Motherhood has definitely brought the hippy out in me. So has external influences such as family and friends who live an “alternate” lifestyle. But for me, that defining moment was pregnancy and motherhood. I started doing a lot of research when I was pregnant about anything and everything to do with my baby. For example, I delved into the world of MCN’s (modern cloth nappies). Not only did cloth nappies look cute, but they were kind to my bub’s soft little bottom. No chemicals in them, organic bamboo liners, kind to the environment… I’d never given a care about myself but suddenly I wanted nothing but the best, natural, organic lifestyle for my child.
It was a hard pill to swallow at first – my husband and I had never been interested in any of this stuff and even laughed at people spending ridiculous amounts of money on organic food. Was it all a hype by the government anyway? You know, for money. Were the studies and reports outlining the benefits even true? Whatever, we didn’t have time for that. We’d happily snigger (discreetly – I promise we were judgmental idiots behind their backs!) at tie-dye wearing, dread-headed raw foodists while eating our greasy McDonalds 😉
Suddenly we had a little life, a small innocent being, in our care… and it was a mammoth responsibility. So many times I was hit with the feeling of Oh crap, if I stuff this up… Or I’d think This is her life we’re in charge of and it’s up to US to start it off the best we can. And let’s be honest, of course I’m going to stuff up. Every parent does and will. But until motherhood happened, I was clueless about a healthy lifestyle. Suddenly I was determined to give her the best life and health we possibly could. It’s only been 10 months but it’s been a learning curve for us and a little over whelming.
Some things we’ve had to consider so far include her personal care, diet, and future schooling. One thing I’m currently looking into is her teeth. Now that O has 5 teeth and is near 1 year old, I’ve had to think about the care of her pearly whites. Besides trying to stop her chewing on our glass coffee table and biting into anything that’s hard, plastic or metal (a daily occurrence!), I can make sure her teeth get the right treatment by looking into products such as natural toothpaste:
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| Image from www.raspberrykids.com |
This is likely the toothpaste O will be using. It’s by Jack N’ Jill and is organic, fluoride free, sugar free, SLS free, BPA free and preservative free. Phew! If only the actual product was free 😉 .
As a child I remember being scared to swallow toothpaste. I remember talks about fluoride from the dentist. I remember wanting the sparkly blue toothpaste that came of a fancy tube. Nowadays there is such a debate about fluoride and toothpaste and is it good, is it bad…. Over whelming. So much literature out there (both for and against!) to look into. *sigh* Parenting… it’s deeper than I thought!
Other things we do for her personal care? We use coconut oil as a daily moisturizer. It’s chemical free, fragrance free, etc. I also use it on her bottom if she ever needs some soothing and it’s always cleared up any rash or redness within 24 hours. It’s also the oil I cook her food in (such as when I fry her an egg or a lentil pattie). Love it’s versatility! I use it on myself too.
We were using Gaia products both in the water and on her skin but now I buy vegetable or goats milk soap from my local health food store. We also have a chlorine filter on our shower head and we plan to get one on the bath too.
What did parenthood change in you? How has it made you more aware?
Hippie Mumma 