How to Relieve Baby Colic

When my first child was born, she would cry with such intensity for hours on end, that we were certain something was terribly wrong. My husband and I, both entirely ignorant of what was causing her such severe distress, tried to do everything to comfort her. She was breast fed and burped, walked and bounced [...]

When Baby Has a Fever

As a new parent, perhaps the hardest thing to come to grips with, is the realization that this precious being is wholly dependent on your care and good judgment. This realization comes into explicit focus when your baby has their first fever. Unless you have medical training, you need to get information from someone that [...]

Teaching by Touching

A Japanese friend of mine described a family ritual that led him to a career as an acupressure therapist. Every night his family would soak in a hot tub together and talk over the days events. Afterwards, his parents briefly massaged each of the children in their pajamas on a mat on the floor before [...]

Protecting Your Kids from Junk food

If  you’re like most moms, not only are you the primary cook, but you’re also the family nutritionist. You watch over the health of your kids and hubbie and have probably had to educate yourself a bit to know what’s good for them. Whether you studied formally or just read a bunch of women’s magazines [...]

Make a Natural First Aid/ Home Remedy Kit

It’s every mother’s nightmare to have an injured child and not know what to do. As a nurse, I felt a bit more prepared for the inevitable viruses, bruises and assorted ‘owwees’ that were likely to come along, but I since I had studied herbs and holistic health I had some different ideas about what [...]

Legislation to Ban BPA

Two New York senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have been working on legislation that will ban BPA (Bisphenol -A) from all products commonly used by pregnant women and children. The accumulated scientific reports clearly indicate that BPA is dangerous to human health, but most especially to young mothers, infants in utero and children.
BPA is [...]

9 Ways to Reduce the Stress of Parenting

Young moms today are typically trying to juggle a full time job at work, with another full time job at home.  The pressure is on to eat only organic and healthy food, to protect the environment, nurture your kids intelligence and still be stylish. Chances are one of her kids has special needs, it takes [...]

Phthalates – a hidden danger

Phthalates are a group of chemicals frequently found in polyvinyl chloride (plastic #3) and are used to make plastics softer and in the manufacture of artificial fragrances. One of the most common toxic additives is DEHP, a phthalate that is a carcinogen and reproductive toxicant found in many PVC products. Phthalates are used to make soft [...]

Common Rashes in Babies

A recent report in Clinical Pediatrics stated that more than seventy-five percent of newborns suffer rashes within their first few months after birth. This is both surprising and alarming to the new parent who hopes and expects that their baby will be perfect in every way. Some babies are born with flaky skin that is [...]

Coping With the Miracle

Perhaps the single most momentous event in your life is becoming a parent. What may be surprising to the new parent, is how physically and emotionally stressful taking care of a baby can be. It can be likened to running a marathon while suffering sleep deprivation and constantly worrying that your slightest action or inaction [...]

How to Handle Diaper Rash

How to Handle Diaper Rash
What does diaper rash look like?
Diaper rash is easily recognized as increased redness or irritation in the area where
a diaper is worn. In more serious cases, it can include pimples, blisters or
even scaling of the skin. If the rash becomes infected, the area may become
swollen, very inflamed, itchy and [...]

Bathing Your Newborn

Some of your most precious memories will be of bathing your newborn. Every tiny bit of them is such a revelation that you feel you can’t possibly touch them enough or gaze at them sufficiently to communicate your love. The miracle of their birth and their safe arrival is to be celebrated daily and bath [...]

Umbilical Cord Care

Hospitals around the world may recommend a variety of treatments to keep the baby’s stump free from infection. Some of the common agents used include: isopropyl alcohol, triple dye, betadine, salicylic sugar powder, micronized green clay powder, colloid silver-benzyl-peroxide powder, neomycin-bacitracin powder or silver sulfadiazine. However, there is little data that shows conclusively that any [...]