12 Tips for Baby and Toddler Dental Health

12 Tips for Baby and Toddler Dental Health

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One of the best things you can do for your child is teach them good dental habits early on in life. Here are 12 tips for keeping your baby or toddler's teeth squeaky clean and cavity free!

When I first started going to the dentist as a young child, my mom took me to their family doctor. I mean, why not? None of the other kids really had a problem going there, they took our insurance, and he was a family friend.

Apparently, I wasn’t about to let someone dig around in my mouth with dentist tools, so I bit him. And at that point, he forced recommended my parents take me to a pediatric dentist, and I think that was a wise decision. Although I still did not like going to the dentist, it really helped make it easier to go. The dentist and the dental assistants were always so kind and willing to go at a slow pace..plus, I always got a sweet toy afterward.

Back at the beginning of February, we took Jack to his first dentist appointment. Did you know that the earlier you go to the dentist, the better? It’s recommended to go as soon as their first teeth come in, or by the time they turn one. And, as you’ll find out in a moment, I wish we had gone earlier than we did.

We took Jack to a pediatric dentist in the Salt Lake area.

We were taken back pretty quickly to the room, and I was surprised that Jack, my normally timid of new situations boy, laid down on the dentist chair right away. I think it might have had to do with the fact that there was a movie playing on the ceiling…as you can see him watching in this picture:

The dental assistant was incredible! She took time to let Jack hold the tools, and went at a very slow pace. Jack only whimpered for me a few times, and let her clean his teeth with no struggle.

The dentist was great, too. He explained everything really thoroughly to us, which I appreciated, and didn’t act like we were terrible parents when he discovered that Jack’s two front teeth had some decay already. This was quite the shock to me, since he doesn’t drink juice, never has had a bottle, and we limit his sweets considerably. The dentist said it was most likely because a) there’s no fluoride in the water where we live and b) genes. I had a lot of cavities when I was younger, and continue to have dental issues.

After we took Jack to Burg’s, we decided to be even more proactive about making sure he doesn’t get any more cavities. This led me to doing research on baby and toddler dental tips, and I thought I’d share that information with all of you!

1) Dental Care Starts Before Teeth Arrive

From the moment your baby is born, you should be concerned with their dental hygiene. Babies aren’t born with teeth (except in rare cases) but taking care of their gums is important. Gently massage their gums with an infant toothbrush (I’ve heard great things about the banana training toothbrush) or a soft washcloth. It’s important to brush the gums before teeth even come in.

2) When Teeth Come In

When teeth appear, brush twice daily with an infant toothbrush and training toothpaste (which doesn’t have fluoride – xylitol toothpaste is a great option.) Start flossing when two teeth touch each other. Even if your child resists, make sure you get those teeth cleaned as good as possible, especially before bedtime. Jack really loves to use children floss picks.

After your infant takes a bottle, gently wash off their teeth with a wet cloth, so the milk doesn’t stick to their teeth more. For older children, encourage them to drink water every time they eat something, which helps cleanse the teeth as well.

3) Visiting the Dentist

As I mentioned earlier, try to visit the dentist by the age of one. Some people think this is a silly recommendation (me included), but I wish we had. If he had gone in earlier, we could have been alerted to the fact that his teeth were more susceptible to cavities, and perhaps avoided having to put him under anesthesia and go through the process of putting fillings in.

4) Wean From Bottle by Age One

Jack had a bottle maybe twice his entire life, so this wasn’t something we had to worry about. However, baby bottle tooth decay is a real thing. It can be prevented (tips at the link provided), but it’s best to try and wean your child from their bottle by the age of one to prevent damage from occurring.

Some dentists will insist that a mother wean her baby from breastmilk. There’s a lot of debate on the subject, but I think this is a great article on whether or not breastfeeding is linked to tooth decay. Do your own research, but if your dentist says to wean for this reason solely, I would seek a second opinion.

5) Be Careful about Sippy Cup Choices

Even the sippy cup you use could contribute to tooth decay, particularly when they are drinking milk or juice (with water, it really doesn’t matter.) No-spill cups are popular for obvious reasons, but the valves make it so your child can’t sip from the cup. They end up sucking the liquid, much like from a bottle, which can cause similar issues to bottle decay. So, even they may cause more messes, try and avoid giving your child milk or fruit juice in the no-spill cups, and opt for ones like these take-and-toss kind. These are less expensive anyways!

I have heard AMAZING things about the Munchkin 360 Miracle cups. There’s no sippy top, supports normal mouth muscle development, and were created to help prevent dental issues. I’m definitely ordering some soon.

6) Water instead of Juice

When given a choice, what kid isn’t going to pick juice over water? Although it’s been hard having to limit a lot of Jack’s foods, it’s been worth it, because we had good reason to not give him juice, and convince other people not to give him juice either. However, too much juice can cause teeth to decay faster, so limiting this early on is a smart idea. When you do give your child juice, dilute it with water.

7) Signs of Decay

Decay can be hard to spot, especially on baby and toddler teeth, because they often won’t let you look too far into their mouths! However, if you start to notice white spots, or that they have a sensitivity to cold or sweets, this made indicate decay is starting, or already has. 0

9) When to Start Using Fluoride Toothpaste

Fluoride is an interesting thing. It has a lot of benefits, but you can definitely use too much. With toothpaste, when you spit it out, you don’t get a lot of the fluoride going into your body, but when a child or baby who can’t spit out the toothpaste yet, you don’t know how much they are getting. So as a general rule of thumb, don’t use toothpaste with fluoride until they can spit it into the sink. Instead, use a children’s xylitol toothpaste.

If your area doesn’t have fluoride naturally in the water (like our town), then be sure to get some fluoride drops from your doctor or county health building (it is typically by prescription only.)

10) Cut Food Up

This is one tip Jack’s dentist gave him — cut up his food into smaller pieces. That way, he’s using more of his back teeth (which are stronger, in general) rather than his front teeth. FunBites food cutters can help make this easier with certain foods.

11) Foods that are good for teeth

Cheese, sweet potatoes, oranges cranberries, apples, water

12) Foods that are bad for teeth

Sweets and sugar, juice, white foods (white bread, rice, potatoes, white pasta, crackers (can be as bad as candy for the teeth), fruit snacks, and raisins.

Original article and pictures take www.clarkscondensed.com site

12 Mainstream Baby Lies You Likely Believe

12 Mainstream Baby Lies You Likely Believe

After writing two popular posts recently, 12 Mainstream Pregnancy Lies You Likely Believe, and 12 (More) Mainstream Pregnancy Lies You Likely Believe, several people asked me to talk about baby myths.

Unfortunately, many of the same people who are trying to tell you that pregnancy is bad and scary and that you need to do a million tests and stop questioning your doctor, also believe these things about newborns.

This kind of stuff is really even more important. Regardless of how your pregnancy and birth goes (and yes, it does matter), it’s a temporary part of your life. But raising a baby, that impacts your entire life and more importantly, your baby’s entire life. It’s really important to know the truth here!

Let’s dive into some of the most common baby myths!

12 Baby Lies You Probably Believe

1. “Let your newborn cry it out or he’ll never learn to sleep.”

Sorry, mamas, but this is a total lie. Your baby doesn’t “learn” anything from being left alone to cry, except that no one is coming to meet his needs. That doesn’t make the needs go away, and it doesn’t mean your baby has gained the skill of helping himself fall asleep.

Instead, teach your baby to sleep by holding him, rocking him, nursing him, and showing him various ways to settle himself. We shared our Gentle AP Method to Teach Your Baby to Sleep a couple of years ago. It’s worked on all our kids so far (who co-sleep with us for a year, give or take) and nobody’s been left to cry. And guess what, the older four all fall asleep on their own and sleep all night now! And, nobody’s afraid of bed time, nobody wakes with nightmares, and we just don’t have any sleep issues. That’s no accident. Babies whose needs are met will learn to sleep on their own when they are ready.

2. “Your newborn is manipulating you/getting spoiled when you answer her cries.”

This one absolutely drives me nuts. It’s setting up your relationship with your baby as adversaries — her vs. you. But mamas, your baby is not out to “get” you. She is not manipulating you. (Heck, she’s not even capable of it — a baby has to understand that she’s a separate person from you, what your wants are, and what her wants are, and be able to deliberately play your emotions to get her way in order to manipulate. This is far too sophisticated for a baby. Kids aren’t capable of this until at least 2 or 3 years old.)

Your baby cries because she needs something. Period. That need may be to be held; it may be to fed, changed, be warmer or cooler, etc. But she cries to communicate her needs because it is nearly the only way she can communicate as an infant. As she gets older you’ll notice more of her subtle communication — looks, squirms, grunts, rooting behavior, and so on. The more quickly you notice her communication and the more quickly you meet her needs, the less she’ll cry. And, if you always meet her needs, she won’t (often) try to manipulate you even when she’s finally capable, because she’ll trust that you’ll be there for her! This isn’t “spoiled,” either, this is trusting. And trust is so important to a healthy emotional life.

3. “Add rice cereal to his bottle so he’ll sleep longer.”

Sorry, mamas, another lie.

First of all, young babies should not sleep too long. Their tummies are tiny and they need to eat often, because they’re growing so rapidly. Rice cereal does make babies feel fuller sometimes, but it can also make some babies wake more often because it upsets their tummies. Young babies can’t digest grains and aren’t getting any real nourishment from this practice. It’s best to stick to only breast milk (or formula) and not add anything to it.

Even when it’s time to eat food, it’s best to avoid grains, and always to let baby decide if he wants to eat and how much. He can’t do that when it’s in his bottle.

4. “Limit breastfeeding to ___ minutes per side so she doesn’t make you sore or eat too much.”

There is so much bad breastfeeding advice out there, and this is one of the most common. There is no need to limit a baby’s time per side, or total nursing time. It will not help you to be less sore. (Using a high-quality breast cream, which we’ll talk more about in a week or so, and making sure your baby is properly positioned, will help avoid soreness.) And, your baby cannot eat too much when breastfed. She will naturally stop when she has had enough, or when she needs to burp. If baby pops off, try burping and offer the other breast. She won’t overeat.

By the same token, a baby who is offered the breast whenever she seems to want it won’t undereat. She doesn’t have to nurse a certain number of minutes to get enough — some babies are more efficient than others. Just forget the clock altogether when it comes to babies, and follow your baby’s cues.

5. “Your newborn has to be supplemented with formula because _____.”

First, there are legitimate circumstances where a baby requires formula supplementation. In some cases, moms can’t produce enough milk no matter how hard they try (insufficient breast tissue, hormonal imbalances, certain autoimmune conditions, etc.). This isn’t to say that formula is never necessary.

But. A lot of women are told they have to supplement in circumstances where it’s not necessary. For example, when baby wants to nurse very frequently. This is normal for new babies and is not a sign of low milk supply (as long as baby seems satisfied after eating, however briefly).

Other women are told they “have” to supplement because their milk is ‘bad,’ or because babies can’t get what they need from breastmilk alone, or because they need to sleep, or because others need to feed the baby in order to bond. These are all wrong!

6. “Jaundice is not normal and requires aggressive treatment.”

Honestly? Most newborn jaundice is normal. Almost all babies have a slight yellowish tint to their skin for a few days after birth. While jaundice can become a problem, it’s pretty rare. Biliblankets, formula supplementation, and other interventions are not necessary for most babies.

7. “Co-sleeping is dangerous, your baby needs to sleep alone.”

This is a pretty silly one. In most cultures, babies sleep near their parents. It’s also safer, because it facilitates breastfeeding, helps infants maintain their body temperature and breathing, and more. Co-sleeping is not dangerous, unless one or both parents are on medication, under the influence of alcohol, are seriously sleep-deprived, or have some sort of medical condition which makes them sleep too heavily. A breastfeeding mother is ordinarily a light sleeper who is well aware of her baby’s position in her bed.

Plus, sleeping alone is hard for new babies. They crave the comfort of their mothers, and easy access to the breast. They certainly do not “need” to sleep alone to learn to sleep separately later on.

8. “Start your baby on newborn enrichment classes now so he’ll be smarter.”

It’s admirable to want to give your baby the best — every advantage that there is. But the thing is, babies are learning rapidly, all the time. They need to learn everything about life. The best way to teach babies is to talk to them and look at them. They need to learn about you, about human interaction. You can also take them places so they can observe life outside, other people, and so on. There is no need for “newborn enrichment” classes or videos, and absolutely no evidence that they work anyway.

9. “If your newborn boy is intact, you should retract his penis to clean under it.”

NO!

Please, never do this. An intact penis should be left alone. Wipe the outside of it, but never mess with the foreskin. Trying to retract a newborn will tear the foreskin, cause bleeding and pain, and can cause adhesions and future issues. Don’t let doctors retract your baby, either. There is no reason to do so “just to check and make sure it’s all okay” (ever), nor even any reason to do so for a catheter. Find someone who is educated about intact care if your baby needs any medical procedures.

Your baby’s foreskin will naturally retract at some point later — often in the preschool years, but sometimes not until adolescence. At that point, your son should be taught to retract himself to wash in the bath. But never force it, and never do it yourself. Only the owner of the penis should retract it.

10. “Feedings should be scheduled every 3 or 4 hours so baby learns to eat when it’s the ‘right’ time.”

This is really terrible advice and can lead to failure to thrive, as well as sabotaging breastfeeding. A woman who is only nursing every 3 – 4 hours often cannot produce enough milk, because breastfeeding is about supply and demand. When demand is lower due to infrequent feedings, her body won’t get the message to produce more.

As for the baby, most newborns need to eat at least 12 times in a 24-hour period, and many nurse quite a bit more than that. The typical newborn won’t go longer than 2 hours between feedings, on average. (Typically there are times of day that they eat more often, up to every 30 minutes; and they may sleep a 3 – 4 hour stretch at night.) A baby who does not eat often enough will be fussy, difficult to settle, and will sleep poorly. The baby may also gain weight poorly and not meet milestones on time. They could end up hospitalized for hunger or dehydration and be marked failure to thrive.

And even worse, some recommend offering baby water in between scheduled feedings to keep them quiet. Never do this, unless explictly instructed by a doctor. A new baby’s electrolyte levels are very precariously balanced. Plenty of breast milk or properly prepared formula is good. But water can dilute sodium levels in the baby’s blood and cause lethargy, coma, or even death. Babies have died because of parents watering down breastmilk or formula, or offering too much water in between feedings. Just don’t do it!

Feed your baby on demand. Lessons on “when to eat” and “meal times” can wait until the toddler years. (And it’s debatable even then.)

11. “It’s safe to put the car seat on top of a shopping cart at the grocery store.”

Although it’s a really common practice, it is, in fact, not safe. Car seats on top of grocery carts are very top-heavy, and carts can tip over if you go over bumps unexpectedly or turn too sharply. A few babies each year actually die from falling off of a grocery cart! Since it’s entirely preventable…just don’t do it.

Instead, put the baby’s car seat into the basket of the cart. Or, wear your baby in a wrap or other carrier (which is what I choose to do).

12. “It’s safe/beneficial to start solids at 2 weeks/2 months/3 months/etc.”

Sorry, but early solids really are not beneficial, and may be very harmful. Young babies are meant to get extremely nutrient- and calorie-dense breast milk or formula to meet their nutritional needs and rapid growth. And, their intestines are immature and “open,” meaning that undigested proteins can escape into the bloodstream, sensitizing the child and causing allergies. Breast milk actually promotes maturity of the gut and helps it to seal properly, so that baby won’t have allergies later in life. It’s best to wait to start solids until at least 6 months, but follow your baby’s lead. (Baby showing interest in your food doesn’t mean she’s ready — infants are typically fascinated by everything you do. Being able to pick up the food and put it into her own mouth is good rule.)

These are just twelve of the lies I can think of! Can you think of more?

Psst! My brand-new book, “Natural Remedies for Kids,” is coming out in August! When you pre-order it, you get up to 25% off — plus, some amazing bonus offers (details coming soon). It’s the best book for learning to use simple, natural remedies with your family (the one I wish I’d had when I was just getting started). Get the details on the book here, and porder your book here.

Which of these lies surprised you the most? Which do you hear most commonly?

Ready to get started living a healthier life? This complete, 50-page guide will walk you through the steps, product swaps, recipes, and more that you need to get started today!

Original article and pictures take www.modernalternativemama.com site

12 Ideas for Date Nights with Your Kids

12 Ideas for Date Nights with Your Kids

It’s so important to spend one-on-one time with your kids! I love these 12 ideas for “date night” with your children.

Guest post by Becky of Your Modern Family

Being a Mom is the most important job that I have. Spending time with our children is our top priority. We are their first teachers, the role models that they look up to, their best friends later in life. God created Mothers for a purpose. We fill the earth with wonderful children and they become filled with the glory of God, thanks to our teaching.

If you have more than one child, it can be hard to spend one-on-one time with them. I wrote a post a while back on how we have a set schedule to do this. (See it here: Making Memories to Last a Lifetime: Spending One-on-one Time with Your Kids.) We have four children and we want each child to have their special night with us. We want them to feel important and we want our time together to be strong in their memories.

With that being said, I would love to share some great ideas for date nights with your kids when you are having your one-on-one time. (This might even be a fun Mother’s Day treat to yourself: a date night with each of your children!)

Mother-Child Date Night on a Budget: 12 Ideas for Your Special Night (Or Day)!

1. Movies on the lawn

Rent a movie from the library (free) or a redbox (DVDonme is the code to get you a free movie for your first time using it with that credit/debit card). Take a portable DVD player outside, lay on a blanket with some snacks and you have a full “movies on the lawn” experience.

2. Camp out in your backyard

Have fun out there! Make S’mores. My friend does this using her grill when they are outside, so no need to buy a fire pit! Borrow a tent or buy one used if you don’t have one. Or just camp out until bedtime and then move the “camp” inside to sleep.

3. Go on a bike ride, walk or hike

Our oldest son, six years old, would bike ride with my husband or I every night if he could. We just ride around our neighborhood. He loves it. Our 5 and 6 year olds both love to hike as well. We don’t go far, but we just walk on nearby trails and paths and search for leaves and stones. It gives us a chance to talk, away from everything. This is simple and it is a great way to connect again.

4. PLAY at the playground!

How many times do we go to the playground and just supervise? Wouldn’t your child be thrilled if you joined in on the fun? Make this night special by playing with your child at the playground.

5. Free ice cream!

Did you know that Bruster’s gives kids free ice cream cones? They are small, but they are perfect for a younger child.

6. Build a home for their favorite little toys

Go outside and hunt for twigs, leaves, moss, flowers. Hot glue them together (or on an old plastic bowl or container) and you have the perfect outdoor home for their “little” toys (little people, transformers, fairies…) Get their creative juices flowing! My husband uses scrap wood to make beds for their stuffed animals. The kids love helping him and then painting them and fixing them up with cotton balls (mattresses), tissues (blankets), and other things!

7. Make a leaf stain-glass collage

This is really fun! Gather some leaves (about 10-15) and bring them inside. Set them aside. Plug in your iron. Get two sheets of wax paper (the size of printer paper works well) and set them on your table. Now take a cheese grater and grate some old crayons onto your wax paper. Set the leaves on them (leave some spots open for just the crayons) and then grate more crayons on top.

The crayons will hold the two sheets of wax paper together, like glue. Put the other wax paper on top. Iron them together (you may want to use a towel on top of the wax paper to prevent it from sticking to to the iron). It makes a leaf stain-glass collage. Hang it on a window for everyone to see!

8. Volunteer together

It is so important to teach your children to volunteer and give back. I was taught this as a child, as was my husband. We continue to volunteer when we can and we want our children to do the same. It can be as simple as helping someone by taking their garbage cans up to the house for them, or it can be something more in-depth, like volunteering every week at your local food bank or Christian City Mission.

9. Visit a fire station

Most fire stations offer free tours to children and I don’t know what child wouldn’t be hugging you for days after this fun idea!

10. Make a puppet show

Use those socks that have lost their match to make a puppet. Paint on them, draw eyes, glue yarn for hair. Have fun with it and then put on a puppet show for the rest of your family. Hide behind a table and put just your hands up. Teach your child how to do this and how to make funny voices for their characters. Our kids put on puppet shows for me at least once a week. They usually do their version of “The Three Little Pigs” and it is hilarious and adorable and I love it!

11. Play cards

Our kids were playing “War” by the time that they were four. (Deal the cards, face down, into two piles, or more if you have more players. Next, each player will flip over one card. The person that lays down the card of highest value is the winner and keeps both cards.) It is a great little math lesson, so I was excited to teach it to them once they learned their numbers and could understand which one was bigger.

12. Make candy necklaces

Take a piece of yarn or thread. Tape a little bit of scotch tape onto the end to make it easier for them to thread. Give them a handful of cheerios or fruit loops. Let them make necklaces and tie them at the end. A wearable snack! (By the way…this is a great snack for that hike that you are going to take!)

So plan your “special day,” as we call it in our house. Make a schedule for your kids (see ours here) and get it on the calendar. Your child will be so excited to spend time with you! Remember that it doesn’t really matter WHAT you are doing, as long as you are spending that time with your focus on your child.

Turn off your phone, the TV, the computer, and just tune in to your precious, God-given child and enjoy the wonderful people that they have become!

What’s your favorite way to spend one-on-one time with your kids?

Hi! I am Becky from Your Modern Family. Erin was kind enough to ask me to write a post for her and I am honored to share one with you. Erin and I are friends and I owe it all to God putting her in my path. We live in the same town, we are in the same “Christian Mother’s Groups” and our children are all close in age. I love reading The Humbled Homemaker and I love being able to share a little bit of me with all of you! I am a wife, married to my high-school sweetheart. I am a teacher turned part time play therapist. Above all, I am a wife to my high school and college sweetheart and a Mom to our four wonderful kids… 3 boys and a baby girl!

Stop by & visit me on Facebook or Pinterest. I’d love to hear from you!

Top image from pixabay.com

Original article and pictures take thehumbledhomemaker.com site

12 Healthy Holiday Treats for Kids

12 Healthy Holiday Treats for Kids

Prepare to wow with these 12 cute, clever and healthy holiday treats for kids.

Healthy holiday treats are often hard to come by now that Christmas and the holiday season is officially in full swing. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a whole slew of parties, get-togethers and potlucks to either host or attend before the end of the year. Whether it’s an office party, your kid’s classroom celebration, or family time on Christmas Eve, decadent food and sweet treats are almost always involved, right? Instead of derailing your diet or sending your little kids into a sugar coma at your next holiday get-together, how about bringing an equally festive, but slightly healthier, option? Lucky for you, I’m sharing 12 of my favorite cute and healthy holiday treats that are also creative and festive. Check them out below and prepare to wow the mouths you’ll feed!

12 healthy holiday treats for kids

WHOLE GRAIN PANCAKE SNOWMAN via Holley Grainger Nutrition

Snowman Popcorn Cups via Creative Kid Snacks

Present Sandwiches with Zucchini Bow via Marie Saba

Black Olive Penguins via Foodie With Family

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Christmas Trees via Lovely Little Kitchen

Grinch Fruit Skewers via Clean and Scentsible

FUN KIWI FRUIT TRAY from Super Healthy Kids

Turkey Pinwheel Tree via Moms and Munchkins

More Healthy Holiday Treats

Do you love fun food? Then make sure to pin these adorable Thanksgiving turkey ideas so you’ll have for next fall!

Original article and pictures take www.holleygrainger.com site

12 Essential Oil Blends for Your Diffuser.

12 Essential Oil Blends for Your Diffuser.

As the weather cools, I get into more of a candle burning/essential oil diffusing mood. I want my house to smell cozy and delicious, and my favorite way to do that is to use essential oils.

Although I do love candles, one of the benefits of diffusing essential oils is that they have other properties besides just smelling nice. Essential oils can calm you down, wake you up, clear your head, help your immune system, and change the mood in your home.

I know that sometimes people hesitate to use essential oils because they aren’t sure how to use them. Essential oils don’t have to be overwhelming!

Diffusing oils in your home is a great way to get started with essential oils. You can find out what oils you like, and learn a little bit about the properties of the different oils. This is a good way to dip your toe into the water. :)

There are so many different essential oil combinations that you can use, but I just wanted to highlight a few here today. I use an essential oil warmer with a candle. I prefer this method, even though there are cool mist diffusers available now as well. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I think the candle glowing is cozier.

With an oil warmer, you put some water in first, then drip the oils in. After you’ve added all the oils, light the candle below. Keep an eye on everything, because you don’t want all the water to evaporate.

Here are some ideas for blends to get you started. These are just a few ideas, and they use essential oils that are commonly available from Whole Foods, Amazon, or a health food store.

Easy Essential Oil Blends to Use in Your Home.

Clean and Fresh Citrus Blends:

• 5 drops grapefruit, 3 drops lemongrass
• 3 drops lemon, 3 drops lime, 3 drops grapefruit
• 3 drops grapefruit, 3 drops lavender, 3 drops lemon
• 2 drops lemon, 2 drops bergamot, 2 drops tangerine, 2 drops grapefruit

Calm and Relaxing Blends:

• 4 drops lavender, 5 drops tangerine
• 4 drops lavender, 4 drops geranium, 2 drops tangerine
• 4 drops roman chamomile, 4 drops lavender, 2 drops bergamot

Cozy Fall Blends:

• 6 drops sweet orange, 4 drops patchouli
• 3 drops clove, 3 drops cinnamon, 4 drops sweet orange
• 2 drops tangerine, 2 drops sweet orange, 3 drops ginger, 3 drops cinnamon

Energizing Blend:

• 4 drops peppermint, 4 drops eucalyptus, 2 drops lemongrass

Breathe Easy:

• 3 drops lemon, 3 drops rosemary, 3 drops lavender, 3 drops spearmint

Ready to get started? It’s easy to get a few oils and a simple oil warmer and go from there. You can get a lot of great information in ebooks and online courses as well.

Be creative and have fun making your own blends!

Original article and pictures take i0.wp.com site

12 Days of Christmas ~ Seeking Jesus Countdown Printable (How My Family Will Be Celebrating Jesus this Christmas)

12 Days of Christmas ~ Seeking Jesus Countdown Printable (How My Family Will Be Celebrating Jesus this Christmas)

Christmastime brings out the “kid” in my kids. I guess in some ways it brings out the kid in all of us. I get overwhelmingly giddy about all the Christmas fun, and I’m…not a kid.

This year, my boys suggested that I should make them some sort of advent calendar – you know – the kind that included 25 days worth of candy or presents or money? No biggie. On second thought, knowing how busy I am, my boys were thoughtful enough to suggest that I could just buy one. They are so considerate of my needs. (Just don’t forget the candy, Mom.)

I knew they were (mostly) kidding, but still the idea of creating some sort of special Christmas countdown for them sounded like a lot of fun. I especially wanted to do it because after we had our conversation, they pretty much thought I would forget about it and not do anything. Ha! I’ll show them. It’s fun to be rebellious toward my teenagers.

Fast-forward to later that day when I saw my sister-in-law’s Facebook post asking people to share what Advent meant to each one. One of her friends mentioned the story “of Simeon and Anna as they wait on the promise of seeing Christ, who would take away the sorrows of Israel…both old, filled with the Holy Spirit…and now ready to die because they had seen the salvation of the Lord.” (Luke 2:25-32)

After I read this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I mostly focus on the birth of Jesus during the Christmas season. How lovely to think about how Simeon and Anna eagerly sought to meet Jesus on earth after his birth! I opened my Bible and searched for more instances where people sought after Jesus. So many people from so many different situations recognized their need for Jesus. Their stories are beautiful – so filled with faith.

THIS is why Jesus came!! To heal! To cleanse! To bring salvation. To be truth. To meet the needs of each one who seeks Him. To bring peace. To be joy.

During my study that day, an idea for a Christmas count-down began to form. In my excitement, I could think of little else. I wrote down 12 situations in the Bible where people saw their need for Jesus, sought Him out, and encountered His fullness. I decided that our family could read one each day for 12 days, beginning December 13 – counting down the days until Christmas.

One idea led to another as I thought of ways to make this more memorable and meaningful for our family. I turned the scriptures into decorative cards. I attached the cards to 12 lunch-sized sacks. Beginning December 13, we will open one sack each day after we read and discuss the scripture. Inside each sack, I have included an item that relates to the day’s reading. Some will be treats for us to enjoy, some will be something we can share with others, some will simply be symbolic. I’ve written the details below in case you’d like to do something similar with your family.

Ready to download the ~12 Days of Christmas ~ Seeking Jesus Countdown Cards?

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I keep getting choked up and teary eyed as I anticipate sharing this with my family. I have such a desire to make Jesus a bigger part of our Christmas celebrations, and I can’t think of a better way than to celebrate with 12 Biblical examples of people who came eagerly seeking Him during his time on earth. May we also be inspired to eagerly seek Jesus daily for our comfort, healing, peace, and joy!

Here are the scriptures I chose, as well as details about what I included in each sack.

12 Days of Christmas ~ Seeking Jesus

1. Luke 2:25-35

The story of Simeon seeking Jesus in the temple. I added a Christmas-y candle to the bag. We’ll light it as a reminder that Jesus is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

2. Luke 2:36-40

The story of Anna seeking Jesus in the temple. The bag contains a 2016 mini-calendar. This will represent how Anna worshiped in the Temple night and day for years and years. It will remind us that our daily lives are also to be worship.

3. Luke 2:41-52

The story of Jesus’ parents looking for Jesus and finding him in the temple. This sack is empty! Once the boys discover this, they will have to do a search through the living room to find a treat I’ve hidden. This represents Jesus’ parents searching for him on their journey.

4. Luke 5:12-16

The story of Jesus healing a leper. This bag contains a new snowman soap dispenser. This represents “cleansing” as described in the story. Other ideas include fun bars of soap or cute washrags.

5. Luke 5:17-26

The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man on the mat. I found a fun Christmas place-mat and folded it up (carefully!) into the sack. I also included a small treat we can eat after we put the new mat on our table.

6. Luke 7:1-10

The story of the Centurion seeking Jesus to heal his servant. Because Jesus healed the man’s servant, I’ve included a service opportunity in this sack. I put two muffin mixes along with some Christmas paper liners for the boys to make and deliver to someone.

7. Luke 7:36-50

The story of the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and poured perfume on them. I put two bottles of essential oils in the sack for us to use in our diffuser. All day the smell of the oils will remind of us of this story of forgiveness.

8. Luke 8:40-56

The story of Jairus seeking Jesus to heal his 12-year old daughter, and Jesus healing the woman who had been sick for 12 years. I added 12 chocolate candies in the sack to share as the number 12 is a significant number in this reading. Plus, there was much to celebrate with these two healings! Chocolate seemed appropriate.

9. Luke 9:37-43

The story of Jesus healing the demon possessed boy. This one is a little bit silly, but my big boys appreciate being silly quite frequently. Picturing the joy of the boy who was healed by Jesus, I put some goofy toys in the sack for our boys. Straws with mustaches? Why not?

10. Luke 19:1-10

The story of Zacchaeus climbing a tree to see Jesus. Since Zacchaeus was a tax collector who turned his life around, I put some cash in the sack. Our family will decide together how we would like to donate this money.

11. John 3:1-21

The story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night to learn from him. I got a new string of Christmas lights for our boys to hang in their room as a reminder of Jesus words, “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” Other ideas include glow lights or bracelets.

12. Matthew 2:1-12

The story of the Magi following the star to find Jesus. I found a new star-shaped ornament for our tree. This will be the final bag we open on December 24!

Christmas Countdown Notes

~ Reading chronologically is nice, but I’m actually mixing up the scriptures and stories and doing them with our family in a different order than listed above.

~ In deciding the order, be sure to start with 12 and work your way down to 1. I know that is obvious in a Christmas Countdown, but my brain had to think through that more than once as I was organizing the best order for our scripture cards and sacks. :)

~ I purchased almost all of these items at our dollar store or used what I already had on hand. I wanted to make this special while keeping the cost down. Win-win.

~ The free download includes number cards if you’d like to use them too. I simply folded over the sacks and stapled on the number card along with a little curly ribbon.

I’d love to hear about any special advent traditions your family has! At this point, our countdown sacks are under our tree, just waiting for December 13 so we can begin. The sacks look pretty intriguing, so I think we need a special countdown for our countdown. :)

Original article and pictures take heavenlyhomemakers.com site

12 {More} Mainstream Baby Lies You Likely Believe

12 {More} Mainstream Baby Lies You Likely Believe

After writing the crazy popular “12 Mainstream Baby Lies You Likely Believe” a couple weeks ago, several people pointed out some lies I’d forgotten. It’s true, and unfortunate, that lies are passed around so easily when it comes to advice on baby care!

In fact, I’m in the middle of series, so don’t miss any of the posts:

Today, we’re tackling more baby lies. Because who hasn’t heard some pretty terrible advice in this area?

1. Eczema is normal.

Moms are often told that eczema is just something that happens, and we don’t know why. They may be told it’s genetic. However, this is nothing but lies!

Eczema means allergies. It might be an allergy to a food, or to laundry detergent, or a pet. It’s not possible to know without eliminating some things from the environment, but there’s definitely something causing it — it’s common, but never normal.

Personally, my oldest had terrible eczema as a baby. We did the GAPS diet and focused on gut healing and probiotics and her eczema disappeared around age 2. My second had a little eczema, which disappeared around 8 – 9 months, after we did GAPS. My younger three never had eczema at all. Definitely food allergies and gut health.

2. Spitting up is normal.

While spitting up a small amount after feedings due to overeating, or not burping right away or enough is pretty normal, frequent spitting up or spitting up large quantities is not normal. Especially if it is accompanied by crying and discomfort (including colic).

Excessive spitting up is a sign that there is a food allergy (usually) and most likely poor gut health in mom. An elimination diet and probiotics can often clear this up. If baby is on formula, then it may be necessary to try a different kind — babies can easily be allergic to dairy, corn, and soy, all of which are found in most formulas.

This is a problem because these babies are uncomfortable and unhappy, and may struggle to grow due to losing a good portion of their feedings. They may also not do as well because of poorly developing gut flora, and may have worse reactions when they start solids.

3. There’s no benefit to breastfeeding after (6, 12, etc.) months and you should wean.

Nope! More lies!

There are benefits to breastfeeding that last as long as breastfeeding does — months, or even years. Babies continue to benefit from breastmilk significantly (nutritionally) for at least the first year. The nutritional benefits don’t ever go away, but babies over a year do typically need to eat complementary foods too. However, the immune system benefits become more concentrated after the first year, and the emotional benefits of connecting with mom continue to be important, too.

Basically, there is no age at which you “should” wean. The right time is when you/your baby want to, and not a moment sooner. There’s no arbitrary cut off, no time at which benefits “expire,” and no reason to give into poor advice or social pressure.

4. Cereal is the best first food for baby.

Nope!

The reason that cereal was originally given to babies is because it’s cheap, bland, and supposedly hypoallergenic. However, we now know that baby cereals are highly processed, pretty much devoid of nutrients, and bad for baby’s gut health. Babies don’t produce the enzymes needed to digest grains until their molars are coming in. Grains, including these cereals, can be pretty constipating for many babies, too. They also are very bulky in the stomach, but very low in calories — not something that’s good for a rapidly growing baby.

Instead, healthy first foods include:

• Avocado
• Egg yolk
• Grass-fed beef (meat or liver)

These foods are high in fat and nutrient-dense, which is what a growing baby needs. They’re also easy to digest. We also offered our babies veggies cooked in homemade chicken stock (until they were soft enough to gummed), bits of raw soft fruits, peeled apple and pear slices (these are good for teething babies, until they can get chunks off).

The best way to feed your baby, when possible, is to simply put bits of food in front of them and let them feed themselves. They will only eat what they want. Spoon feeding is not necessary — although it can be handy for messier foods like yogurt (and other stuff we all eat from a spoon), or when you’re on the go.

5. It’s safe to turn a baby’s car seat forward-facing when they can sit up, at 6 months, if they get too long, etc.

This, for some reason, is one of the biggest fights people have over raising babies.

A number of people have been given bad advice about car seats. This includes that it is safe to turn babies around as soon as they can sit up alone, when they are 6 months old, if they won’t stop screaming in the car, if they outgrow their infant seats, etc. And this is a really big deal, because some studies show between 70 and 90% of car seats are used incorrectly, and car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in kids under 5!

It matters that a car seat is used properly every time you are in the car with your baby. In a split second, it could literally be life and death.

The law in every state is that babies must remain rear-facing in the car until 1 year AND 20 lbs. So, if a baby reaches 20 lbs. at 4 months old, no, you cannot turn him/her around. If a baby is only 16 lbs. at a year old, no, you cannot turn him/her. If your baby gets too long for his/her car seat, or too heavy, you will need to buy a convertible seat instead of an infant seat. These seats will go up to 35 – 45 lbs. rear-facing (depending on the seat) and can accommodate children up to 36″ tall or so.

No, your child’s legs will not break if they are too tall — they’ll fold them up or stick them on the sides of the seats. Rear-facing is 500% safer for kids under 4. It’s now recommended to rear-face until 2 years and 30 lbs. or to the limits of the seat (according to the AAP).

After a child is forward-facing, they should remain harnessed as long as possible — most children can remain harnessed until 5 – 6 years old. Then they should be in a booster until 8 years old, 4’9″ and 80 lbs. Many states have laws that children must be at least 4 years old and 40 lbs. to go in a booster, and 8 years and 80 lbs. to get out of one. Please check your state’s laws. But please don’t go with the minimum requirements, or worse, ignore the laws and graduate your child into the next “step” early. It is simply not safe.

Remember that car seats are not an emotional maturity milestone, and that you’re not “babying” a kid by keeping them rear-facing, harnessed, or in a booster — this is a safety issue that is about their physical maturity and growth. Period.

6. Your baby doesn’t “need” to eat at night after the first couple of months.

Many parents eagerly look forward to the day when their baby will sleep through the night, so that they, too, can sleep again! This has led to the myth that after a certain age, babies do not “need” to eat at night — and parents will sometimes leave their babies to cry, believing that they don’t really need anything.

This is not true! Many babies continue to need to eat at night at least sometimes until they are past a year old. Some don’t wake to eat after the first few months; some wake to eat until 18 months. Plus, many babies who sleep through will start waking again when they are going through a growth spurt, or when they are teething, or during separation anxiety.

The best thing you can do is keep responding to your baby’s needs and be willing to offer snacks or drinks as needed. Our babies, after a year, continued to nurse at night until 18 – 20 months. They also wanted drinks of water, so we started to put sippy cups in their beds so they wouldn’t need to wake us to get a drink.

7. Tylenol, cold medicines, and other OTC remedies are safe for babies.

Sorry, but no.

Cold medicines have not been recommended for children under 6 since 2007 — and that’s an official position from the AAP. More recently, it’s been said that Tylenol isn’t so safe for babies. It’s one of the leading causes of liver failure if parents overdose (which is easy if you mix up children’s and infant’s formulas — infant’s is much more concentrated). Plus, fevers are beneficial and often don’t need treated at all. There are also much safer ways to treat teething and other minor irritations that babies often face.

Medications should be used as rarely as possible, because babies are tiny and growing rapidly and are much more at risk from overuse or overdoses. If you need to use medication, consult a doctor first, and use the smallest effective dose.

This is my favorite teething remedy!

8. Babies need daily baths.

Nope!

It used to be a thing that babies got baths before bed, to clean off the day’s dirt and settle down. And that’s okay, if you want, but babies do not need daily baths. This is especially true for the young ones who aren’t mobile and don’t really get dirty. Sponge baths on bottoms, hair, and chins (to clean the milk dribble out of those fat rolls!) are all that’s needed, really, when babies are small. Older babies may benefit from baths 1 – 2 times per week, or any time they’ve actually been playing and have gotten dirty. But really, dirt doesn’t hurt and less frequent baths are fine.

9. “Back to Sleep” is the safest sleeping position.

Surprisingly — no!

“Back to sleep” started in the early 90s to try to reduce the rate of SIDS. However, sleeping position alone isn’t really causing SIDS. Some theorize that the reason that babies on their stomachs were more likely to die (keep in mind — slightly — as most babies will be fine regardless) is because of all of the harsh fire-retardant chemicals in the mattresses that babies were breathing in. It may have also been from soft bedding and babies who couldn’t turn their heads properly, which is really suffocation, not SIDS.

Back sleeping has led to babies who have flat spots on their heads, which sometimes requires the use of a special helmet to encourage the head to re-shape itself.

With safe bedding and safe sleeping arrangements — chemical-free mattresses, relatively firm surfaces, smooth sheets and light blankets until baby can roll/move well — there’s no evidence that back sleeping specifically is necessary or safer. Many babies will only sleep if they are on their stomachs in the early weeks.

10. Babies should wear shoes as soon as they can walk.

Really? No.

The only reason babies need shoes is to protect their feet when they’re outside. But babies learn to walk by balancing in bare feet, and they should. Newly-walking babies should be barefoot as much as possible, certainly in the house. When you are outside, consider a soft-soled shoes that flexes with their feet instead of hard shoes. It’ll protect them without messing up their newly-acquired balance and skill. And even outside, if you’re in your own yard or someplace that’s relatively safe, let them go barefoot anyway.

11. Well-child visits are absolutely necessary.

Honestly? No.

It’s good to establish a relationship with a doctor you trust, so that should anything go wrong, you have someone who can advise you. But, it’s not necessary to go to every single well-child visit on the schedule. Most parents can weigh and measure their kids at home (although it doesn’t matter exactly how big a kid is, as long as they are growing), and if they notice anything odd, can call and ask about it and schedule an appointment. Most families go because of the vaccine schedule, but more and more families are delaying, spreading out, selectively vaccinating, or not vaccinating — in which case they don’t need to go to all the normal visits.

It’s fine, of course, if you want to go to all the visits, if you’re vaccinating and need to go. But it’s not a necessity.

12. Breast-fed babies need a vitamin D supplement (or iron, or a multivitamin).

This is a newer recommendation, but the truth is — probably not.

Breast milk isn’t the best source for vitamin D, or iron, but — there are other factors. Vitamin D levels are low in breast milk in part because mothers are often deficient. Also, babies are meant to get some sunlight (think 10 min. a day around noon) for vitamin D. Iron levels are low, but iron in breastmilk is well-absorbed.

If anything, in my opinion, mothers should take probiotics and cod liver oil themselves, to pass on to their babies through their milk. Multivitamins are also not necessary and a lot of them are poorly absorbed and may contain artificial colors, flavors, and other additives that aren’t good for babies. Breastfeeding moms can make an herbal infusion from red raspberry leaf and nettle which is extremely nourishing. (An infusion, if you’re not familiar, is like tea, only much stronger. It’s usually a big handful of herbs in a quart of hot water, left to steep for at least a few hours.)

Exclusive breastfeeding is the biologically optimal way to feed, and nothing else should be given prior to 6 months — and that includes supplements. (I do recommend offering cod liver oil to babies directly starting around a year old, or when they are eating significant solids.)

Those are the 12 I thought of and that some others suggested!

Psst! My book, “Natural Remedies for Kids,” is available now!

What baby lies have you heard most often?

Ready to get started living a healthier life? This complete, 50-page guide will walk you through the steps, product swaps, recipes, and more that you need to get started today!

Original article and pictures take modernalternativemama.com site

110 Positive Natural Birth Stories

110 Positive Natural Birth Stories

When I was pregnant with my first child, I devoured natural childbirth stories almost as much as I scarfed down bowls of cable car chocolate topped with brownie bites at our local frozen yogurt shop.

Every time I indulged in one of these heroic stories, I felt even more confident that our bodies really are made to birth our babies naturally, and that I too could do it.

Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, not everyone on the internet holds the experience of childbirth in such esteem, especially when it comes to doing it naturally.

The fear-mongering of horror stories about birth can be brutal and hard to avoid, and that is the last thing a pregnant mama who is preparing for natural childbirth needs to hear.

To encourage both myself and all the future mamas that would come after me, I began carefully curating a collection of positive natural childbirth stories and eventually published my Positive Natural Birth Stories book.

I wanted to take this one step further to connect even more women like me with the natural birth stories their hearts craved in the list below.

This list includes natural childbirth stories from around the web and some in print including:

• natural home birth stories
• natural hospital birth stories
• natural VBAC birth stories
• unassisted birth stories
• and even natural birth stories of multiples!

So, whether you’re preparing for a natural childbirth yourself or you just love a heart-warming birth story, here are 110 Positive Natural Childbirth Stories. Happy reading!

110 Positive Natural Childbirth Stories

1. The Painless Natural Home Birth of BabyE by Shannon here at GrowingSlower

2. The natural hospital birth of her second baby by Justine at The Lone Home Ranger

3. Vaginal Hospital Birth of TRIPLETS at Birth Without Fear

4. Natural home birth story of baby #1 at GeorgeTown, MN

5. A surprise unassisted home birth by Lauren at Hobo Mama.

Photo Source

6-47. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. (affiliate)

48. The chaotic home birth of her second child by Luschka at Diary of a First Child.

49. A surprise unassisted home birth by Cynthia at Hippie Housewife

50. A Birth Center birth story at Bloom Spokane

51-59. A natural birth videos from Luschka at Diary of a First Child

60. The Natural Home Birth Story of BabyL by Mrs. L here at GrowingSlower

61. A Natural Breech Birth Story at Nola Nesting

62. The Painless Natural Home Birth Story of Baby E here at GrowingSlower

63. Birth Diary of Katelyn Noel unplanned unassisted at Natural Motherhood

64. Emery’s Birth Story at Busyland

65. A Nurse and Her Home Birth- A Birth Story at Mama Birth

66-97. Check out the 32 birth stories in my book Natural Birth Stories: The Real Mom’s Guide to an Empowering Natural Birth. Also Available on Amazon on Kindle and in Paperback.

98. A Natural Unmedicated Childbirth Story at Pistachio Project

99-108. Natural Birth Stories at A Birth Story blog

109. A Home Birth in pictures by Erin Loechner on Babble

110. A Home Birth with baby born in the caul (with pictures) on Birth Without Fear blog

Even more birth stories!

111. Everett’s Birth Story at Natural Momma in progress

112. The VBAC Birth of My Second Born Son at Simple Life Abundant Life

113. The Almost unassisted natural homebirth story of BabyA here at GrowingSlower

Have you had a natural childbirth? Do you hope to someday? Share your story in the comments!

Original article and pictures take growingslower.com site

11 Ways to Help Toddlers Sleep Through the Night

11 Ways to Help Toddlers Sleep Through the Night

I know you’re exhausted, and you probably feel like you’ve tried everything, but don’t give up Mama! From books and strategies to supplements and magnesium for toddler sleep, try these these 11 natural ways to help toddlers sleep through the night, at last!

Sleep ideas for toddlers that work! I know you're exhausted, and you probably feel like you've tried everything, but don't give up Mama! Try these these 11 ways to help toddlers sleep through the night.

If you’ve greeted my husband or I with a polite, “How are you?” anytime within the last two and a half years, I can almost guarantee the one word answer we gave.

It wasn’t a generic “fine,” or “good,” but something much more specific: “TIRED.”

From the time we had our son in 2011, we’ve been absolutely exhausted.

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about the ongoing saga of sleep issues we’ve had with our oldest. Quite frankly, it’s because I had pretty much given up. I started telling myself, surely he’ll sleep through the night by the time he’s 5. (Depressing I know.)

But every once in a while I would hear of some natural remedy or gentle sleep strategy that would give me a hope.

The lack of sleep wasn’t just hard on us. Our poor boy was chronically overtired. He wanted to sleep. He tried to sleep.

He’d happily stay in bed, but falling asleep frequently took two hours. Then he’d be up several times a night, sometimes for an hour or more, unable to sleep or keep still.

Finally, he’d be up for the day at 4:30 or 5 am!

I am happy to say that he finally started sleeping through the night on a fairly consistent basis starting at about 30 months, sooner than I ever thought possible.

This has been a long journey, and this post is going to get quite long. If you’re struggling with total exhaustion, desperate to help your toddler sleep, I don’t want to leave any details out that might help you on your own quest to help your toddler sleep through the night.

So without further ado, here’s what finally worked (along with some things that didn’t) to help my toddler sleep through the night…

Ways to Help Toddlers Sleep Through the Night

The Baby Days

At first, it was the expected newborn stage. Babies need to be fed a couple times in the middle of the night. It’s totally normal up to a year or more.

Sometimes, they have gas or are teething. But this went way beyond that.

At about four months, I finally had the light bulb go on: he exhibited all the characteristics of a high need baby: nursing constantly, almost never napping, up every two hours or more at night, needing to be held all. the.time.

I love my high need baby of course. I was thankful to be his mommy and to be willing and able to provide him the comfort he clearly needed. Still, a person can only go without sleep for so long.

By the time he was seven months old, (I thought) I was at my breaking point. I could do little more than sit and stare into space while holding the baby during the day after being up all night. You can see from my thin blogging archives that any personal time or hobbies was just about zero in those months.

No Cry Sleep Solution

My baby’s doctor loaned me a copy of the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley at his 9 month check up. It sounded like the promised land.

It’s a book by a mom of four that helps teach baby to sleep using gentle methods. You can still co-sleep, and you don’t have to let them cry!

Thus, we embarked on Operation Mama Needs Sleep. I thoroughly documented everything about my baby’s sleep as Pantely suggests, even jotting down notes in the dark at 2 am.

I created a detailed bedtime plan. I tried the famous Pantely-pull-off. I made him a lovely and wore it around in my blouse to get my smell on it.

And we did have some success. At about 9-months of age, he went from waking up more than six times a night to about five.

The biggest improvement was in naps. Instead of taking several 20-40 minute naps a day on me, I was able to get him to sleep in bed for up to an hour at a time without having to hold him the whole time.

Dr. Sears Weighs In

I also read Dr. Sear’s The Baby Book and The Baby Sleep Book around that time and tried out his suggestions.

I made my baby an organic cotton sleep sack and avoided synthetic fabrics that might cause allergies or irritation.

I put a thermometer in the bedroom to make sure it was the ideal 70 degrees.

I attempted to do a breastfeeding elimination diet to rule out food allergies and sensitivities, specifically dairy. However, I was so exhausted at that time that I kept forgetting and eating dairy! I suspect that this is a strategy that would have worked for us if I would have had the capacity at that time.

If you have a fussy baby who has frequent and severe spit up and explosive diapers or who is sick frequently, you might consider trying an elimination diet if you’re feeling up to it. (Don’t let these symptoms be overlooked like I did.)

This is a diet in which you as the breastfeeding mom eliminate foods from your diet that may be causing your baby digestive issues through your milk. Dr. Sears has a thorough list of foods that could cause irritation in The Baby Book with instructions on how to do the diet. The New Childhood Epidemics book also has a great list.

A new doctor, a boatload of supplements

By his 18 month check up we had moved to eastern Washington, and I had sought out a naturally-minded pediatrician who had done a lot of research into natural supplements and homeopathic remedies.

With this perfect cocktail, she had taken her son from frequent hospital stays for his asthma, to not even needing meds.

She recommended a similar regimen for my son, including a multivitamin (we used Kids Liquid Calm), fish oil, and vitamin D among other things.

For the first time ever, he started sleeping through the night about two out of every seven nights. Progress!

Night Weaning

When he was 20 months old (and I was pregnant with my baby girl) we decided to start potty training.

Because getting breastmilk right before bed and throughout the night was going to make nighttime potty training difficult, we also decided to night wean.

My husband started putting him to bed and getting up with him throughout the night. There were some tears, but after about a week they had their own bedtime routine worked out without Mama’s help.

If you’ve spent much time searching for sleep solutions for your little ones, it’s likely you’ve come across the advice that their constant waking is because they just want to nurse all night, and if you would only night wean them (or wean them completely), they would sleep through.

It seems to me that breastfeeding is blamed all too often for any number of childhood issues.

Night weaning worked splendidly for potty training. However, night weaning did not improve BabyE’s sleep.

It did however improve my sleep, as his daddy got up with him in the middle of the night, and I got to stay in bed. It was perfect timing, as I was so exhausted at the beginning of my pregnancy.

Dietary Changes

My son had been gluten free and mostly dairy free for quite some time. However, I was (and still am) concerned about him getting enough Calcium, so I continued to give him yogurt. Plus he loved it.

When he was about 28 months old, I finally cut dairy completely out of his diet.

Some of his chronic tummy issues subsided immediately.

He began sleeping through about three times a week and went back to sleep more easily when he did wake up.

He went from getting sick every two weeks (pretty much constantly) to once every couple of months.

Bedtime Routine

At around 30 months, we sat down one night and developed this rigorous bedtime routine to help our “baby” (now a toddler quickly growing into a preschooler) wind down and get ready to sleep.

Here are complete details of our bedtime routine, with information about a few different supplements we use.

1. Get Ready.

Be sure to put PJs and potty in the bathroom ahead of time so he didn’t get wound up running around the house while we were trying to find these items later.

2. Offer 1 tsp of coconut oil on a spoon.

This idea came from Bulletproof Executive that recommends eating protein and fat such as coconut oil at dinner or before bed to improve sleep. (Alternatively they suggest honey and krill oil. We tried the honey without the krill oil, but didn’t have any luck.)

We started by offering a mix of peanut butter and coconut oil, but E found he preferred just the coconut oil alone, and it worked just as well. We always have protein with dinner, so that part of the equation was already taken care of.

It makes sense to me why this works. Over the past year or so, when E would take a long time to fall asleep or would wake up in the middle of the night, he would communicate to us that he was hungry.

And most of the time, he convinced us that this (which many would deem toddler manipulation) was authentic by eating a full meal in the middle of the night, even if he’d eaten plenty at every meal during the day. He was like the Very Hungry Caterpillar! It was almost shocking to see how much he put away.

The protein and coconut oil provided fuel to last him through the night and helped to stabilize blood sugar, so he didn’t feel hungry anymore.

3. Make time for bath time.

I add about 1/2 cup epsom salt in a warm bath and let him soak and play in it for at least 20 minutes before bed. Much thanks to Angela at Grassfed Mama for her series on sleep that mentioned this trick.

4. More Magnesium.

Get out of the bath and rub about 1/2 teaspoon magnesium oil lotion on his belly before putting on pajamas, going potty, and brushing teeth.

I started doing this back when I did my review of magnesium lotion for Creative Christian Mama, but I was sporadic about remembering. Now it is a regular part of our routine because it works.

There’s magnesium in both the Epsom salt and magnesium lotion which helps the muscles relax and the body get restful sleep, among many other benefits. You can take a magnesium supplement orally, but it is generally thought to be absorbed best through the skin.

These two sleep strategies work for moms too!

When I was experiencing pregnancy induced insomnia with my second pregnancy, I would get up and rub magnesium lotion all over my belly. I’d get back in bed and almost immediately fall deeply asleep.

Then the other night, I decided to try an Epsom salt bath for myself to help with achy muscles. Oh me oh my! Shortly afterward, I was knitting and having a conversation with my husband, and I was literally falling asleep mid-stitch and mid-sentence!

5. Lights out.

Then E goes and gets in bed (usually jumps thanks to taking our suggestion to “jump in bed” literally). We turn on a loud box fan for white noise.

Then we read him three stories. He gets up to potty one last time and turns out the lights.

Finally, we sing 3 songs (Twinkle, twinkle, little star seems to do the trick the best) and then we sit by his bed and sneak out once he’s asleep.

We’ve been doing this for long enough now that we occasionally leave before he’s fully asleep and he actually stays in there, yawns and talks to himself, and FALLS ASLEEP. BY. HIM. SELF! I seriously never dreamed this day would come!

Sleeping through the Night!

For so many months we had prayed (along with our friends and family) for the wisdom to help our boy sleep through the night. I am so thankful that this prayer has been answered!

I don’t believe it was just a matter of age, him growing up, that made this drastic improvement. This change happened over night as soon as we implemented the last of these gentle sleep strategies.

As you can tell by the length of this post, baby and toddler sleep problems are a really complex issue. If you and your toddler are struggling with sleep issues, I want to encourage you to hang in there.

Every kid is different, and what works for one will certainly be different than what works for another. If these ideas don’t work for you, keep searching.

11 Ways to Help Toddlers Sleep Through the Night

So, assuming you’re an exhausted sleep deprived mama like I was, here’s a recap of the 11 gentle sleep techniques I mentioned in the ridiculously long post above:

1. Breastfeeding Elimination Diet (See Dr. Sears’ Baby Book)
2. Support a healthy immune system: multivitamin, fish oil, and vitamin D
3. Take care of food allergies and sensitivities
4. Protein and coconut oil
5. Epsom salt baths
6. White Noise (box fan)
7. Predictable bedtime routine

Doing my research while I was so exhausted was tough. And the prolonged sleeplessness led to severe adrenal burnout for me that I am still trying to fight my way out of.

If you try out the tips above and aren’t seeing results, please get help for the health of you and your baby.

I pray you too will find a restful night’s sleep soon!

What gentle methods have helped your toddler fall asleep and stay asleep? Share your story in the comments.

Original article and pictures take growingslower.com site