One major concern for a large number of stressed parents is getting their kids to bed at a reasonable time and without too much fuss. There are many natural ways to help your children get the sleep they need. Some require some schedule adaptation, some require setting right mood and some are all about supplements and diet. If you need to consider some natural sleep aids for children, try some these ideas to get your little ones to sleep.

You might consider putting your child on a regular schedule, at least for bedtime. It might be difficult the first few days, but it will work itself out usually. Try to choose a time you can adhere to each night, and stick to it as much as you can. After you have been working with the same schedule and all the sleep problems are taken care of, it won’t be so bad if you have to put them to bed a little later than usual.

Bedtime rituals are another good way to get little ones to go to bed. You can find some time to relax together, read some books, say their prayers, singing a soothing song, and saying good night, all while getting them to bed. This becomes part of their schedule and they will appreciate the rhythm of knowing what they are expected to do and what is going to be happening during this time.

Also when it comes to bed, you don’t want children to associate being naughty with bed time. If bedtime becomes a punitive action you may be setting yourself up for problems getting them to bed peaceably at other times.

As far as diet goes there are a couple of things you should avoid at the end of the day and maybe a couple of things that could help your little one get to sleep.

First make sure you aren’t giving them a lot of sugar at night. Things like chocolate and soda all have too many sweeteners and they could get jumpy and excited, not to mention the caffeine can prevent them from sleeping well for up to 18 hours. They could still fall asleep but won’t get the restful sleep they need. Try to give them healthier snacks before bed. Sugary snacks would be better to consume during the early part of the day.

If you want to give them something that will help them sleep, warm milk could be a good option. If nothing else is working you can also try natural sleep supplements for children like Hyland’s Calms Forte 4 Kids Sleep Aid. Rescue Remedy with 5 Bach Flower essences can also calm them and eliminate stress prior to bedtime making the transition easier.

In setting the mood for sleep you can try some of the following:

A good pillow, as adults we try to find something comfortable for us, and try out several pillows at the store, let your child do the same. Or buy them pillows specifically for children. The right pillow can make a huge difference for them.

Lavender oil or scent might help as well as music or a sound machine. You can find all of these at a local store. Just remember all kids seem to have trouble sleeping at some point, it just takes a little adjustment and you will be able to work it all out and all of you will get some sleep.

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If your child gives you a glazed look when you suggest taking a walk in the yard or to the park to enjoy the outdoors he may have “nature deficit disorder.”  Author Richard Louv coined this phrase in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods.  What Louv was referring to was the reality that kids today have a declining interest in things that our natural.  That’s pretty frightening when you think about it, especially when well meaning parents may be the cause.

Gone are the days when kids were encouraged to go out and explore nature on their bikes or on roller blades, etc., with their friends.  Those were the days when the only restrictions or guidelines given were to be home for set meal times and before the street lights came on.

Today few parents are comfortable letting their kids ride their bikes beyond their own street, not alone to the nearest park or conservation area.  With every new media highlight of a child abduction, drug incident or worse, parents become more cautious.  The end result of all this caution is a generation of kids that have become distanced from their environment.

Not only have parents limited children’s access to natural environments, but the lure of television, computers and video games has also eaten up a significant portion of recreation time that might have been otherwise spent out doors.

According to the Playing for Keeps organization 80 percent of children under age 2 and more than 60 percent of children aged 2 to 5 do not have access to daily outdoor activities.  The National Parks Service reports that state and national parks are experiencing a 10 to 20 percent drop in visitation.  

In 2007, the Governor’s Outdoors Conference in State College gathered over 300 public health officials, directors of government agencies, park managers, nature-related outdoor group representatives and outdoor enthusiasts from across the country to look at the challenge of getting kids and adults outdoors and the reasons for these changing trends.

This gathering of outdoor stakeholders came up with a number of reasons and causes for this unhealthy trend. For one, it was determined that urbanization and school district’s concern about injury-related lawsuits contributed to the decreased number of easily accessible outdoor opportunities for kids.  Other reasons point to our unhealthy diets.  Health care workers notice a lack of stamina in our youth when confronted with outdoor activities and link this observation to lower levels of Vitamin D.

So if you think your child has nature deficit disorder what can you do?  Here are a few suggestions:

• Get involved on your school PTA and encourage the school to incorporate more nature trips into the school curriculum.
• Take community events out of the manicured local parks. Instead plan community events in nearby conservation parks.  Carpool families to the location and hold a barbecue and baseball game there.  The different wildlife to be seen in a conservation park will make the trip interesting and get the kids excited about the beauty that really is all around them.
• Hang bird feeders around your house and look at the different birds you can attract with different seeds.  Involve the kids in this activity and watch their interest grow!
• If you have space, plant a children’s garden or start planting in pots. Put them in charge of weeding and watering. When their seedlings bloom their excitement will be something to behold.
• On your next family vacation choose a location that has many outdoor adventuring opportunities.

Is your child suffering from not spending enough time in nature? Richard Louv, author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, asserts that many modern children do. In fact, other medical and mental health experts and a growing body of researchers are also concerned about how little time our children are spending in the great outdoors. Why should parents be aware of this? What are some of the problems that result from nature deficit and what can we do to prevent it in our children?

First let’s define the problem. As Louv sees it, when our kids spend less time in natural environments, the results are what we’re seeing more and more of in recent years: weight issues in children, attention problems, depression, anxiety and stress. According to Louv, anecdotal evidence as well as several studies point to a connection between the increasing amount of time our kids spend indoors doing more sedentary activities, and emotional, health and social problems.

To be fair, many parents are justifiably concerned about safety. But this comes at a price. Many of us who are parents today remember spending much of our own childhoods out of doors, even in less than perfect weather! Long walks through the woods with friends, bike rides through the neighborhood feeling the wind in our hair, day dreaming for hours on the tire swing under the tree, these were the stuff memories were made of. Our kids today are often shuttled from one activity to another, most of these taking place in structured environments, and many of them indoors. What are our kids missing out on?

The research points to several things. One is that spending time in nature can help relieve stress. It also helps kids focus more. One study conducted by the University of Illinois found that children with attention problems can focus better after outdoor activities. Other studies point to increased cognitive ability among kids who have access to natural settings and display fewer attention lapses (such as interrupting, not listening and distraction). Also important are the findings that unstructured play (the kind that takes place when kids roam the great outdoors) leads to enhanced emotional and social development. They get better at problem solving and getting along with other kids. Not to be discounted is the fact any Mom can testify to: that getting the kids outdoors makes them calmer, helps them eat better as well as sleep better!

So how do we make sure our kids are getting enough time outside, especially if we don’t live in a rural area? One way is to structure recreation around nature. Spending time in parks, taking walks on nature trails, hiking, mountain climbing, visiting lakes, rivers and beaches and picnics outdoors are some ideas. Even in urban areas you probably have access to city parks and botanical gardens. Build a treehouse in your backyard if you can. Encourage your kids to go outside and play as much as possible. Make it mandatory if they don’t seem to enjoy it at first. Like eating vegetables, they often will start to love it with time. If it’s not safe for your kids to play outside without supervision, then spend time outside with them. Go for walks outside as a family. Eat some of your meals outdoors if weather permits. Involve the kids in outdoor chores like yard work or hanging laundry. The benefits will likely be obvious to you after a period of time and are worth the extra effort.

We live in a rather unnatural world, and every day we are exposed to persistent marketing that tries to convince us of more artificial items we’ve think we can’t live without.  And yet we know natural is better, and wanting the best for our children, we want to raise them as naturally as possible. 

In their book Freakonomics, authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner say the data suggest that who you are as a parent matters more to your child’s outcome than your parenting style.  So, if you want your children to follow a more natural lifestyle, the most important thing to do is to set the example.  Your children are likely to follow it.

One step many families have taken is to get rid of the television.  This will make the rest of the journey much easier, though it may also be the hardest thing you’ll ever do.  Of all the high tech appliances that are no doubt present in your home, why pick on the television?  Well, where else are your children going to be so fiercely and directly targeted by the marketers and purveyors of all things plastic and disposable? Things you aren’t planning to get them.  Are you going to miss the stress of the grocery store trip, where you child begs your for all manner of sugary cereals as if her life depended upon it? And not because she likes it but because her favorite cartoon character endorses it. Sound familiar?  Some parents think that the educational shows have some merit. That may be up for debate. However, most, if not all, of the successful TV shows are available on DVD, often at your local public library.  Your child can enjoy all the same shows they enjoyed with TV, minus the commercials. This tactic may make it easier for you to control the amount of time spent in front of a screen also.

The next step I would encourage is to get your entire family good quality bicycles.  If you have toddlers or babies, part of what you’ll need is a tagalong cart like a burley.  You can also look into carts that will allow you to haul groceries with your bicycle.  Older children should have their own bikes with safety helmets.  You can arrange this through a local bike shop, or if cost is an issue, you can hook up with a local bicycle cooperative.  Once everyone in your family is bicycle ready, start taking rides as a family.  At first your trips will be purely recreational, but you can work up to riding your bikes to take care of easy errands, like the trip to the corner store for that one ingredient you need for dinner and forgot to pick up on your normal grocery store trip.  You can ride your bike to mail a package, visit a friend, or any number of trips you’d normally drive your car.
At this point, I’m not saying you should get rid of your car.  That is a huge step that may impossible in some areas.  But each trip you take with your bike rather than your car is that much less pollution you’re putting into the air, not to mention the fresh air and exercise you get.

Once you take those first steps, you are well on your way towards a more natural lifestyle.

Kids love being a part of efforts that they know will help to protect the earth. Not only do they like knowing that they have a respected role to play but they like the fact that their parents and other adults acknowledge their abilities and maturity enough to discuss important issues with them like the environment.

Earth Day is an opportunity to really think about the messages and actions that cities and regional governments across the country are promoting to help our environment. “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” are messages that can take on greater meaning through purposeful activities that you choose to do with your family on Earth Day. To begin with, why not gather everyone around and talk about the following questions:

What can we recycle in our household and how can we recycle these items?

How many disposable items, from diapers to plastic bags do we use as a family, and how many items can we choose to do without?

Where can we reuse items we no longer want?

Here are some uses for existing items that might be in your household:
• Reuse a plastic or paper bag as a gift bag – place some decorative stickers or other decorations on it and you’ve got a replacement for wrapping paper!
• Reuse empty food containers as storage for leftovers.
• Decorate a can and reuse it as a pencil holder.
• Habitat for Humanity accepts building material donations – contact your local office for this non-profit group before disposing of old building material around your home.
• Your local Goodwill can make good use of your gently worn clothing and gently used furniture or other household items. Contact them to find out delivery options.

Suggest that your children organize an Earth Day Groceries project with their classmates and teacher. The project involves each child in the class decorating a cloth, canvas or other durable and reusable bags that can serve as great grocery bags. Once the bags are done present them to your local Grocery store as a way to promote Earth Day and the strong relationship between your local store, school and patrons in the community.

Hiking is a great family activity that can turn into a enjoyable Earth Day Activity if the purpose of the hike is to pick up garbage in your local park or trail. It’s a satisfying project that will make kids feel they are doing their part to take care of an area that gives them and their friends in the community much enjoyment – especially animals!

One of the best ways to teach our children about the impact of trash on our environment is to show them the “trash trail.” Where does the trash go after we put it out for the garbage truck? On Earth Day why not take your kids on a little journey along the “trash trail.”

The garbage workers or sanitation engineers take residential garbage usually to a transfer station that collects the community’s waste/rubbish before shipping it off to a regional solid waste facility. In many cases the garbage gets trucked to a landfill or incinerator plant. Sometimes that garbage is then burned to produce electricity – depending on the town.

Investigate if you are within traveling distance to a waste facility and ask if they do tours for schools or community members. If so, you’ll be in for an eye opening experience that will make this Earth Day one that will be an educational and fun experience for you and your family.

So you want to raise a natural child. Let’s say you are in the preconception or early pregnancy stage of parenting. What are some of the best ways to get started on the natural path from the beginning?

It all starts with food It might sound obvious to say that the main reason people rely on medicine is poor health, yet to many people good health is a mystery and ill health seems to strike randomly. Almost eighty years ago a dentist name Dr. Weston Price traveled to various primitive people groups around the world searching for their secret to radiant health and near perfect teeth. The most striking and consistent thing he discovered was that as long as they were eating their native diets, they were healthy overall and had very little dental caries. But once they switched to the modern diet, which was high in refined flour and sugar, it didn’t take long for their teeth and health to suffer, and it got worse with each generation. Also interesting were the difficulties women on the newfangled diet had in childbirth. Today degenerative diseases run rampant, and a good argument can be made that our modern diet leaves much to be desired. Begin by educating yourself on what real healthy eating means, and start putting what you learn into practice no matter what age you and your children are.

Consider giving birth at home The way a child enters the world has profound implications on how the child develops. If you want your child to grow up natural, what better way than to welcome him into the world in the most natural way possible, in the comfort and privacy of your own home? In addition to the birth, a home birth midwife can give excellent prenatal care, and often, she will use natural remedies to treat the various complaints of pregnancy. She can also help you keep on track with eating well.

If you’re having a boy, don’t circumcise him Circumcision (other than for religious conviction) is unnecessary and can be harmful. At the least, it’s elective cosmetic surgery. Most experts now agree that routine circumcision is inappropriate. There is nothing dirty or shameful about your baby boy’s anatomy.

Once your baby is born, use cloth diapers in combination with some elimination communication. From birth, your baby can control his toileting functions. Even if you’re only doing EC part time, each time baby pees or poops in the potty, that’s one less diaper you have to wash. When you do use diapers, buy or make cloth diapers. If you want to go further, use an all-natural soap to launder them. Even more important than diaper choice is how you feed your baby.

To raise a baby naturally, you will likely choose to breastfeed the baby. You are probably well aware of the many benefits babies (and moms) gain from breastfeeding. One of the interesting and not totally understood benefits is that the suckling action helps the child’s jaw grow properly, which can save you a mint in future orthodontic bills.

These are just a few natural parenting ideas…

A fundamental part of being a natural lifestyle in an unnatural world is to question conventional wisdom.  Conventional wisdom isn’t necessarily wrong.  We just need to shed the attitude that so many people can’t be wrong.  The truth is that a lot of conventional wisdom isn’t so much believed by the masses as it is propagandized by people who stand to gain from it.  The mainstream media is a huge propaganda tool of conventional wisdom, which is why questioning it becomes instantly easier once you give up watching television.

Here is a working list of some conventional wisdom I have encountered and questioned.  I’m not going to tell you what to do with it, other than quit assuming it’s true. Do your own research and make a truly informed decision.  What you decide about these things will have profound ripple effects on the way you raise your children.

1.      Vaccinations are necessary for good health.  There is solid research questioning the safety and efficacy of just about every vaccine.  In addition, the diseases vaccines are supposed to prevent are for the most part avoided or mitigated by good nutrition and some very noninvasive treatments.  You owe it to yourself and your children to become informed on the issue.  Even if you choose to give them vaccines, they will benefit from your knowledge of the risks and alternatives.

2. Fat is bad for you.  This is patently false and ignorance of this can cost your children immeasurably in terms of their health.  Visit the Weston Price Web site (www.westonaprice.org) for information on the importance of fats in the diets of growing children.  Resolve now to quit buying them skim milk and get them whole milk, preferably raw milk from a grass fed cow instead.

3. Pasteurization makes milk safer and healthier.  False again.  Many learned people smarter than me have argued that raw milk is the only milk fit for human consumption. It certainly tastes better! What’s more, many who thought they were lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy do just fine on raw milk. Check out www.realmilk.com for more information and to find a supply of raw milk near you.

4. Babies have no control over their elimination functions.  This is the primary assumption behind the use of diapers, disposable and otherwise.  The truth is babies can control those functions from birth and with gentle encouragement, often do. Parents all over the world have learned to tune in to their baby’s potty needs. The idea that babies cannot control their elimination is a very modern, American idea. You don’t have to ditch diapers to practice elimination communication with your baby, but it’s helpful to at least be aware that there are numerous babies who have never worn one.

5. The doctor knows everything.  Doctors are trained to practice medicine and go through intense schooling to be able to do so.  We’re all grateful for their expertise in emergency situation. However, that doesn’t mean they are the only ones who can know something about health, and they certainly do not know your child as well as you do.  According to famed Pediatrician Robert Mendelsohn, mothers (and grandmothers) are the best Doctors of all. You have the right to work with your doctor as an equal partner, to educate yourself about the health issues affecting your family, and to understand that he doesn’t always know what is best. Ultimately the responsibility lies with the parent.

Many individuals have chosen to use homeopathic remedies either as an alternative to traditional medicine or in conjunction with it.  Homeopathic remedies are attractive to many people because they are a non toxic system of medicine.

Homeopathy has been around since the 18th century and is practiced today by licensed physicians and other qualified prescribers.  This natural approach to healing and health care looks at remedies that can stimulate the body to turn on its own healing mechanisms as part of the process of returning the body to its homeostasis or balance.
Followers of the homeopathic tradition regard disease as the body’s own defensive attempt to correct its imbalance rather than as a foreign invader that must be destroyed.  Homeopathic remedies therefore seek to trigger the body’s own curative powers
Homeopathic remedies are created according to the “Law of Similars”.  This philosophy suggests that symptoms caused by ingesting or exposure to a substance in its raw form can be lessened or alleviated by taking the same substance (causing the symptoms) in a much more diluted form.  Substances are diluted with water, sugar or alcohol.

According to homeopathic principles, substances will have different properties and actions depending on the level of their concentration (low, medium or high).  Homeopathic remedies containing high concentrations suppress and low concentrations stimulate.
Following are ailments that many feel are best addressed through homeopathic means:
• depression
• anxiety
• allergies
• infections
• gynecological conditions
• skin conditions
• digestive problems
• chronic and acute conditions including colds and flu
Self-care using homeopathic remedies is sometimes practiced by those with moderate or short-term illnesses.  In those cases lower potencies are taken (6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X, 30C). A 30 may act more quickly and with more intensity than a 6 and need fewer repetitions—but the higher the potency, the more precise the remedy choice must be to bring about the expected results. High potencies (past 30C) should only be used by those with formal homeopathic training or under the guidance of a health care professional.

Giving birth to a child is one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences in a woman’s life. One of the important decisions a woman will make about the experience is whether to deliver her child the natural way or with medication.  Sometimes a choice isn’t possible as nature and circumstances have a way making the decision for us.  But for women trying to plan ahead for a natural childbirth, understanding the benefits of this choice can be helpful.

A natural childbirth is one that attempts to lessen medical intervention, in particular the use of anesthetic medications.  Expectant mothers hear often about the great pain of childbirth and why it is “unnecessary” to go through such pain.

Natural birth advocates argue that in a healthy situation, pain is often nature’s way of guiding the mother through the labor process.  In other aspects of our health care we become concerned when there is pain—we don’t just simply cover it up.  For instance persistent headaches, or back aches or leg pain, etc., is usually followed up with a visit to the doctor who may at that point uncover the source of the pain which in some instances is a serious health issue.

Pain during the labor may be nature’s way of telling the mother to shift her position to ease the baby into the right position for delivery.  For example, having back pain during labor is believed to be a sign that the baby might be in a posterior position which requires rotating. Women experiencing this pain will tend to move themselves off of their backs and in this “natural” way they may in fact be helping to move the baby to a better position for delivery.

One of the difficult aspects of a medicated birth is that the nerve blocking or pain reduction medication can limit the mother’s ability to move around.  On the other hand mothers experiencing natural labor can walk around freely and change the positions of their body as needed.

Knowing when to push and when to stop pushing is an important part of the labor process. Mothers who labor naturally can respond to the vital indicators that their body is sending them and this allows them to push better and faster.  Studies have shown that mothers who are given an epidural (an anesthetic that numbs the body from the belly button down) often have prolonged labors.

Many women who have a natural birth say that their recovery was faster and easier because they were able get themselves up out of bed sooner. Some women are even able to eat right away.  This isn’t often the case when a woman receives medication to numb labor pain.

Babies also benefit from a healthy natural delivery.  Research has shown that in cases where the mother has natural childbirth, the babies are more alert take to breast feeding earlier and more readily.

There are many important benefits associated with natural childbirth.  Ultimately the choice should be a pressure-free one that is based on an understanding of what is involved and the health condition of the mother.   A point to keep in mind is that many mothers who choose natural childbirth attribute their positive experience to the support of their health practitioner, partner and/or family.

More Reading: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

During warmer months it is easy to send kids outdoors for some fun in the sun and fresh air. Bike riding, tree climbing, soccer, hopscotch, and dozens of other outdoor activities provide children with hours upon hours of creative play that is healthy for their bodies and mind. Less than favorable weather such as rain and extreme cold may present a problem at times though and moms need to get creative in helping their kids to find productive play activities. In an age where video games and TV can easily become too important in a child’s life, many parents are reluctant to encourage these things. Luckily there are many alternatives for parents that want to stress productive and creative play.

Help Them Make Believe

Pretend play is particularly important for a young child’s development. It helps them to develop their critical thinking and communication abilities. The great outdoors provides a grand stage for this type of play but parents can facilitate make believe any time with just a few clever props. A box of costumes can create hours of pretend play fun as your kids pretend they are pirates, fairies, knights, or even characters from their favorite movies and books. Homemade forts also provide an excellent opportunity for kids to imagine they are playing in a log cabin, a castle, or a tent. A simple sheet draped over a table can provide hours of fun and creative play.

Creative Toys

Instead of toys with lights, sounds, and movement give your children some basic toys that they can use to build and create. Legos and wooden blocks are usually very popular among kids as they can spend hours creating virtually anything they can come up with. Take some pictures of their creations and help them create a photo journal to record all of their inventions and accomplishments as mini architects.

Play kitchens and play food can also provide hours of creative play as kids pretend to cook their favorite meals and serve their family. Even an item as simple as a playsilk can be used as a flag, as part of a costume, as a sail on a boat, or a doll sling or hammock. Give them the raw materials and watch them create!

Books for Homegrown Adventure

For younger and older kids it is great fun to read a book aloud and ask them to re-enact it in a play or with puppets. They can build the set, create the costumes, and then act out the part of their favorite character. If you have a video camera handy you or an older child can record these performances to let them view later and to create memories that the whole family will treasure for years.

For children that insist on TV time perhaps you can strike a deal asking them to select a movie that originated from a book and then after they read it you can all watch the movie together and discuss how the book and movie compared.
These are just a few of the ways that parents can encourage creative and productive play and leisure within their children.