The general consensus among the health community (most pediatricians, The World Health Organization, and the CDC just to name a few) is the benefits of breastfeeding your baby are clear and widely supported in the scientific literature.
Despite this, the Australian media recently reported that young women are reluctant to breastfeed their babies due to fear of public embarrassment. Upon hearing this, members of The Holistic Moms Network, a non-profit organization, launched an initiative encouraging mothers to share photos of themselves breastfeeding in public locations all over the world.
The result is this empowering Nursing Our Future video featured on the organization’s website:
Please help make our culture more accepting of breastfeeding and help mothers find the support and encouragement they need to continue by sharing this video.
I came across this video this week and wanted to share with these great “Green Baby Shower” ideas from http://www.celebrategreen.net/ Celebrate Green authors: Mother/Daughter Team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell authors of the book Celebrate Green….http://www.celebrategreen.net/buy/…Eco-preneurs, authors, speakers, radio hosts encouraging people to celebrate green :
The guest of honor and shower guests will greatly appreciate your efforts to reduce waste and embrace a more organic and natural theme to celebrate the upcoming arrival of her new baby!
Ideas:
Set an Organic table-
Placesetting
No disposables…use your dishware or china (rent or borrow)…
Use Cloth Napkins….Organic Baby Rattle is an adorable idea for a napkin ring!
Centerpiece- Organic Cloth Diaper Cake made with organic cotton diapers…
Guest Favors (beautiful idea)- glass Jars- with a candle- have everyone light the candle when we recieve word the mom to be has gone into labor! Beeswax candles
Instead of wrapping paper- use a recieving blanket…cards with sustainable or recycled materials.
Run a clothesline- guests can hang outfits along the clothesline…eliminates need for
Good safe, organic toys gift & eco friendly recommendations..
Make a special Handkercheif into a baby bonnet…use for other special days
The authors of “Celebrate Green!” Lynn Howell & cori Hoshow Parents TV Host Juli Auclair how to throw a fabulous, eco-friendly baby shower.
Hosting a baby shower is one of the kindest gestures a friend or family member can do for a Mom to Be. In my personal experience, I have seen more and more pregnant women express their wishes to celebrate the new baby with an Organic and Natural theme- and there are numerous ways to accomplish this goal. Other than being more earth friendly, some of the benefits of hosting a Green Baby Shower are saving money (disposable items and wrapping paper can add up) and the appreciation you will get from your guest of honor & shower guests for your efforts to reduce waste and embrace a more eco-conscious theme.
I came across some wonderful green baby shower ideas this month and wanted to share a video this video featuring the Mother/Daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell, authors of the book Celebrate Green . This piece contains a number of clever & easy ideas on how to “green” your baby shower.
I love their ideas of setting an organic table by banning disposables and utilizing your own china (also can be borrowed and rented). Also, Organic Baby Rattles are an adorable idea to use as a napkin ring over cloth napkins….other tips:
Make an Organic Cloth Diaper Cake (I know just the Cloth Diapers to recommend!) for the centerpiece..
Place a Beeswax candle into a glass jars and personalize it. This makes a beautiful table decoration- and a meaningful guest favor.
Instead of wrapping paper- wrap your gift with a recieving blanket.
Run a clothesline along the wall where guests can hang baby outfits along the clothesline….this serves as a meaningful decoration and eliminates need for wrapping paper.
There are so many tips and cute ideas in this video- Enjoy!
I have been familiar with Healthy Child Healthy World for a number of years. This is an outstanding organization that advocates for healthy and toxic free living for our children. It was founded in the early 90s by Nancy and Jim Chuda after their beautiful young daughter, Colette, died of a non-genetic cancer.
They recently released a powerful video to spread their message even further….please watch this video and share with your friends- even non-parents need to be aware that there are small steps we can take to protect ourselves and our families from harmful chemicals and a toxic home environment.
Purpose and Goals
Expand awareness and understanding of environmental hazards to children’s health
Help the public learn about healthier practices, solutions, and products in the marketplace
Encourage daily action and informed lifestyle choices
Create standards and policies for safer products, foods, materials, and chemicals used in the home – promoting safer options and new alternatives
Advocate for and support corporate policies and governmental legislation that protect children from environmental risks
Engage communities to make wise choices and responsible decisions so families can flourish
Purpose and Goals of Healthy Child Healthy World
Expand awareness and understanding of environmental hazards to children’s health
Help the public learn about healthier practices, solutions, and products in the marketplace
Encourage daily action and informed lifestyle choices
Create standards and policies for safer products, foods, materials, and chemicals used in the home – promoting safer options and new alternatives
Advocate for and support corporate policies and governmental legislation that protect children from environmental risks
Engage communities to make wise choices and responsible decisions so families can flourish
Expecting a baby in 2010? Got a shower coming up? Want cloth diapers or build a healthy happy nursery with our carefully crafted and quality made Organic Baby things?
Check out the Registry: Why worry about unwanted or duplicate gifts? Help your friends find the perfect gift by setting up a gift registry. They’ll save time too by ordering it on-line.
To set up a gift registry, click here. Your gift registry will have many unique features such as the free on-line announcement page, on-line photo album, RSVP system, Guestbook and E-Notification system. All purchases on-line will automatically update the gift list and help avoid duplicate gifts.
If you are already registered, please use the “Already Registered” box to login.
To add gifts to your registry, please use the convenient “Add to Registry” buttons located on our product pages.
If you are here to view the gift list and purchase a gift, please use the “Search for a Registry” box to find your friend’s registry.
If you have a product or shipping question, please give us a call at 1 818-366-6292 or email us at service@babysorganicnursery.com . We can also take orders by phone. If you are placing a phone order, please let us know that it is a gift registry order so that we can remove the gift from the gift list.
For those of us who are facing “potty training” with our toddlers, just remember you will need endless patience, a sense of humor, and plenty of time to spend in the bathroom. The transition time between diapers and using the toilet has been a source of angst for numerous families. And I am seeing that the pressure is really on working parents now that many pre-schools and classrooms require the child be out of diapers by the time they reach a certain stage. It seems ridiculous to give a toddler a deadline doesn’t it? These expectations have caused many to “push” potty training- but the results can have the opposite effect.
My husband and I are facing this pressure now as our daughter is moving rapidly through toddler-hood. We see other children her age that are successfully potty training- and we hear the comments of their proud parents (don’t even get me started on competition). However, we are extremely fortunate that her caregivers share our belief that she will be potty trained when she shows us that she is ready. See Rachael’s tips on Signs of Potty Training Readiness to get a better understanding of what those signs are.
We decided to adopt this attitude of patience after watching my brother and sister in law go through an enormous amount of stress as they struggled to speed along the potty training process for our niece a few years back. They, like many working parents, succumbed to the pressure that was placed on them from their daughter’s pre-school to get her out of diapers so she can move up to the next level in the classroom with the rest of her peers.
As a result- our niece developed anxiety towards the potty and would put her little body through great discomfort to prevent herself from “going” so she could avoid the process all together. Obviously, this increased the tension and was a real cause of concern for my her well being.
I am happy to report that after months of patiently working with her to banish her potty fears- our niece is completely trained and was able to move along in her pre school program. My brother and sister in law have also decided they will not rush the process with their second child…they will wait until he is good and ready and rely on their parental instincts to go through this process. While I hate that they had such a difficult time as a family, I am grateful that my husband and I were able to learn from their experiences and have decided we will not let ANYONE tell us when our daughter should be using the toilet and trust that she will let us know when the time is right. We have a potty for her- we talk about the potty- but that is all I can do for now. We will eventually add Training Pants to the mix- but we have to take it one step at a time.
Whenever I begin to question my abilities as a Mom- I remind myself of Rachael’s last rule from her post about Potty Training:Don’t give up hope. He or she won’t want to wear a diaper forever.
Becoming a new grandparent is one of the most joyful and fulfilling roles one can experience- ask anyone with grandchildren and they will likely agree. What a wonderful gift it is to witness the full circle of life as you watch your grown children share the experiences you had when you became a new parent. In most circumstances, grandparents do not feel the parental pressures they felt when raising their children- so they are able to simply enjoy the new addition to their family and leave the sometimes difficult parenting responsibilities up to the baby’s mother and father.
Grandparents can also play an important role to a baby’s development by reinforcing her trust in the outer world by giving them nurturing love and attention. They also can serve as an important support system for the mother and father. I appreciate these helpful guidelines for new grandparents I found in What New Grandparents Need to Know - Ten Suggestions for Grandparents-to-be By Susan Adcox and wanted to share with our readers.
1. Smile when you get the news. When the expectant parents share the good news with you, act pleased, even if you are concerned about issues such as finances. Be sure to inquire before telling anyone else, and let the parents be the ones to tell close friends and relatives. If the couple would like to wait a bit before announcing the news to others, respect their wishes and don’t tell their secret.
2. Let them do it their way. The expectant parents may choose a home birth when you would have opted for a hospital, or decide not to invite anyone into the delivery room when you were hoping to be present. No matter how you feel about their choices, don’t question them. Your future relationship with your child and your grandchild may depend upon your being supportive of their decisions.
3. Emphasize the positive. Tell funny and sweet stories about your experiences with your own babies. Stories about his or her own babyhood will probably especially interest the expectant parent. Never tell horror stories about your birthing experiences.
4. Be understanding of the mother-to-be. Expectant mothers are often very centered on what is happening with their bodies and their lives. If your daughter or daughter-in-law seems uninterested in your activities and thoughts, accept that this is a natural stage. She will regain her interest in the wider world some time after she gives birth. After the birth, be alert for signs of post-partum depression or any persistent sadness.
5. Go easy on the shopping. Pick up a few minor things and gauge the reaction. Some expectant parents welcome all contributions; others would prefer to make most of the choices about clothing and equipment themselves. For the latter type, a baby registry at the local baby store or a wish list posted online is a good option. If there is going to be a baby shower, work with the parents to make it fun and successful.
6. Hold off on major decisions. Don’t make dramatic changes in your own life in anticipation of being a grandparent. Don’t quit your job or plan to move until you see how much you are going to be needed and wanted in your grandchild’s life. Don’t agree to provide full-time child care without considering the decision carefully.
7. Do help out, but don’t overdo it. Especially at the end of the pregnancy and right after the birth, the new parents will need some assistance, but don’t do too much. The mother or father who comes for a visit and insists on working the whole time is sending a message to the expectant parents that they can’t adequately take care of their own needs.
8. Put doubts about the spouse on hold. If you have misgivings about your son or daughter’s mate, try to overcome them. That person is going to be your grandchild’s parent. Give the spouse a chance to prove his or her worthiness in this new role.
9. Be prepared to share. Remember that in most families there is another set of grandparents (and sometimes two or three sets!). If you’ve not been sociable with the other family, you might want to plan a social occasion to get to know them better before the new baby arrives. Use diplomacy in handling possible conflicts over grandparent names. Communicate with the other grandparents to coordinate visits. A little planning and discussion before the birth will keep the new parents from being overrun with grandparents immediately after the birth.
10. Make peace with your ex. If you are divorced from your child’s father or mother, you may need to prepare to share grand-parenting honors with your ex. This potentially ticklish situation can go smoothly if you plan ahead and prepare yourself mentally. You will probably have to be in each other’s presence upon occasions such as the grandchild’s birthday, so why not start by being cordial before the birth?
New parents are understandably overwhelmed with the numerous decisions they have to make for their baby. Unfortunately, they are also faced with conflicting information as they attempt to navigate they way through their pregnancy.
As I have said before, there are many false “myths” about cloth diapering that sometimes cause unnecessary confusion for young parents. My goal is to provide information and resources for expecting mothers and fathers so that they can make informed decisions about their diapering systems. I get a lot of questions about Diaper Covers- here are my recommendations:
How many diaper covers do you recommend?
We recommend 6 diaper covers per size. The reason we recommend 6 or more is for convenience. This way you can have one on the baby, a few in the laundry, one in the diaper bag, etc., without having to think about them too much.
How often can I use them without laundering?
You can use your covers 2-3 times before you launder them. Just wipe the inside dry and put a fresh diaper inside the cover. In general, first time parents want to wash them after every use but second time parents will use them several times before laundering.
What size do I need?
Our diaper covers are true to size. If you do not purchase the correct size you may find that you have a leakage problem. Please refer to the size chart which is located by clicking on the product. Sometimes parents wonder if they can skip the newborn size and go right to the small – if you expect a baby over 9 pounds you can, otherwise you will have leakage problems if you skip the newborn size.
How do you double diaper?
Here’s the anatomy lesson! Little boys need extra absorbency in the front. Try placing one diaper inside another in the following way. (a)Take a diaper and lay it down. (b)Now take a second diaper, fold it into thirds lengthwise so it forms a long thick panel and lay it in the middle of your first diaper. (C) For an even thicker panel, fold the second diaper in half again and place it all in the front of the first diaper. This will put all the thickness in the front — where little boys need it most.
Little girls need extra absorbency in the middle. So follow steps (a) and (b) above. You should find that the extra protection in the middle helps to control any leakage you have with a girl.
Double diapering is usually necessary at bedtime, as the baby gets older and starts sleeping longer.
How many cotton diapers do I need?
It’s a question of balancing convenience (how often you’ll need to wash the diapers) versus how much money you want to spend. Most parents prefer 4-6 dozen.
How often should I change a cloth diaper?
Generally about every 3 hours. At night you can always double diaper so that your baby can sleep through the night comfortably. (Question 7 talks about double diapering)
What kind of cloth diaper is best?
There are several choices, so it depends upon what you are looking for in a diaper and how much you want to spend. Please see our Diaper Guide which describes which diaper is best for what.
How much will I save if I buy cotton diapers instead of disposables?
You will save about $3,000. (Disposables start costing a lot more as you move up the sizes.)
Does it really make such a difference for the environment what my one little baby wears as a diaper?
Yes, you can make a world of difference Please see our why cotton diapers and your Environment.
Our site features a detailed resource guide on how to properly care for and launder cloth diapers; and I wanted to share some wonderful tips I found in Readers Digest on using natural ingredients to get your cloth diapers (and other laundry) even cleaner and brighter! Forget expensive stain fighting boosters, fabric softeners and whiteners. Save your money- these inexpensive ingredients are non toxic and are probably in your pantry. These tips are from the article: 8 Ways to Naturally Boost Laundry Detergent
Baking Soda
It may sound like a cliché, but adding 1/2 cup baking soda to your usual amount of liquid laundry detergent really will give you “whiter whites” and brighter colors. The baking soda also softens the water, so you can actually use less detergent.
Lemons
To remove rust and mineral discolorations from cotton, pour 1 cup lemon juice into the washer during the wash cycle. The natural bleaching action of the juice will zap the stains and leave the clothes smelling fresh.
Vinegar
There are so many benefits to be reaped by adding 1 cup white vinegar to your washer’s rinse cycle that it’s surprising that you don’t find it prominently mentioned inside the owner’s manual of every washing machine sold. Here are the main ones:
A single cup of vinegar will kill off any bacteria that may be present in your wash load, especially if it includes cloth diapers and the like.
Rachael’s note : For diapers, vinegar should only be added to the rinse cycle. If you have hard water, the vinegar can combine with trace minerals in your water supply and this can cause your diapers to stink once peed on. If you have normal to soft water you can use 1/4- 1/2 cup in your rinse cycle as needed.
A cup of vinegar will keep your clothes coming out of the wash soft and smelling fresh — so you can kiss your fabric-softening liquids and sheets good-bye (unless, of course, you happen to like your clothes smelling of heavy perfumes).
A cup of vinegar will brighten small loads of white clothes.
Added to the last rinse, a cup of vinegar will keep your clothes lint- and static-free.
Adding a cupful of vinegar to the last rinse will set the color of your newly dyed fabrics.
Rachael’s Addition : Don’t Forget the Sun Hanging your clean wet diapers outside will reduce stains and give them an incredibly sweet , fresh smell. You can air dry them in the dryer afterwards to soften them up.
In the old days of cloth diapering you needed pins, rubber pants, and time to fold a long flat cloth into a diaper. No wonder so many people carry this false notion that cloth diapering is difficult and messy! With cloth pre-fold diapers and diaper covers, it is quick and easy to change your baby and care for their needs. Let me demonstrate how to fold using this step by step photo guide:
Step One: Open diaper flat.
Step Two: Fold left side in.
Step Three: Fold right side in.
Fan out the back left side.
Step 5: Fan out the back right side.
Step 6: Fold front in to make it shorter.
Step Seven: Lay diaper in cover and place under baby
Have you ever wondered what exactly is in breastmilk? What are the specific nutrients that make this natural miracle the perfect food for babies? Today’s natural parenting post is from Breastfeeding.com, an excellent online resource for breastfeeding mothers. Researchers have been conducting studies for years to learn more about the elements of breastmilk and wanted to share this article with some interesting information.
Nursing mothers have long known that by breastfeeding, they are passing on immunities to their babies to help fight viruses and illnesses. Now, researchers believe they are beginning to understand exactly how that illness protection works.
A group of researchers have identified a specific kind of protein in breastmilk that helps jump-start a baby’s immune system, providing active protection to the baby. The protein, called soluble CD14, works to develop B cells, which are immune cells that are instrumental in the production of antibodies.
The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Julius of the University of Toronto and the Toronto Hospital, published their finding in the January 16, 2001 edition of the Proceeding of the National Academy of Science (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 98, Issue 2, 603-608)
Researchers had known about CD14 for some time, but they had not clearly understood its function.
“This is the first demonstration of this biological activity of the molecule and the fact that it is so extraordinarily enriched in mammary secretions,” Dr. Julius told Reuters news service.
Dr. Julius and his colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, Osaka University and Toronto-based GEMMA Biotechnology Inc. studied CD14 and the B cells in mice to come up with their findings. Further tests revealed that human milk and colostrum are rich in CD14.
Click here to read an abstract of this study.
I have been familiar with 
Expecting a baby in 2010? Got a shower coming up? Want cloth diapers or build a healthy happy nursery with our carefully crafted and quality made Organic Baby things?
For those of us who are facing “potty training” with our toddlers, just remember you will need endless patience, a sense of humor, and plenty of time to spend in the bathroom. 
Our site features a detailed resource guide on how to properly 
Have you ever wondered what exactly is in breastmilk? What are the specific nutrients that make this natural miracle the perfect food for babies? Today’s natural parenting post is from 
