Upon their entry to the world our babies are bombarded with products. Our desire to keep our babies healthy, natural and strong drives us to seek the best of everything for them. It is only natural to contemplate the many products we add to their world and wonder whether we are providing the very best that we can. Often our instincts intervene to help reveal situations that need to be reconsidered. It is important to recognize these thoughts and explore them as clues to well being for our little ones.
Pediatrician
Choosing a pediatrician is one of the very first things we do for our babies, even before they are born. When choosing a pediatrician it is important to search for a candidate whose beliefs regarding medicine and child rearing match yours as closely as possible. Beyond the similarities necessary in medical and child rearing beliefs, make sure that your pediatrician respects your opinions, beliefs, decisions, and most importantly parental intuition. A professional that regards every new child as an individual human being is extremely important because no one person is exactly the same as another in genetic makeup or personality, and recognition of that fact is the first step to creating a truly naturally healthy human being. Often for those who believe in doing things as naturally as possible, while reserving the right to use current medical technology and traditional therapies, it is best to find an MD who also has knowledge in the field of natural medicine. When this goal cannot be achieved through one pediatrician it may be necessary to have two or more pediatricians for use in consultations, advice and treatment. Jacksonville’s Progressive Pediatrics uses an approach which they call “integrative medicine” in which some natural and medical therapies are both on the table. They focus on wellness so that deciding on a treatment becomes a moot point. They are also considered a “vaccine friendly” doctor, meaning they will work with parents who may choose not to vaccinate or to vaccinate differently.
Food
Babies’ bodies are in continuous formation even before they are born. It is important to keep your baby healthy by giving them the purest forms of everything. This means if mom is breastfeeding, she should be eating a balanced diet, as organic as possible. It is important to note that experts agree breastfeeding is best! Once baby is eating solid foods it is extremely important to make sure they are eating the best foods possible. A healthy body should be built with healthy foods. Bottles should not be made of plastic containing BPA. When possible it is best to make your own organic baby foods with a food processor, but because not all parents have time for this extra step it is easy to find organic baby foods in your local health food store or supermarket.
One of the reasons that organic is so important for babies especially is because they are building fat cells. Once built, these fat cells will need to last them their whole lives. This is also where our bodies tend to store toxins. It is very important to keep the building blocks as pure as we can to prevent future issues.
Diapers
Many parents who want to go natural choose the cloth diaper route. Cloth diapers are wonderful for baby and for the environment, though they are not a viable option for every mom and dad. When cloth diapers don’t fit into your lifestyle you can find eco-friendly diapers which will serve a two-fold purpose. First the diapers will protect our environment by decomposing after they are thrown away instead of sitting in the landfill with other plastics for years and years to come. Second, those same plastics that refuse to decompose will not be adding toxins to your baby’s skin. Eco-diapers have come a long way. If you have not done so, check them out!
Personal care products
When choosing care products for baby, often less is better. Baby’s skin is designed to stay soft and smell perfect without lotions, creams, powders and bubble baths. When it becomes necessary to use a product or if the doctor recommends one, it is essential that we choose our products with care. Just because it is the choice of many moms and dads, does not mean it is necessarily the safest or healthiest choice for our babies. Ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, 1,4-dioxane and or formaldehyde are just to name a few, have been found in a high percentage of tested, common baby products and are known carcinogens and or allergen triggers. There are many lines of natural skincare products out there for babies that contain little to no additives. Try companies such as Earth Mama Angel Baby and California Baby who make it their business to keep your baby healthy by creating products that contain only safe and natural ingredients.
There are many things that parents whose babies are now children or are grown wish they had known when their babies were little. Babies come in the most perfect form and it is the goal of every conscientious parent to keep their baby healthy and well. We are lucky to live in a time when there are so many new discoveries and options for healthy baby care. Choosing the most natural and healthy lifestyle for baby helps give mom and dad the peace of mind to fully enjoy and cherish the fleeting time when their angel is small.
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