baby necessities and excessities

Some things I have learned along the way... Birth-1 year

Cute baby clothes can be REALLY expensive, especially if you prefer to buy organic. I LOVE Zulily for this reason. In the past I have blogged about some great organic baby clothing companies that are sometimes offered on Zulily, and below are some pictures of some more! 

Albetta Baby

L'oved Baby

Grubbie Style

I also like Under the Nile and Koala Kids.

Bibs, oh, for so long I thought they were unnecessary until I found waterproof PVC ones such as this adorable little mod scooter bib made my Green Sprouts. The cotton/hemp/flannel bibs are cute, but are not good protection for a drooling baby. Not only does the bib get soaked, but so do the clothes underneath, and then I don't like to reuse them for the next meal because they are smelly, crunchy and DIRTY! The waterproof ones are great because I can just wipe them down in between each meal/snack, and they don't wear out as fast because you aren't always washing them in the machine. This is a huge time saver for me considering I feed three babies, three times a day, 5 days a week!

Gaia chest warming rub is perfect for congested little ones, big ones, and even dad when he has a MAN COLD. For the littlest ones, I suggest mixing with a dab of almond oil in order to help protect the skin, and if they are SUPER sniffly, add an additional dab of tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil.  

Toys that we currently love are : Educo, Melissa and Doug, Little Saplings, Haba, b toys, Green Toys, and Sophie

Earth Mama Angel Baby products!

My husband swears by this stuff for our little one's tush (which I think is adorable, both my husband having such a strong opnion and my son's tush.) But I am also in love with the  A Little Something for Baby package- orange and vanilla will always remind me of the happiest days of my life now. Every Friday they do a 50%off special on the Facebook page- go be their friend!

Stay put munchkin bowls. These help to keep many snacks off of the floor, though many still manage to find their way. 

New Vegetarian Baby

Raising Vegetarian Children

The Baby Book

Unconditional Parenting

Buddhism for Mothers

Babytalk

The Vaccine Book

What to Expect the First Year

Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers

Cloud B

We love the Twilight Turtle and Sleep Sheep! I even turn the Sleep Sheep's soothing sounds back on when it is my bedtime!

On days where I have had a really hard time with the babies, I sometimes can't fall asleep because I just hear wailing screams in my brain. This stuff cures me, and helps me to sleep through the night and wake up rested. I SWEAR by it! And it is safe while you are nursing! 

The implications of breast vs bottle

Capitalism and patriarchy both succeed because both institutions are able to continually keep women divided on major issues concerning their rights.

Arguing over the Internet about breastfeeding VS formula feeding is not proactive. And blogging about the pros and cons is only half proactive.

Women don't not breastfeed because they don't want the best for their child. They 1) don't breastfeed because they aren't properly educated or supported 2) don't breastfeed because they can't and they don't know about milk banks 3) don't breastfeed because they have a job that is not supportive and pumping becomes a hassle and it us more important to have a paycheck than to breastfeed considering formula fed babies turn out A-OK.

The enemies here are not formula feeding mothers.

The enemies are the formula companies who are interested in gaining riches by targeting new mothers, uneducated mothers, poor mothers, or any mother who does not have the support to choose differently.

The enemies are the hospitals who can't find the time or money in their budgets to have a full time staff capable of addressing all of the needs of new mothers and families.

The enemies are the government persons who don't care enough about human health and well being to enforce laws and ethics code that will help all babies to thrive by kicking big business out of hospitals and advocating for the natural processes of sustaining life, maternal and fetal health.

Our direct attention and energy needs to be directed towards community involvement in programs such as WIC breastfeeding peer counselors, lactation educators, at hospital board meetings, etc.

YOU need to be the change that you want to see.

By arguing over the Internet and by only being active VIA the Internet, we are not acting as, with or in support of the 99%. Breastfeeding is privilege, and those numbers and statistics aren't going to change until we get out of our cushy computer chairs and reach out to the women, mamas, and families who don't have the privilege of unnecessary Internet time.

Did you know that 10% of US homes lack an Internet connection and an estimated 30% of US homes don't use the Internet.

The Internet is not our battleground, folks.

Support the UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Initiative:

http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/
http://www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm

HAPPY WORLDWIDE MILK SHARING WEEK!

I was blessed with an awesome supply of milk after my son was born. I pumped before every feeding for the first few weeks, and soon enough, my body was making more milk than I could handle. The first time I donated milk was to a mother with a 1 year old nursling and a few other children who had just found out that she had stage three cancer. She knew she wanted to provide mothers milk to her son, and while she was sad she could not physically share that bond with her nursling the way she did with her other children, she was so grateful and glad to know that he was getting the best nutrients possible. I donated nearly 160 ounces. 

Then a few months later, I found this lovely woman. You can read her story here. She is amazing and has helped her son to grow by using over 20 milk donors in 6 different states. I was able to donate 60 ounces. 

Have you ever stopped to think about what the difference is between breast milk VS formula? Probably not, beause the marketing companies do a great job and convincing us that formula is an equal substitute for breast milk, and in some instances even better because it "even contains iron." Pish posh, breast feeding is natural, it is the standard, anything that is not breastfeeding is subpar. For women who can't produce breast milk, they should be encouraged to use donor milk before formula even becomes an option. After all, we all want our kids to grow up as strong and healthy as can be, so why not choose the best option right from birth? 

DAR LA TETA ES DAR VIDA!

Primal Parenting

An anthropological perspective on methods such as cry-it-out and other non-attachment methods, and the effects they have in a person later in life.

"In a paper read at an international conference on Kangaroo Mother Care in 1998, a Cape Town doctor, Dr. Nils Bergman, cites the research of Lozoff et. al. (1977) who studied the way hunter-gatherer peoples raise their children. He says, “Common to all groups is the fact that newborns are carried constantly. They sleep with their mothers, there is immediate response to crying, feeding takes place every one to two hours, and breastfeeding continues for at least two years.” He goes on to urge parents to give this kind of nurturing to their children if the human race is to survive." from DrMomma read the rest of the article here:

http://www.drmomma.org/2011/06/primal-parenting-giving-babies-best.html

la teta es mejor, la mamelle est mieux

‎"Television commercials that appeal to mothers who cannot afford these things, but will spend their money on them anyway, because of the media’s emphasis on convenience, safety and hygiene? Shame on you Nestlé. The real comprehensive nutrition system? A pair of lactating breasts." YES. via Daily Momtra

\

"The environmental toll of formula manufacturing is heavy: dairy production destroys land and pollutes air and water. The waste created by packaging, bottles and nipples is staggering. Artificial feeding means the use of more diapers, sanitary napkins and tampons. In developing nations, it increases the odds of an infant contracting food-bourne illness, and increases infant mortality rates. The multimillion dollar television ads that formula companies place during your prime-time viewing are always images of a cherubic caucasian baby, and a smiling mother – not of dying infants and destroyed agricultural property." 

via Politics ReSpun