Kamea loves books and they’re a huge part of our day. I’ve read enough parenting books to know the importance of reading with my baby. And, boy oh boy, she LOVES it. Ever since she learned to sign “more” she asks me to read and reread and reread books all day long. She has her favorites, though, that’s for sure. Doggies, anyone? To make it even more exciting though, I sometimes, ehem, sing them to her. Other times I get so animated that I literally exhaust myself… by the way, is it just me or do some of the Dr. Seuss books take a lot out of ya? After reading The Cat in the Hat, I need nap!
One of her favorite books is Rockin’ Babies by Dr. Jenn Berman (fellow vegan and author of SuperBaby). Here I am, sharing with the world (I did this on my Facebook author page, but that’s only available to fans so the audience was limited), my singing to Kamea.
By the way… the part about “spitting on authority figures” is not as bad as it might sound. It’s a cute picture of a dad being spit “up” on with baby food. See?
By the way, check out Kamea’s baby freeze pops on my Kristen’s Raw blog here.
I’m always asked about what I feed Kamea other than powerful, nutrient rich breastmilk. So, let’s take a peek at what she has awaiting her today.
I like to give her choices and I found myself putting a few different things in a bowl, where they would ultimately end up getting mixed together. Not a big deal, but I wanted to keep them separate so she could see them better. I went on the hunt for the perfect feeding tray and I found it! I found a couple of things actually (and I’ll blog about the others in the future), but this is the one we’re using at home the most. It’s a BPA-free plastic tray with lid, shaped like a pineapple with tiny compartments perfect for filling with little baby bits of food.
Today she’s gobbling up the following organic vegan and raw snacks…
Kamea is crazy in love with books, which melts my heart. One of the passions both Greg and I share is the love of reading, and we look forward to the time when we can have family outings to Starbucks where we take our books and read.
We love reading to Kamea and she requests it every day, multiple times. Now that she knows the sign “more” in sign language, we see it over and over and over and over and … well, you get the point. Once the story ends, she wants more. Yay!
We’re building her library of books and I buy most of them on Amazon if they’re not hand-me-downs from friends and relatives. However, when you’re not buying from a bookstore where you can flip through it, you don’t always know everything it’ll contain. Recently, I bought the book “Yummy YUCKY” by Leslie Patricelli. It’s such a cute board book with the pictures, colors, and font. The story basically shows one side of the page with something yummy on it, like spaghetti. Then, on the next page it shows something similar, but yucky… like worms. It makes it really fun to read to Kamea as I exclaim out loud the pages that are YUCKY! I make an “eh eh” sound and she imitates me. Read More »
Over the weekend we celebrated Kamea’s first birthday. WOW! What an experience that was. It was a day filled with emotion as I thought back on the day of her birth. I knew it would be a special day, but honestly, I didn’t know how awesomely special! It was really cool… my baby is now ONE!
In preparation for her birthday, I was asked, mostly by family, “Will you be having a birthday cake?”
My response, “Why would I give her a sugar filled cake?”
Kamea has been primarily consuming breastmilk for the past year, exclusively breastfed for the first 8 months. Since then it’s primarily breastmilk along with some pure and healthy whole foods, many of which are raw, introduced slowly to taste and play with. It’s only now, around 12 months, that she actually takes a few bites of things. We’re more or less following Baby Led Weaning so I make things available. Sometimes she’s interested and sometimes she’s not. There is one thing she seems especially fond of… my delicious nutrient filled smoothies. Read More »
I was emailed the following recently and thought I’d answer so others could read…
I am not a raw foodist, but our family eats mostly organic. I would value a video post from you that shows you preparing (what products to use that don’t have plastics, etc., making it, storing it, and feeding it to your child. I don’t believe in microwaves and I can’t imagine taking the time to toss a frozen food cube in a saucepan every time. Can you help with any pointers to make the process, fast, easy and healthy.
Answer: Actually, I breastfed exclusively for so long that she’s at an age now where I usually just share what I’m eating with her, while getting the majority of her calories still from breastmilk. At that young age, you could start with simple raw organic foods like peeled apple, banana, or avocado. I’m more or less following baby led weaning. Even with that though… I still keep pieces uber small because she only has a few teeth. She’s not using sippy cups or anything like that. When I share my smoothie with her, I use a spoon or a teeny tiny cup (the kind you might use with mouthwash, it’s BPA free)
I also recently wrote a blog post for Raw Moms discussing a bit about our practices. It should be on their website on July 1.
For the first 10 months of Kamea’s life, I wore her pretty much everywhere we went. We didn’t visit a lot of restaurants, and the times we did, we put her in her Orbit Stroller Seat (which rotates 360 – totally badass! and pushed right up to the table), but she isn’t enjoying the stroller this past month – huh. Sometimes we would sit in a booth and just put her between us or I’d share a chair with her if the furniture allowed (as in the picture to the left). That became difficult lately though, becase she moves around a lot! We also tried using her portable restaurant chair that came with her at-home high chair (the top comes off and you can take it places). That is very cool, too. But, it also means having a good restaurant chair to put it on and if you’re in a booth it’s not gonna fly. What to do…
Out of the corner of my eye every time, I see the dreaded restaurant high chair. I say “dreaded” because frankly, it looks like a germ fest. I highly doubt they’re cleaned very often, and I get the willies thinking about putting Kamea in one of them.
A similar scenario applies when grocery shopping. For the first 10 months Kamea was mostly worn at the grocery store, with a couple of exceptions of being in her stroller.
But… she’s over 11 months now and this means a couple of things. She’s getting heavier (long legs, too) which makes it more difficult to shop while wearing her. Bending down to get things off low shelves or rifling through the produce displays until I find impeccable produce isn’t easy with her strapped on, and she’s not a fan of it either (she wants me to keep moving). Again though, shopping carts are notorious for being uber germy and gross, so I didn’t want to put her in one.
I decided it was time to invest in an organic grocery cart and high chair cover. Sooo glad I did! Wow, in the restaurants she sits like a champ in it. And, in the grocery store, she does just as well. Whew!
Here she is using it for the first time at a restaurant. So much easier to carry that instead of using a stroller or portable high chair seat. I’m all about making things simpler these days!
And… Kamea at Whole Foods Market in a grocery cart.
Kamea is 10 1/2 months old, and while she isn’t eating many solids (what can I say? She loves her mama’s breastmilk!), there is one recipe of which she actually eats a few spoonfuls. For the most part, she nibbles on an apple slice once in a while, she does the same with cucumber. But, most days, she’s still just tasting and experimenting with solids. Some gets on her face, some gets on her clothes, and a lot gets on the floor. But, once in a while… a little makes its way into her mouth. She also sprouted a few new teeth over the past week!
I’m glad she likes her Cinnamon Apricot Prunes because it’s loaded with iron and nutrients (mama and daddy love it, too! The cinnamon combined with the sweet apricots and prunes is yummers!).
Cinnamon Apricot Prunes
4 prunes
2 dried apricots*
Water to soak
pinch of ground cinnamon
Put the prunes and dried apricots in a bowl and add enough water to reach the top of them. Let them soak like this for an hour or so… you want them plump. Transfer the prunes, apricots, and soak water to a blender (I’m loving my Tribest Travel Blender for making Kamea’s purees lickety-split!). Add the cinnamon and blend to a puree. She doesn’t eat the entire thing in one sitting. What she doesn’t eat I store in the refrigerator if I don’t eat it myself.
* My favorite place for dried apricots is Blue Mountain Organics. OMG! It’s like eating candy they’re so deliciously sweet!
Question! I’ve read that sippy cups are a bad idea because they can cause speech development problems and to use a sippy straw cup instead. Thoughts?
My friend, Malynda, texted me some pictures of what she was doing over the Easter holiday and I had to share them because they were Green Mommy! She’s totally inspired me for future Easters with Kamea.
My little stinker bunny.
For starters… here is what they did for Easter eggs in keeping it eco (and vegan!) friendly. They painted wood eggs – how cute?!?! Now, I don’t know the greeness of the paint, but it’s a start by using the wood eggs.
Ryan (Malynda's hubby) with their daughter, Tristyn.
And, here are the eco friendly Easter baskets she made for her adorable girls. Brilliant! Healthy, fun, and a great way to teach the little ones about green living by planting a garden. Well done, Malynda!
Do you have an eco friendly Easter tips and ideas for the family?
UPDATE! I found an article in Kiwi magazine sharing eco friendly DIY dye for easter eggs. It’s the April/May 2011 edition. For pink they used beets, water, and vinegar. For yellow they used turmeric powder and water. For Green, they used water and chlorophyll capsules. For blue, they used frozen blueberries, water, and vinegar.
When staying at my mom’s house, we’re lucky that her neighbor across the street allows us unrestricted access to their salt water swimming pool. My experience with Kamea since she was born is that she is fascinated with water whether it’s coming out of a faucet, garden hose, sitting in a dog bowl, or if she’s taking a bath. As you can imagine, I’ve been dying to see how she is in a pool. The verdict? I think the picture speaks volumes. She’s totally Hollywood and chillin’ like life couldn’t be better. In fact, she is teething right now and yesterday was a rough day (in spite of the amber necklace I blogged about here, although I hate to think of how it would be without it?). I took her to the pool and all was better! Yay! Looks like a lot of pool time in our future.
In anticipation of Kamea’s first time in a pool, we bought her a baby swim diaper, baby raft, and Nana bought her some groovy shades.
The raft I chose has nice reviews on Amazon, comes with a sun shade, and should last us a long time. It’s a little big for her still, so we put a couple of swim noodles under it. I don’t think it’s entirely necessary, but it looks more comfortable for her. And, she does look comfy wouldn’t you say?!
Kamea’s baby swim diaper we bought at Giggle (we have a store near us, but here is a link to their online store). I like that it’s free of PVC and super absorbent gels and that no other diaper is necessary. Apparently there are some states that require the use of approved swim diapers in public pools. Arizona requires the use of them. However, I doubt we’ll be in any public pools in the near future because I’m not crazy about chlorine pools. So far we’re opting to just have her wear the diaper instead of a full swimsuit. It seems easier to take on and off than a full swimsuit, and also seems like it would be really comfortable for her this way.
The shades are so stinkin’ adorable. My mom’s favorite print is animal print so naturally that is what she bought for Kamea. Cute! She bought them at a health food store, but they’re also available on Amazon (although my mom paid less than what Amazon is charging right now). According to Frubi’s website, “Not only do the Ultraguard® lenses on Frubi Shades block 100% of UVA and UVB, they also block all of the harmful blue light. Research shows that blue light may contribute to macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in elder Americans).” That’s extra important for us in Arizona where the sun shines almost daily. More info on their website here.
I’m very excited and proud that I exclusively breastfed Kamea for so long. Over 8 months. But, the time has come and it feels right (last time I wrote about timing and introducing solids here). My little baby isn’t so little anymore. She cut her first tooth at 8 months, she started crawling at the same time. She’s big time! I’m a tad sad… lol… but excited, too. Geez, if I’m this way because she’s tasting solids, how will I be when she goes to college?
Kamea tinkering... aren't her feet so cute?!
Kamea is a little over 8 1/2 months now. For the past week or so, I’ve been introducing tastes to her. For example, when I’m eating an organic apple or pear, I let her lick it after each of my bites. She really likes that! I made a green juice with mostly cucumber, some celery, and a bit of swiss chard… I gave her a little tiny spoonful of it. Some made it into her mouth and some went on her shirt. Oh yeah… put a bib on me, mom! But, I wouldn’t consider those examples to be eating solids. After all, her poop didn’t change.
Then, I tried to officially introduce her to smashed organic banana with breastmilk. We decided to use our new high chair (I scored a great deal on it at MamaBargains.com) – more on that below. We used her little wooden bowl and spoon. We took the camera out. I thought this would be a big day! Read More »
At six months, Kamea’s rate of weight gain decreased a little, to just under 50th percentile. Her two doctors (a naturopath and an allopath) had different reactions. Her naturopath wasn’t concerned. In fact, it didn’t even really come up. He just mentioned that as she became more active we might see a drop in weight gain. Her allopath, however, thought it was worth keeping an eye on. He said that babies/kids eventually find their natural steady spot on the percentile chart based on things like genetics, but that a consistent decrease in percentile over time could indicate a problem. Ok, nothing to be concerned about… right? (I’m a mom. Moms worry. That’s part of the job.) Then, he admitted that he was not using (in fact, does not even possess) the growth chart for breastfed babies, and I did a little private eye roll in my mind. Modern pediatricians push breastfeeding pretty hard, which is great… you’d think they’d download a more relevant chart off those Interwebs. A chart which, incidentally, I was able to find in 2.3 seconds on Google when I got home.
He told us to introduce solids and come back in 6 weeks for another visit just to weigh her.
Even though I felt deep down that she was fine… breastmilk is the best option for her, she’s great at nursing, her naturopath (Kamea’s “official” doctor) wasn’t concerned, and many breastfed babies go through exactly what she was going through (a drop in her weight gain growth)… I couldn’t help but… wonder. I made the appointment for the weigh in and we left the office. Read More »
Kamea turned 8 months at the end of February and she is just now cutting her first tooth (looks like her second is close to coming in, too). For the past couple of months, I’ve been putting a baltic amber teething necklace on Kamea in an attempt to help her through any discomfort she might have from teething. I remember when I first heard of these necklaces, and decided I wanted to look into buying one… I thought they were for chewing on. No – lol! It’s a necklace that is worn. The warmth from the baby’s skin causes the necklace to release small amounts of a healing oil, which are then absorbed into the baby’s skin, helping with inflammation and teething. Baltic amber teething necklaces have high concentrations of sussinic acid in them and they’ve been used for hundreds of years (more details here). They can be worn by babies between ages 3 months to 2 years. Other reputed benefits are that they are soothing and calming for fussy babies, accelerate healing from the teething process, and have immune boosting properties. Makes me want to get one for myself!
Kamea wears her baltic amber teething necklace all day and she looks super stylin’. But, when she sleeps at night, I take it off for safety purposes. I sometimes let her wear it during her naps, but that’s because I’m usually next to her while she sleeps to keep a close eye on her.
Does it work? All I can say so far, now that I know she is officially teething, is that it seems to be working! Kamea hasn’t really fussed or acted as if she were experiencing pain or discomfort from teething. She has pretty much breezed through this first tooth. Now, does that mean it’s the necklace? I don’t know. Could be. Kind of cool if it is, eh? (I bought Kamea’s necklace through Amazon here.)
Does your baby wear a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace? What do you think of it?
Over the weekend we had friends visit from out of town. On Saturday evening we met up with them at a local restaurant, Calistro Bistro (only a couple miles from home) so we didn’t have to venture out far, or for long. But, when Sunday rolled around, we knew we would need to do more than just meet up a few miles away. They did travel to visit us after all! Lol. So, we packed up Kamea and the car full of everything we thought we might need for a day away from home. I packed all kinds of stuff… just in case. And, boy, I’m glad I did because it made it easier on us to have options throughout the day. We had our Beco Baby Carrier, Orbit stroller, Orbit stroller seat (not the car seat that attaches. We opted to bring the more comfortable stroller seat and leave the car seat in the car), diaper bag with the normal stuff (diapers, wipes, toys, blanket, hat, changing pad, etc), the normal nursing pillow I use at home, booster chair for restaurant, snacks for us, extra blanket… I think that’s it. Read More »
Sorry for my lack of posts the past couple of weeks. Between Kamea, taking care of household duties, and maintaining my Kristen’s Raw blog… time sure does fly, eh? Kamea turned 6 months of age at the end of December 2010 – yowza! It’s so exciting to watch her grow and see her little personality coming out. It’s been a non-stop blast with her.
Traditionally, this is the time that many parents are excited to try giving their baby solids to eat. But, we haven’t followed that tradition. She’s about 6.5 months now and I don’t feel the need to introduce solids yet. I’ve read a number of sources that state a mom can breastfeed her baby exclusively for up to a year. While that is not my goal or intention, I do feel a strong pull in the direction to go beyond the conventional 6-month mark of exclusive breastfeeding.
There are a few markers that many parents look for before introducing solids:
1)Teeth – Kamea doesn’t have any teeth yet. However, some babies don’t start teething until close to a year old. This doesn’t mean you don’t introduce solids before that, but some people use it as one indicator (of a few) as to the readiness of baby to have solids.
2)Sitting up unassisted and having solid head control – Kamea started sitting unassisted just before she turned 6 months. She’s had solid head control for awhile.
3)Interest in foods – Many babies show their eagerness towards solids by reaching for mama’s food. Kamea hasn’t really done this. She definitely eyes us when we’re eating, but she doesn’t grab for it specifically. She pretty much grabs for everything within reach, so her reach for my smoothie cup doesn’t tell me she’s trying to reach for it to drink it.
4)Hunger – If a baby seems hungry beyond the normal feedings of breastmilk then it could be a sign of readiness for solids.
Most importantly though, I’m simply following my own mama intuition.Read More »
Shopping online is so helpful for a new mama. With Eco Baby Buys and Green Baby Bargains, I have scored some awesome prices on eco-friendly goodies for Kamea. If you’re interested in getting in on the action, then subscribe to Green Baby Bargains and Eco Baby Buys. I love (and rely) on these email subscriptions to get me some fantastic deals on organic clothes, toys, and more for Kamea.
When we set out to create EcoBabyBuys.com, we had one principle in mind. Our mission was to discover manufacturers that offered non-toxic, eco-friendly and fairly traded baby products. As urban mothers, we thought a little bit of style wouldn’t hurt either…
Our goal is also to alleviate any additional stress that comes with being a busy parent. Not everyone finds the time to address the safety record of a manufacturer or knows where to start to look. We take pride in researching our vendors to meet a strict criteria so that we may provide the best and safest possible products on the market for our children. In fact, our introductory letter to our partners listed the following criteria: Read More »
Just before Kamea’s 4-month birthday, we took her for a wellness visit with her Naturopathic Doctor (read about it here). Until now, she has been seeing an NMD (naturopathic medical doctor) exclusively. We’ve been extremely happy with him and look forward to having him be Kamea’s primary doctor. In fact, in addition to being a pediatrician, he’s a family doctor so he’s my doctor, too. Whenever I have questions or issues with my own health, this doctor knows I’m breastfeeding and is familiar with my family so it makes treating me more convenient and, in my opinion, a bit safer. For instance, he’s more likely to take into consideration my breastfeeding Kamea when he’s treating me with medicine or herbs, if the need should arise.
However, Kamea also sees an allopathic doctor (i.e., a “regular” doctor). She had her first visit with him last week. We used the “4-month well checkup visit” as our first experience with him, officially establishing her as his patient in the event that we need him in the future.
Even though our Halloween didn’t involve trick-or-treating this year, it was still filled with fun. Greg carved a great jack-o-lantern (he does every year) and we can’t wait until the day Kamea carves her own! Aren’t kids soooo fun!?
And… here is Kamea’s first Halloween costume. She is a Chipotle Veggie Burrito! tee hee! We swaddled her in an organic blanket first and you can see the rest. Foil. Organic lettuce. I actually thought she’d hate it because she’s not big on the swaddle thing, but she was a real trooper in her costume as Greg took photos. For those of you who are not familiar with Chipotle, they are a nationwide chain restaurant that makes awesome burritos, vegan if desired. They use some organic ingredients, too.
Now that Kamea is four months old, we’re really finding our groove. This mama job is a breeze.
For the past month, we’ve been sleeping better. Kamea co-sleeps with us and it’s been such a joy. Most nights she sleeps quite well. We can stay in bed for 9-12 hours at night. She doesn’t sleep straight through but she kind of does. She tosses and turns when she’s hungry, I roll on my side and latch her on, and we’re both back in dreamland. Well, I usually get back to dreamland. Some nights she thrashes around a lot which keeps me awake because I keep putting her back on my breast (my husband says she’s practicing her “ninja” skills). But, some nights, like last night, we both sleep soundly. There are the occasional nights where she decides she’d like to wake up after about 4 hours of sleep and stay up. When this happens, it only takes about an hour of hanging out with her in bed and she’s ready to sleep again.
Nap time has been great too. We’re not on a schedule, but I’d estimate that she wants to nap every few hours. The one nap I can count on is in the morning. About 2 hours after waking, she’s ready for a nap. Sometimes she naps for 40-60 minutes and other times she sleeps a whole 2 hours.
What does all that mean? Mommy is getting more sleep! My eyes are no longer bloodshot and I feel like I can drive a car without causing harm to myself or others. Seriously, I didn’t start driving again until just recently because I only felt I had enough energy to make it through my day at home. Driving a car required too much alertness.
The pretty colored ones are Swaddlebees Econappies. The white diaper with easy-to-use colored snaps are BabyKicks.
We’re also getting into cloth diapers more regularly (every time I use one, depending on the size, I save about 30 cents – gotta love that). They’re still not as great as I thought they’d be. For starters, Read More »
Today, we took Kamea for her 4 month check up. She’s 16 1/2 weeks and has her four month birthday early next week. She’s all decked out in her fall colors and organic fashion.
She did AWESOME with her doctor. Kamea weighed in at 13 pounds, 14 ounces and her length is 25 3/4 inches. That makes her in the 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for length. We have a tall girl. Will she be a supermodel? A professional tennis player (I think Anna Kournikova is tall)? Hmmmm… I wonder I wonder.
Kamea is growing, thriving, happy, and easily meeting her developmental milestones. In fact, she’s already bearing weight on her legs and loves to stand (with our hands loosely on her in case she falls down of course). She gets the biggest smile on her face when she stands, like she’s really proud of herself. Kamea is not one to just lie back (never was really). No. She wants to have us sit her up or stand her up so she can see what’s going on. She loves being worn for short periods of time and seems especially happy when I wear her facing out. See that grin?
Since Kamea was born, Greg has been doing the food shopping. He’s done an amazing job – yay Greg! This week, as I wrote our shopping list, I realized that we had a lot of food to buy. I thought it might be better if I went, too. This meant Kamea was going! Read more over on my Kristen’s Raw blog.
We’ve come a long way since Kamea had her first bath and didn’t take to it very well (read more here). But, she bathes like a champ now. She loves it. It gets easier every week as she grows a bit more and gets stronger. Bath time is fun for both of us. This is an action shot – haha.
So, what do I do? We bathe together because that seems to be the easiest. We started with this bath tub seat for her but it wasn’t as easy as it looks. I liked that it was small – for infants – and figured it would be a better option. However, it’s on quite an incline so she was sliding down it a bit. I found myself holding her in place with one hand and washing with the other hand. Not the easiest.
This week I’m on vacation over at my mom’s house. She doesn’t live far from us, but it still feels like a vacation anyway. We packed up Kamea (so much to pack – lol!) and we drove over with our big dog. It’s been awesome because mom has a big house with all hard wood floors and tile throughout so I’ve been able to push Kamea around in her stroller and it’s like going for a walk – haha. It’s much bigger than our condo so I’m loving it! This is her dining room where Greg is working.
Love all those books!
I’ve been practicing with the Moby wrap now that I decided it’d be better with Kamea’s feeties out. I was right! So much easier to do and she is really starting to like it! Here is my first attempt.
Kamea is licking it - lol.
Here is our second attempt the next day (which was today). For the first time…. she fell asleep in a babywearing thing! I was so happy.
My precious sweet darling.
Kamea has had a few firsts while we’re over at her Nana’s. For starters, she is now officially grabbing at things and holding onto them. I didn’t come too prepared with toys for our stay, but thankfully I grabbed the little colored rings that I rigged onto her buggy. She’s happy. And, the second big event for us… she had her first fit of giggles. She was watching my mom’s two small dogs play together and she couldn’t take her eyes off them. Then, she started laughing and couldn’t stop. It was so awesome! I wish I had recorded it. Read More »
A couple of weeks back I asked my Facebook friends (parents) what they thought about using a jumperoo for their kids. The overwhelming majority loved it for their kids. But, there were a few who weren’t sure as to whether they were healthy for babies and their hips.
One friend in particular pointed me to this discussion here where a pediatric physical therapist did not like them. The contribution to the forum detailing this is a a few entries down in purple once you click the link. I’ve copied and pasted it here:
I have heard that physical therapists don’t like jumparoos and exersaucers because they place too much weight on babies legs, which aren’t supposed to be weight bearing at this point. And I guess with the crotch-support seats it wouldn’t be good on hips, either.
Do we have any physical therapists on our board?!!
I guess what I’ve heard is that babies are supposed to be in arms or on the floor as much as possible – the two best places for development at this age.
Editing to add, here’s something helpful I found from a mama on a different message board (her words, not mine, but helpful to understand what might be going on):
I worked as a pediatric physical therapist before my son was born, so this an area near and dear to my heart.
Saucers, jumpers, walkers, etc. do nothing to enhance development, and can actually delay the achievement of milestones by several weeks. Essentially, to give a quick summary, standing in a saucer is not the same as actively standing while say holding onto a couch. The muscles work in a different pattern that is less desirable. This has been backed up by EMG studies, where they read the electrical output of different muscles and look at the patterns in which they are activated. Babies in saucers tend to be pitched forward onto their toes, which isn’t a normal posture and can theoretically lead to tip toe walking down the road (an abnormal gait pattern). Their abdominal muscles aren’t activeley engaged like they would be while actively standing. Their gluteal (butt) muscles aren’t engaged the same way they would be while standing on their own. This allows them to stand with a sway-backed posture that isn’t particularly healthy.
There have been excellent twin studies showing that even in typically-developing kids, the twin that used a walker walked on average 6 weeks later than the non walker using twin. Most therapists would say this can be applied to saucer use as well. Studies have shown saucers to delay sitting, crawling and walking milestones. Many parents will say their child used a saucer and walked early, but that isn’t really a fair assessment, as their child may have walked even earlier if they *didn’t* use one.
In a typically developing kid, it is less of a concern than a child at risk of delays (preemies, low muscle tone, etc.) However, not all parents know if their child is delayed or at risk of delays either.
The recommendation of most pediatric PTs I’ve known is to limit their use entirely if you can. If you insist on using one, don’t use it for more than 20 mins a day, and be aware of how fast that time adds up (10 mins while you shower, 10 mins during a phone call, 30 mins while you make dinner, 10 mins while you clean up, 5 mins while you go to the bathroom…). It adds up more quickly than people realize. Also if the child shows any signs of fatigue (slouching over, slumping, leaning to one side) they should be removed before 20 mins total, and hopefully beforehand.
I know mamas need to shower and do things around the house…I can sympathize, believe me. Just keep in mind saucers are all marketing, and there is no real benefit to be had from your child using them. The manufacturers make parents feel like they really enhance development, when the opposite is true. The best “tool” for helping a child develop motor skills is floor time…supervised tummy time, just playing on the floor w/ your baby. If you need to contain them for safety, a playpen still allows them to practice their motor skills without getting into trouble if you are in the shower and can’t supervise, for example.
I know some people say that they only put their baby in a jumperoo for about 20 minutes a day and it’s hard to imagine much consequence with that small amount of time. That being said, I don’t think I’ll buy something that they literally use for only 20 minutes a day, especially if there are potential problems with my baby using it. However, I can empathize with how precious a 20 minute break in a day can be for a new mama. Wouldn’t a better solution be a playpen or a swing? What do you think?
Since Kamea was born in June, we’ve left home only a handful of times and they were all for doctor and midwife appointments. There were a few reasons that we stayed homebound for this long. For starters, it’s been hot as hell outside in Arizona (typical summer). Taking Kamea for an outing that wasn’t really needed is just plain silly with the temperatures so high. Secondly, I was tired! The last thing I wanted to do was get ready, pack Kamea up, and go out… just to go out. Thirdly, I was still learning and thinking about how I’d breastfeed in public, what to do if she had a meltdown, etc. All of those reasons just added to my stress level when I was already trying to keep it all together as a first time mama. It felt natural and “right” to just stay home and bond with my baby… get to know her… stay snugly all day and relax.
But. When she turned 12 weeks on Saturday, something changed a bit. I woke up that morning and said, “Let’s take Kamea out for a little adventure.” It just felt like the time was right. I felt confident and ready to show her life outside the home.
Kamea having fun at Starbucks
So, where did we go? Well, I wanted to keep it very local and I wanted it to be a short, relaxing trip. We went to our local Starbucks. I know… kind of lame to some people. But, Greg and I actually enjoy spending time there reading, chatting, surfing the web, etc. We work from home, so it’s nice to sometimes move our “office” to Starbucks and work for awhile. Of course, we didn’t bring work with us when we had Kamea.
Here’s Kamea in her groovy Orbit stroller / infant car seat system. I love how the seat rotates 360 degrees so I can push her closer up to the table (I rotated it 90 degrees here). We also bought the stroller seat for walks and LOVE it. Actually, Kamea loves the stroller seat – lol – it rotates 360 degrees like the car seat, but also reclines three levels and is made of materials that are a little “cooler” since she doesn’t have to be protected in it like she does the car. I’ll write more on the Orbit system in a future post with a video. Check out how “green” Orbit is here.
The little trip to Starbucks was a big success. Kamea loved it… she looked around at new things and smelled new smells. It was fun. I can’t wait to do it again!
Here is a quick video showing you the solution I use when making up Kamea’s organic cloth wipes for diaper changes. I mention in the video about a great place for quality organic jojoba oil. Here is the link. In my correspondence with the company, they told me that the following are many uses for their organic jojoba oil: diaper rash, cradle cap, mosquito bites, poison oak/ivey, stretch marks, acne, eczema, etc (more details here). Amazing stuff!
A small cloth diaper update: Kamea is 10.5 weeks old now. We’re just starting to work our way into some cloth diapers. It’s taken this long because they have been too big in my opinion. Yes, too big. Even the AIO – snapping them down to fit simply makes them thicker and even more uncomfortable looking on her. But, this past week, I’m starting to see some potential with one brand (understand though, I have not tried them all, and I know there are a lot out there, but I have tried a few. I’d probably go broke trying all of the different brands and styles - lol. I have heard some good things about gdiapers because they apparently have a really small size available for newborns but the whole gdiaper system wasn’t attractive to me… it was just one more thing to learn as a tired 1st time new mama).
Kamea wearing BabyKicks cloth diaper
Right now, I like BabyKicks - this one in particular, shown in the picture.(I havethis other versionof theirs, but prefer the “bumboo” diaper because it doesn’t require a cover. Covers add extra bulk). I like the bumboo because it fits her better at this age / size than some other brands I have, which I predict will fit well when she’s 3-4 months (I’ll post on those when the time comes). However, even with BabyKicks, the only way I like the look of them is when she’s wearing just the cloth diaper and a tshirt (or just the cloth diaper alone) – serious cuteness! But, honestly, how many people go out in public with just that on a baby? There are some adorable cloth diaper prints available, but who sees those other than me? Or am I missing something? Do people take babies out in a cloth diaper and tshirt alone? I presume clothes should be worn and so I am still of the opinion that clothes look silly on her when covering a cloth diaper. She looks like a giant pear (or as another reader wrote “a hockey goalie” lmao). Therefore, we’ll stick to cloth at home for now, where she’s chilling out in her cloth diaper and organic tshirt (we still use eco-friendly disposables too, especially at night).
Keeping things honest and real… there is one brand so far that I don’t think I like. It’s Flip. I want to like them! To be fair, I’ll try it again in case I was doing something wrong, but I wasn’t in love with it during our first go with it. Perhaps I used it incorrectly? From what I can tell, it’s a cover and you fold a cloth diaper and lay it inside. I’m guessing that the cloth is folded lengthwise and simply placed down the middle. The system seems promising in that you can use the cover multiple times and just change out the organic cloth part, but it didn’t fit well. That being said, maybe I’ll like it more when she’s bigger. UPDATE (10/26/10): Kamea is 4 months now, bigger in weight and length from when I first wrote this post. The Flip are better than when I first tried them, but they’re still not my favorite. I love the concept though.
I get asked frequently about which soap I use for her clothes (ours, too). This is the soap that was recommended we use to wash the cloth diapers, which can be used for all clothes: Country Save.
Update: After the first comment from Amy on this post, I’m back to checking out gdiapers – lol.
Update #2: I just read a gdiaper review on Amazon where a lady said the gdiaper insert worked better in the Flip cover than the gdiaper. Go figure. Maybe I’ll try that.
Kamea had her two month doctor visit this week and my little baby is thriving! She is in the 75th percentile for her weight and 90th percentile for her length. She’s just perfect!
I wanted to share some of my postpartum must haves. These are things I use all the time these days. This list isn’t all inclusive… for example, I’m not listing diapers, stroller, car seat, and stuff like that. This list is simply to highlight a few things that I find very helpful as a new mommy.
A lot of you asked me to share my Mama Bear Rules that I mentioned in this post. I sent this via email to family and friends who wanted to visit Kamea.
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Hello Family and Friends,
I know you are all eager to meet Kamea and we hope to do that really soon. I’m still not sure when we’ll start setting up times for visits. Breastfeeding on demand and my need for rest (I only get a few hours a night) are my priorities right now. We’re also taking extra precautions due to the whooping cough outbreak until Kamea is six months old. I hope you all understand.
I have some Mama Bear Rules that I’d appreciate if everyone who visits kept in mind:
1) please take your shoes off (shoes bring in outdoor pollutants)
2) please wash your hands with soap – thoroughly – upon arriving
3) no guarantees on being able to hold her… even though she’s really cute! (If she’s nursing or fussy etc, in fact, I’m still learning how to nurse discreetly… be forewarned)
4) please keep visits short
5) no children (for now)
6) If you are sick, even just a little, or have been around anybody with the sniffles, please reschedule. Better safe than sorry. (Whooping cough can present very mildly in adults because they have stronger immune systems.)
7) If you’ve recently traveled, please wait at least a week. Longer if it was California (due to pertussis outbreak).
Adults/teens who are still in school, let’s try to arrange visits before school starts. Otherwise we should postpone until Kamea is out of the vulnerability window (6 months) Note to readers of this post… that smiley dude with the glasses is supposed to be an “8″ as in this is rule number 8, but it’s coming through as a smiley dude with glasses)
9) please keep visits to two people (max) at a time
Thank you in advance for understanding. As you know, we live an alternative lifestyle to a degree and I don’t want you surprised (or hurt) if we turn down invitations to various events for a while. We’re not germ-o-phobes, but we’re ftaking a few extra precautions.
It’s been a busy week. We’ve had a handful of people stop by to visit Kamea. Thankfully they weren’t offended by the “Mama Bear Rules” I emailed them prior to their visit. I can’t be too careful – lol.
Here’s a picture of Kamea from yesterday at 6 1/2 weeks. She’s growing so fast! I just cannot get enough of her. I want to hug her, kiss her, and play with her all day!
I’m reading to her everyday and we love our story time together. Today, we read, Hubert The Pudge (A Vegetarian Tale). This story was recommended to me in the comments section from my last post. I’m also showing her flash cards from Your Baby Can Read. I don’t know how the whole system will be, but it can’t hurt to show her flash cards while her little brain is soaking up new words every day.
I was delighted when I received the cutest gift in the mail from Lauren (here’s her blog). She sent Kamea an organic dolly (pictured right). How cute is that!?
I’m all about getting as many toys / clothes / baby items as organic when possible. Like this organic baby play mat for example (pictured left)… I bought one of these and I’m glad because when it’s tummy time, I’ve see her licking it. Glad it’s organic if she’s licking it! haha
We gave Kamea a bath last week and she didn’t take too kindly to it. My sweet baby girl wasn’t excited (ummm… she’s pissed) – how sad is that picture!?!? I hope they get easier – after all… baths are so awesome, right?! Her belly button is still healing and after it’s good to go, I look forward to bathing with her in the tub together. That might be more fun for her. Although, that seems a bit scary, too! Do any of you bathe with your newborns? Any tips or tricks for it? Kamea is just a little over 3 weeks now.
I also decided to go ahead and try a cloth diaper on Sunday. She’s about 8 1/2 pounds now (she’s gaining weight like a champ!), but her legs are quite skinny. I tried a Kissaluv organic cloth diaper, fitted I think is what it was… supposed to be good for a baby 5-15 pounds. I figured it’d fit great. Well, it wasn’t long until she dirtied it and it was all wet and went through her clothes. It wasn’t a blow out per se, it was just soaked through and she didn’t even have it on that long. I washed it 3 times before using it to increase the absorbency, but maybe I need to wash it more? Or perhaps I need to use a cover over it? I was a tad disappointed and quickly reverted back to my 7th Generation disposables (at least for now). I have not had one problem with those, even when she poops all watery and messy. It keeps it contained. I think I’ll tackle cloth diapers in a couple more weeks… perhaps when she’s a little bigger and I’ve had more sleep.
I also am using organic BabyKicks cloth wipes. The challenge with that is using one hand to get it wet (preferably with warm water at the sink so it’s not cold on her girly bits – this takes time to get the water warm – or with a spray bottle, which requires more than one hand and isn’t warm either). I went ahead on the advice of a good friend and bought this cloth wipe warmer and boy are we LOVING it! It keeps the wipes nice and warm and wet. Ready to use. Many people said I wouldn’t need it, but I’m so glad we bought it and highly recommend it if you’re using cloth wipes (it comes with a few bamboo wipes, but I also use the organic BabyKicks cloth wipes linked above). It only takes a few minutes to get it set up each day.
We have our 1 month check up in about a week and I’m looking forward to that. I can’t wait to see how much more weight she’s gained drinking up her mama’s plant-powered breast milk. It’s been a crazy, long, fun, exciting, and exhausting 3 weeks so far. What an adventure!
Baby Kamea is here! I’m so in love with her. As many of you know from following my Kristen’s Raw blog, Kamea was born on June 26. Apparently, she was born at a powerful time with the eclipse occurring. Personally, I think she was past our estimated due date so she could make a grand entrance at such a special time.
She had her first doctor visit and the good news is that she is gaining weight. Yay! That’s a relief because as a first time mom, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is she getting enough?” Sometimes she nurses strongly, but other times she just seems to play around. I’m tracking her diapers to help gauge, but again, as a first timer… I can’t help but wonder.
It’s been an awesome, joyful, and anxious adventure so far. I am one heck of a worrier it turns out. But, we’re taking it half day by half day. I had/have all of these plans for things I want to do, but we’re taking it one step at a time. First, I’m getting the hang of breast feeding. It’s been pretty easy so far, but not without its soreness. As a result, I’m pumping to not only relieve them, but to also encourage my breast milk supply. This gives Kamea’s dad and grandmas a chance to feed her, too, while giving my ta-tas a break. Furthermore, I’m able to freeze some in the event of an emergency if we should ever need it. To tell you the truth, I had always planned on solely breastfeeding, but when new information presents itself, being flexible is important. I was a little worried about nipple confusion, but I was more worried that she wasn’t getting enough breast milk. Fortunately, she is taking to both like a champ. All in all, she is mostly at the breast, but gets a little in a bottle at times.
We’re using eco-friendly disposable diapers right now for two reasons: 1) easier until her cord falls off and 2) easier on mom and dad until we get the time to concentrate on trying the different systems I have. So, that means that we’ll focus on cloth diapers next. After that, we’ll start playing with EC.
And, I am eager to babywear, but I tell ya, I feel so lost with using these things. I have a ring sling, ergo with infant (probably too hot right now), kanga-wrap shirt thing, moby, gypsy mama. But, I’m scared to use them! My doula came over the other night and we tried the gypsy mama which was great, but now I have to practice it on my own. Eek! I want to watch some videos on youtube, but I’m so busy with breastfeeding, getting rest, and overall just getting to know Kamea, that I’ll tackle this later. By taking things one project at a time, it helps me manage it all mentally so I’m more calm.
I recently purchased a number of different cloth diapers to try on the baby because I simply don’t know which system will be my favorite (there are many choices!). And, even though we’re going to practice EC (elimination communication), we still need some diapers for different occasions. So, here is where I’m at..
2 plastic diaper pails (trash bins from Target)
2 diaper bags for the trash bins
diaper changing table (this was given to me by a good friend – lucky us!)
travel diaper bag thing for dirty diapers when out and about
diaper bag (A “manly” one that my husband will carry most of the time. I’ll do a separate post on this because the bag is totally bad-ass!) Read More »
My husband and I have been interviewing pediatricians because it’s important to have one picked out before the baby arrives. We decided that we wanted a Naturopathic Doctor as our pediatrician because an ND would most likely support our natural lifestyle (extended breastfeeding, flexible vaccine schedule if we desire it, cosleeping, attachment parenting, vegan/raw diet, etc.). I’m happy to report that we found one!
Our process for finding a doctor was in three steps. Step one: we asked around for referrals by checking with our midwife, doula, acupuncturist, and other families/friends. Step two: we did Google research on the recommended doctors to view their websites and any other information we could find on them. Step three: Together, my husband and I interviewed the doctors. As we interviewed them, I made sure they knew up front the kinds of things that are important to us, what our goals are, and gave them details about our lifestyle and plan for raising our kids. After that, we had a list of questions, some of which were: Read More »
I came across this article today, 50 Reasons For Breastfeeding Anytime, Anywhere. I started to wonder how it will be when I breastfeed in public… Will people give me a hard time? How will I respond? I never figured myself as a woman to whip out my boob in all its glory for everyone to see before breastfeeding, but I do think there will be times (maybe always) when I’m not covering my baby with a blanket. I think breastfeeding is a beautiful act.
My personal vision for breastfeeding is that it’ll still be somewhat discreet as far as flesh showing goes, yet people will know what I’m doing. It’s important for our culture to get more comfortable with breastfeeding, and doing it in public is one way to facilitate that. I think a woman’s shirt pulled up a bit, with the baby latched on, and the mom being able to gaze into her baby’s eyes is lovely. Moreover, even though I might not do it, if I saw another woman showing more than that… I wouldn’t care.
I’m not sure I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen breastfeeding take place in public. I don’t go out much, so that contributes to the number of opportunities I’d have for that, but still… sadly, I’ll bet it doesn’t happen often.
What do you think? Do you see many moms breastfeeding in public? Are you uncomfortable with it? Do you do it yourself? How discreet or not-discreet are you?
Even though I’m probably a little over a month away from the birth, I think it’s time to shop for the baby and the home birth. You never know… baby might come early and I don’t want to be caught without a car seat or diapers. Over the year, I’ve slowly bought things like organic onesies and clothes, organic Moby wrap, a few organic cotton toys, organic swaddle blanket, organic blanket, etc. But, I need more. So, this week I’m off to buy:
Baby Stuff:Orbit infant car seat system(they have the greenest product I can find), organic cloth diapers (a variety of options, but not many in quantity since we’re going to practice EC.I’ll report details and opinions in future posts), diaper stuff (pails, wipes, soap, bags, etc), ring sling (maybe two, one for me and one for my mom), newborn health kit (nail clippers, thermometer, etc), and maybe a diaper bag.
EC Stations: I’ll need to buy a couple of potty bowls – (and this little potty looks extra cool, in spite of the few reviews, because it’s made from bamboo and rice husks… AND, when the child is done using it, h/she can plant it in the garden), wipes, etc. These will be set up around the house – and since we spend a lot of time at my mom’s house, I’ll need to double up.
Home Birth Stuff: towels, receiving blankets, bucket, and create the food plan (freeze foods for after baby is born – for my husband and myself – and get my young Thai coconut water prepared for the home birth – I want to have it all set and ready to thaw for drinking when the day arrives).
Today, my husband and I attended a babywearing class where we learned about the different babywearing options. It was so informative and encouraging to see actual demonstrations. We learned about the many benefits of babywearing, too. Some of the different wraps that were shown were: ring sling, Mai Tai, Ergo, Action Baby Carrier, and Gypsy Mama (as well as Moby, Bali Baby Breeze). I suspect I’ll end up with a ring sling, Ergo, Moby (already have one of these), Gypsy Mama, and then when the baby is heavier, I’ll get the Bali Baby Breeze. I’m guessing that the ring sling might be easiest for my mom (baby’s grandma) to use. It’s all so exciting!
I plan on blogging about them all in detail as well as showing videos as I try them. I can’t wait!
Do you babywear? If so, what are your favorite slings/wraps/carriers?
I get asked all the time about what books I recommend for pregnancy and baby information. I thought I’d list them here. They are not necessarily vegan, but most are friendly toward that, as well as natural childbirth. Some of the books I’ve read entirely and some I have only flipped through because I haven’t needed to use them yet (I glossed through them to become familiar with the topics in the event I need to use them in the future). Some of the books I love and find very useful and some of them were pretty good. In truth, they were all great, it’s just that by the time I read some of them, I’d already exhausted the topic.
Rainbow Live-Food Cuisine by Dr. Gabriel Cousens – this book has information about nutrition and food options for babies. I’m a big fan of Dr. Cousens.
Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens – this big book has a nice section about pregnancy and nutrition (as well as covering so much more about health in general).
Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein – I can’t stress how important it is to read this book if you’re trying to conceive or already pregnant. There is so much useful information about the different birthing scenarios (home birth, hospital, or birth center). Read why I’m having a home birth here.
Evie’s Kitchen by Shazzie – I really like this book for pregnancy and children nutrition information. This is the one book that is filled with lots of info about raw foods. She covers many natural alternatives and health food options that you won’t find in other books.
Baby Greens by Michaela Lynn and Michael Chrisemer – This book gives information about living foods for children of all ages.
Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin – I’m a huge fan of the Skinny Bitch books (they’re my style – total sass and fun). This energizing book details the vegan diet and pregnancy.
The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm – This book was useful for learning about the women’s journey from baby’s conception to birth. Romm is a midwife and herbalist which is what turned me on to this book.
Naturally Healthy Babies and Children by Aviva Jill Romm – This is one of those books that I haven’t read yet, but I’m looking forward to it because, again, I like the idea of learning from someone who is a midwife and herbalist. The book covers herbal remedies, nutrition, hygiene, etc.
Baby Matters by Linda F. Palmer – This book supports natural parenting practices… “rebuts cry-it-out parenting and the frequent usage of various drugs and vaccinations in children, reveals incredibly common, yet seldom diagnosed food intolerance symptoms—even from foods in mom’s diet—and how to treat them, and discloses the real causes of ear infections, colic, reflux, ADHD and SIDS.”
Wise Woman Herbal Childbearing Year by Susan S. Weed – I didn’t use this book much because I didn’t need to, but still glad to have it in my library. It offers simple remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns (including herbs for fertility and birth control).
Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May – By the time I read this book, I’d already read some others on breastfeeding, but it was still enjoyable. I’m a huge fan of Ina May and recommend this book.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May – One of the best books ever. I read it before we conceived and I’m reading it again now in preparation for birth. I bought copies for my mom and mom-in-law to read. Highly recommended. Read More »
Elimination Communication, also known as having a Diaper Free Baby, is something that I never thought I’d even consider. A long while back on my Kristen’s Raw blog, I blogged about things I wanted to do as a future mama before I became pregnant. These posts generated many comments, suggestions, and questions from readers inquiring about how we we planned to handle diapers. At first I thought, “We’re going green – cloth diapers for sure – organic, hemp, and/or bamboo ones at that!” But, something else came up in the comments. Something called Elimination Communication (referred to as “EC” from here on out). What the heck was EC? The name alone sounded hokey. Come to find out, EC is a form of potty training that basically means your baby is diaper free. What?! No diapers? Seriously? That’s just crazy talk.
Or so I thought. I’ve since learned that with EC, you learn to pay attention to impending potty cues from your baby, you hold your baby over a toilet (or bowl), and when baby is ready, baby lets loose. You hope there are not any accidents, or “misses” as folks in the EC world call it. After reading some of these details, my first reaction was, “Heck no!” It sounded way too weird for me.
Well. I didn’t think of it again, except to laugh with my husband at the absurdity of it after I told him about the comments on my blog. A couple of months later, it came up again on my blog, and since my initial shock about the topic had warned off, I didn’t laugh this time, but I still dismissed it as something that just wasn’t for me.
A few months later, I was reading a blog written by a woman I respect where she addressed the topic. I found myself absolutely devouring the post and its many comments, thinking to myself, “I need to hear what all these people are saying about EC.”
Fast forward to today. I own a book on EC, The Diaper Free Baby, and we plan on doing it. LOL. And you know what?… I’m stoked. I mean, come on, how cool that your child gets potty trained way early and doesn’t have to deal with dirty diapers? (At least, not nearly as much as most of the kids in our culture who often don’t get potty trained until they’re 2-3 years old.)
Adults/teens who are still in school, let’s try to arrange visits before school starts. Otherwise we should postpone until Kamea is out of the vulnerability window (6 months) 
