Considering cloth diapers? The great news is… modern cloth diapers and accessories are extremely versatile and much easier to use than you might think. While cloth diapers require a little more money up front than their disposable counterparts, they last through use by multiple babies. You can save them for your future children and/or even…
Baby
How Healthy Gut Bacteria Can Help Prevent Asthma and Allergies
More and more research is showing a very strong link between the “good bacteria” that live in your child’s gut and the development of allergies and asthma. So, what is the research on gut bacteria showing? “Good” gut bacteria play a key role not only in developing a healthy immune system in infants, but also…
Healthy Microbiome for Kids: How to Boost Your Child’s Gut Health
When you boost your child’s gut health, you’re setting her up for a lifetime of wellness – plus fewer colds, less severe stomach bugs, and many more benefits we’re learning as more research shows the many benefits of a healthy microbiome. Some kids seem to get sick with every season change. Add in seasonal allergies,…
Mother & Baby Bonding: An excerpt from Feng Shui Mommy
There has never been and never again will be a child just like yours. Even though babies are born every day, the birth of your baby is sacred, unique, and extraordinary. Connecting to this unique heart energy of your baby will be a profound experience for you, allowing your internal trapdoor of love to release….
Car Seat Safety Checklist: How to Choose a Car Seat
Knowing how to choose a car seat and what to look for when buying it can be a nerve-wracking process for any new parent. Thankfully, with the right planning and guidance, choosing a car seat doesn’t have to be a struggle. A simple checklist can often be the simplest way to navigate important decision-making tasks,…
Car Seat Safety Checklist: How to Install a Car Seat
After nearly 20 years studying child passenger safety, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with countless parents, safety experts and industry professionals on this very topic. While working at Britax, I have used my knowledge of the space to help the company innovate and design some of the safest products on the market. Choose The…
The Smart (and Sustainable) Way to Buy Baby Clothes
Baby clothes – they outgrow them in a blink. It’s worth it for your bank account and the planet to follow these smart and sustainable ways to buy baby clothes. There’s no faster fashion in the world than that of babies. This thought didn’t cross my mind until I had kids. But then, it hit…
From Ancient Times to Modern Parenting: The DIDYMOS Babywearing Legacy
Sometimes it’s tough being the first one in the neighborhood trying a new thing. While babywearing is far from new, its journey into the mainstream consciousness has been a slow one. Back in 1972, Erika Hoffmann knew this exact feeling. At a time when it was practically unheard of for children to sleep with their…
A Mindful Approach to Naming Your Baby
Naming stories are the best. Ask your closest friends about where their names came from, and you’re sure to get a good story or two. You could find out that Lindsay’s parents named her after their favorite bank teller. Lewis was named for his great-grandfather who brought the family to the US. Or Maddy was…
The Spring 2017 Issue of Green Child Magazine is Here!
The Spring 2017 issue of Green Child is here! You’ll find natural parenting advice for all ages & stages… from handling baby’s first fever to creating a safe environment for your preschooler’s roughhousing to helping set rules for your teen’s first cell phone. You’ll also find healthy recipes, a peek at our favorite books in…
Early Moments Matter
Each year on Valentine’s Day, we try to focus on truly worthwhile ways to bring more love to those around us. Whether you’re celebrating a little more sustainably, showing your loved ones how much they mean to you, or making an impact on someone you may never meet… it all adds up to more collective…
Sleep Safety: How to Choose a Nontoxic Crib Mattress
Considering that a majority of your baby’s time in the first months is devoted to sleeping, it makes choosing a nontoxic crib mattress highly important. But, as much time as we take picking out the perfect crib, the adorable decor, and the cute clothing, the mattress is often a practical afterthought determined by cost rather…
Babywearing Basics: Everything You Need to Know About Carriers, Wraps, & Slings
Babywearing is a practice that goes back to the dawn of time because of how perfectly and wonderfully it works. Babywearing truly is simple and seamlessly compatible with this thing we call life. Wearing can offer newborns the constant warmth and security that they need; enable simple on-demand breastfeeding; give parents hands so they can care…
Holding Your Baby Close: The Importance of Touch in Infancy & Beyond
Most of us give little thought to the sense of touch, which often lags behind the other senses in our conscious awareness. But the many benefits of touch – especially for infants – are worth noting. The physiological effects of loving touch read like a pharmaceutical company’s wonder drug. Touching lowers the stress hormone cortisol,…
Empowered Birth: The Trouble With Interventions (And When They May Be A Good Thing)
Over the years, the definition of “medical necessity” has become interchangeable with “medical convenience.” And there’s no better example of this than birth, and its tedious list of interventions. The issues around interventions aren’t surprising when you realize that they were originally devised, prescribed, and pushed by male “experts.” Many believed that new medical instruments and processes…
Creating Meaningful Rituals for the Fourth Trimester
Every new parent goes through something of an initiation during the monumental transition of the fourth trimester. Changes happen on a profoundly spiritual and psychological level right after having a baby, and many cultures around the world recognize this with some sort of rite of passage. These rites of passage are important for several different…
How to Safely Use Lavender for Babies and Kids
While you should always be cautious with plant-based medicine, using lavender for babies and kids can be effective and safe when it comes to holistic healing. Lavender For Babies Throughout history, lavender has been used for perfume, washing, and even medicines. It was a staple for mothers from days past, and while no mama could…
It’s Babywearing Week & We’re Giving Away TWO Tula Baby Carriers!
While we talk about Attachment Parenting and Babywearing all year long, it’s always fun when this week rolls around. International Babywearing Week is an annual outreach event to celebrate, promote, advocate for, and focus media attention on the many benefits of babywearing. We truly love celebrating this event with the babywearing community… and the chance to…
FDA Finds Glyphosate in Oatmeal and Baby Foods
FDA test results showed evidence of glyphosate (the controversial ingredient in weed killer RoundUp) in instant oatmeals and baby foods. At a Florida meeting, an FDA chemist presented the findings about glyphosate residues in several types of infant oat cereal, including banana strawberry and banana-flavored varieties. Glyphosate was also detected in cinnamon spice instant oatmeal,…
What’s Your Score? How to find out if your personal care products are truly safe
When our friends at Earth Mama Angel Baby asked their followers to check the toxicity scores of their personal care products, they quickly realized how much work is still needed to raise awareness of what we’re putting on our kids and ourselves. “I felt a little bit duped!” shares Mikki Bell, mother of one and…
Gentle Parenting: Nesting Without a Nursery
Pregnancy reconnects us with some of nature’s most primal instincts. Just hearing the term nesting might bring the image to your mind of a beautiful round mama robin tirelessly building her nest in just the right spot. Most (but not all) pregnant women experience the nesting instinct, too. Even fathers-to-be aren’t immune to the uncontrollable urge…
Oscha Slings: Keeping Your Baby Beautifully Close
The connections we make with our babies are some of the most empowering, meaningful aspects of parenting. Along with this bond comes trust-building, awareness of a safe space, and the development of deep, emotional relationships. One beautiful way of achieving all of this is to wear carry your baby. Whether in a woven wrap, ring sling, or structured carrier,…
Baby Led Weaning: A Real Food Approach to Feeding Your Baby
Baby led weaning allows your baby to take the lead when foods are introduced, letting her learn to feed herself from the start.With a new baby, every new phase can be exciting but also pretty stressful. Learning new cues, figuring out a feeding schedule…it’s a bit daunting. Then, once you finally get your feeding routine…
Natural Remedies for Croup
Question: My son has croup. I don’t want to load him up on antibiotics and steroids if I can help it, and I know that’s what the doctor will prescribe. Are there any natural remedies for croup? Answer: I agree with you wholeheartedly about the antibiotics and steroids. The good news is there are natural…
