Children’s Health

How To Encourage Children To Eat Vegetables

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Getting your kids to eat their vegetables can be one of the greatest daily struggles for parents.  Building healthy eating habits takes a lot of effort for parents to sometimes battle it out with their children.

Start Small & Tackle One Meal At A Time

First, start off with breakfast and work on getting sugary cereals, pastries, and dairy off the menu.  Substitute cereals for oatmeal and fruit.  Pastries for homemade muffins (recipe below), and dairy milk for almond or coconut milk to use in smoothies.

First and foremost, parents need to set the example to their children on how to eat properly.

Children easily pick up on the habits of their parents and will gravitate towards the eating style presented at home.  Take a minute and think about the kind of example you are setting for your children.  Ask yourself the following;

  • Do you make meal time a priority?  Preparing regular healthy meals as a family?  Or are you picking up takeout on the way home from work because you are exhausted?
  • What is your attitude towards food and your body image?
  • What messages are you consciously or unconsciously sending your children?
Encouraging your children to take care of their health is one of the greatest acts of love a parent can give their child.

Mindset around meals and snacks can easily be shifted to a more positive experience.  Involve the family in weekly meal planning and grocery shopping for the ingredients that will be needed for those meals.

Older children and teens can also take part in meal prep by washing vegetables and helping to prepare dinner.  Giving children a voice around their meal choices will help with encouraging healthier eating habits.  Provide your children with a choice of what vegetables they are going to eat each day.  In addition, add one wild card vegetable to the menu each week that they may not like, but are willing to try.

Click here to read, “Are You Eating Enough Colour?”

Tips & Tricks To Add Vegetables To Every Day Meals

green pineapple smoothie
  1.  Throw a handful of spinach or kale into smoothies.  Yes, the smoothie will be green, but the flavour and texture of the spinach is masked by all the fruit.

For a a fantastic green pineapple smoothie, click here to read, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes”.

cauliflower rice

2. Use the food processor to turn cauliflower into the texture of rice.  Sauté the cauliflower “rice” in a tablespoon of olive oil and season to taste.

zucchini noodles

3. Use a spiral slicing tool to turn zucchini into noodles.  It will resemble pasta and can be topped with your favourite sauce and veggies.

Grilled spaghetti squash

4. Use spaghetti squash instead of pasta to make traditional spaghetti with meatballs (remember to use grass fed beef for the meatballs).

Click here for “The Ultimate Guide For How to Cook Spaghetti Squash”.

fruit salad ideas

5. Rather than ice cream for dessert, serve a plate of fresh fruit.

Almond-Berry Muffin Recipe

As promised, below is a recipe for healthy muffins that freeze well and are easy to serve as part of a healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups raw almonds, ground
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries)
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 12 muffin liners

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Grind raw almonds until fine.
  3. Mix eggs, coconut oil maple syrup, vanilla and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Add ground almonds and baking soda. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Fold in berries and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
  5. Evenly distribute batter between 12 muffin cups.
  6. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.
  7. ENJOY!!

Also, try this recipe breakfast muffins. It’s another great healthy breakfast idea that you can prepare in advance!

What The Neck? Are You Short-Circuiting?

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Have you ever thought about how how much you strain your neck throughout the day?

You look down to:

  • Text
  • Reply to your email
  • Check Facebook
  • Send a tweet
  • Type on your keyboard
  • Read
  • Speak with your children

…And the list goes on and on!  This can potentially add up to several hours each day that your neck is tilted forward and/or down.

Why Does This Matter?

Your neck is the connection between your brain and the rest of your body.  The messages your brain needs to send must travel through your nervous system which is encased by the bones of your spine.  Therefore, if the spinal bones in your neck are continually forced into a forward (or looking down) position, it puts a great deal of pressure on your nervous system.

This interference causes “electrical problems”.  Whereby, the information that needs to flow freely in the nervous system can no longer do so.  It can cause a “short-circuiting” effect in your body.  This is where certain areas of your body develop illnesses or issues because they are lacking all of the information they need to function at 100%.

Additionally, these misalignments can lead to Forward Head Posture.  This is a serious condition that must be addressed by a chiropractor.  The doctor must work on bringing the carriage of the head back into alignment with your neck and shoulders.

alignment

What Is The Proper Alignment For Your Neck?

If we look at you from the side, your ears should be centered on your shoulders.  This gives your cervical spine (your neck) the correct curve to allow your nervous system to function properly.  Free of any misalignments.

However, if your ears are lining up closer to (or surpassing) the front of your shoulders, your neck is no longer in proper alignment.  This means you are experiencing a significant loss of curve in your neck.  Therefore aren’t able to allow the messages to travel properly within your nervous system.

This is a very serious problem, because even a loss of curve by 1 degree puts significant pressure on your nervous system, never mind the potential for a couple of inches.

Misalignment can actually develop into a loss of curve, or even a reversed cervical curve and can put immense strain on your health.

This Condition Can Lead To Experiencing:
  • Migraines
  • Breathing problems
  • Heart disease
  • Various nose, throat and ear problems
  • Learning difficulties
  • Emotional problems

This is such a critical area of your spine that must be free of misalignments to allow your body to express real health.

Have you noticed this problem in your spouse or your children?  It is especially worrisome for children to have reversed cervical spines, as it can compound into many problems throughout their lives.  And as we all know, when problems are left unaddressed, they tend to get worse, not better.

As we are spending more and more time on our devices and computers, the unnatural strain we are putting on our necks becomes even more prominent.

Click here to read, ” Is Today’s Technology Destroying Your Health?”

What Is The Solution?

Find a chiropractor in your area that can help you to express optimal health.  Follow the care plan laid out for returning the proper curve to your spine.  Especially in children as the rate of complete correction can be quite high, as they are growing and developing quickly.

Pyroluria Test – Why You Should Get One Today!

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sleep apnea,sleep apnea symptoms,sleep apnea treatment,obstructive sleep apnea, what is sleep apnea

Pyroluria is a disorder with numerous symptoms including migraines, fatigue, food sensitivities, insomnia and poor morning appetite.  It has also been linked to loss of libido, mood swings, sensitivity to smells and sounds, hyperactivity, hypoglycemia, and overeating, just to name a few.  This is why having a Pyroluria test is important should you be experiencing any of these symptoms.

Conditions associated with pyroluria include but are not limited to acne, allergies, depression, anxiety, postnatal depression, eczema, substance abuse, learning difficulties, autism, Tourette’s, and Asperger’s syndrome.

So, What Is Pyroluria And What Can You Do About It?

When we synthesize hemoglobin, we produce a byproduct known as pyrrole.  Normally, this is not a problem but some people produce excessive amounts.  When this happens, pyrroles bind to zinc and B6 leaving them unavailable for the body to use.  They also deplete the omega-6 fatty acid gamma linoleic acid (GLA).

Why Should You Have a Pyroluria Test and Why Is Zinc, B6 And GLA So Important?

The body needs zinc for:

• Immune health
• Cell growth and replication
• Enzymes
• Hormone health and reproduction
• Protein metabolism
• Cognitive function, memory, learning
• Thyroid function
• Normal appetite, taste, and smell
• Wound healing

The body needs B6 for:

• Neurotransmitter production
• Convert food to energy
• Immune health
• Brain development
• Healthy sleep cycle
• Balanced moods

GLA acts to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Support hormone health
• Aid fat loss
• Increase energy
• Keep the skin hydrated and healthy

We are just scratching the surface but it is obvious that we need to be able to use these nutrients if we want to maintain good health.  Click here for information on how to read labels like a pro and get the most out of your food when grocery shopping.

Pyroluria is generally not recognized by mainstream medicine and few physicians are even aware of it because there is no drug cure for it.  Instead, it requires a lifetime of nutritional supplementation.

The Pyroluria Test

You will find a list of symptoms here and if you have 15 or more you definitely want to get tested.  If you’ve got a few symptoms and have tried different things and nothing has worked, it may be a good idea to test and at least rule it out.  If your physician won’t order a test, you can get a kryptopyrrole test from DHA Laboratory without a physician order (they have a physician who will sign off on it).  It costs around $82 and is a urine test. There are very specific instructions which include freezing the sample before shipping it, so read everything carefully before collecting your urine so you know what to do.  You can also get supplement guidance from a physician at DHA labs if you end up with high levels.

What Causes Pyroluria?

Pyroluria is caused by both genetic and lifestyle factors.  Stress increases the production of pyrroles as does poor digestive health, alcohol, smoking, drugs, and heavy metal exposure. Excess pyrroles in turn impair digestive health, so it’s a vicious cycle.

My daughter has pyroluria and her symptoms improved significantly when we started high doses of zinc, B6, and biotin along with manganese, magnesium, and GLA.  I recommend working with a physician or qualified healthcare practitioner with supplementation.  I never had to put my daughter on an antidepressant or antianxiety medication which both holistic and conventional healthcare practitioners recommended.  Not one of them ever mentioned pyroluria.

Could Pyroluria Be Causing Your Symptoms?

Maybe. It’s certainly worth testing for, especially if the alternative is an antidepressant or antianxiety medication.  If you do have pyroluria, medications won’t help.  Click here if you would like to learn more about natural relief options for pyroluria.

How Do You Know If Your Baby Is Ready For Solid Foods and What to Start With

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How Do You Know If Your Baby Is Ready For Solid Foods and What to Start With

Introducing solid foods to your growing baby’s diet is a huge milestone for both you as a parent, and your child. Up until now, meal preparation and consideration has been fairly straightforward. The options were limited to breastmilk or formula. 

Now, the idea of introducing solid foods to your baby’s diet can be a daunting task because of conflicting information and the fear of developing severe food reactions or allergies. 

In fact, food allergies are one of the most common types of allergies among babies and they first appear when introducing your child to solids. The most common food allergens are sugar, wheat, chocolate, lactose, peanut, milk, eggs, and strawberries. The allergic reactions vary according to the allergen. For example, strawberry allergy in babies causes itchy skin and dizziness, while sugar allergy symptoms are headache, runny nose, and cramping.

Being armed with solid information on how to best introduce solids to your baby’s diet will alleviate some of the worry and concern and will hopefully allow the transition to be smooth and rewarding.

How Do You Know If Your Baby Is Ready For Solid Foods?

There are several milestone markers that you will start to notice that indicate that your baby is ready to start introducing solid foods in their diet.

Most often these milestones begin to present themselves when the child is around six months of age, however every child will be slightly different.

It is crucially important that your baby can hold his/her own head up and can sit upright in a highchair before ever considering the option of solid foods. 

They will also need to have developed the ability to move their tongue in a way that would allow them to move the food to the back of their mouth and swallow. 

Finally, you may have noticed that your baby takes interest in what you are eating and reaches out to touch or smell your food.

Once you feel that your baby has reached all of these milestones, it is time to think about what solid food to feed your child first.

My Doctor Is Recommending That I Start My Baby Off With Rice Cereal (Pablum). Is That Really The Best Option?

Let’s think for a moment about the most vitamin and nutrient dense food groups.

Do processed grains come to mind? No, of course they don’t.
So then what food group should we be looking to? Fruits and vegetables, of course!

One of the simplest and most nutrient dense options to introduce as a first food is avocado. It requires no preparation whatsoever. Just cut it open, remove the pit, mash up the flesh (much like you would mash a banana) and serve. It can also be easily mixed with a bit of breast milk or formula to change the consistency and make it easier for your baby to consume.

Solid Food Quick Tips

  • Introduce one food at a time with a couple of days in between foods to watch for potential food reactions and to allow your baby’s palette to develop.
  • Hold off on introducing sweet fruits and vegetables until your baby has developed a palette for the more bland fruits and vegetables.
  • Keep a food diary for the first month to record likes, dislikes, reactions, etc so you have a record to look back on.
  • Be patient. This is a learning curve for both you and your baby. If your baby loses interest don’t force the issue. Maintain your regular breastfeeding/formula schedule and slowly introduce solid foods as a supplement to their diet.
  • Take the stress out of meal times. The attitude you have during feeding times will stick with your baby for life, so maintain a positive approach and don’t get frustrated.

How many pounds of pressure did your newborn withstand at birth?

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How many pounds of pressure did your newborn withstand at birth?

Congratulations! You’ve just given birth and now you have a beautiful baby to cherish.

Let’s think for a moment about your personal birth story and how your baby arrived in the world.

  • how many hours were you in labour?
  • was your baby born at home, in the hospital, or at a birthing centre?
  • were there interventions involved?
  • was your baby in some way pulled or suctioned from you?

In many birth situations, the baby is often forced out of the mother. This puts an immense amount of pressure on the head and neck of your baby.

Imagine your 8 pound baby potentially experiencing anywhere from 60 to 120 pounds of pressure (tractional force) to its head and spine.

If we use 100 pounds of pressure for the ease of math, 100 pounds divided by an 8lb baby is 12.5 times his/her weight.

Now, what would happen if you pulled a 180 pound man across the floor by his neck at 12.5 times his weight? That is 2250 pounds of tractional force, by which he would most likely be killed instantly.

It takes only 120 pounds of pressure (or less) to sever a baby’s spinal cord, and doctors often apply nearly that amount pulling the baby free in delivery.

The spinal cord is the most important part of every body, without its function, you could not survive even one second.

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The spinal cord houses the central nervous system, which controls every single aspect of the function, development and healing of the body.

And when we realize the amount of trauma that your baby (and you!) have just gone through to have him/her arrive in the world, we can see the connections with lasting side effects of a potentially now-misaligned spine, called subluxations.

There are many symptoms that can indicate that your baby has a misaligned spine, but sometimes there are no symptoms. A partial list of symptoms can include:

  • strained breastfeeding (baby can’t turn his/her head one way or the other)
  • unable to latch on
  • colic
  • sleeping problems
  • reflux
  • vomiting

Now that we understand the lasting side effects associated with birth, we must take a moment to consider how we can help your baby to grow and develop.

The first step is to identify if your baby has subluxations present in his/her spine. The only way to do this is have him/her examined by a doctor of chiropractic.

Chiropractors are trained to identify and correct subluxations to allow your baby’s spine to return to the correct alignment and allow optimal health to be expressed.

To correct a subluxation, the chiropractor performs an adjustment – with very light touch – to shift the bones back into the correct alignment. Don’t worry, it’s nothing like you imagine from the movies. The amount of pressure that a chiropractor uses to adjust a newborn is the amount of pressure that you would use to touch your eye with your pinky finger.

Having a spine in the correct alignment sets your baby up for optimal development and a great start to their health.

Just in time to become a toddler – where he/she will fall 2000 times learning how to walk. So keeping up with baby’s adjustment schedule through childhood will maintain a healthy spine for his/her growth and development.

You can see where I’m going with this. Life-long chiropractic care is essential at every stage of life to maximize your family’s health.

So be sure that you also have your spine checked by your chiropractor to be sure that your spine is in the correct alignment after the trauma of giving birth as well.

With Sources From: The Effect of Subluxation at Birth

Why Do We Make Young Children Sleep Alone?

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Sleep

Let’s think about this for a moment. Announcing to your children, “Go to sleep and stay there by yourself all night.” (while Mom and Dad get to share the night together)

This is simply an outdated model of children’s sleep habits, as research is now coming to light that there is an incredible amount of value that is added to the health of the child and the family by co-sleeping.

Putting a baby into a separate bedroom at night causes parents to wake for much greater periods of time and creates added exhaustion in early parenthood. It is much easier to have the baby or toddler right beside the bed with you, or depending on your level of safety comfort, sharing the bed with you. This makes it much easier to be able to comfort and nurse or feed your baby when he/she is unsettled in the night.

Babies are born very immature neurologically, and require close connection to their parents – not just during the daylight hours, but also at night! Being separated for too long elicits a stress response in the young child (ie. abandonment, fear, separation anxiety) and can cause issues with healthy development.

Additionally, when each child has her/her own separate room, it forces the size of the home to grow significantly, as the family is spread out across much more space (which requires more resources to build the home, energy to heat it, light it and maintain it). Sleep has become a detriment to our environmental that adds a huge carbon footprint.

Why did we stop co-sleeping?

Our ancestors used to co-sleep for much of their growing-up years, as well as many families across poorer nations where they simply do not have the real estate to have separate sleeping rooms.

In the 20th century, there were several prominent physicians, such as Dr. William Whitty Hall, who insisted that it was uncivilized to sleep as a family, and that it was associated with poverty and social ills. In 1928, behavioural psychologist John Watson argued that children should occupy their own rooms or risk stunting the child’s development. And in 1985, Dr. Richard Ferber wrote that solitary sleep was meant allowing the child to become independent and reminded readers that co-sleeping was a primitive practice.

What are the benefits of co-sleeping?

• improved infant emotional health
• promotes more convenient breast feeding• it is natural and healthy
• creates closer-knit families
• can help to prevent SIDS
• helps your baby feel safe and protected
• less intergenerational conflict
• deeper sleep as individuals learn to be unaffected by snoring, a trip to the bathroom or tossing and turning
• kids grow up to be more tolerant of each other and fight less
• have better capacity to share
• more caring attitudes toward each other

What are the risks of co-sleeping?

• loose bedding
• waterbeds
• if parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol – won’t have same level of alertness and responsiveness as usual
• parents who smoke should not co-sleep – some studies indicate a higher risk of SIDS
• if parents are incredibly deep sleepers

If you are worried about the safety of co-sleeping with your little one, talk to your natural health care provider. There are also many options for having them sleep very close to you, but with a little added protection, such as this bassinet: https://www.thebump.com/a/best-bassinet-halo-bassinest-swivel-sleeper-luxe-plus

With Sources From:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-reiss-sleep-alone-20170324-story.html

How To Throw A Sugar Free Kids Birthday Party

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Sugar Free Kids Birthday Party

What do you get when you mix a group of children with too much cake, junk food, candy and party games? A recipe for overtired, cranky, and overstimulated children.

The excitement of a birthday party can be enough to trigger emotional behaviour in children. The tradition of eating pizza and cake, followed by presents and games just doesn’t make sense anymore.

Children are sensitive to what they eat, and because they don’t have the same emotion regulation that adults have developed, hosting a birthday party for your child could be more than you had bargained for.

Below are some tips to host a kid-friendly party, that considers their health. Trust me, other parents are going to thank you!

The Cake

Food colouring and dyes that are used in cake icing have been linked to hyperactivity and allergic reactions. Ultimately, cake icing is a mixture of sugar, unhealthy fats, and chemicals. The cake itself is not much healthier being high in sugar, gluten and is likely high in fat as well. Opt for a homemade cake that is lower in sugar and fat and free of harmful food dyes. To avoid the traditional cake altogether, there are plenty of ideas on the internet to make a beautiful cake out of fruit. The base is a large watermelon and other fruits are used to decorate the “cake.” 

The Drinks

Avoid high-sugar drinks like pop and juice that can cause children to be on a sugar-high. Create a buffet of chopped strawberries, raspberries, orange slices, lemon slices, and cucumber slices to add to water. Children will be excited to make their own flavoured drinks and they can experiment with different combinations.

The Food

Serving a group of children a meal that they all like can be the largest obstacle of any birthday party. It’s pretty safe to say that most children like pizza and chicken nuggets and French fries. So, rather than buying these highly processed options at the grocery store, make your own at home so you have control of the ingredients. Make individual pizzas on pita bread so each child can select the ingredients they want on their pizza. Homemade chicken fingers and baked French fries are also a fast and convenient solution.

The Goodie Bag

Most parents can agree that the junk that comes home in a goodie bag from a child’s birthday party is ready for the garbage. Candy, chocolates, and little plastic toys do not offer any health benefit for the child. Instead, opt for activities like painting a picture or a craft that children can take home with them in place of a goodie bag. Alternatively, have children decorate a picture frame and take a group photo and print a copy for each child to put in their picture frame.

The Activities

The key to a fun birthday party is to be prepared with more activities than you think you might need to fill the time of the birthday party. Create a dance party and have kids be creative in making a music video. Have a scavenger hunt where children have to work together to find clues and a prize.

The Diaper Debate: Which side are you on?

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Diaper Debate

We have to admit that becoming a parent comes with its fair share of new responsibilities and parents are presented with a plethora of decisions to make about how they plan to raise their children. Decisions include the birthing process, breastfeeding, introducing solid foods, diaper choices and everything in between.

Today, we will dive into the topic of diapers to help make this decision a little easier for you and your growing family. The average baby has 2500 diaper changes in their first year of life. Yes, you heard me right, TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED diaper changes, making this a huge investment in your child’s first year of life. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of the three most common diaper options.

Disposable Diapers

The most obvious benefit of disposable diapers is the convenience factor. Dirty diapers are disposed of directly into the trash and there is no further thought or mess to consider.

In my opinion, the cons of disposable diapers far outweigh the convenience that they offer.

According to research done by the Real Diaper Association:

•136 kilograms of wood,

• 23 kilograms of petroleum and

• 9 kilograms of chlorine

are required to manufacture enough disposable diapers for one child for one year.

The use of petroleum and chorine products pose a significant risk to children as their delicate skin is in contact with these harmful materials, not to mention the incredible amount of wasted resources and the cost of purchasing these products.

Eco-friendly Disposable Diapers

Eco-friendly disposable diapers also present the issue of filling up our landfills with more waste, but due to their use of more environmentally friendly raw materials, the hazard to the environment and to our babies is less pronounced. Careful research still needs to be done before settling on a company that makes eco-friendly diapers. Just like any product that is labeled “natural” or “eco-friendly,” research and discretion is still required to make an informed decision because labels are often misleading and not entirely true on many products.

Cloth Diapers

The initial investment may seem daunting, but if you spread the cost out over the years that you’ll be purchasing disposable diapers, it ends up being a significant cost savings.

Cloth diapers can also be passed down to younger siblings, making the initial investment more justifiable.

The obvious benefit of cloth diapers is their lower impact on the environment because they aren’t being thrown away.

But the primary benefit of cloth diapers is the fact that they are usually produced with organic fabrics and do not contain harmful chemicals (like the disposable diapers have in their absorbent pads).

The drawback of cloth diapers is the fact that more time has to be invested by parents in the washing and drying of the diapers on a daily basis.

Regardless of how we slice it, there is going to be some form of environmental impact from the use of diapers. Disposable diapers will take years and years to degrade in a landfill and contribute to the amount of waste that is generated each year, while cloth diapers need to be washed and dried regularly, utilizing water and electricity. Your goal should be to choose what feels right to you as a parent, considering your lifestyle, values, and budget.

Baby Wearing…A Fashion Trend or a Benefit to Your Newborn?

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baby wearing

Baby wearing has long been used by our ancestors and many cultures around the world as a means to care for an infant while maintaining existing responsibilities.

After your baby is born, we need to think of the first 6 to 9 months after birth as the fourth trimester. This fourth trimester is a crucially important time for your baby’s growth and development.

The first nine months were spent in the womb, where the baby is warm, comfortable and is feeling and listening to the rhythms of the mother’s heart, breathing, voice and movement. Once the baby is born, their environment changes drastically, so baby wearing is a means to help the baby adapt to their new reality.

Research shows that skin to skin contact between a baby and its mother promotes brain development, helps the baby adapt to the outside world, promotes milk production in the mother and can help promote healthy weight gain for the infant.

Some of the benefits of baby wearing for the baby are:

  • Close contact with mom or dad promotes development
  • Provides baby with contentment and calmness
  • Creates baby attentiveness and allow for faster learning
  • The sensations and sounds the baby hears and feels while being worn reminds them of the womb experience and balances their environment (Sound of heart beat, sound of breathing, the rhythm of the mother’s walking patterns and voice)

Some of the benefits of baby wearing for mom or dad are:

  • Convenience
  • Baby bonding
  • Allows you to perform tasks while you carry your baby or to care for other children
  • Picks up on needs of baby more easily
  • Easier errands – no need for stroller
  • Easier access for breastfeeding

How to choose the right baby wearing attire

This will likely come down to the preference and comfort for the parent using the attire. Some people will prefer a sling style and others will prefer a more structured support. The style of carrier is less important than following the safety protocols of each individual carrier style.

Baby Wearing Safety Tips

  1. Ensure clear airway. Think of your baby’s airway as a straw that when pinched either slows or restricts completely its effectiveness. When your baby’s chin drops to their chest the airway is being pinched off. Ensure that the baby’s head is positioned in a slightly upward direction to allow for a clear passageway. Also, be sure to provide support to your baby’s neck and back.
  2. Check your baby carrier regularly for wear and tear and to ensure that the it will securely hold the weight of your baby.
  3. Test the baby wearing device using a weight similar to that of your baby before using with your baby. The first time you use the device with your child, use a spotter or do it over a bed or couch to ensure safety.
  4. If you have questions or concerns about baby wearing, speak to your chiropractor, midwife, or other natural health practitioner who is familiar with your family.

With Sources from:

http://www.becomingmamas.com/babywearing/

Put Your Phone Down & Go Outside!!

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unplugged

How many times have you checked your phone today?  Email?  Facebook?  Instagram? Snapchat?  Linked In?  Text Messages?  Many of us just simply do not make it a priority to get unplugged and spend time outside.  Of course, in the northern hemisphere, the climate has a great deal to do with this.  If we don’t play an outdoor sport, or actively enjoy outdoor activities, we may spend the whole winter on the couch!

Alternatively, during the heat of the summer, many of us stay indoors for the air conditioning!!!  This gives us way too much inside, without the opportunity to get fresh air and movement!   It also gives us a great deal more access to screen time.

When is the last time you unplugged and went outside to ENJOY being outside?  Not just running to your car because you’re late for work?

There are many studies showing that many of us are addicted to our devices.  We are compulsively checking notifications, bells, chimes and rings.  We are tuned in to hear our device from miles away, even if we never let it out of our sight!

This problem is compounded for our children.  The time that they spend with a device is time that they are not interacting with you or other humans.

Technology & The Effects On Children

At a young age, children look to their parents for reassurance and direction.  This is where they need to receive feedback on right and wrong, as well as connecting with you while developing normal attachments.

When young children play games on a screen, win a game or get an answer correct, there is no one there to offer reassurance, so they lack an opportunity for confidence building by connecting with you.

The same is true when the kids are playing without a device.  They look to their parents for reassurance.  If you are not unplugged and busy on your phone, you miss an opportunity for eye contact, a smile or something to let them know you are paying attention to them.  Click here to read, “Is Today’s Technology Destroying Your Health?”

What Is The Answer?

Get unplugged!!  Find a few hobbies that your whole family likes to do, and do them often!  Play board games, go hiking, skiing, or skating.  Learn to dance, go swimming or learn a new healthy recipe to make together.  Put your favourite devices in another room.  Turn off the TV and maybe put on some music instead if you are at home.  For a great family recipe, click here for our Chocolate Bread/Cake Recipe.

It’s so easy to surf the channels for something to watch, browse YouTube, hit Netflix or scroll through your social media feeds and relax.  But don’t forget to actually find some ways to spend time with your family and grow together.  Try learning a new skill, enjoying a new hobby or connecting more frequently with your loved ones.  Click here to discover 50 Fun Things to Do Outside With Kids as a Family.

Additionally, it is really important for you to turn your devices off at least an hour before bed to wind down naturally.  Many of us work on a computer during the day, on top of having our device attached to us.  The artificial light so close to our faces in the evening can wreak havoc on our circadian rhythm.  Evenings are a time to enjoy more dull light, to let our bodies know that it’s time to slow down and ease into sleep.  With having around the clock access to artificial light sources, it can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.  For more information, click here to read, “Ten Tricks To Get The Best Sleep EVER!”

So have fun developing some new hobbies with your family, and put your phone down every once in awhile!!!