Waterless Baby Bath

Johnson and Johnson won't like this "Old Wives Tale Tuesday" post...it's all about taking care of babies skin naturally, with bare bones products.  Many new parents are cautious about what they put on their perfect new baby.  Some people only want to use doctor recommended products because they believe that their doctor has done the research and knows best, and others want to go all natural...well, this old wives tale has withstood the test of time. 

"Rubbing coconut or olive oil on your baby morning and night will beautify their skin and boost their immunity."  We called it the olive oil bath, growing up (we used olive oil because coconut oil wasn't as readily available, but now I use coconut oil).  Many parents have a nighttime bath routine...this is a good alternative, which saves time, laundry and water.  It does not replace baths all together, but spreads it out so that you can easily go a week between.  Let's face it, babies aren't sweating and smelly and don't play around in anything that would cause them to get dirty enough to merit a daily bath, but if that is what you use to train them for good hygiene later, or to calm them for bed...then keep doing what you are doing.

Babies are born with a natural skin protectant called vernix (I actually know people who hang out in delivery rooms and rub the vernix all over their own dry hands and elbows to heal cracks and rashes).  Society tells us that we must wash it all off immediately, but instinct tells me to keep it on as long as possible (wipe away any blood or meconium, of course).  The theory with this old wives tale is that rubbing the baby with the oil will help the body naturally absorb this coating, giving the skin a really good foundation.  Coconut oil is a natural antibiotic and helps boost the babies immunity.  I love the smell, but if the oil is a bit rancid be prepared for a baby that smells like sour milk.  I have found that as you gently massage in the oil it calms the baby and helps it to naturally bond to the caregiver giving the bath.  I haven't been as consistent as some of my siblings, but I humbly say that I am impressed with the clarity and natural glow of my children's skin.  I love it because I don't spend a lot of money on products that I can't explain all the ingredients, and my babies all love to get their clothes changed. 

So...wives tale or not, I believe that giving a quick coconut or olive oil bath as I change my children's clothes in the morning and night saves me time and creates beautiful results.

Aid for Morning Sickness

Welcome to "Old Wives Tale Tuesday!"  I've got quite a few friends battling morning sickness lately, and I thought I would share a few things that I have learned and/or used over the years to help with that special time of pregnancy.

Let's start with WATER... being dehydrated is, in my experience, the number one reason for morning sickness, followed closely by constipation.  My mom always told me that pregnancy is a natural part of life and as such, it shouldn't stop us from living a mostly normal life (of course you should listen to what your doctor or midwife tells you first).  She would go on to say that if it did then we should look at what we were doing on a consistent basis that could be causing the discomfort. When ever I started to feel nauseous I would think about how much water I had been drinking and then reflect on how long it had been since I had a good bowel movement. 100% of the time I was not doing well in either area.

Pregnancy and Peppermint.  I love using peppermint (or spearmint if you have high blood pressure) for so many things during pregnancy.  It eases morning sickness by relaxing headaches and relieving gas.  One cup of peppermint tea in the morning and after meals can drastically reduce nausea.  It does this by naturally stimulating the digestive system to move things along and hydrating both mommy and baby.  Putting a drop of essential oil on the wrists, ear lobes, back of the neck, or rubbing into the palms of the hands and cupping over the mouth and nose while breathing in brings alertness to sleepy mommies to be.

Dr. Christopher's Lower Bowel formula.  Let's face it, most pregnant women battle constipation during pregnancy.  This is due to the higher levels of hormones which slow the digestive process and leads to constipation.  Some people recommend Psyllium, but there are so many mixed beliefs about this product that I just don't go there.  Lower Bowel is designed to give you a temporary boost until your body can start taking care of things on its own again.  Dr. Christopher designed all of his products so that your body would not become dependent on them, that's part of what I love about his stuff.

Ginger.  This is my last resort aid for anything.  For some reason, I just really don't like Ginger, in any form...but a lot of people really swear by it for pregnancy.  they say that it is a good replacement for peppermint if you can't use it for any reason, and does so many amazing things...but I dislike it so much that I have blocked all of the good things from my memory.  Just know that if you are pregnant and you like Ginger (as a spice), then you should eat a lot of it, as often as you can.

One day when I am on a computer that is a little faster than a toddler walking to the mail box, I will come back through and add fun pictures and a link to find lower bowel.  If you have heard of any other traditions to ease morning sickness that are not included here please add it to the comments.  We'd love to know.  You never know when something that you say might be the only thing that can help someone reading this.

Miracle Cure For Blisters

Welcome to "Old Wives Tale Tuesday."

With a husband  in the military who loves to work out I have had a lot of experience with treating blisters.  You can find a lot of pretty cool products in the band-aid section of the store...but I bet you didn't know about this AMAZING trick...a cotton ball, soaked in Castor Oil on the blister overnight will soften and practically erase blisters.  It has NEVER failed me.  Whenever AJ comes home with blisters we cover the blister with castor oil on a cotton ball and a band-aid when he is getting ready for bed and the next morning it is significantly better or even gone without a trace.  It works by drying up the blister so if you notice a strange coating over the top resist the temptation to peel it off.  This is the castor oil doing its job.  Allow it to heal completely or another blister may reform.

How to stop a nose bleed

Introducing "Old Wives Tale Tuesday." I love to hear old wives tales, so I thought I would pick a day and post one weekly.  My favorite part is that because this is a searchable blog, I can send people to it or look myself for a quick refresher! Yahoo!!!

Here is a random thing that I learned as a kid to stop a nose bleed:

Wad up a square of toilet paper, dip it in white vinegar and place it gently in your nose.  The burning sensation is the cauterizing action sealing up the tear.  If it isn't working fast enough, twist or twirl it and breath in ever so slightly.  This will make you sneeze and somehow this is a magical combination.

I was hit in the face with a sled, by accident, at the end of a blistery cold recess in elementary school and had daily nose bleeds for months afterward.  The school nurse couldn't figure it out and would just send me home if it lasted more than an hour.  They would come from 1 side or both and last "for-e-ver.".  My moms traditional remedy was to swallow 1/4 tsp of loose cayenne pepper on the end of a spoon. It worked, but took much longer.  When we figured out this little genius (white vinegar on the tip of toilet paper), I never had a problem again, nose bleeds were now a 1-2 minute nuisance, no longer a 1 hour life stopper.

When people ask me what I recommend to stop excessive nose bleeds I first try to figure out why they are happening by asking them about the time of day, frequency, life circumstances etc. then I remind them that I am not a doctor and cannot recommend anything but I can tell them that I would start with drinking more water.  Turns out that the number one cause for spontaneous nose bleeds is dehydration.  Then I tell them my "old wives tales suggestions, above. So, the next time you have a spontaneous nose bleed, or "pick a winner" (as my family used to say), remember this tale and tell us how it worked for you.