“The idea of co-sleeping or having a family bed isn’t new. For much of human history, babies and children slept with their mothers or perhaps with both parents.

Today, co-sleeping has seen a resurgence in popularity, party because working moms want to spend more time with their children and see sharing a bed as a way to bond with their babies.”

Cosleeping is absolutely wonderful. I do not think there is any question in any baby’s mind whether or not they would prefer to sleep with their parents or sleep alone. It adds to their confidence and sense of security when they are safely nestled in the arms of their parents.

The younger the child, the stronger I feel that they should sleep with their parents. I do not think there is anything more unnatural than isolating a sleeping fragile newborn. When your newborn is safely in your arms then the risk of SIDS is dramatically reduced, the risk of not being able to get to your baby in a fire, or even the remote risk of kidnapping is pretty much eliminated.

In addition, the convenience of not having to get up to feed your baby is worth is weight in gold. Even if you are not breastfeeding you can make up for some of the physical contact lost through co-sleeping. If you are breastfeeding then cosleeping is a no brainer.

Cosleeping is a joy. It is so wonderful to wake up with the light of your life. It is so wonderful to have the extra opportunities to kiss them on the head. I do not think anyone ever looked back on their life and felt they spent too much time with their children in their arms.

Basic rules for safe cosleeping

• Do not cosleep if you have been drinking or on drugs
• Do not cosleep if you are severely overtired
• Minimize excess bedding and pillows (suffocation hazards)
• Reduce the chances of rolloffs with a bedrail or place your mattress on the floor
• Do not allow others to cosleep with your infant (such as babysitters or grandparents)

Click the following links to learn more about cosleeping
www.naturalchild.org
Cosleeping & SIDS fact sheet
Benefits of cosleeping

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/smatkins/2497886708/

As a single mother with very limited resources I was looking for ways to save money from the get go. While I was pregnant I began to question many common “extras” that go with parenting such as a separate nursery, crib, stroller, etc. It just all seemed expensive, would clutter my home, was one more thing to clean or carry or lift out of the trunk and I began fighting the system one plastic contraption at a time.

Despite my battle against other society imposed baby “necessities, it never occurred to me to fight traditional diapering. (I am using the term traditional loosely since disposable diapers are a relatively new phenomenon). I happened to be surfing the internet when my daughter was about a month and a half old. I googled “diaper alternatives”. I am not sure what I was looking for exactly but I was hoping to find a way to save money on disposables because I simply couldn’t afford them.

I ran across a few elimination communication sites. I thought they were a joke. I had never heard of such a thing. (This was about six months before the 2005 media coverage of elimination communication kicked in). I had to read through about five websites on the subject before I concluded that so many people would not create joke websites about pottying their babies.

I immediately took my little 1.5 mo old daughter to the kitchen sink and held her naked butt over it and said “pssssssssssssss”. She peed. It was utterly miraculous to me. I just could not believe it. She has been using a potty ever since.

For the first few months I had to hold her over a receptacle (usually a sink or bowl) and make a noise. “psss” to pee and raspberry noises if I felt she had to poop. She would sometimes have to suck on the tip of my thumb in order to poop. Why? I have no clue why she needed the thumb but it worked so I did it.

As soon as she could hold her head up, I got a Baby Bjorn little potty and she was totally delighted to be able to “sit up” long before she could sit on her own. I think it gave her a feeling of independence early on. I usually put some of her favorite books or toys in a basket next to her potty and let her play for as long as she felt like sitting there.

I would like to say that I stopped using diapers entirely then and there but I did not. In retrospect I would have done that and if I ever have another child I wont use diapers at all. I had a tough time doing the EC out of the house and I didn’t really want her to pee in my brother’s sink so we continued to use disposables any time we were out of the house.

I can count on my hands the number of times that she ever had a soiled diaper against her skin. (she did have her share of wet ones though). As soon as she was able to communicate that she had to go (by grabbing her crotch) I stopped buying diapers altogether. She was out of diapers for good, before her second birthday.

Would I recommend infant pottying? Absolutely, without a question. It is so much better for the child. It is cleaner, more sanitary and I believe it shows the child that you respect them and it maintains their dignity. It is also a heck of alot easier on the environment. Are there misconceptions? Do people fight this idea? Do they consider it uncivilized? They do. But tell me who is the loser when the parents refuse to try EC?

Common misconceptions about Elimination Communication
EC Communities
Purchase the: Levels of Discovery Her Majesty’s Throne Potty Chair

(Previously Posted) Mira Lucky, makers of vegan baby products, announced an increase in sales and public interest in their products after coverage on several parenting web portals. Founder of Mira Lucky, Mira Masukawa, attributes the public’s interest to a growing organic movement sweeping across the USA which favors organic, certified vegan products for babies over those made with artificial colorings and ingredients.

(PRWEB) - After her products’ appearance on women’s portals ivillage.com, SheUnlimited, StyleBakery.com, and SheFinds.com, Mira Masukawa was inundated with e-mail inquires and Web orders for her relatively new line of organic baby care products.

The smallness of our line works in our favor, as we are able to focus our attention on fulfilling orders promptly and keeping the quality of our products extremely high. As we add new items, they are very well researched, and not rushed to market, so we know that our customers are getting only the very best.

“Since the feature of our products on these wonderful women’s sites we have been experiencing great demand for them. We are happy to be fulfilling a need in the organic community. Many moms now want only natural products to pamper their babies with and don’t want to mask their child’s own sweet baby smell with the heavy perfumes found in commercial products,” said Mira of the sudden interest in her baby care line.

Although, the product line is small, this turned out to be an advantage rather than a drawback for the growing company. “The smallness of our line works in our favor, as we are able to focus our attention on fulfilling orders promptly and keeping the quality of our products extremely high. As we add new items, they are very well researched, and not rushed to market, so we know that our customers are getting only the very best.”

In addition to the sudden interest on women’s Web communities, the products have been experiencing a lot of attention on parenting portals as well. Web sites such as L.A. Pregnancy.com, The Mommy Times, Tot Trends Weekly, and Mommies With Style have all featured or covered Mira Lucky products in the last year. Mira had this to say about all the attention her company has been getting these days, “We are so happy that mom sites are showing a strong interest in us and our products. We feel great about creating baby care items that not only work and smell great but that are also environmentally conscious and healthy for babies. With all the artificial dyes and chemicals that children are exposed to in their environment, we are proud that our products are all natural, vegan and organic in structure. I not only created them for my own child, but my husband and I use them exclusively for his skin and hair care.”

Mira Lucky Baby Care was “born” in 2004 when Mira Masukawa could not find anything on the market that smelled good without covering up her son’s baby sweet smell. She also wanted a product that was organic, vegan based and sulphate free. Not being able to find such a product she decided to create one herself. What she ended up with was a lightly scented, vegan shampoo and body wash that fit the bill perfectly. The success of Lucky Ducky Shampoo and Baby Wash caused her to create a similarly made baby lotion which was also a big hit. After receiving overwhelming requests for her newly created products from friends and family, the company decided to go “live” with their e-commerce Web site in June of 2005. After testing the product and loving it, specialty grocer chain Bristol Farms picked up the line for sale in all of their California locations in January of 2006. The stores have been experiencing sell out of the product on a regular basis.

Environmentally conscious celebrity moms, who want only the best for their little tykes, have also picked up on the trend and are scooping up Mira’s products. Once the word got out that Gwen Stefani and Courtney Cox were gifted with Lucky Ducky and Lucky In Love, the calls really started to come in. Any mom who believes that nothing but the purest ingredients should touch their baby’s delicate skin would love these products. Their cruelty- and toxin-free status is just the tip of the iceberg. Mira Lucky products also smell great and contain only the finest organic ingredients known to wash, moisturize and protect the skin gently.

Moms have also been purchasing extra bottles of Lucky Ducky and Lucky In Love for themselves, to gently cleanse and moisturize their own skin organically. Word is also spreading about the newest addition to Mira’s line, Lucky Dreams. This facial cream, made especially for moms, is said to smooth the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines all while smelling deliciously like French Almond biscotti. It is often difficult to find products out there that are well made, do what they are supposed to, and are organic. These are products you can feel good about using on your children, your self, and in the home because they do not contain any skin irritating, and environmentally polluting sulphates.

The Mira Lucky Body Care Line is as follows:
Lucky Ducky Shampoo and Body Wash is safe and gentle enough to use every day to bathe even the youngest of babies. Toddlers, with their burgeoning independent streak, love the easy to use “I can do it myself” pump. They also love the great scent and adorable ducky logo.

Lucky In Love is a lightly scented, non-drying and non-greasy baby lotion with the same dedication to using organic ingredients in it’s formula as Lucky Ducky. It’s like no other baby lotion on the market.

Lucky Dreams is a specialty facial cream made specifically for moms. It is an alpha-hydroxy formula that rejuvenates and exfoliates weary skin and is also made with organic, certified vegan, cruelly and toxin free ingredients.

Lucky Ducky, Lucky In Love and Lucky Dreams can be found at all Bristol Farms stores, select Sprouts Grocery Stores, and specialty boutiques throughout the country. They may also be purchased directly online at www.MiraLucky.com.

Ivillage features Mira Lucky in “How Hollywood Pampers Their Young” (http://301url.com/miralucky)

The following organic and/or vegan baby care brands are available at The Natural Parenting Store:
Pangea Organics
Avalon
Earth Mama - Angel Baby
Dr. Bronners
Davie’s Gate
JASON
Lavera
Buddha Baby
Aubrey
Little Twig
Lather
Brigit True
L’Amande
Bebe
Munchskins
Health Food Emporium
Earthwise Beauty
Rainbow Research
Calendula Baby
Nature’s Gate
Erbaviva
Sweet Pea Products
Nature’s Baby
Aura Cacia
Organic Baby
Elysian Dream
Natural Eco
California Baby

Img Source: http://flickr.com/photos/chriswiegand/465882293/

“Many fathers fear that they won’t be able to bond with the baby without feeding bottles. This is very far from the truth. Bonding doesn’t occur through the ingestion of food through plastic. Bonding occurs through a physically, loving relationship. There are many ways for a father to connect to his new infant. Bringing the baby to the mother to breastfeed is a great way to demonstrate to the baby that the father can, in fact, meet his baby’s needs. His baby will be well aware of the fact that daddy is the transportation to the food.” lactivist.com

Author: Carrie Lauth
As a new or prospective father, you are probably somewhat familiar with the benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby, but did you ever stop to think about what is in it for you? Aren’t you going to miss out by not getting to share in the joy of feeding your baby? Let’s see how Dads benefit when a Mom chooses to breastfeed their child.

Cost Savings
This is a big one for a lot of dads! Whether you are the sole income provider or not, adding a new member to the family can often be a source of worry. It may help to know that that one year of breastfeeding can save over $1,000 vs the cost of artificial infant food. That’s just for bottles and formula, and doesn’t include the extra Doctor visits and prescriptions that happen when baby is formula fed.

More Sleep
Let’s face it. You don’t have the equipment to handle the job of night feedings. While some Moms choose to pump and let Dad offer a bottle at night, for many Moms, snuggling up with baby at night to nurse is the norm. In a lot of families, this means Dad can head off to work with a full night’s rest.

Seven great ideas to help do your part to make breastfeeding a success:

1. Support Natural Childbirth
2. Support rooming in if mom delivers in a hospital
3. Help out with the older kids
4. Take care of nighttime diapers since mom does the feeding
5. Be 100% supportive of nursing in public
6. Don’t question breastfeeding purchases
7. Brag about breastfeeding to anyone who will listen

Taken from Keep Abreast

Benefits of Being Breastfed

• Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition for infants. A mother’s milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby’s growth and development. Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula.

• As a result, breastfed infants grow exactly the way they should. They tend to gain less unnecessary weight and to be leaner. This may result in being less overweight later in life.

• Premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula.

• Breastfed babies score slightly higher on IQ tests, especially babies who were born pre-maturely. 4women.gov

Proud Papa
When you see how your baby’s cheeks and thighs are filling out on Mom’s milk alone, you might tend to view mom as some kind of Dairy Queen. What an amazing capacity she has to help your child grow and thrive! Many Dads become huge proponents of breastfeeding when they see how healthy their babies are.

Health and IQ Benefits
Dads are especially impressed by the fact that breastfed babies gain an average of 8 IQ points over their formula fed counterparts. Breastfeeding also means that Mom is less likely to get ovarian or breast cancer. The natural extended birth control that many nursing Moms experience is also a plus in Dads book.

Focus on Mom
Since Mom is breastfeeding, you can find other ways to bond with your baby and be a support to Mom. Some ideas: take your baby for walks, burp and bathe her, sing lullabies at night, practice infant massage and of course read to your baby. You can also be in charge of helping Mom stay fed and hydrated in the early weeks while she recovers from the birth. And since Mom is handling the “input”, Dad can be in charge of “output”. Dads are far more likely to be willing to change diapers since a breastfed baby’s poop doesn’t have an unpleasant odor (until solid food is added!).

Buy the Book: The Milk Memos

About the author: Motherhood is too short to wear an ugly nursing bra! Find one that even Dad will love at: http://www.SexyNursingBra.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/enigmaphotos/490363805/

Most of them [poisonings] are preschoolers and occur before lunch and supper when children are hungry or thirsty. Most poisoning occur when products are being used, not while they are stored. Children do not have fully-developed taste buds like adults, so just because something doesn’t taste good, doesn’t keep children away. For child poison safety, if there is a toddler in the house, keep in mind that they have the ability to climb. kids-safety-club.com

Author: Carolyn Beale
The relatively serene days of your contented baby in the swing or playpen seem to end far too quickly, now that your little one is becoming more mobile. It’s time to ensure you’re providing a safe environment for active playing, growing and earning.

You’ve put up a baby gate to prevent falls, carefully covered your electrical outlets, padded the sharp corners on your coffee table, and buckled your tiny passenger into an approved infant carrier. You try to keep your home as bacteria and germ-free as possible, disinfecting thoroughly and then locking up household cleaners away from inquisitive hands and mouths.

Yet there are still an estimated 2.1 million accidental child poisonings each year, with dishwashing liquid the leading cause. Sadly, the damage caused by these products is often gruesome: burned mouth, scarred esophagus, repeated operations to rebuild the throat, sometimes even death. And no matter how diligent you are about keeping your cleaning products out of harm’s way, you may still be slowly and unwittingly poisoning your child, day after day. How?

If you use products with harsh and harmful chemicals that contain known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) the toxic residues left behind on your floors, furniture and in the air find their way into your child’s body through her skin, mouth, and nose. And even your personal care products (soap, shampoo, conditioner, styling aids, deodorants, etc.) can contain dangerous chemicals as well.

Some of the signs to look for when poisonous chemicals are ingested are:

• dizziness
• strange behavior
• double or no vision
• rashes
• burns
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• rapid heart rate
• low blood pressure
• smell of chemicals in their mouth

First, call 911 and a Poison Control Center immediately. Do not wait and try to make your own assumptions. If not sure, call anyway. Better to be safe than sorry. Essortment.com

Your little one is like a sponge: developing cells in a child’s body are more susceptible than in adults, especially in his central nervous system. Even small doses of neurotoxins that could be harmless to an adult can alter his nervous system development. And until your child turns 13, his growing body has virtually no ability to fight biological and neurological damage from toxic chemicals. As much as we tend to think of skin as a protective barrier, in fact it’s highly permeable, as evidenced by the successful use of skin patches to deliver prescription medication.

Poisoning in children can be very difficult to detect, since most poisons when ingested can cause drowsiness and unconsciousness. Therefore, asking your child what they drank would only prove fruitless.

Your baby or toddler is most often down at floor level, crawling and exploring, and frequently sticking her hands into her mouth. And in fact, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are a result of ingestion, 90% are caused by inhalation and absorption.

Are you confused? How can your brand name household cleaning products and personal care products contain harmful toxins if they’re sold at grocery stores nationwide? The truth is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does NOT regulate personal use products. The workplace and the outdoors are considered legal environments, while your home is not.

Did you know that indoor air quality is 3 to 70 times more polluted than the outdoor air in the worst polluted U.S. cities, according to an EPA study? And that women who work from the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work outside the home, according to a 17-year EPA study?

Labeling laws simply don’t protect the consumer. The U.S. Federal Code of Regulations exempts manufacturers from full labeling of products if used for personal, family or ho

Author: Velvet Woodly
If you are a parent or would like to be one, going green should be a major priority for your family. You may ask why. Dozens of cleaning and personal care products purchased at local grocery stores contain harmful chemical ingredients. Unprecedented exposure to chemicals contaminants, pollution, toxic products and stress increase unhealthy conditions, from arthritis and cancer to heart disease and even symptoms of aging.

What parents don’t realize is that storing some of the leading household cleaners in the home is no better than storing gasoline . Each year, over 1 million children are accidentally poisoned. Thousands of children and adults are permanently disfigured or injured through contact with chemicals in the home. The most common substance to poison children is a household cleaner.

Did you know…
That natural cleaning products work just as well as their caustic, chemical counterparts? Skip the name brands in the cleaning aisle (especially while pregnant, nursing or with toddlers around) and go straight for the food section of your grocery store. White vinegar and water will clean and disinfect just about anything and you can add table salt and baking soda to scrub out the tough ones.

Some leading, name brand cleaners are highly flammable, dangerous to inhale, can cause irritation and/or damage to skin, eyes and lungs. Some very popular name brand baby and women’s body wash contain the carcinogen, 1.4-Dioxane, which is suspected of causing cancer or birth defects. Actually ¼ of all personal care products sold in the U.S may contain this chemical. With over 150,000 babies born with defects each year or reasons unknown, it should make you wonder if toxins are the blame for a percentage. Another 500,000 babies are miscarried early in pregnancy or stillborn. Infertility is increasing and widespread with over 2 million couples unable to conceive. Environmental factors in childhood cancers are being researched and the cause of childhood cancer is difficult to prove. By now you should be saying hmmmm.

You may feel this is overwhelming and not even know where to start. The best time to start is when you are pregnant or trying to conceive. High levels of toxins can be found in the blood stream of newborn babies due to the mother’s level of exposure during pregnancy. Since exposure begins in the womb with toxins being transferred from mom to baby by umbilical cord blood, this is a vital stage to reduce exposure. With no one knowing the true effects on a developing brain and other vital organs, use natural cleaning & personal care products both during and after pregnancy. Choosing organic foods whenever possible will also greatly decrease your exposure level to toxins.

Now you may say my children are already here. What do I do now? Is it too late? It is never too late. Start where you are. Eating organic foods decreases toxins. Certain fruits and vegetables are more toxic than others and going organic in this group reduces your level of exposure to pesticides by 90%. These include potatoes, strawberries, peaches, apples, spinach, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, cherries, pears, imported grapes and lettuce. Searching for organic foods is not always the most convenient or affordable. If you focused on this batch, it would truly make an impact on your child’s toxin in take.

You can also make a healthier decision when it comes to your child’s mattress. Some crib mattresses are constructed of polyurethane foam enclosed in vinyl covers. The plastic products are made by combining highly toxic chemicals together. Every night your child breathes in these toxins. A healthier alternative would be to purchase a mattress made from 100% natural and raw fibers. You can find natural mattresses for all stages of your child’s life from birth to teens.

Standard crib mattresses are also soaked in flame retardants (by law). Some parents may rest easier knowing that the crib mattress is less likely to ignite but there are non-toxic alternatives available such as wool, which is a natural flame retardant. Toxic crib mattresses may be a key player in SIDS as well. If your child has a reduced immune system from recent vaccines or smoking in the house and then sleeps face down in a cloud of toxins, it is a recipe for disaster. Learn more at Cribs, SIDS and Cosleeping.

These are all baby steps to a more natural life style for you and your kids. Do take steps to a healthier home because your health is wealth.

Buy the Book: Eco Babies Wear Green

About the author:
Velvet Haygood Woodly is an Atlanta entrepreneur and owner of an online super store http://www.naturallyvelvet.com . Health and wellness has always been a passion of hers and she does consultation work regularly.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/jdbyford/468926200/

When choosing clothes for your new baby, does organic really matter or are parents simply latching on to the latest trend? For those who care about the health of their baby and the environment, going organic is crucial. Others may be following the trend and inadvertently helping the environment at the same time.

Author: Georgia Templeton

Organic baby clothes are becoming increasingly popular, but what exactly are they? Many companies tout their clothing as “organic”, but this term is often used loosely. Organic clothing is clothing made from fibers that are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or other chemicals. In addition, truly organic fibers are processed without using harsh dyes, chemicals or mixing the organic fibers with non-organic ones.

Popular organic materials for making baby clothing are: organic cotton, soybean fiber, bamboo fiber, hemp or organic wool. Many organic clothing manufacturers choose to leave garments in their natural colors. Some may choose to use crushed petals or plant fibers to achieve different hues with as little processing as possible.

Organic baby clothes are durable because the fibers have not been weakened by chemical processing. They are softer against the skin and are safe for baby since they contain no chemicals to be absorbed by the infant’s skin.

Natural bamboo fibers are naturally anti-microbial, softer than cotton and feel similar to silk against your baby’s skin. Organic bamboo and organic soybean fibers are sustainable textile fibers made from renewable natural resources. They do not contribute to a wasteful environment and do not pollute our natural resources.

Why buy organic cotton?
According to SustainableCotton.org…..”According to 1995 data, United States farmers applied nearly one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested. When all nineteen cotton-growing states are tallied, the crop accounts for twenty-five percent of all the pesticides used in the U.S. Some of these chemicals are among the most toxic classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In developing countries, where regulations are less stringent, the negative impacts are even more severe.”

Organic clothing is also more gentle on baby’s skin. An infant’s skin is easily irritated. Organic baby clothes contain fewer irritants than chemically processed clothing. Organic clothing may be up to 95% free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers that can be harmful to your child and the environment.

Each family has their own personal reasons for going green. It may be to help the environment, provide a better future for your children, to live healthier, or to simply embrace nature’s glory. Your reason for seeking out organic products determines your level of commitment to the cause.

When purchasing organic baby clothes, you must decide how green you want to go. A reputable organic clothing store will list products that use a mixture of fibers and the fabrication process will be explained as well. Always ask about chemicals used on the garment and if the fiber is truly organic or a mixture or organic and processed materials. An organic garment should be free from plastic buttons, polyester tags, nylon stitching and other non-organic materials.

Keep in mind that all organic baby clothes do not contain spandex like many popular baby clothing lines. This means that the garment will be made with a tighter weave and will give very little. Always check sizing recommendations before purchasing from a new company and choose a size that is a little larger than what you would normally purchase, so your little one has some growing room.

Choosing organic baby clothing is a great way to show your support for helping the environment. Organic fibers are healthy for baby and healthy for our natural resources. Green living goes beyond recycling plastics and aluminum; it involves changing the way you think about consumable materials in general. Organic is a way of life.

Greener living is important these days. Choosing organic baby clothes or products helps your child’s world be cleaner and safer for when that infant grows up. Opt for earth-friendly organic baby clothes and products and go green today!

“As I travel the country for my green living TV series I see eyes and minds open when parents learn they are going to bring a baby into this world; suddenly they want to create a healthy home environment with a kitchen full of healthy foods. The opportunity and desire for positive change is, in my opinion, never stronger. ”
—Sara Snow, TV Host / Green Living Expert, Host of “Get Fresh with Sara Snow” on Discovery Health. Review of Raising Baby Green

About the author:
Georgia enjoys decorative and unique items and is involved is OS commerce. Visit us at: www.WesternBabyGifts.com

Image Source: Amazon.com

If you practice elimination communication, you will need even less “stuff” to carry, most notably, the ubiquitous and often hideous diaper bag. They are unsightly, usually difficult to carry, require an extra arm and have about ten pounds of contents that are never touched.

There are still times, however when even the most minimalist, attached parent will have to bring some items with them, whether it is toys, items for an overnight or day trip, a travel potty or a rolled up sling. Never say never, because all parents end up dragging out some sort of bag at least once.

In the spirit of bringing only what you need and doing it in style, Fleurville, a San Francisco company, has designed some wonderful diaper bags in assorted sizes. I found this great bag over at Plentymag.com and according to the article, the Fleurville bags are “fully PVC-free, and made from Fleurville’s signature “Re-Run” fabric, crafted from recycled water bottles (ten bottles per bag!).”

Is the best part that they are fully functional, eco friendly or that they are almost too sexy to be a diaper bag?

Buy the Fleurville Re-run Diaper Messenger Bag

Needless to say, there is a time and place for a structured carrier and I found that a structured carrier often worked well when I needed both hands free for shopping or errands. They seem to keep the babies head higher than many slings and wraps which helps in a crowded area such as a mall or farmer’s market.

If you are in the market for a structured carrier, the M1 has a number of advantages:

First of all, the carrier comes in super cool colors (mouseover for picture) - green/black, blue/black, gray/black, orange/black and red/black. Even more importantly, according to Nancy at CBB, she was able to nurse easily (and publicly with a cover) while Allegra was in the carrier. Allegra daughter loved it, slept in it and even threw up in it (and it cleans up very well according to Nancy.)

The M1 also offers:

• Built in lumbar support to protect your back
• Adjustable width for babies 8-30 pounds
• Soft and anti-bacterial top cover, leg and arm openings.

There are even more benefits than this. Check out the details at Amazon or read the review at CBB (and find a coupon for 10% off!).

Most parents understand the importance of early learning and teach their kids basic knowledge such as letters, vocabulary and counting. Some parents start in the womb by playing tape recordings and they tape flash cards to the mobile hanging over the crib. Will such early learning really provide our children with a better life if they live in a culture of hate and violence?

Author: Eliane Leao, PhD
Cooperation versus Competition

After babies turn a year old, they are ready to use their native language and exercise their mind more as they enter a fresh developmental phase. The second year of a baby´s life will be a period filled with great challenges. Language, ego and self-confidence will be developed while trying to adjust to the external world. Babies perceive who is unknown in their environment and are able recognize new and different faces. Fears, anxieties, and habits begin to surface, and the first personality traits are visible. Baby’s individual personality traits become more apparent as they interact with their parents, pets and other family members. During this time period parents have the great opportunity to provide a learning environment for their babies who absorb information like a sponge.

Babies have their own developmental rhythm, and go through the same phases and/or levels of development and utilize their potential on their own timetable. Some develop at a fast pace, others at a slower one. As a parent, you may wonder: “Why bother educating my baby?” “Won’t they learn everything they need to know through social interaction or in school?”

When Darwin presented us with the theory of the evolution of the species, we learned that human beings are a competitive species and that we adapt biologically to diverse environments, through diverse ways, in order to survive. We also learned that competition was a survival resource useful in a society for its progress and also for the permanence of the being in it.

Today, the challenge is on a different scale. In the 21st century, with the computer science age at full steam, environmental imbalance threatening the earth, thousands of children facing death every day by starvation, countless epidemics that shorten the lives of human beings, it is urgent that the posture of preparing our children for competition and power be replaced by one of preparing them for love and cooperation. We must prepare them to help. An exclamation urges: - cooperation YES, competition, NO!

There is a unique home common to all of us: - planet earth. It is possible to find people just like us in distinct points along the face of the earth, which in turn belongs to all of us.

Some parenting tips to teach your children peace, love and understanding:

• Donate - Give your kids cash to put in the salvation army bucket or let them bring some from their piggy bank before you go shopping.
• Volunteer- Take your kids with you to the soup kitchen or domestic violence shelter from an early age.
• Be intolerant of intolerance - Do not allow hate talk in your home - ever. Don’t just tolerate different cultures, genders, religions and skin colors - Celebrate them.
• Foster a love of animals - Have family pets, dogsit or volunteer at your local no-kill shelter. Go vegetarian/vegan if you dare.
• Be vocal and adamant about opposing war and other human rights violations- Bring your kids to anti-war rallies or have them help you write letters to politicians online.
• Maintain a green home - Always explain the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. Plant trees - Eat from your organic garden.

This cooperation will act so that people can maintain life on earth and maintain their internal uniqueness from the affirmation: - I´m unique, but I´m not potent without the others. We must educate our children so that they want to preserve nature, thus being possible to simultaneously preserve the I, the personal. The opposite is not true. It is not only through the power of the I that the power of another will exist, in this planet. The power comes from the strength of all, which in turn will give strength for the survival of the I.

This equilibrium of life on earth will lead to the exercise of loyalty with all forms of life, in an exercise of respect for life itself. It will lead to the exercise of human loyalty preserving what is human. This is the grand revolution that humanity aspires to achieve.

Our children don´t need to learn that they have to prepare for wars anymore. To present-day intelligence, and to our thinking children, war is a total waste of efforts and of life. Our children have to learn that we don´t need to practice actions that benefit only our homeland, while all other countries are destroyed. The destruction of other spaces and lives leads to the impossibility of a future for this place we call home. It imbalances the eco-system, twists the relations of respect, and shades the hope of a better future. If we don´t diminish the differences among men, and violence as a whole, we will not have peace in our own little corners, our homes. The anxiety of the whole reflects the anxiety of each individual.

We must teach our children that the main necessity of men, women and children is love. Without it, we are empty. Not passing it forward we don´t cooperate, in fact we destroy the one thing we have that is good about ourselves, others and nature. And we will stumble upon the greatest challenge, that consists of de-constructing the truth reflected on everyone´s eyes: it´s getting harder and harder to love, to show love, and to donate something good to another.

We are not capable of demonstrating hate to a flower, grabbing it and throwing it at the floor and stepping on it. It sounds insane. But we are insensitive to the extent that we are able to pass a homeless person thrown there on the ground, and we are incapable of understanding or trying to help. We just walk on by and pretend it´s not our problem! Human abandon is not a problem anymore! Our exaggerated competition has led us to total insensitivity!

We need to discuss and practice love, with the commitment of leaving aside the economical, cultural, racial and ideological differences. We need to teach our children that it is necessary to rescue humanity´s dignity so that the existence on this planet be worthwhile. We need to start with every newborn and child. We seek a new model of man. Is your baby a candidate? A lot will depend on you!!!

Sheryl’s comment:
As with most early learning, kids learn by example. If daddy is making misogynistic jokes or leering at women behind mom’s back, little boys will learn to be lecherous cheats who don’t respect women. If mommy refuses to go to an African American doctor, then little girls will learn racism from an early age.

If daddy beats the crap out of mommy and she doesn’t leave, then boys will learn to beat their wives and girls will learn to put up with it. If parents allow toy guns, violent video games, animal cruelty and disturbing adult movies in the home, then you can bet their children will grow up with a violent mentality. It really is up to us, the parents, to help our children create a loving, peaceful world that they can live in long after we are gone.

About the Author:
Dr. Eliane Leao is a native of Brazil, South America. She has a background in Education from Purdue University (Masters) and a PhD in the Department of Educational Psychology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)/Purdue University (Ph.D.). Dr. Leao is currently a professor of Music Education and Music Therapy conducting research on the influence of Music in Early Childhood Learning.

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