Kiara is one - and walking! Oh my, where does the time go?

Seems like just a day ago she was this snuggly little baby and now she’s practically a full-fledged toddler!

But those little jars aren’t that expensive, are they? Oh yes they are and they aren’t very good for our little ones either! Consider that babies should start eating solid food around 6 months of age – give or take. Also consider that most baby food companies make their most nutritious foods for babies under six months.

Only “First foods” are true purees. After that, according to Cheating Babies: Nutritional Quality and Cost of Commercial Baby Food by Daryth D. Stallone, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., “Gerber and Heinz replace real food with water and thickening agents in many of their products for children over six months of age. Such adulterated products are nutritionally inferior to products made with more fruits and vegetables.

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Hey Michelle:

I am a new subscriber to your blog, and I love it! Well most of it. The thing is ( and please don’t take offense) I think that promoting gDiapers goes totally against what your blog seems to be trying to say. I feel like you talk about frugality and sustainability and staying away from consumerism as much as possible.

G-diapers are pretty rad, Iwill give you that. But they are expensive as all get out and not really that sustainable because they have to be made from natural resources that just get tossed at the end of the change. Plus you are buying refills all the time just as you would with disposables. I read your article about the ten things you don’t need when you are having a baby and frankly these seem like they would fit on that list. I feel good old pre folds (or any reusable diaper) are the most cost efficient and the best choice for sustainability.

Maybe i am totally off base. I am relatively new to all of this ( diapering, parenting, living as green as I can etc.) I know you said you used to use cloth so you have experience with both and probably have great reasons for switching (please feel free to share).

I really really don’t want you to think I am rude, I love your site and all your great tips for living frugally and in harmony with the earth. I too am a stay at home mom with ambitions to homeschool and am always looking for ways to stretch our one small income. I am so thankful for stumbling onto your site as you are really an inspiration.

I hope my loud opinion does not irritate you too much.

Thanks for your time

Dana

I had a wonderful time at the beach with my kids last week. I was sad that all of my children weren’t there - my oldest son Matt recently got a new job and had to remain home to work. I was, however, proud of him for taking it well and being so willing to work (and take care of the house and animals while we were gone).

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Hey! Want to try out gDiapers? I love them. I don’t sell them or anything - I just love them and I am trying to spread the word. gDiapers have these great cover designs and the liners are flushable or compostable! How cool is that? And if you run out of the liners, you can throw a cloth diaper in the cover. Seriously, I’m a convert. So much so, that I emailed gDiapers - told them how much I love them, and they sent me 50 coupons for $2 off to give out to anyone I wanted. So - do you want the coupon? Just send me an email and I’ll mail it to you. What do I want in return? Healthier babies and a healthier planet. (and if you want to link or tell your friends about OI, that would be great too:-)

So email me - michelle@organicallyinclined.org - and I’ll mail out the coupon. Super easy. And I’ll post here when I run out.

Thanks!

Misha

A Blast from the Past

Co-Sleeping is better, overall, for moms and babies. It allows moms and babies to sleep better and comforts babies in a way that is unparalleled by sleeping alone. If you have had questions about co-sleeping, check out this post from last year. And please, tell us your stories of co-sleeping - we’ll post them if you like.

Some new Organically Inclined products now at the OI shop!

I can’t wait to receive my first OI onesie…

I really thought I couldn’t live without baby wipes when I had baby number - 2 or 3. They were so handy to have around. But now that I’m on baby number 6, I barely remember what it was that was so appealing. In fact, when I do buy the occasional package, I find that I use them more for my toddler’s face and hands and less for my baby’s butt!

So, what do I use to clean to my baby’s butt? I have a stack of clean, soft rags- some purchased inexpensively at a discount store, some I made myself out of old towels and t-shirts. We keep them in a drawer in the kitchen and when baby has stinker, before I unwrap her, I wet one or two of the rags in warm water. Then it goes into the diaper bucket in the washroom.

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By Michelle Kennedy

There is nothing I hate worse than to see a mom or dad lugging their baby around in the car seat in a store. I can’t believe a mother would rather lug 12 pounds of baby plus 15 pounds of car seat in an uncomfortable position, like a bucket of water down to the barn. It breaks my heart - the baby is usually bundled in the seat, head rocking and bouncing as the seat bangs into the leg of the person carrying it.

Why wouldn’t you want to hold your baby? Babies smell good. They’re cute and funny. And when I have one, all I want to do is hold it - and when I can’t, I bundle her into a sling and carry her around. And when I can’t do that (like when taking a shower), I make sure that someone else who loves her is holding her. My God, they are only this little once - and it goes by so fast. Once it’s gone , it’s gone - so don’t waste it strapping them into car seats (unless they are actually in the car) or swings! Hold your baby! When they’re teenagers, they won’t let you near them ( and really, they’re not as cuddly as teens, I have two teens and a “tween” and I can verify this fact)!

1. Baby wearing is convenient. I’m wearing and breastfeeding my baby right now - even as I write this! Really? Yes. Really. I can do almost anything I need to do while wearing my 3.5 month old baby…except the dishes, but I find other reasons not to do them too!

2.Babies who are worn in slings or carried cry less. There is a lot of anthropological and scientific evidence of this fact, but I’ve had six babies, so far, and of the six the only colicky, constantly crying baby I had was the one I was encouraged to put down all of the time! That was my first baby. Since then, I have either held or worn all of my babies. Kiara - the latest - gets complimented all the time on being such a good baby. I think they mean quiet. And she is. During basketball games or other outings, she just sits in my lap and looks around. She rarely fusses. In fact, when she does scream, it’s usually because I’ve put her in the car seat for a trip.

3. Babies who are worn, learn more. Yes, another scientific fact! Babies who are worn spend more of their time in quiet alertness. Because your baby’s needs are being met, she doesn’t need to spend so much time looking for attention and therefore can sort out the puzzle around her - learning to adapt to the environment, seeking things to look at, etc. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness.

4. Worn babies are smarter. OK, this might just sound like I’m bragging, but this has been proven true outside my own household! Because the mother or father of a worn baby acts like a filter, the baby is guarded from unwanted stimuli that can bombard their wee nervous systems. They also develop their ability to listen very early and therefore their language and development abilities are cultivated earlier. For example, if there is a loud clanging in the house (the toddler knocks the pots off the dish rack), a baby alone in a swing or seat will likely respond by startling and then crying. A baby in a sling, next to her mother, will still startle, but because mother is nearby, will see it’s just a noise and that she is still fine - quickly soothed by mom. The startle then becomes a learning experience that the baby is not so afraid of the next time….rather than being “rattled” every time a loud noise occurs.

5. Worn babies sleep more! Especially in the beginning. I’ve rarely felt sleep deprived, even as a new mother…and when I have it’s usually because I spend the night excitedly gazing at my new love. Wearing a baby keeps them close - think of yourself like a Kangaroo. There is a great saying - nine months in and nine months out. Thinking of the gestational period of the baby as being 18 months makes it easier to reconcile.

I don’t know who wrote it, but if you do, please let me know!

“Cleaning and cooking can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs, dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”