Baby Basics/natural Parenting

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Thank you to my friend, Sue, for the following GUEST POST on Natural / Healthy / Green Mothering. Sue was a natural, healthy, green Mom LONG before I even thought about trying! She’ll cover information on:

The most comfortable and versatile Baby Carriers
What are the healthiest foods for your baby?
Super simple cloth diapering (Visit my resources page for where to buy cloth diapers and other baby care items!)

If there is one thing I have learned about Kelly, it’s that if you have something important to say, be careful, because she just might ask you to write about it for her blog!

That’s what happened to me. “Kelly,” I said, between bites of London Broil while dining with her and a friend of ours at Kelly’s favorite restaurant in Rockford, “I just bought a new baby carrier for Matthew the other day.” (She had been impressed with my sling at last year’s Christmas party so I knew she would be interested.) Not long after I told her, she said, “OK, write about your research and I’ll put it in the natural parenting section of my blog. Oh, and add some of your thoughts about natural feeding, too!” Now since I have 4 kids, ages 9, 6, 4, and 14 months, I questioned how on earth I would find the time to actually pull this off… as I type this at my kitchen counter, I am looking back at my milk that is coming up to temperature to culture my homemade yogurt, the boys are waiting for those eggs for breakfast, and I have the sprinklers going outside…..if Kelly can find the time to blog with her 4 kids, I can too!

[OK, so now it is 2-1/2 months later and reality has set in!!….]

Ever since my oldest was born, I knew I wanted to have my children close to me. Instinctively, I knew it was good for each of them and for me, in terms of bonding and feeling close. I also knew that it would make life easier around the house for those times when the baby wasn’t ready to be put down, but I needed to “get things done”. While I usually made sure my babies had naps in their cribs to help them become good nappers, I used either a sling, front carrier or backpack to carry them while on the go.

My Sling

It’s funny how things evolve, too, in our lives. It hasn’t been until this last year, after my fourth child was born, that I think I finally nailed down the most useful carriers.

A few months ago, a friend made me an adjustable ring sling that is modeled after a Maya Wrap – I LOVED that thing! The best part about it was being able to nurse in public very discreetly. He would be completely covered from about his waist up and I could use the “tail” (the extra fabric that hangs down after it is tightened) to drape over my shoulder if I needed to. Several times I even nursed while walking, and once in the mall! (Oh, the things I have learned to do as my family has gotten larger and we’re more on the go!) Anyway, I looked in a dressing room mirror and it was completely a mystery as to what was going on under the fabric. (Is the baby just sleeping?) As he got older and wasn’t comfortable being cradled in the sling, it was nice to hold him on my hip and let the sling hold all the weight instead of my arm. He really liked being near me, and I have read that babies bond really well and are more secure if they are held for at least part of the day.

My Ergo Baby Carrier

So, now we come to the new “fandangled” baby carrier I bought last month. Matthew was getting too big for the sling, and my framed backpack carrier was just too big and bulky. What I found is called Ergo baby carrier and is actually very versatile. It can be a front carrier for infants, a side carrier, and a backpack. What is nice is it is lightweight, frameless, and packable. Furthermore, when the baby/toddler falls asleep there is a hood that the user can pull up over their head to cradle it from flopping from side to side. It fits my husband just as well as me, and our son really enjoys it. It can even go up to 40 pounds! It is tricky to get the child in there sometimes, but with practice it becomes easier. Kelly asked me if I like the ERGObaby carrier better than the Baby Bjorn, which she loved. I have never worn my baby on the front of me using the ERGO, so I can’t say if it is more or less comfortable than the Baby Bjorn. However, here are some of my thoughts: the ERGO is much more versatile (front, side, back), however I don’t think it allows a baby to face outward like the Bjorn. So to me it is a 50/50 answer. (Note from Kelly: I just found this comparison of the Bjorn vs. the Ergo.. Also at this site, Sue said that you can get them a few times a year as low as $79 in a used sale.)

Natural Feeding

Now on to the next topic Kelly asked me about: natural feeding. This, too, has been a process. I started with feeding my first two children solids (yes, all the run-of-the-mill baby food, AKA “crap” from the grocery store shelves at age 4 months…ugh!!) to feeding my third and fourth children mostly organic, homemade food at about 8-9 months. I had hoped to go right to finger food from the table, but the fact is that most babies will need to have smooth food at least for a little while. Also, foods, one at a time, should be introduced (although there are many who would disagree with me) to rule out possible allergies. Here are some tips on making your own baby food and some recipes:

Begin by reading this great article from Weston A. Price on feeding baby, I used it for my 4^th baby; it really gives a lot of information as to what to feed baby first, last, and never!
Gather small glass jars with lids (put out an APB for friends to save baby food jars for you), and also ice cube trays.
Get a food processor or good blender, and an electric steamer or steel basket that fits into a pan.
Plan what you think you would like to make for your baby.
Buy as much organic as possible. Steam each vegetable and then puree until completely smooth (the texture may vary depending on the age of the child). Add homemade chicken stock or the water from steaming to thin it out and add a boost of nutrition.
Place what you think your child will eat in a day or two in the fridge, but freeze the rest in jars or ice cube trays (when frozen transfer to zip bags).
Never use a microwave oven.
Use a silver spoon; WAPF says, “The small amount of silver he will get really does help fight infection!”
Serve baby the same foods you are eating at the table by using a food mill. I used one by Munchkin that sells for about $7.50 in the store. It would grind the food and I would add liquid to thin it out to the appropriate consistency.
I received a great cookbook as a gift from my mom: Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months by Lisa Barnes. It goes through some cooking tips and has simple recipes that go from first foods all the way up to 18 months. While the philosophy isn’t WAP, you can weed out what doesn’t fit with what you believe to be true about eating, and use the recipes that do fit!
Have food, will travel: don’t be afraid to take your homemade food with you on the go. When you plan ahead and freeze your quantities for travel in the old baby food jars, it is no different from traveling with stuff right off the shelves. I just pack the jars in one of those small coolers with an ice pack made for storing breast milk that I received in the hospital at his birth. When he was into finger food, I would steam carrot sticks and green beans and then freeze them in a baby food jar. I would also take chunked cheese, and always have a banana on me. These snacks were a far cry from the O’s cereal pieces I fed my other babies, but how freeing it felt! I think my son was over one year before he even tasted one of those cereal bits!!
Now that my son is 16 months old, he loves smoothies (as we all do!) The only thing is, no two are ever the same. I just throw different fruits, coconut milk, yogurt, avocado(!), nuts, milk, etc., into the blender.
(Note from Kelly: here’s some good info from Jenny about GMO-free soy formula for babies with reflux.)

Cloth Diapering

And lastly, diapering baby. I have used cloth diapers for all of my children. With each one I started out using a diaper service for convenience, but then after a while I wash my own. I love using cloth diapers! They are so much better on baby’s skin and the environment. I have used pre-folds with covers, and with pins and nylon pants. But, for my 4^th child, a friend loaned me her FuzziBunz. I found luxury! They are pocket diapers that have thick, micro-terry inserts. They are also fleece lined (so they take the moisture away). They are moisture proof on the outside, so no need to put a nylon pant over the top. The plastic snap fastening system allows for perfect fit.

(Visit my resources page for where to buy cloth diapers and other baby care items!)

To wash:

I know one day my four little ones will be out of the house, and perhaps making families of their own. Until then, I will hold my children close, and do the best job I can in taking care of these precious gifts God has given us!

THANKS SUE!!!

More on Natural Mothering & Baby Basics – I wrote this post after listening to a phone seminar that got me a bit riled up…
The Joys & Struggles of Breastfeeding (It’s all worth it, trust me!)
6 Tips for Making Nursing More Comfortable
Mom’s role in family health
If you’re Pregnant, Nursing, or none of the above, we ALL need to be taking our cod liver oil! Your kids, too! There is no reason not to!! For babies in the womb or already born, toddlers, school kids, teens, etc. – CLO builds their brains and the vitamin A, vitamin D & fatty acids are critical! Adults, we need it for stress relief, healthy hearts, and SO MUCH MORE! You may have been told that the vitamin A can be toxic – if so, READ THIS POST!
Many more topics & recipes along the right in the sidebar

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I agree with most of the information that was shared in tonight’s Urban Homemaker phone seminar, but I do disagree with a few things. Be sure to take a look at that post first (link above), so you understand what prompted the following ramblings.

(Be sure to see the related links below for more valuable information, and also, don’t miss the advice for helping babies who are teething in the comments.)

I totally agree that parents know what is best for their babies and that it is up to US to gather information, and most of all PRAY, so we are equipped to do what is right for our children.
I also agree that parents need to “run” the household, not children. But I’m referring more to toddlers and older kids, and I’m thinking of the families you see on those Nanny shows, where the kids have the parents wrapped around their little fingers and the home is in chaos. Not good. Healthy discipline is necessary, period.
However, regarding getting them onto a schedule as newborns: we have four children, and our youngest is only 2 1/2, so a lot of this is still fairly fresh in my mind. I strongly advocate listening to your baby and meeting their needs, as that is what mothers (and fathers) are for! I never wanted to be tied down by schedules, and didn’t see the reason for it. My baby went wherever I did for the first few months (which felt like a very natural way to mother a baby), and if he was hungry, I fed him. I never paid attention or cared about the clock. Did I JUMP every time my baby made a noise? No, especially not for our last one! But I always listened to him – mothers quickly learn all the different sounds our babies make and which ones mean you may need to let them fuss a little and which ones mean they need us. If I knew he needed me, I wanted to help him. That is our God-given instinct as mothers. If he was hungry after two hours instead of four, I’d feed him! Yes, it might throw me off with my to-do list for the moment, and it wasn’t always easy, especially when they’re really little, but I always knew how quickly this stage would pass and that it was the right thing to do. I also think it gives them a real sense of security in their world. Their little tummies can’t always wait four hours (or overnight!) when they’re so little, and I just didn’t see any need to make him wait, when I knew I had exactly what he needed. That’s not to say I could always go to him right when he needed me, but I did my best. And I didn’t feel guilty if I was helping another child or in the middle of something and he had to cry for a little bit, but I certainly never made him wait just because it hadn’t been the full four hours yet.
When it comes to Mom’s being exhausted with newborns who wake up a lot in the night, I have a suggestion for a very natural way to mother your baby and be completely rested in the morning: let your baby sleep next to you and nurse them when needed. Now, I know this may not work for everyone (and it may drive your Mom crazy, like it did mine), but it was great for us, and this is why:

My husband never moves much in the night, so I didn’t have to worry about him rolling onto the baby. He hardly ever even woke up when we were nursing.
Kent also loved having our babies right next to us – I know what you’re thinking, but there were plenty of other times we could be alone together.
I had the pillows arranged in a way that was very comfortable, and this way I could nurse him and sleep in a safe position that would prevent me from rolling if I got into a deep sleep – it was physically impossible the way I had the pillows and the position I was in. Besides, the stories you hear of women who suffocate their babies are usually those who were under the influence of something.
I had an Co-Sleeper next to our bed (like a pack & play, but it attaches up even with your bed – it’s expensive but well-worth the money for the sleep!), so if after he drifted back off to sleep I wanted to change positions, I’d just slide him over and go back to sleep. When he needed me again, I’d bring him back next to me, arrange my pillows, and we’d both go peacefully back to sleep. You’d be surprised how easy and effortless this became, so I hardly even woke up much, which is why I literally never felt tired during the day. I could wake up and be ready to take care of the baby, our other kids, my day care kids, and keep up with all the other stuff around the house, too!
I kept diapers nearby in case he filled one, but diapers are very absorbant, and usually one would last all night.
This was so much nicer than having to get up out of my warm bed, go get him, and by then he’d be really worked up and crying and wouldn’t settle back down easily, then sit in a cold uncomfortable chair to nurse him for who knows how long, then try to get him to lay back down in bed without waking up again…what a pain all that would be!
This always just felt so right, that’s the best way I can describe it to you. Our baby was content, my husband and I were content, the other kids didn’t have an exhausted, ornery Mom the next day, it all just makes sense.

I’m going to have to comment more on Dr. Denmark’s food plan in another post (it’s 1:25 am right now and I can’t think straight anymore!), but as you probably guessed, I am in agreement with Marilyn about pasteurized dairy being the likely culprit with those health issues that go away when dairy is cut from the diet. Read more here on the benefits of raw milk and issues to do with its safety. Milk is so good for us and raw milk especially. When my son weaned himself (when HE was ready, which was about 14-16 months), he went to raw milk in a cup. I didn’t give him solids until he was old enough to sit up and started acting interested in what we were eating (6-8 months). Then I’d give him gently cooked egg yolks (a superfood, especially from pastured chickens), or other soft or pureed foods of whatever we we eating. He had very little baby food from a jar, and if he did, it was only organic. It was a very natural process for him to slowly start eating table food, on his schedule, not mine, and it was all stress-free. Here’s a great resource for healthy foods to give your baby and other children, too. And all I can tell you is that eating the way you’ll read about at that link has been great for our family in many ways, but I definitely notice a difference in our youngest. (And we certainly don’t eat perfectly, as I’ve mentioned here in the past.) All our kids have been fairly easy as babies, but we always told people that he “wins the prize” for the easiest, most good-natured baby of them all. I truly believe that their diets can make a world of difference in many areas.
I agree with most of what was said about vaccines, although I think they should be much older than 5 months before they get any shots (until their little brains are more developed), and even then only the ones you have researched and really think they need. That’s a topic for another post, too, I struggled with that issue a lot when I was pregnant last, and I’ll share what I came up with one of these days. Update: How we came to our personal vaccination choices: Part 1: Vaccination safety issues and the 7 factors that led to our decisions. Part 2: Our 5-part plan for vaccinations and how do school exemptions work?
I’d love to hear what you think about all of this! Please leave a comment!

Read this guest post from my friend, Sue, on natural, healthy, green mothering
The Joys & Struggles of Breastfeeding (It’s all worth it, trust me!)
Visit my resources page for where to buy cloth diapers and other baby care items!
GREAT INFO on feeding your baby
Look over the list of articles at this link all about Children’s Health. It begins with a list under pregnancy & breastfeeding…
Notes from the last Urban Homemaker phone seminar
10 Tips for successful breasfeeding
Another article on feeding baby
Are you pregnant or nursing? Be sure to eat lots of eggs and take your cod liver oil! This is so important for your baby’s brain! (Then when they’re old enough, be sure to give them eggs & cod liver oil, too!)
Questions on the safety of mixing baby formula with Fluoridated water
More on Fluoride safety