A woman’s body is the only one that can bring another human being into the world. Women are made specifically this way just so that they can birth another person. They can trust in their bodies to be able to come through the experience of childbirth as they were designed. With that in mind we need to focus on how to have more natural childbirths and thus have healthier moms and babies. Unfortunately society in general has forgotten to trust in a woman’s body to be able to birth a child. Instead we view pregnancy and childbirth as a medical condition and not a natural process.

The U.S. is 41st of the list for mortality of mothers giving birth in the world. This statistic has started to encourage many moms to consider natural childbirth options and shy away from medical intervention. Natural childbirth is when you use little to no medical intervention to birth your baby. This usually means no inducing, no medications, and can go as far as having a doula or a midwife present for the birth.

Here are some other reasons why natural childbirth is better for moms and babies:

There won’t be any bad reactions to drugs. Even though a large percentage of people do not experience serious side effects to drugs, there are still many people who do. When given so many drugs to birth your baby you are at risk to have bad reactions that will cause further complications to delivery.

Natural childbirth without medication helps to keep mom aware and functioning at high levels during her birth. Using numbing drugs that paralyze her from the waste down can mean the birth process lasts for much longer and mom and baby can get tired, leading to the possibility of a c-section.

Statistics show that reduced medical intervention means lower chances for difficulties during birth. This includes pitocin to induce contractions, breaking the water to start labor and even a planned cesarean.

Medical intervention seems to cause your labor to slow. Sometimes it can help to relax you so you can dilate better, other times it slows down the whole process putting you and the baby through a lot more work than is needed.

Because medical intervention seems to slow down the birthing process it also raises the statistic for cesareans. You see doctors only want you to birth so long, they say you get too tired and you can’t handle it, or they are worried about you. Many times they could be more worried about getting it over with so they can get back to their families. This is another reason so many people have planned cesareans.

Although for many people they are safe, cesareans are performed on 30% of pregnancies in the U.S. when they are only needed for 10%, and unfortunately even the smallest mistake in a cesarean can cause the mother or baby to have complications as tragic as death. With natural childbirth available, why take the chance?

Sometimes cesareans are completely necessary and the mom or baby would be at more risk not having one. But as you can see only about one third of cesareans are considered emergency, and the other two thirds are putting themselves needlessly at risk. Natural childbirth is the way nature intended and much more safe for mom and baby.

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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.

There are many benefits of breastfeeding, which is why there has been a great increase in the number of breastfeeding moms in recent years. Check out some these breastfeeding benefits to mom and baby:

The colostrum or “first milk” for the baby is very important for health and immune development. Colostrum is produced in the first few days after giving birth and is more condense and thicker than regular breast milk. The baby gets a lot of nutrients, vitamins and the benefit of your immune system in colostrum. Because of all the benefits of colostrum it is now available to adults in pill form in some health food stores. It is very beneficial for health.

Breastfeeding is better overall for the health of mommy and baby. The baby continues to get nutrients and vitamins that mom takes in everyday, and is able to work up immunities to allergies through mom’s milk. As for mom, her body will go back to normal faster after childbirth by simply breastfeeding. It is a natural process that that helps mom and baby ease into natural health and well being.

In the mother, the uterus goes back to normal faster, shrinking back to its pre-pregnancy size. Because it goes so much faster there will be some cramping, usually felt during nursing sessions but it is very mild usually helpful in bringing your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy state..

Many moms lose baby weight faster when they breastfeed. After having baby and by breastfeeding, you will burn more calories everyday to keep up with the baby’s diet. You are feeding someone else and maintaining your own body systems so this means the extra calories you burn will help you lose the weight you gained during pregnancy faster than if you were bottle feeding.

Babies often thrive when fed breastmilk. Formula has synthetic vitamins and minerals, made in labs, and they aren’t as healthy as the ones that come from mom. Nothing can replace breast milk, it is naturally one of the most healthy things we can ingest.

Babies also use breastmilk to develop an immune system in early weeks. During the first few months and weeks of baby’s life he or she has no immune system of their own. By breastfeeding they are still using mom’s until they are able to build one of their own. This means less colds, less infections and overall a healthier beginning to life.

Brestfeeding has also been linked to a lower incidence of SIDS. Although scientists aren’t quite sure why, studies show that babies who are breastfed have a lower chance of dying from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Some have theories as to why this is but the numbers show breastfeeding may very well offer protection against this mysterious phenomena.

A great bonding experience between mom and baby can be yet another large benefit. Because mom is the only one able to feed the baby for the first few weeks at least of life they have more time to bond. The baby’s eyes can only focus so far from their face, about 8-10 inches, which just happens to be how far from mom’s face they are when breastfeeding. The eye contact, skin to skin contact, and early interaction provide a wonderful bonding experience.

The saying “breast is best” is still alive after all this time. If you have to formula feed, don’t feel guilty, but if you can breastfeed, even some, it will be completely worthwhile for you and your baby.

When it comes to having children, one very important issue will be the decision on how your child will be educated. You will have many options to consider such as public funded schools, private schools, charter schools, and home school. Many parents don’t give homeschooling any thought, but there are many benefits to homeschooling that you should consider.

When your child goes to school it is normally 20 or more students to one teacher, at least in public schools. In some areas it can be up to 30 students for each teacher. This means that children get very little of the teacher’s undivided attention. Homeschooled children typically get one-on-one time and this helps them to learn for efficiently and retain what they learn.

Learning at the pace the child is ready to learn at is important. When it is just you and a couple of children you are able to take the time to let them learn things according to their own schedule and skills. Children all have different strengths and learning styles and don’t understand the same things at the same time. In public school there isn’t time to let the kids learn at their own pace, that’s why they get so much homework. Homeschooled children need not made to meet these unrealistic expectations.

Each child learns things a different way. Many teachers only teach one way. Some children are visual learners, some learn by listening, and some learn by doing. Some teachers only teach one way though, which leaves the rest of the kids out. One of these kids might be yours…

Homeschooling also allows for more life skills training. This is one of the best parts of homeschooling in fact. You see 18 year olds coming out of high school that have no practical life skills that will help them get a job. They usually feel they need to jump right into secondary education instead. Can they budget money for their new apartment, balance a checkbook, or fix things that break around the house? Many times the answer is no. For the last 16 years they have been too busy learning how to do algebra, trigonometry, and learning definitions of huge words they will never use. Homeschooling can allow you to teach your child more practical things they can actually utilize later in life. You can teach them about saving, investing and paying bills. You can teach them about how fix things around their home, like the car, the toilet and electronics or computers. Homeschooling can give them the advantage they need.

The absolute best thing about homeschooling though is the fact you get to spend so much time with your children. No teacher will enjoy your child as much as you, nor will they enjoy watching your child learn as much as you.

No parent ever says “I wish I hadn’t home schooled and spent that much time with my kids” Think about it, in the end what are going to say? Consider homeschooling, you won’t regret it.

It is generally believed that little babies have no control over the muscles used in elimination functions. The truth is that a newborn baby does have control over those muscles. Whether baby pees or poops in a diaper or in a container, the baby often does so consciously and deliberately. An observant and in tune parent can work with her baby on the timing and location of those elimination functions. The result is another way to bond with baby and the use of a few less diapers.

People who practice elimination communication (EC) do so on a number of different levels. You have the people who believe diapers are evil and get their babies completely out of diapers within a few months of birth. On the other end, there are parents who keep their babies in diapers for pretty much as long as is normally expected and they work on elimination communication on a part time basis. It is my belief that most of us will fall into that second category. While it is possible to completely potty train an infant, it is a rather time consuming process and you will have a lot of misses, and therefore messes, along the way. I want to establish right now that elimination communication is not an all or nothing proposition, and it does not mean you have to dump your diapers. You can successfully practice it part time. Any amount of time spent working with your baby on elimination will benefit both of you and will lay a good foundation for future potty learning. In other words, you have nothing to lose by trying.

You can start working with a baby on potty functions at any time. However, it is easier if you start before the baby is four months old. I’d recommend beginning somewhere around ten days to two weeks after baby’s birth. In my experience any earlier is overwhelming, though more die hard ECers say it’s best to start with the baby’s meconium movement. In the time that you’re not ECing your baby, you’re most likely noticing when the baby is wetting and soiling his diaper. Maybe baby pees right after nursing, or poops at ten every morning. A real good time for elimination is first thing after baby wakes up and right after a nap. When you start noticing a pattern over a few days, you can anticipate your baby’s elimination and be ready with a container of some sort.

The container can be a small potty, your sink, bathtub or toilet. It can even be a dry diaper. Remove baby’s diaper before he goes, hold him over your chosen container and wait. You can hold baby gently by his thighs and allow him to rest on your forearms. When baby eliminates, give him a cue. It can be a “psss” sound or a phrase. You will use the same cue each time you see baby eliminating. At first, you wait until baby eliminates to give him the cue. After a while, you can use the cue to encourage baby to go.

Once you catch one pee or poo, EC can get pretty addicting because it really is a lot of fun. Here are some important points to remember: This should be fun for both you and your baby. If it stops being fun, it’s a good idea to take a break for a few days. It’s not about catching everything or seeing how quickly you can get baby out of diapers. It’s about bonding and learning with your baby. It should never ever be punitive in any way. While some of us may indeed find we can confidently take our baby out of diapers much earlier than what’s considered normal, most of us will just steadily EC our babies a little here and there and one day, that ECing will morph into gentle potty learning for our toddler.

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.

It has taken some time, but finally there is widespread awareness that electronic games are contributing to the poor health of our kids.  Studies are showing that kids in general are spending approximately 5 hours a day in front of the TV and/or game video screen. Sure some of these games can be entertaining or even stimulating to a point, but 5 hours of electronic entertainment is way too much time for growing kids to spend in one stationary position. 

Researchers from Yale University and the University of Hawaii published a paper recently stating that by 2010 more than 50% of children in America will be overweight.  That’s a statistic that no one wants to see realized.  So what can we do? For many families it will take a significant effort to change some activities that have become hard to break habits.

Electronic games and DVDs have become the modern pacifier for many kids.  Parents will often pop in a DVD or whip out the Game Boy to keep kids occupied during long trips, while seated in waiting rooms or at any moment in the day when a child says “I’m bored.”

The challenge is to find ways to control (or better yet eliminate) the use of electronics as a means of childhood entertainment.  To get some ideas as to what you might do to entertain your kids, let’s take a look back to the pre-Game Boy era…

It’s a Wednesday evening, dinner’s done and the kids have finished their homework.  Mom looks to the game cupboard and pulls the Twister box off the shelf.  Twister is the game where the players are the game pieces.  Unfold the game “sheet” on the family room floor, get the spinner out, spin away and start moving arms and limbs onto the colored dots as directed by the spinner.  Last person to fall wins.  Now that’s a fun way to end a typical week day.

While Twister is a game from the past, it is very much available today as are a good many  traditional games that are engaging, fun and require no batteries or adapters!  The following are great games for all ages that you might want to pick up either on ebay, at a local garage sale, or your local toy store:  Monopoly (not the electronic version), Sorry, Battleship, Clue and Scrabble.  

What to do on a snowy Saturday afternoon?  Why build a snow fort of course?  Moms and Dads can and should join in this game since the more hands involved in fort construction the sooner it’ll be ready for its military inhabitants! All that snow that is cleared from the driveway and that is on the lawn, will be put to great use as building material for the family snow fort.

Who doesn’t like the game “Simon Says”?  This classic movement game is fun for any age and the best part is your 2 year old can have as much fun playing this as the 12 year old.  Assign a young child to be “Simon” for a really neat “Simon Says” session. Mom and Dad can be pretty good at giving orders around the house let’s see how good (or how able) they are at following directions especially when the order is “Touch your toes!”  Keep your chiropractor on call during your “Simon Says” sessions.

The best part of any “non-electronic” family activity is the good conversation and laughter that are so much a part of family life.  Watching your kids giggle as you trip over yourself during a game of Twister is a priceless moment no electronic game can replace.

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.