Simple Parenting

My favorite items and tips to make parenting simple. Bring it back to the old days in the shade. Our houses weren't overrun with artificially dyed foods and toys, plastics and microwaves, and we were better off for it. I feel that our children can benefit from that lifestyle and it also helps ease the second-to-second rush that rule our lives. These are a few of my favorite products for baby #2.

1. Read more. Of course there are some parenting styles or practices even in the best books, that just won't gel with yours. So pick the ones that work, and leave the rest. Never feel that there is one "right" way to do anything, let alone parent a child. It is a constant journey of self discovery and trial-and-error, but just the fact that you are seeking ways to improve on parenting, shows how much you care about the development and well-being of your child. Kudos! Some great books on simple parenting: Trees Make the Best Mobiles and The Happiest Baby on the Block

2. Learn what your baby needs: A great system for this is the Dunstan Baby Language System. It teaches how to understand the five cries your baby uses to tell you what they need. This is the most amazing discovery EVER and it truly helps eliminate frustration especially in those early months when you and baby are still getting to know one another.

Dunstan Baby Language -- Learn the universal language of newborn babies

3. Music-Rockabye Baby: I was thoughtfully given this as a gift when we first found out we were pregnant, by one of our really good couple-friends. MY husband is in a band (The Mission Veo) so it goes without mention that we are rather interested in music. This lovely couple purchased the compilation CD of instrumental versions of favorite rock songs. It is beautifully orchestrated so that baby will be soothed into slumber, and also fun for adults to try and guess which band is being covered. There are many of these CD's where each one is devoted entirely to the songs of one band, and thus your baby can jam out to the gentle tunes of Nirvana, U2, Pink Floyd, or my favorite- The Cure. Nobody wants a baby with poor music taste, so let your kids get ahead of the peer group.

Rockabye Baby! Good Day, Goodnight: The 5 Year Anniversary Compilation



4. Moby Baby Wrap/ Baby K'tan: Wearing your baby has more benefits than one would think.
 According to Dr. Sears, babies who are  "worn" are smarter, more attached, less fussy and learn human interactions better than those who are not.
While baby-wearing has gained popularity in Western cultures recently, it is an age old tradition in many areas of the world. I grew up in South Africa, where it is customary for the black women to strap their babies onto their back whilst they work or go about their business. We had a cleaning lady/nanny who was like a second mom to me, and I remember being very young and being strapped to her back, abd how soothing it was to hear her singing and the vibrations her voice made. I would fall asleep to the constant rocking motion.  Some more information on baby-wearing around the world: (Courtesy of www.slingbabies.co.nz)

• For instance Mexican people use the Rebozo, which is a square of woven cloth tied over one shoulder with baby usually on the back- sometimes called a Chal, depending on the length.
• Peruvians have a Manta which sits over both shoulders like a cape, and baby sits high on mother's back. 
• Guatemalans use Parraje- similar to a Rebozo.
• European mothers used a mixture of pouches, wraps and short cloth carriers.
  
• Alaskan/Canadian people have the Amauti which is a very thick arctic jacket with a baby 'pocket' in the back, baby even fits under the over-sized hood!
• Papua New Guinea mothers use a Bilum- a net bag held at the forehead with baby hanging at the back (very strong necks!) 
• Indonesian mothers use a Selendang which is a long ornate wrap.
• Aboriginal mothers used to keep their babies in carriers made of bark, similar to the cradleboards used by Native Americans but without the cloth covering. 
• Asian mothers use a variety of carriers including Mei-tai /Hmong/ Bei(China), Onbuhimo (Japan), Podaegi (Korea) plus many use a 'carrier' of long straps which go under baby's armpits and thighs for back carries. 
• African mothers use a 'Khanga' which is a short-ish piece of cloth tied around the torso, so baby sits low on the back.  

My two favorite baby wearing slings are: The Moby wrap
   

Moby Wrap Original 100% Cotton Solid Baby Carrier, Chocolate

And the K'tan: $49.99-59.99.

Baby K'tan Original Baby Carrier, Black, Small

I would love to hear what your favorite baby products are, so send me an email, or post a comment.
And keep your parenting as simple as possible!


Love and lightness,
Kerry, the Momster

Hep B for newborns, the norm?

This is the next part in my ongoing research into newborn procedures and vaccinations.
Along with a Vitamin K injection right when your baby is born, silver nitrate is syringed into his/her eyes and then administered a Hepititus B shot.

Logically, if a mother has an STD, the infection can be spread to the infant through the eyes when passing through the birth canal, and thus the silver nitrate is an antibiotic to counteract this. But what if the mother doesn't have any STD's, why then is it necessary to burn a newborns retina and blind them for the first few hours of their life when they are at no risk? It doesn't! But it is a little something extra to add to your extrenuous hospital bill.

Then we come to Hep B, again, this makes sense if the mother has tested positive for the virus, but if not why vaccinate a child at birth and 3 more times over the next few years for a disease that is spread through blood and sex? The risks involved in this vaccine (or any vaccine) completely outweigh the tiny percentage of babies that might contract this disease from their mothers. If we were even in a country where the percentage of people with Hep B were higher than the meager 1% the current US statistics show, like in Asia and other developing areas, where the percentages are much higher.

According to the World Health Organization, the following are the ways in which Hep B is contracted:

Hepatitis B virus is transmitted between people by contact with the blood or other body fluids (i.e. semen and vaginal fluid) of an infected person.
Common modes of transmission in developing countries are:

• perinatal (from mother to baby at birth)
• early childhood infections (inapparent infection through close interpersonal contact with infected household contacts)
• unsafe injections practices
• blood transfusions
• sexual contact

In many developed countries (e.g. those in western Europe and North America), patterns of transmission are different than those mentioned above. Today, the majority of infections in these countries are transmitted during young adulthood by sexual activity and injecting drug use. HBV is a major infectious occupational hazard of health workers. 

I don't intend on allowing my newborn to engage in sex or intravenous drug use, although maybe by the time he is 4 he may be experimenting...  and thus I will not be injecting this live virus into my infant just because it's what is "done" at medical facilities. 

To be exempt from these procedures, you need to create a letter that is signed by the hospital/birthing center. Here are some samples you may use.

Further reading:

A Doctor's opinion

Thinktwice


Hep B Vaccine may be linked to MS

Love and Knowledge,
Kerry, the Momster 

Is it really Special K?

There is such a barrage of tests and vaccines and "preventative" measures for our infants that new parents can be overwhelmed. I know I am! With all the standard procedures, it feels as though we have no choices, but we do!! The first thing to do is stay informed. Over the next few weeks I will present my findings on infant vaccines and other unnecessary "norms" in the medical profession. Read it, research it for your self and draw your own conclusions.

First is the aspect of the vitamin K injection given at birth. While in some circumstances it is completely needed, in most healthy births it is not. It also increases the chance of getting childhood leukemia by 80%. Breastfed babies increase levels of Vitamin K slower than those that are formula fed, but the same levels can be achieved through oral supplements for both baby and mom, which are safer and less traumatizing. I am opting for the oral supplement if I can get my child's pediatrician and the hospital on board. One less needle to stick into my fresh new baby!

Here is some links to get you started on the road to discovery and make informed, thoughtful decisions. Don't just go with the flow.

Dr. Benkin

Supporting Oral Supplements

Love and knowledge,
Kerry the Momster