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Category Archives: Baby & Child Care
Wow. I Think I Just Stopped Croup Dead in Its Tracks…Naturally.
A couple days before my daughter’s birthday, she developed croup again. Good timing, little Apple! This time, the ringing, seal-like cough was unmistakable. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you know I’m an old hand at croup, as this is my 7th or 8th tour of duty. I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve sat in the bathroom holding her, with the hot shower running and the steam curling up all around us, fogging up the mirror. Looking back, here are all my many posts on croup and coughs and croupy coughs, and the list … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Baby & Child Care, Holistic Home Remedies, Young Children
Tagged cough in children, cough remedies, cough remedies for toddlers, cough treatment, home remedies for cough, natural cough remedies, natural remedies for, natural treatment, peppermint essential oil, rosemary essential oil, toddler cough
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Ask Dr: Marcel: How to Make Your Own Breastmilk Replacement Formula
Reprinted with permission from “Pediatric Nutrition and Natural Health Protocols,” by Dr. Marcel Hernandez, ND Nothing can really replace mother’s milk. However, situations may arise when a mother cannot naturally meet her baby’s needs, as in cases of insufficient production or severe mastitis. Store-bought formulas are high in various forms of sugar and contain chemicals and high antigen foods that may compromise a child’s immune system. The formulas listed below were developed by Dr. William Mitchell of Seattle. Dr. Mitchell, one of the co-founders of Bastyr University, has been a mentor and role model to many naturopathic physicians. These formulas will … Continue reading
Best of Expo West 2012 Roundup: Mare’s Favorite Kids Products
Not everything at Expo West 2012 was for eating or drinking. Lucky for us natural mothers, the natural health industry knows we are trying to raise natural children. This year’s Expo West featured several baby and children’s products that I would just LOVE to have in my medicine cabinet, travel bag, diaper bag, playroom, and home. Here they are, in no particular order (except the order in which they sprang to my brain): Best Kids’ Medicinal Line: Herbs for Kids. I really liked this range of herbal products formulated especially for kids by trained herbalist, Sunny Mavor. A lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Baby & Child Care, Expo West, Product Reviews
Tagged 2012, AllTerrain, baby, Begin Again, children's products, Crocodile Creek, expo west, Fairy LiceMothers, favorite, herbs for kids, kid, Mohdoh, toys
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Wordless Wednesdays: My New Secret Weapon for Putting My Toddler to Sleep at Bedtime
For some reason, my baby goes from super-hyper to snoring whenever I play this Brahms’ lullaby video for her. Caveat: the eyeball-looking thingamabob in the middle of the video is a little spooky, so what I do is, I go to YouTube on my iPod Touch, play this video, then put the iPod Touch facing downwards on the bed so that she hears the music, but doesn’t watch the video. Took just 7 minutes for her to go to sleep tonight!
Posted in Baby & Child Care, Sleeping
Tagged bedtime, Brahms, getting baby to sleep, lullaby, sleeping, wordless, Youtube video
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7 Signs Your Sick Child May Need to See a Doctor
I’m reposting this gem of an article from Live-in Nanny that answers a burning question I’ve had for a while, which is: at what point should I take my sick child to the doctor? You know me – I’m all about using natural remedies first and foremost – but I’m also all about being responsible for my precious one’s health. Luckily for me, I have a sister-in-law who is a family practice MD (she’s commented on vaccines on this blog before), and I appreciate her a ton for always taking my calls. But for those holistic Mamas without instant access … Continue reading
Home Remedies for Vomiting Toddlers! Also, How to Make Your Own Pedialyte
On Sunday morning, at about 2:12am (yes, I looked at the clock), I started hearing strange sounds emanating from my toddler. It almost sounded like a kettle of water was starting to boil over in her mouth. Then, out of nowhere, she began to upchuck all the contents of her stomach onto our bedsheets. Panicked, I turned on the lights and realized she was actually trying to swallow some of her own vomit – I guess my poor baby did not know that she was supposed to let it all out. There began a 24-hour period of mopping her up, … Continue reading
Posted in Baby & Child Care, Common Childhood Ailments, Diarrhea/Vomiting
Tagged babies, baby, children, dangers of, dehydration, diarrhea, electrolytes, gatorade, nausea, pedialyte, recipe for homemade, toddler, vomiting
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A Holistic Mama Making a Difference: Heather Hamilton & Zoe Organics
It really is a small world. Heather Hamilton and I were only two degrees of separation apart, connected via her sister-in-law, who was also my dentist: Dr. Suzanne Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton passed away suddenly and tragically in January of 2009, only 3 months after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Zoe. Although I had only known Dr. Hamilton a short time, she had touched my life more profoundly than I knew, for I grieved her deeply. In fact, that is how Heather Hamilton found me, through a tribute I had written for Dr. Hamilton on an old, old blog. … Continue reading
Home Remedy for Stinky Diaper Pails
Whoo-eee! If you’re using conventional diapers (i.e., non-cloth), then you know that that diaper pail sure can get stinky. The one in my house is so nasty, it could wake the dead. That is why we put it near the front door, so that it can knock out guests as they walk in, enabling us to ransack their pockets for extra cash. Just kidding. Not really. We use compostable diapers and have a compostable diaper service pick ours up every week, but just because we’re being environmentally friendly doesn’t mean that that pervasive stink doesn’t still waft itself into our … Continue reading
Posted in Baby & Child Care, Housekeeping
Tagged aromatherapy, cinnamon, clove, deodorant, deodorize, diapers, essential oils, eucalyptus, Ginger, home remedies, home remedy, how to, Peppermint, remove odor, rosemary, sage, stinky diaper pail, Tea Tree, thyme
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Baby Expenditures: Splurge vs. Save? A Visual Guide
Ask Dr. Marcel: When and what solid foods do I introduce to my baby?
Dear Dr. Marcel, I know that it is best to feed the baby breastmilk for the first 6 months and to introduce solid foods after that point, but I can’t find any specific information on WHAT solid foods to introduce and WHEN. Can you help? After 6 months, this is the food introduction schedule that I suggest. If you’d like to download a .pdf file of this schedule, please sign up for the Holistic Mamas e-mail list and it will be made available to you. 6 Months 9 Months 12 Months 18 Months 24 Months 2-3 Years Mother’s milk Avocado … Continue reading
