Clean living has always been important, but I’m even more focused on it now.
My youngest, sweet little M, was born premature. While she is doing wonderfully all things considered, she has several health issues that seem to be much more easily managed with a natural lifestyle. We’re still waiting for her body to mature enough for a full diagnosis, but in the interim, these are several things I’ve done to keep her well.
Homemade Baby Food
Her little body can’t handle harsh chemicals or food additives, so now I have an even greater reason to keep us clean. I made food for K when she started solids too and it’s been fun to let her help make food for her sister.
M is just starting solids now so we stick to easy things for her little body to digest. Simple, one-ingredient foods are excellent and so easy to make. Homemade oatmeal and rice purees are the simplest: toss the oats in a food processor and mix with hot water. Rice is much easier to puree cooked, with a little hot water added to the processor. (This is similar to the one I use.)
Vegetables are easy too: I steam them by the pound and let K push the blender buttons to puree. We pour them into ice cube trays, freeze, and bag them in bulk. I like the cube trays because you can mix up additional veggies when baby gets old enough for blends, just throw three or four different veggies together to thaw as they grow.
Natural Body Care
I’ve made my own washes and lotions for years. This makes it so easy to know exactly what’s in the products I’m putting on her skin, just in case she has any negative reactions. One thing to be aware of, however, is that most homemade washes are NOT tear-free: those products usually have a numbing chemical added to prevent burning. Using soaps, even natural soaps like castile, will hurt baby’s eyes unless additional product is added. For us, I try not to use any shampoo at all until my littles are older and there’s a need for it. Even K, at almost two, only gets shampooed every three or four days.
Natural Medicinals
Both my littles have begun to teethe unusually early. K cut her first tooth around three months and M is following her footsteps. As any parent knows from experience, teething pain can be the WORST. Especially when they’re cutting their first tooth and the pain is not something they’ve been subjected to before.
Mamas will try just about anything to stop the pain. But most baby teething gels have horrible ingredients. This includes belladonna, which can be fatal. In addition to old-fashioned remedies like washcloths dampened with lavender water and frozen, I’ve found these amazing tablets. (EDIT: This product is, unfortunately, no longer available in the US. Back to frozen cloths!)
Baby-Safe Cleaners
Germ-free environments are important for me while we wait to see what’s going on with M’s immune system. While it’s tempting to marinate everything in Lysol, I’m resisting the urge! Instead, I’m using natural, environmentally-friendly products like Thieves cleaners and vinegar for my cleaning. Castile soap, tea tree oil, lemon, and other natural products do the job just as well with no harmful chemicals. Win-win!
What are some of your favorite products to keep your littles safe and healthy? Leave a comment below!
