Managing Colds

Friday Night, Travis had a fever up to 103...yikes.  I wanted to treat it naturally, but because I'm still learning and retraining myself in natural medicine I was a little under-confident.  I also knew that a fever isn't necessary a bad thing!  A fever is the body's way to killing off an possible infection.  As the night went on we kept watching him and kept him close. We gave him some echinacea.  He was in good spirits, but his fever was climbing.  So I bit the bullet and decided to head out to walmart to pick up some baby Advil, because it was 11:30 at night I couldn't head to the health food store to pick some homeopathics.  I was sad the whole drive there.  I felt like I was letting myself down. 
But as I was looking through the possible pain and fevers relievers, I came across a Homeopathic remedy at WALMART!  I was so thrilled.  When I got home, we gave him some and within 30 mins his fever was down to 102!  Amazing.  Natural medicines work so much better, because the body knows what to do with them.  So I decided to find a great article from healthychild.com (again) about managing colds naturally.  And since I found natural homopathics at walmart, I'm reminded that more people now a days are looking for the more natural root.  As a friend of mine says "There is always a better way!"  Here's the context to the article that I chose, now I hope you enjoy! 

Managing Colds

Randall Neustaedter, OMD

Symptoms

Usually a cold begins with a runny nose and tiredness. Sometimes babies are just fussy. These symptoms may be accompanied by fever or sore throat. It may be difficult to distinguish colds from allergies or teething. Viruses cause colds, and they are spread easily from one child to another. If it’s going around, it’s probably a cold. If it’s not accompanied by a change in energy or fussiness, it may be allergies. If congestion persists, it may be allergies or a sinus infection.
Often a child’s body will fight off a cold in a few days without any treatment, but using natural remedies will promote healing and help prevent complications. Typical colds last for seven days, though congestion may persist longer. Complications include earaches and chest colds. Colds are usually contagious for the first three to four days. Keep your child at home at the beginning of colds and for 24 hours after fevers have abated.

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to give a boost to the immune system so that it fights off the infection efficiently. This can be done with herbs and homeopathic medicines. Both can be given at the same time.
Echinacea: Echinacea stimulates the body to produce more white blood cells that fight invasion by viruses or bacteria. Most health food stores stock echinacea preparations. Avoid products that contain other herbs or fillers. Golden seal is not needed for colds. Echinacea is not appropriate for allergic symptoms, and should not be used over an extended period of time. Stop when the cold symptoms improve, or after five days.
Directions: Mix with juice or water or give it straight.
Dosage: Babies under one year: 10 drops three times per day. Children over one year: 20 drops three times per day.
Windbreaker: This is a Chinese herbal formula designed for children. Yin chiao jin junior is a comparable formula. It stimulates a healing reaction in the body, dispels invasion of cold, and relieves mucus production and congestion. Use it at the onset of colds and continue as long as congestion persists. Shake the bottle before each use. This formula contain s alcohol.
Directions: Mix the drops in a small amount of steaming hot water to evaporate the alcohol, then mix this solution with juice.
Dosage: Babies under one year: 10 drops three times per day. Children over one year: 20 drops three times per day

Homeopathic Medicines

Dosage: 2 pellets three times per day regardless of age. Babies may need the pellets crushed or dissolved in water, but they will usually suck on them if placed inside the cheek. Use only one homeopathic medicine at a time. Stop when symptoms begin to improve.

Stage 1 of the Cold

Allium cepa: The first remedy to give for clear, runny nose…or
Belladonna: If there is also a fever with clear runny nose.
Once the discharge has changed from clear to yellow or green these remedies are no longer indicated.
Stage 2 of the cold: Pulsatilla: thick nasal discharge and clingy behavior.
Stage 3 of the cold: Kali bichromicum: thick green nasal discharge.

First-aid Tips

If a baby has difficulty nursing because of nasal obstruction, or an older child has trouble sleeping, take them into the bathroom and steam it up with the hot shower. Let them breathe the steam for five minutes. This will loosen things up. Humidifiers and vaporizers are inefficient, messy, and hazardous.

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Dr. Neustaedter has practiced homeopathy and oriental medicine for over 25 years, specializing in child health care. An accomplished and well-recognized author, he has written The Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benefits for Children and Adults (North Atlantic Books, 2002), a book that helps consumers make informed choices about vaccination. His new book, Child Health Guide: Holistic Pediatrics for Parents (North Atlantic Books, 2005), represents a state of the art guide to raising children with natural medical care. He can be reached through his extensive website at www.cure-guide.com.

Helping Your Child Sleep Better

Written by Jane Sheppard

Friday, 20 August 2010 09:30

Providing a Safe, Nurturing Haven for your Baby or Toddler is More Important than Sleep Routines Being a more "go-with-the-flow" type of person, I was never much for routines or structure as a mom. I could never quite get a solid routine going for my daughter's bedtime, even though all the books and articles touted bedtime routines as important to establishing good sleep patterns. I co-slept with my baby and I was so tired that I often went to bed the same time. And when she had her own bed in her own room, I would lie down next to her and snuggle with her and sing to her before she fell asleep. So I guess that was our bedtime "routine". Now there is some new research that being emotionally receptive is more important than establishing routines in reducing sleep disruptions and helping infants and toddlers sleep better. For Infant Sleep, Receptiveness More Important Than Routine http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/2010/7_29_10_infant_sleep.html Bedtime and going to sleep can be an emotional time for kids, particularly babies and toddlers. We need to provide reassurance through emotional communication, as this study suggests. Nursing right before bed while gazing into your baby's eyes and singing or talking softly will establish a safe haven. A baby needs this connection to be able to let go and fall asleep for long periods of time. Not only at bedtime, but throughout the day, we can provide as much close physical and emotional contact as possible, i.e., holding, cuddling, massaging, rocking, carrying, co-sleeping. Facial expressions, actions, and talking that mirrors to babies that they are valuable and their needs truly matter are also important and lets them know they are safe to fall asleep at night. However, as we take a look at this study, what we do NOT need to do is provide yet another guilt trip for mothers. After a long day of working and giving and showing up for everyone else, it can be very challenging to be calm and centered with your child when you really need time for yourself. And if you're impatient your child will pick up on this energy and get tense and anxious, making the whole thing a lot more difficult. What I'd like to propose is that it's not about self-sacrifice at all. It's about meeting the needs of the mother-child relationship and that includes YOU. Self-care for mothers is an essential component to this whole conversation. Somehow we need to find the time and space to nurture ourselves as much as possible to be able to nurture our babies. And I think both can be done at the same time. It really depends on how you go into it. After spending some time cuddling and snuggling with my daughter before she went to sleep, I was usually more energized to go about the rest of my evening. It gave me that little bit of downtime that I needed. I also remember whenever I gave my baby a massage, it was heaven for me, too if I allowed it to be. I put on soft music, added calming essential oils to the lotion and leaned back in the rocking chair with her on my lap. I had learned the techniques for baby massage but I needed let go of having to do it right. Whenever I relaxed into it, my baby would relax too and then it would be easy and meditative for me. When we nurture our babies in this way it's not a one-way street. What we receive back is that calm, peaceful baby energy that is really nurturing to us as well. What gets in the way of this is our own mind chatter - thinking about all the stuff there is to do. But if you can take a half hour and create a nurturing space for both you and your baby, it can be a delightful, rejuvenating experience. Perhaps you can let go of your day and of what you feel you need to do the rest of your evening and just melt into that special time with your child, taking those moments to regenerate yourself while nurturing your baby. It doesn't' matter if your child is not interested in the book you're trying to read to him or wants to go along with the program the way you think it should be. What does matter is your connection and the calm energy between you. So why not soak this up and take it in? Instead of worrying about all the specifics of a routine, just let yourself relax into the energy of your child and allow this time to be a nurturing time for both of you. You can soak up that sweet energy and use it to calm and nurture yourself. This special time of unwinding for both you and your baby might be something you can look forward to each night. Of course you also need you own time for yourself. Read about some ways you can make this happen: http://www.healthychild.com/parent-self-care/the-art-of-self-care-for-mothers/

Written by Jane Sheppard

Providing a Safe, Nurturing Haven for your Baby or Toddler is More Important than Sleep Routines

Being a more "go-with-the-flow" type of person, I was never much for routines or structure as a mom. I could never quite get a solid routine going for my daughter's bedtime, even though all the books and articles touted bedtime routines as important to establishing good sleep patterns. I co-slept with my baby and I was so tired that I often went to bed the same time. And when she had her own bed in her own room, I would lie down next to her and snuggle with her and sing to her before she fell asleep. So I guess that was our bedtime "routine".
Now there is some new research that being emotionally receptive is more important than establishing routines in reducing sleep disruptions and helping infants and toddlers sleep better.
For Infant Sleep, Receptiveness More Important Than Routine
http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/2010/7_29_10_infant_sleep.html
Bedtime and going to sleep can be an emotional time for kids, particularly babies and toddlers. We need to provide reassurance through emotional communication, as this study suggests. Nursing right before bed while gazing into your baby's eyes and singing or talking softly will establish a safe haven. A baby needs this connection to be able to let go and fall asleep for long periods of time.
Not only at bedtime, but throughout the day, we can provide as much close physical and emotional contact as possible, i.e., holding, cuddling, massaging, rocking, carrying, co-sleeping. Facial expressions, actions, and talking that mirrors to babies that they are valuable and their needs truly matter are also important and lets them know they are safe to fall asleep at night.
However, as we take a look at this study, what we do NOT need to do is provide yet another guilt trip for mothers. After a long day of working and giving and showing up for everyone else, it can be very challenging to be calm and centered with your child when you really need time for yourself. And if you're impatient your child will pick up on this energy and get tense and anxious, making the whole thing a lot more difficult.
What I'd like to propose is that it's not about self-sacrifice at all. It's about meeting the needs of the mother-child relationship and that includes YOU. Self-care for mothers is an essential component to this whole conversation. Somehow we need to find the time and space to nurture ourselves as much as possible to be able to nurture our babies. And I think both can be done at the same time. It really depends on how you go into it.
After spending some time cuddling and snuggling with my daughter before she went to sleep, I was usually more energized to go about the rest of my evening. It gave me that little bit of downtime that I needed.
I also remember whenever I gave my baby a massage, it was heaven for me, too if I allowed it to be. I put on soft music, added calming essential oils to the lotion and leaned back in the rocking chair with her on my lap. I had learned the techniques for baby massage but I needed let go of having to do it right. Whenever I relaxed into it, my baby would relax too and then it would be easy and meditative for me.
When we nurture our babies in this way it's not a one-way street. What we receive back is that calm, peaceful baby energy that is really nurturing to us as well. What gets in the way of this is our own mind chatter - thinking about all the stuff there is to do. But if you can take a half hour and create a nurturing space for both you and your baby, it can be a delightful, rejuvenating experience.
Perhaps you can let go of your day and of what you feel you need to do the rest of your evening and just melt into that special time with your child, taking those moments to regenerate yourself while nurturing your baby. It doesn't' matter if your child is not interested in the book you're trying to read to him or wants to go along with the program the way you think it should be. What does matter is your connection and the calm energy between you. So why not soak this up and take it in? Instead of worrying about all the specifics of a routine, just let yourself relax into the energy of your child and allow this time to be a nurturing time for both of you. You can soak up that sweet energy and use it to calm and nurture yourself. This special time of unwinding for both you and your baby might be something you can look forward to each night.
Of course you also need you own time for yourself. Read about some ways you can make this happen:
http://www.healthychild.com/parent-self-care/the-art-of-self-care-for-mothers/

Midwives

I just found another great article.  Midwives! Oh how wonderful.  I had midwives for the birth of both my daughter and my son.  I believe Miwives are the new OBGYN for pregnancy and births...sorry docs!  Us woman are more informed and want what's best for our little ones.  There's a better way!  Enjoy the article!

 By Suzanne Arms
Although the obstetrical model for birth is currently dominant in the U.S., there does exist another, time-honored and scientifically-proven model that views birth as a healthy, normal process. That model is midwifery. Midwifery is trust-based and protects normalcy by understanding the intrinsic value of caring for the mother and keeping the mother-baby pair intact.

Trained Professionals

Contrary to current misconceptions, midwives are trained professionals, skilled in their ability to assist childbearing women with the least amount of intervention, guard their privacy, protect their bodies and their babies. Midwives are trained to acknowledge, respect and treat the excessive fear that most American women now bring to birth. This fear is understandable in light of the history of modern childbirth, however it must be addressed if women are to have normal births.
The hallmark of midwifery is the time they spend with a woman and the relationship of trust that forms between them. Midwives view childbirth as a psycho-sexual time and also try and care for the partner and family. Simple statistics bear this out: the average prenatal visit to a midwife lasts 30-45 minutes (and longer if the woman is planning a home birth), compared to 5-7 minutes obstetricians average with their patients.

The Role of Trust

The value of this trust and in-depth relationship cannot be over-emphasized. It provides the health professional with crucial information that can predict or prevent complications. It also plays a vital role in making women more comfortable and diminishing unwarranted anxiety of both parents-to-be, and thereby produces more normal labors.
Midwives provide continuous observation in labor and are trained to know when to act and when to let nature take its course. Because a midwife does not rely on an electronic device to monitor the woman's progress in labor and the baby's well being, she is far better able to discern real problems from normal variations.
Furthermore, she is less likely to wait too long to intervene when that is called for because she has been continuously observing the process. This is why midwives attending births in all settings maintain a cesarean rate of 5% or less, even when caring for high-risk women in the hospital.

Breastfeeding Connection

Virtually all mothers cared for exclusively by midwives during pregnancy and birth breastfeed successfully. The majority of mothers who birth at home with midwives breastfeed for at least a year, which is the current recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. There are a myriad of benefits from a midwifery-based system of maternity and newborn care.

Accessibility

Today the U.S. has only 7,000 practicing midwives (Certified Nurse-Midwives and Direct Entry Midwives combined) attending births in all settings. In comparison there are more than 33,000 obstetricians. We will not see significant change in maternal health-care until this ratio is reversed. Obstetricians still maintain tight control over hospital obstetrics, although HMO and insurance company policies and hospital attorneys and administrators have eroded their power.
Midwives who have been able to gain hospital privileges for private clients are increasingly being pushed out by obstetricians and OB residents who see their presence as direct competition for the patient dollar.

Becoming a Midwife

There are different kinds of midwives and many ways to train as one. There are two major categories of midwives:
Certified or licensed practical midwives, called DPM, or sometimes LM. They usually train at a midwifery school or through an apprenticeship with an experienced midwife. For a listing of accredited midwifery schools, contact the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council, known as MEAC, at www.meacschools.org (or call 928-214-0997 ).
Certified nurse-midwives, who do a midwifery training after getting their nurses education. Contact the American College of Nurse Midwives at www.acnm.org (or call 202-728-9860) for a listing of nurse-midifery schools.
We need a midwife for every mother.

Boost Your Child's Immune System the Natural, Holistic Way

The key to a healthy child is a strong immune system. When functioning properly, the immune system fights disease-producing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. All children are continuously exposed to these pathogens, but exposure does not mean a child will get sick. A strong immune system provides a child with powerful natural defenses against disease. Conversely, a child with a weakened immune system is vulnerable or more susceptible to colds, flu, and more serious illnesses.
It is virtually impossible to germ-proof your child. Germs are abundant everywhere, especially in situations such as daycare or preschool. Being exposed to germs is a part of life, but not necessarily unfavorable. Exposure to different viruses and bacteria can actually strengthen a child’s immune system. Furthermore, acquiring innocuous childhood diseases such as chicken pox and measles can help to build immunity and give your child lifetime protection against these diseases. Lifetime immunity is important since these diseases can have serious negative effects if acquired as an adult.
If your child is overly susceptible to illness, you may want to take steps to enhance his or her immune system and make it as strong as possible. Prevention is the way to avoid subjecting your child to continuing cycles of antibiotics or other medications. The powerful tools of prevention include breastfeeding, good nutrition, nutritional supplements, a healthy mental attitude and emotional well-being, a nontoxic environment, avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and vaccines, low stress, and plenty of rest and exercise.

Allergies and Environmental Illness

By Jane Sheppard

Environmentally Sick Homes and Schools

The pollution in today’s environment is pervasive. Our air, food, water, homes, and schools are polluted with over seventy thousand chemicals. What can be surprising to many people is that the outdoor air is often less polluted than the indoor air of some of our buildings. Many schools are seriously affected by both indoor and outdoor pollution and are no longer environmentally safe for our children.
The numbers of children and teachers who do not feel well during school hours are sadly increasing. Many feel better shortly after arriving home. Parents are puzzled because their children do not seem to remember things as well as they used to, or they may not be able to learn at their natural level of ability. Mood and behavior changes are also common. According to a recent survey, 71 percent of teachers say they are now seeing more children with health problems than ever before. Up to 20 percent of American children have developed chronic illnesses. Asthma and allergic coughing are common complaints. The soaring number of children diagnosed with hyperactivity, ADD, or other behavior and learning difficulties is disturbing. Sometimes these problems are encountered only at home and not at school.
Is our environment triggering these problems? According to Doris J. Rapp, M.D., a leading specialist in Environmental Medicine, our present environment is causing a growing number of children to be sick. It is estimated that more than 40 million people now have some form of environmental illness due to allergic or toxic reactions to various substances in our environment. The intensity of a reaction can range from mild to very severe. Exposures to chemicals and natural allergens (dust, molds, pollen) can trigger serious physical, neurological, and psychological problems. Certain foods can be the cause of an allergic response, as well as many substances in water that can make a child ill. Among the most common toxins in water are chlorine, fluoride, pesticides, copper, lead, plastic and styrene (from the water containers).
We are all exposed to numerous chemicals on a regular basis. Usually, these exposures do not show any immediate adverse effects. Our bodies can handle a certain amount of toxins. Over time, though, if our food, air and water remain polluted, our bodies can become increasingly toxic until, eventually, they are in a state of overload. When a child’s body becomes overloaded, it cannot deal with any more toxins. The child may begin to have adverse reactions to certain exposures such as new carpet, paint, cleaning materials, dust or molds. A minor exposure can make a toxic overloaded child very ill.

Symptoms of Environmental Illness

Environmental illness is difficult to diagnose and most doctors do not even know what to look for. In addition to the typical allergy symptoms of asthma, congestion, intestinal and skin problems, the symptoms of environmental illness may include a long list of other perplexing problems. One or more of the following symptoms may be present:
puffiness under the eyes
dark eye circles
nose-rubbing
allergic eye wrinkles
red earlobes
red Cheeks
spacey “out-of-it” look
glassy, glazed eyes
eczema or atopic dermatitis
hives or other rashes
skin scratching
wiggly legs
dramatic change in writing
change in speech
increased pulse
change in breathing
increased fatigue
headaches
asthma
throat clearing and clucking
pain in muscles, legs or joints
abdominal pain, gas
nausea, diarrhea, constipation
bladder problems
ear inflammation or chronic ear infections
hearing problems
sinusitis
food cravings
bad breath
facial tic
twitches
moodiness
depression
irritability
hyperactivity
withdrawal
aggression
focus, memory or learning problems
Of course, there can be other reasons for all of the above symptoms, but many doctors do not even consider chemicals, foods or other allergens as a possible cause of a child’s problem. The child could easily be labeled with ADD/ADHD, a learning disability, or any number of diseases. This could set up a child for endless medications and struggle.
Dr. Rapp, author of Is This Your Child? (a NY Times best seller) has written a fully documented, 600 page book entitled Is This Your Child’s World? How You Can Fix the Schools and Homes That Are Making Your Children Sick. This book is a wake-up call for parents, teachers, school administrators, doctors and other health practitioners, including everyone who cares about the future of our children. Is This Your Child’s World? provides detailed information that explains how to approach certain aspects of Environmental Illness, including diagnostic testing and treatment.

Detecting the Source of Environmental Illness

Detecting the source of a child’s problem includes highly detailed record-keeping of symptoms and the substances to which the child has been exposed. Dr. Rapp’s “Big Five” approach is a simple, systematic, inexpensive and fast way to pinpoint exactly what is causing your child’s problem. This involves comparing five variables before and after an exposure. Changes in a child’s behavior, appearance or physiology should alert parents that something has gone wrong. The key question to ask is: What was smelled, eaten or touched just before some change became evident? Compare these five variables before and then ten to sixty minutes after an exposure. Food reactions could take fifteen to sixty minutes to become apparent. A reaction to dust or molds can occur within an hour.
1. How does my child feel, behave, and remember?
2. How does my child look?
3. Is there any handwriting or drawing change?
4. Is there asthma or a breathing problem present?*
5. Is there a change in the pulse rate or rhythm?**
* Use a Peak Flow Meter if wheezing is a problem. Note a drop of over 10 to 15 percent
** Check for a pulse increase over 20 beats per minute or a change in pulse rhythm.

Treatments and Solutions

Treatments may include avoidance, allergy diets, allergy extract treatment, improved nutrition, detoxification, psychological counseling and family support. Homeopathy or herbal therapy can also be very helpful. The specific diagnostic evaluation and treatment that each child may need should be highly individualized; therefore it is beyond the scope of this article. If you are the parent of a child who is manifesting some combination of the above symptoms, I urge you to read Is This Your Child’s World? and find a qualified specialist in environmental medicine.
Dr. Rapp also includes five chapters in Is This Your Child’s World? on what we can do about an environmentally sick school or home. She presents answers for air-quality problems, indoor and outdoor chemicals, food and water, lead, asbestos, pesticides and carpet chemicals. There are a wealth of resources provided for protecting the health of our children as well as fast, easy, practical tips for parents, teachers and school administrators.
I completely agree and align myself with Dr. Rapp’s statement: “We urgently need to address these issues by recognizing the causes and removing them, and by more quickly and effectively treating the individuals who have already lost their health and learning ability. We must do this immediately, for the sake of present and future generations.” She goes on to say that our current challenge is much more than increased dust and molds. It’s the “seventy thousand chemicals that presently permeate what we eat, breathe, touch and smell. We can no longer wait for our government to protect us.”
Doris J. Rapp, M.D., FAEM, FAAA, FAAP, is a board-certified environmental medical specialist and pediatric allergist. She was clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is the founder of the Practical Allergy Research Foundation in Buffalo, NY and past president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine.

Introducing Solid Foods

With the topic of Breastfeeding...I thought I would include an article about the introduction of solids...

By: Randall Neustaedter OMD, LAc, CCHExcerpt from Child Health Guide, North Atlantic Books, Spring 2005
At five to six months it is time to start introducing your baby to the idea that some objects in the world, other than a breast or bottle, taste good. Give your baby tastes of food on your finger or on a small spoon if she expresses any interest. Usually she will make a face and push the food back out at you with her tongue. It takes practice for babies to learn how to swallow solids because a new skill of muscular coordination is necessary to get those solids from the tongue into the throat. Up until now your baby has only ingested food by sucking. There is no urgency to get solid foods into your baby at any particular age. Babies do fine on just breast milk for nine months if necessary. Some babies are more interested in solids than others. Some six-month-olds will be grabbing the food out of your hand. Others seem to show no interest at all. Follow your baby's clues, and keep offering different types of foods. Do not feel compelled to get your baby to eat. Giving too many solids may discourage your baby from the all-important task of breastfeeding.
The first foods for babies, other than breast milk or formula, should be cooked fruits and vegetables and mashed bananas. These simple carbohydrates are the easiest foods for your baby to digest. The enzymes that break down solid foods develop slowly. Start with very simple carbohydrates and gradually introduce more complex carbohydrates and proteins later. Do not start your baby with rice cereal. Grains are too complex, and the early introduction of grains is associated with later development of allergies and the formation of autoantibodies associated with diabetes. Go slowly, introducing one new food at a time, wait two or three days to observe reactions and introduce another.
Common allergic reactions are a rash around the mouth or anus, runny nose, diarrhea, or fussiness. Allow your baby to play with new foods and observe her face afterwards to see if she develops a rash. The most allergenic foods are egg whites, dairy products, nuts, wheat, soy, corn, citrus, and berries.
Infants should get only pureed or mashed foods. Any foods with chunks can cause choking, which is a very serious danger. Of course you need to be vigilant about anything that goes in your baby's mouth. Avoid hard foods and small round foods such as raisins or whole beans until your baby has molars for chewing. Never let your child run or play vigorously with anything in her mouth. A general rule for solids should be, the more teeth your child develops, the more capable she is of coping with firmer foods.

Dangerous Solid Foods: Choking Hazard

• Whole nuts (especially peanuts) until three-years-old
• Popcorn (hulls are dangerous)
• Raw carrots
• Raw apples (watch out for peels)
• Beans unless mashed

Use fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Cook them yourself. This is not as difficult as it may sound, and it is more nutritious and safer than using prepared baby food from jars. Organic is always best. It is not safe to feed an infant pesticides or fertilizer byproducts.
Baby food jars themselves contain a chemical that may be hazardous to a baby's health, regardless of the nutritional value of the product inside. Baby food jars contain a substance known to cause cancer, liver damage, and genetic modifications. The chemical, called semicarbazide, is found in the plastic sealing gaskets of glass jars with metal lids. The chemical leaches into the foods contained in these jars. The nutrient content of baby food products in jars may be considerably inferior to their freshly cooked counterparts. Nutrients in single ingredient baby foods (first-stage foods) vary depending on the amount of water present in the jar. The carbohydrate content of first-stage foods is a measure of the amount of fruit or vegetable present compared to the amount of water. The brand with the highest carbohydrate content contains nearly 80 percent more carbohydrate than the brand with the least amount (Stallone, 1995).
I encourage parents to make their own baby food from organic vegetables, fruits, grains, and meats whenever possible. Several excellent books provide detailed instructions for home preparation of foods for children aged 5 months to 3 years, Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron being one of the best. I agree with most of her methods except for the use of microwaves, a certain hypervigilance about microbes, and the early introduction of cereals.
Do not microwave your baby's food or bottles. A Swiss study showed that changes in the blood of test subjects could be detected after eating foods cooked in microwave ovens. Several studies observed the formation of known carcinogens when vegetables, milk, meat, and grains were heated with microwaves. Russian researchers also reported a marked acceleration of structural degradation in microwave heated foods leading to a decreased nutrient value of 60 to 90 percent in all foods tested (Lee, 1998).

Benefits of Breastfeeding

By Jane Sheppard

Benefits of Breastfeeding for the Developing Immune System

The importance of breastfeeding cannot be overstated in building a strong immune system. Breastmilk is much more than food. In addition to providing the absolute best nutrition for a growing body, breastmilk supplies the factors needed to develop the immune system and protect your baby against disease. Breastfeeding also adds the loving touch and comfort that is crucial to the growth and well being of your baby.

Developing a Healthy Immune System

Although they have some antibodies from the placenta of their mother, newborns enter the world largely unprotected. They are faced with organisms they have never met before. Their immune systems are undeveloped, which leaves them at risk for infections and serious illnesses. An infant produces antibodies efficiently by about six months, but the immune system is not fully developed until it is about four or five years old. This is one of the reasons why it is important to breastfeed your baby for as long as possible. Breastmilk protects against illness and encourages development of the immune system.
Breastmilk contains lymphocytes and macrophages that produce antibodies and other immune factors. It provides lactobacillus bifidus, the "friendly" bacterium that helps prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria. Another molecule in breastmilk actually kills harmful bacteria. In addition to providing protection against pathogenic bacteria, breastmilk contains elements that guard against viruses, fungi and parasites. The immunology of breastmilk is quite amazing. Mother Nature definitely knows what she is doing!

Long-Term Breastfeeding

It's baffling that some health professionals believe that there is no benefit from breastmilk to babies after they are six months old! Long-term breastfeeding and natural weaning (letting your child decide when to wean) is by far the healthiest and builds a healthy immune system. Continuing to breastfeed into the preschool years does not make a child dependent on the mother. My daughter decided to quit nursing at age four. This was a gentle, easy transition for her. She is a strong, independent child because she knows she can always get her needs met.

Breastfeeding When You or Your Baby are Sick

Many people also believe that a mother should not breastfeed if she is has a contagious illness. The opposite is true. When you are exposed to a virus, you begin producing antibodies to fight the infection. Some of these antibodies are passed to your baby through your breastmilk so he or she can also fight the virus.
When your baby is sick, it makes sense to nurse him or her more frequently. In addition to providing antibodies, breastmilk is a nourishing calorie-rich fluid, which keeps a baby well hydrated. My daughter intuitively knew to nurse more frequently when she was fighting something off. This frequent nursing managed to keep whatever was trying to invade her body from developing into an actual infection or disease.