Do It Now : Personal Growth

Help to relieve your baby's skin rashes or dermatitis

I am not a doctor but I do a lot of research and I write for a holistic doctor, and I know that these steps are often very helpful in relieving, sometimes in clearing, skin rashes in babies. However, you should consult a good naturopath to make sure that these steps are suitable for your baby.

1.    Cut out dairy  It’s very hard on the infant’s immature digestive system. If you bottle feed your baby, try a hypoallergenic formula. If you're breast feeding, get calcium from sardines, raw almonds, lots of dark leafy greens in your diet, kelp, carrot juice, beans or lentils. Cut down on red meat, coffee, and sugar, as they interfere with calcium absorption. Organic milk seems to be better tolerated by most children, so you could try it.

2. If breastfeeding, eat more raw fruits and vegetables every day (especially vegetables), and also fresh juices. If baby’s on solid foods, make them mostly vegetables that you have prepared at home. Go very light on grains and cereals, which can be hard on the digestive system.

3. If breastfeeding, take flaxseed oil every day. It is antiflammatory, and proven to help soothe and heal the skin. If your baby takes bottles or food, you can safely add flaxseed oil to the formula or the food. Baby may not like the taste at first, but you can build up the amount slowly. This is a very important step for skin healing.

4. Eat oily fish, especially wild (not farmed) salmon, sardines and trout, 3 times a week so that your breastfed baby gets more essential fatty acids. Or take a good cod liver oil.

5. Give your baby a probiotic supplement. These are safe, and will help rebalance the intestinal bacteria to support the immune system. If you can find it, choose a probiotic supplement that also contains colostrum (Yes, the same thing that precedes your breast milk) to help strengthen the immune system.

6. Wash your baby in pure, filtered water (get a chlorine filter on your bath tap), without soap. If you need soap, use pure castile soap.  After washing, you can put pure, virgin, cold pressed olive oil on baby’s skin.  But first, try in a small spot, as baby could react to it. If the child doesn't react, it will be very soothing.

7. If the dermatitis flares up, try soothing it with a cool compress of pure water. If you have to use cortisone until baby starts to improve, use it only when absolutely necessary to keep your baby comfortable.

8. Never put new clothes on your baby as many are treated with chemicals. Wash them first, and always wash in pure soap flakes, not detergent. If your baby doesn’t react to cotton, choose cotton clothing and bedding near the skin. These days you may find organic cotton bedding a lovely alternative.

9. Create a stress-free environment. It's not always easy, but once you make it a commitment, you'll find it easier than you expected. It's a matter of thought. Babies pick up your stress, so don't become over-preoccupied with your baby's skin condition. Do what you can and have faith that your baby will recover fully and be well. And be happy. All will be well.

 10. Get your child tested for allergies, especially food allergies, and get those allergies treated. There are a number of natural options around now, so do a bit of investigating.

     If you're the one with skin rashes, try these steps yourself. They can make an enormous difference but don't expect immediate results. It takes time for skin problems to emerge as the result of underlying changes in the body, and it can take time to correct those changes and see the skin respond. Persistence, patience and faith (always harness the awesome power of your mind!)

Babies communicating with sign language

I came across an article some time ago about teaching babies to communicate via sign language. I can't put the whole thing on the blog, and unfortunately, the link is no longer active. Here's a little excerpt:

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Some experts are concerned that using sign language with an infant could take priority over parents talking to their kids. Others worry that children may not feel the need to communicate with words as quickly since they can get what they want through sign - possibly stunting the development of speech. This, however, is not the case.

Babies readily acquire symbolic gestures, and proponents of signing say it gives them a way to communicate their thoughts and needs. Because they are able to acquire the ability to express their needs early on, their mind develops a rapid interest in increasing communication. It can also reduce frustration for both parent and child.

Research into sign language for hearing infants and toddlers began in the US in 1982 with Professor's Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn. A 2005 study by the two found that when using baby sign language and talking to your baby at the same time, on average the children in the studies at 36 months were speaking at an equivalent level of non-signing 47-month-olds. So signing not only helps you communicate with your child but has also been proven to fast-forward their speaking abilities.

Sounds good, and the pictures are so cute. And really, it's just taking what mothers naturally do just a step further.

If you want the whole article, email me.

Tosca

Teach Your Child Calm

It takes time and effort to learn to still our minds, but how much easier it would be if we learned it as children….if we learned as children to switch off and be still and calm within. 

It used to come naturally to children when they were allowed to wander through fields and  spend hours  watching streams bubbling over rocks or clouds forming and reforming. 

But now, with the constant noise and busy-ness of games, television, school activities, and fast-paced modern lives away from nature, our children are in constant action mode, and their little minds are constantly running.

As a result, children are always looking for something new, are rarely satisfied, have no patience, are easily upset, hyperactive, stressed and over-emotional. Their little minds are simply overwhelmed, and they don’t know what to do about it.

It's not enough to tell a child to calm down. We have to teach them how to do it. How can we expect a child to ‘Calm down!’ when we can hardly do it ourselves? (Gritted teeth and silent scowling are NOT being calm).

We adults can teach our little ones to enter that inner stillness and calm that is within them, to bring essential balance to their lives between the inner and outer, activity and stillness.

But before we can teach our children, we must learn to enter our own inner calm and switch off from the outer world. Then we can teach our children, if not for their sakes, then for our own. A balanced child is an easier, happier, calmer, healthier child.

It's not as hard as you might think to teach a child calm. I taught my highstrung grandson Entoni to breathe deeply and turn from his outer distress to his inner stillness when things become too much for him, and it instantly calms him. Now, I just have to remind him to take three deep, slow breaths ... breathe out upset, breathe in calm…and within minutes, he is his sweet, smiling self again. It even works over the phone.

Yes, he forgets and gets caught up again in his daily stresses, but he knows he can switch off if he wants to.  And if I remind him every time, one day, he will calm down all by himself, and have a valuable skill for life.

What’s so good about teaching our little ones to find their inner calm is that we remind ourselves to practice it, and become more balanced and in control of ourselves.

I’d like to see it become a regular part of the school day as well, time to sit and turn inward. Why not teach them to imagine or remember a place of total peace, safety and calm where they can go in their quiet time? Why must their whole day be directed outwards?  

Our over-stimulated kids might find turning inward difficult, and at first, their minds will resist. But keep it up, and the kids will gradually fall into a pattern of silence and stillness during which they just might - all on their own - find themselves connecting with their deeper selves

We've been conditioned to accept constant noise, stress and mental activity as normal.  It’s not. Teach children to find and enter their inner calm, and they will cope better, think better, and feel better about themselves.

In the outer world, children are continually being compared to others and found wanting, but within, we are all equal, all perfect and whole. Every child should have that experience, and often.

If you have ways that you use to teach your children calm, let us know. You'll be helping mothers and children everywhere.

cheers

Tosca

(Little Kody is having a few quiet, thoughtful moments as his sister paints his face.)

© This post is under Copyright to Tosca Zraikat, 2009. You are welcome to use this article on the condition that you reference this blogsite as your source. If you wish to contact the author, please doitnow@dodo.com.au