 #Way 6

Get Some Food and Pour a Drink. Drinking water is essential to keeping up a good milk supply, so pour a tall glass of water (or keep a water bottle handy on your nightstand), to drink while nursing. During the early days when I was still establishing my supply (and ravenous any time I nursed), I even made some “booby bites” and kept several on my nightstand so I could tame my rumbling tummy during a MOTN feed.

 #Way 7

Get Out of Bed. If you're not keen on cosleeping, and don't want to risk falling asleep with the baby in your bed, get out of your bed and feed her in another room. The act of getting out of bed and walking somewhere else will help wake you up–then use one of the tips above to stay awake.

Author,

Jessica Lynn       

How To Avoid a Caesarian or C-Section Birth

C-Sections are epidemic in the United States. 1 out of every 3 women who is pregnant right now will have one. If you need a C-Section to save the life of your baby, it's nothing short of miraculous, and worth every bit of pain and risk.

Sometimes if your baby is breech and can't be turned, or in some cases with twins, a caesarean tremendously lowers the risk to your baby.

If you and your health care adviser have decided that a C-Section is warranted for safety reasons, you'll be scheduling it. Obviously, you'll want to choose a care-giver who's very experienced with C-Sections and a hospital with an excellent record.

But are you aware that C-sections:

1. Are major abdominal surgery with all the attendant pain and possible complications in the following weeks, just when you want to enjoy your new baby?
2. Increase your risk of hemorrhage and infection?
3. Result in a uterine scar and internal adhesions (scarring) that can cause pain and complications for years?
4. Increase your chances of later ectopic pregnancy and difficulty conceiving?
5. Increase your baby's chances of having asthma later in life?
6. Delay your breastmilk coming in, making it so much more difficult to breastfeed that many women give up?
7. Endanger the health of future pregnancies, increasing the chances of low birthweight, premature delivery and stillbirth?
8. Often leave women with medical complaints six months or a year later?

If you really need a C-Section, they are a miraculous life-saver. If you don't, it's best to avoid it.

Luckily, most C-Sections are not actually medically necessary. 85% of all pregnancies are normal and low-risk, and absolutely do not warrant C-Sections. In fact, there is absolutely no medical evidence that a caesarean is necessary just because you had one last time, or because you're over 40. Even with a multiple birth a C-Section is often more dangerous than a vaginal birth.

Most importantly, do you know that you can tremendously reduce your risk of C-section by picking a care-giver who uses certain kinds of birth practices?

VBAC

(Vaginal birth after caesarean) If you had a C-Section last time, you can still have a Vaginal Birth this time. Do you know the most decisive factor in whether a woman can successfully have a VBAC ? Age. But not the age of the mom, or the term of the baby. The age of the doctor!

That's because doctors used to be educated with the misinformation that uterine rupture was more likely with a VBAC. But the New England Journal of Medicine published a landmark study in 2004 showing that uterine rupture occurs in less than 1% of VBACs. In other words, a woman who had a C-Section is just as likely to be able to have a healthy vaginal birth as any other woman.

Are you over 40?

It's true that women over 40 have a 40% chance of having C-Sections, and it is exhausting and demoralizing to struggle through a prolonged labor only to end up in the operating room having a C-Section. BUT did you know that you can hugely increase your chances of being part of the 60% of over-40 year olds who have normal vaginal births? That's right. Most women over 40 do not need a caesarean, and can avoid having one.

Avoiding a C-Section: 
What every pregnant woman needs to know.

You can significantly reduce your chances of having a C-Section by informed choice of a caregiver and birth place. Here's how:

1. Exercise moderately during pregnancy.

Sedentary women are 4x as likely to deliver via caesarean section as women who did aerobics during the first or second trimester.

2. Find a caregiver who has a low C-Section rate

Find a caregiver who has a low C-Section rate and is experienced with successful VBACs. This is true even if you don't need a VBAC, because it means your caregiver doesn't default to caesareans.

3. Find a caregiver who will give you all the time you need

Find a caregiver who will give you all the time you need rather than rushing your delivery because of staffing issues.

4. Ask your caregiver what she does if your baby is in a breech position

Ask your caregiver what she does if your baby is in a breech position in late pregnancy. You want to hear that she is experienced with turning babies and always tries that before scheduling a C-Section.

5. Check Hospital policies.

If you're considering a VBAC, be sure to use a hospital that allows VBACs.

6. Arrange continuous trained labor support

Arrange continuous trained labor support which studies show keeps labor moving. If you aren't using a midwife, supplement your OB by hiring an experienced labor doula. A 2001 study in the journal of perinatal education showed a 56% reduction in the risk of caesarean in women receiving continuous one to one nursing/doula or midwifery care.

7. Be sure that your caregiver and birth venue encourage practices that support the normal process of labor and keep it moving:

• Arrange to stay upright and moving rather than lying down.
• Stay well-nourished and hydrated to give you energy
• Avoid continuous electronic fetal monitoring
• Avoid hastening labor with pitocin, which increases the severity of contractions and makes other medical interventions much more likely.