Children’s Toothpaste And Artificial Sweetenters

I can’t remember exactly when I started brushing my son’s teeth/gums, but I believe it was sometime during the later part of his first year. I was a Gymboree Play & Music class and we used to have a “question” time as part of each class where the teacher would ask a question and all of the moms would go around the room and answer it. This week’s question was on brushing your child’s teeth. All I remember thinking was “Am I supposed to be brushing his teeth?” The thought had never occurred to me! So I went to the store, bought some “children’s toothpaste” and started the routine.

Well, my son is now four and in an effort to encourage “independence” while brushing his teeth, we have gone back to the “toddler toothpaste” which he loves. He will brush away as long as he can lap up all of the yummy berry flavored toothpaste.

One day, while he was brushing away, I was a little bored and started reading the ingredients on the back of the toothpaste container. We used the Orajel Toddler Toothpaste in the Thomas tube. I was shocked and extremely dismayed to realize that the toothpaste that my son was using – specifically designed for young children – has SACCHARIN in it! Not just any artificial sweetener, but the very one that was banned for so many years because it was determined to cause CANCER!

WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY CHOOSE TO PUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN CHILDREN’S TOOTHPASTE??

I can’t believe I have been using this toothpaste on my son’s teeth for 4 years (on and off) and never before did I even dream to CHECK THE LABEL to see if it had anything bad in it. It is DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN after all! So I went to the store and checked out all of the brands of toothpaste targeted at children – EVERY SINGLE ONE contains SACCHARIN. Recently I was in Canada and stopped in a drug store there too. I thought for sure Canada would have a ban on saccharin in children’s toothpaste, but to my dismay, they are all full of saccharin up in Canada too.

Just the other day I was at my local grocery store and asked one of the employees to help me find an organic toothpaste that was fruit flavored (I can find the mint ones, but my son hates those) and didn’t contain fluoride (because my son still swallows the toothpaste) and also was FREE OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. Well, we looked all around the toothpaste aisle and the only saccharin free brands had fluoride. So this sweet girl helping us said that there were other toothpastes in the baby aisle. So we trekked over there and found that low and behold – they do exist – there were actually TWO different brands of toothpaste that were free of artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and fluoride! And they were fruit flavored too!
I let my son pick which one he wanted and he picked the JASON’S Natural Products Organic Kids’ Only toothpaste. He loves it! And I love it even more because it is free of all of the hazards that most companies are putting into products targeted at children!

Here is the description:

* Kids Only!
* Wheat and Gluten Free
* Sulfate, fluoride and Saccharin Free
* No Artificial Colors or Flavors

Jason Kid’s Only! Toothpaste delivers fun fruity freshness and an easy to squeeze tube. Delicious Natural Orange flavor keeps the kids coming back for more. Calcium Carbonate keeps teeth clean and healthy.

When was the last time you looked at your children’s toothpaste? Have you found other resources for healthy alternatives to the ‘big name’ brands?? Please share them by leaving a comment on this post.

Have The Best 2010 Possible – Tips For Moms

By Tracy Liebmann

I want you to start living the Life of your dreams! We are all amazing a divine people, who sometimes get off track or loose sight of our souls purpose. I believe every bit of change starts within us and I’d like to draw your focus back to the source that is within you.

2010 can be the first year of the rest of your life!

As Mothers we work hard 24/7…365! We care for others and sometimes forget ourselves. That strategy does not *really* benefit anyone.

“In trying to satisfy all, I may be able to satisfy none” ~Gandhi

So let’s get the focus back on our very important selves this year, it is not selfish to care for self…it is wise and necessary…especially for Mothers!! Let’s explore things we can do for ourselves as a whole divine person; let’s break it down into three very important parts!

Body ~ Mind ~ Spirit

Body

• Rest! Our bodies need a certain amount of rest to function well. I know for Mothers this can be a challenge, yet it needs to be a top priority! Sleep deprivation can have a serious negative impact on how well we are able to care for ourselves and our family!
• No excuses…look for solutions to your sleep issues and get more REST!!
• Diet/Nutrition. Let’s talk diet first, since this is the time of year that everyone thinks about the great new diet plan they will carry out in 2010. I would like to remind you to come from a place of self love when considering dieting. Dieting from a place of self hatred will never end well. You may lose the weight, but it will be back – Love yourself enough to eat well, not from hating your big butt, but from loving yourself!
• Exercise. Getting outside in the fresh air and sunshine, with your heart pumping and your lungs filling with sweet air is very important not only for your waistline but also for your brain. I will say the same thing I said above…Exercise out of love for Self, not from a place of hatred or punishment. Go out with the kids and play kick ball, take a walk or run with the stroller. Enjoy life…Enjoy your body!
• Water. Drink lots of water! That’s all I’m gonna say on that subject, you know why!
• Massage. This is not just a fabulous way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It is actually good for you. It releases toxins, and keeps your body working well from the inside out! Caring for self is a necessity, not a luxury! OK, I just have to say…I don’t care what your husband thinks (gasp)! Do it for yourself, show yourself love and nurturing…your worth it!!

Mind

How do you care for your mind? How do you “clear your head?” Caring for your mental health is *very* important and needs to be done on a daily basis!

• Quiet. Everyday find a way to quiet your mind. I know quiet is a valuable commodity for a Mother! Every valuable commodity is worth seeking right?! It can look different for everyone. Some people take 15 minutes to meditate; others may break their quiet time down to 5 minutes in morning, noon and night. Some may breathe deep, close their eyes and relax while a child is nursing. It’s all good – Find a way to quiet your mind daily!
• Support. Mothers need loving support! Find other Moms that you have a lot in common with; with similar parenting styles and plan weekly meet ups. Hire a Life Coach that has similar philosophy about family and children as you do. However and whereever you can, look for and find loving support. Again that is an act of self care and you are important enough to receive it!
• Ask For Help. We really don’t have to do it all!! We can ask for help. If you are feeling like you have no one to ask…start looking for solutions. Find a babysitter you can trust, hire a cleaning person, even ask the kids and Husband where they would be willing to help.
• Body. If you take good care of your body; getting enough rest, exercise and nutrition your mind will be functioning at its best, so revisit that subject and ask yourself what your mind needs to feel better.

Spirit

To me spirit is about heart and soul; for Mothers this is a very powerful part of the body, mind, and spirit paradigm! Taking good care, listening to and honoring our spirit is extremely important!

• Spirituality. For some this means religion and church going; for others it means we are all connected and one with source and lots of in between! So I am writing this in a general way. Honor your beliefs, even if they are different than others that are close to you. Life is an individual journey that is connected to others for the reasons of love, support and growth. Make time for yourself to honor your beliefs; go to church, join a group, meditate and/or pray. Care for your spiritual side.
• Authentic Self. *Knowing* ourselves at the deepest level and honoring who we are is especially important to feeling our best. If we are not following our inner voice or true selves we will feel unhappy and out of sorts because we are going against our highest good. Often through years of societal conditioning we lose sight of who we really are. We have lost our Authentic (true) Selves. If this is striking a cord for you, and you are feeling like; yes this is what is happening to me. Following the suggestions already mentioned here in this article will help…yet you may also desire some extra support. This is my *passion* to help women find their Authentic Selves, please e-mail me and I can send you more articles and information that will help you uncover what the layers of life have buried.

Tracy Liebmann is an experienced educator, Certified Family Life Coach, and Author. She believes deeply that great communication is the key to better connection with your loved ones. She mothers her two teenaged children from the heart, knowing that is where the truth lies when it comes to parenting. Her coaching clients describe her using words like; compassionate, caring, understanding, patient, insightful and intuitive. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband of 19 years, her 2 children and many interesting pets. She enjoys being with her family, cooking, anything outdoors and being with her horses! You can learn more about her and her coaching practice at www.transformingfamily.com or you can get parenting advice with heart at www.asktracy.wordpress.com Tracy is a regular contributor to this blog, so stay tuned for more great parenting articles from her! To receive A Special Tool, Gifts and to be entered in a drawing to win a Coaching Package with Tracy worth over $750! Click here.

Simplifying Family Life

By Tracy Liebmann

When looking for ways to simplify our family life we often run into titles like Get More Done and 100 Things To Do: To Simplify Your Life. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to be told I need to get more done or have MORE things TO DO! What I desire is to do less, to me that is simplifying life! So, if you’re looking for an article that helps you get more done in less time or how to organize I suggest doing a google search and you will find plenty of books and articles that will help you feel worse not better. OK, a little sarcasm there…please forgive me.

My thoughts on simplifying life are more about streamlining our lives, eliminating what we can and enjoying what we do. I will make a list of suggestions; not orders or rules to follow, just ideas.

• Journal about what you really want your family life to look like.
• Analyze what you wrote; look for hints of the life you desire.
• Look for troublesome areas and things you can eliminate.
• What parts of your day really work well for you and your family?
• Why are they working?
• What parts of your day are not working well?
• Why are they not working?

So, when you look at this writing what do you see? The mornings are crazy because we are all too hurried. OK, what can change? And if these changes involve others, I highly recommend bringing them into the conversation. Look for unlikely solutions, not the simple ones like getting up earlier, unless everyone likes that idea. Look at what’s working and why; after school or work things run smoothly for about an hour. Why is that, because everyone is just unwinding, doing the things they like to do? So how can we make the morning more about doing the things we like to do. I know this might sound absurd to some really busy families and I challenge the people who fit into that category to do an inventory of what’s really important. What can stay and what can go?

When you look at your day and you see more “have to” and “should”, than “want to” and “could”, I ask that you look at that and ask why. I look at it this way, I really don’t have to do anything, and I make choices. When I look at things and say “I choose” to drive my daughter to cross country practice it feels a lot better than saying “I have” to drive her. If driving her to practice doesn’t work for me, then I would look for a creative solution that would work for both of us. This time of year life gets really busy and I suggest staying very aware of the “could of, would of, should of’s” if you hear that in your head it’s time to regroup. Remind yourself you have choices and you can choose what to do and where to go… joyfully! Transform your holidays!

What are you doing with your holidays? How has Tracy’s advice made you look at your plans differently? Please share you advise, thoughts, tips and experiences by leaving a comment on this post!

Tracy Liebmann is an experienced educator, Certified Family Life Coach, and Author. She believes deeply that great communication is the key to better connection with your loved ones. She mothers her two teenaged children from the heart, knowing that is where the truth lies when it comes to parenting. Her coaching clients describe her using words like; compassionate, caring, understanding, patient, insightful and intuitive. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband of 19 years, her 2 children and many interesting pets. She enjoys being with her family, cooking, anything outdoors and being with her horses! You can learn more about her and her coaching practice at www.transformingfamily.com or you can get parenting advice with heart at www.asktracy.wordpress.com Tracy is a regular contributor to this blog, so stay tuned for more great parenting articles from her!

Parenting Curriculum?

By Tracy Liebmann

A curriculum relies on specific goals and objectives that should be achieved within a certain time line. When it comes to parenting I find the results of this stilted and mundane. Our children are not products; they are autonomous beings who need to be in connection with their parents. When I threw out the curriculum and simply created a safe place for collaboration, wonderful changes occurred within my family. Having expectations for a child to achieve certain goals and objectives by a certain time is just setting them (and us) up for failure. I needed a way to re-frame the curriculum that I had started out with and this is the best way I can put it into words.

I started to look at it like a musician entering a jam session. I am one person who has learned how to play my instrument who is in collaboration with the other people in my family – all bringing their gifts and talents to our jam session. Together we share ideas on how we want our song to sound and then we just start playing. What flows in that moment is what matters, not the preconceived notions about what we thought the song should sound like. The art of this jam session is that we meet on common ground, which is the well-being of the family, then we improvise and see what we can come up with. The tune often sounds nothing like the original preconceived idea…that is the art of living without a curriculum.

I use the word art purposefully, no two families are exactly alike, just like a painting or sculpture. In a family jam session standard activities like meal time, watching TV, personal hygiene or deciding what to do that day, provide the setting for this type of improv. The skills and knowledge we have at our fingertips are not employed according to plan, we are not the boss or even the lead player, and we (parents) let things unfold naturally using our “expertise” only when we are asked. We are like the drummer who supports the other artists and keeps the rhythm going. The magic happens during the interactions, in the space between the participants, no one member can take the credit.

Parenting without a curriculum means looking at life with our family as a philosophy of experiential learning, one that downplays the intellectual tendency to predict and control. Integrating spiritual principles like “leads by following”, “finding perfection in things as they are and not as we think they should be”, these are principles a conscious parent will live by. It is an experience NOT a script or a bundle of dogma! The idea is to live moment by moment, being true to you.

Tracy Liebmann is an experienced educator, Certified Family Life Coach, and Author. She believes deeply that great communication is the key to better connection with your loved ones. She mothers her two teenaged children from the heart, knowing that is where the truth lies when it comes to parenting. Her coaching clients describe her using words like; compassionate, caring, understanding, patient, insightful and intuitive. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband of 19 years, her 2 children and many interesting pets. She enjoys being with her family, cooking, anything outdoors and being with her horses! You can learn more about her and her coaching practice at www.transformingfamily.com or you can get parenting advice with heart at www.asktracy.wordpress.com Tracy is a regular contributor to this blog, so stay tuned for more great parenting articles from her!

All I Needed to Learn I Learned from My Children

By Tracy Liebmann

Life: It’s about the journey not the destination, oh what a journey! I feel like I have had a few different lives already. My childhood which was dysfunctional, my college years which were wild, my twenties which were both professional and academic, my thirties wow my thirties…I think I’ll start there.

We were living in San Francisco when I turned thirty. We really wanted to start a family and I knew I really wanted to stay at home with the children. We decided to move back east for cost of living issues. We moved to coastal South Carolina, got pregnant, and had a baby. Our wonderful daughter who is now almost 11. The day I gave birth to her I started to give birth to me. Two years later the next mile stone on this journey occurred, the birth of our loving son, now 8 years old. These two miracles have taught me more in 11 years than…hmmmm let me count…18 years in schools and colleges! I had a lot to learn about living, I had a lot to learn about parenting and being in a healthy family. It was challenging because of my “story” from childhood.

Looking back the first lesson I learned was about unconditional love, which was not an easy one. It took years to come to the understanding I have today about unconditional love. Yes, from day one I loved my baby girl with love in which I thought was unconditional, yet it had conditions. The conditions I had, that today I hate to admit were that she sleeps through the night, nap, eat without trouble, not cry too much and give me 5 minutes to take a shower. I set myself up for failure. Those things I just listed are what babies do…in-case you didn’t know . Jumping to the present the things that I do accept unconditionally are things like; not sleeping, eating less than perfectly, yelling and best of all I always get a shower and love every quiet moment. Today unconditional love means acceptance, accepting my children just how they are at that very minute. How did I learn how to accept and love unconditionally even during a rage of anger, which happened pretty frequently during our first few months of unschooling. I found support from online lists and magazines. I read and learned all I could, then I tried it, I tried to remember to breathe deep. I use mantras, like “only good can come to me” and I remind myself that it’s not about me! Oh there is another thing my kids have taught me, it’s not about me. It’s not about me that they are crying, screaming at one another, throwing a rock at grandma (yes, it really happened). They are who they are. This leads me into the next subject my children have taught me all about…acceptance.

I just described accepting my children for who they are and that’s were it all started for me. Then I realized if I accept them for who they are no matter what, then what about me? I had never accepted myself for who I was until after this journey into unschooling. SO I started to do just that love myself with out conditions…it is still a work in progress, but what light it has shown my spirit. OK…so who’s next, the hubby, oh boy this one is also a work in progress. I have always had a special place in my heart for children, not true about adults. I have learned through accepting my kids for who they are that I must accept everyone…including my loving husband. Acceptance to me is always about what is, not what was or what could have been.

Surrender is another big lesson my kids taught me. When I came into this parenting thing I was quite the control freak. Being pregnant, giving birth, then the preceding days, months, years, taught me I was not in control. It didn’t matter that I had just given darling daughter a bath, she was going to poop and spit up all over herself, it didn’t seem to matter what I believed she should eat to grow big and strong, she knew what her body needed.

When my son was around two, it was obvious he was special. He is an acutely aware little boy, so that made living in this world a little more exhausting for him than you or I. I had no control over who he is, he is amazing and I had nothing to do with it. He has taught me more about myself and communicating with others.

Unconditional love, surrender and acceptance; those are the principles I have learned from my children, pretty profound stuff that I continue to work on everyday. What are some things that you have learned from your children? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts and experiences!

Tracy Liebmann is an experienced educator, Certified Family Life Coach, and Author. She believes deeply that great communication is the key to better connection with your loved ones. She mothers her two teenaged children from the heart, knowing that is where the truth lies when it comes to parenting. Her coaching clients describe her using words like; compassionate, caring, understanding, patient, insightful and intuitive. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband of 19 years, her 2 children and many interesting pets. She enjoys being with her family, cooking, anything outdoors and being with her horses! You can learn more about her and her coaching practice at www.transformingfamily.com or you can get parenting advice with heart at www.asktracy.wordpress.com Tracy is a regular contributor to this blog, so stay tuned for more great parenting articles from her!

Infant Massage – Tips & Tools From A Mom’s Perspective

By Connie Kallevig-Munson

As an expectant parent I immersed myself in various baby books and online forums to learn all that I could about parenting. Our first child was born full-term but I had some complications with my c-section birth that required a bit of a longer hospital stay. I was fortunate enough to be at a larger hospital where classes were taught throughout the week that included infant massage. One of my last days at the hospital I was able to go down to the infant massage class with my new baby and learn some techniques on infant massage.

Upon getting home from the hospital with our first baby (Thea) my husband and I both took time to massage her. Our nightly ritual began just after bath time. I would sit on the floor with my new baby laying on a blanket in front of me. Bath time was a favorite time for her, and the transition out of the bath tub wasn’t always an easy one. Infant massage was one way for me to calm and soothe my baby, while giving another forum for bonding for my husband and I. It didn’t take long to learn what kinds of touches Thea liked best and what techniques were the most soothing to her. As parents we were able to use those cues from our baby to soothe her during times of discomfort, illness and fear. I remember finding it quite funny when our second child was born – after bath time they both would be kicking their legs at me cuing time for leg massages.

Our second child (Grace) was born premature, and she had many medical issues that caused her a lot of discomfort. We used infant massage with Grace frequently, and the results were not as guaranteed as they were with our first child. It was not easy to massage Grace as she was constantly distressed. After time she would recognize the routine of massage and begin to calm down. For her, massaging her tummy was a great relief for gas and constipation during the first 18 months of her life. Infant massage techniques combined with medication for her GER was really the only way she was able to rest comfortably.

Having the techniques of infant massage in our arsenal of comforting tactics made life better for our baby, and it is something we still use today with her as a 3 year old.

As with so many parenting tools – infant massage is different for each child. Our two children were such contrasts in personality and in needs that we used infant massage very differently for each. What I found worked best for both of our children was starting a ritual of massage just after bath time. The bathroom was always a warm and quiet room – perfect for relaxation. I used simple baby lotion, that I let sit in the sink with warm water so it wasn’t cold when I applied it. Each baby liked different songs, so I would usually hum or sing the song to them as I began rubbing their legs in a milking fashion. The milking technique that I was taught was a favorite for both the girls. I would hold their thigh and ankle and begin to gently move the hand that was on the thigh down their leg until it met the hand that was holding their ankle. I’d then place the hand that was holding their ankle to the thigh position and again stroke down repeating the process. My girls would cue me by kicking the other leg when it was time to switch legs. During this time the girls were always wide eyed and excited. I would do the same procedure on their arms and back again to their legs – as that was simply a favorite for them.

Infant massage may sound like a very formal tool by its title. Do not let its title fool you – it is something you can learn easily and do with your baby. Learning some infant massage techniques is something that I tell all new mom’s to be to ready to learn about and jump into. There are countless websites that feature detailed pictures and explanations of the various techniques. There are many books available in the public library, and in book stores on infant massage techniques, and what ailments they work best for. Your pediatrician would also be a good source for massage techniques and classes that may be offered for infant massage in your area. The reason there is such bountiful information on infant
massage is simple – it works!

Resources I’ve Used and Recommend

Websites:

• Parents.com – How to Massage Your Baby
• Parenthood.com – The Joys And Benefits of Infant Massage -this website has great resources listed at the end of it!
• Holistic Pediatric Organization – Infant Massage
• FisherPrice – Infant Massage: The Power of Touch

Books:

• Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better, and Grow Stronger by Helen Garabedian
• Swedish Child Massage: A Family Guide to Nurturing Touch by Lena Jelveus
• Infant Massage — A Handbook For Loving Parents by Vimala Schneider McClure

Connie Kallevig-Munson is a stay at home mom of two girls, Thea is six and Grace is three. She had taken an infant massage class while at the hospital with her first child, but had not been exposed to it professionally. Before staying home with her children, she worked as a Home Visitor for the Healthy Families America program. You can find Connie on twitter @themunsons.

Did you massage your baby? Where did you learn how? What was your favorite time of day for massage? Do you have any tips or tricks to share with our readers? Please leave a comment to share your story!

The Importance Of Family

It’s funny how life teaches us lessons. Recently I learned a very important lesson. The importance of family. I am not referring to my husband/child (they are always at the top of my list of importance!) – this story is about my parents and siblings and relatives. The “larger” family. We live about 400 miles from my parents/family and 600 miles from my husband’s parents/family. I have always been very close with my family and have always valued them, but I have never known just how much until recently.

My husband is out of town on an extended business trip (he’ll be gone three weeks total!). He doesn’t normally travel for work, so this is very odd for us – especially because it is such a long trip. Last weekend, my parents drove out to stay with me and my son for a few days. It was wonderful having them here and it made me think how special our families really are. I wish I lived closer to mine. This is especially true when life isn’t chugging along normally – like now. With my husband out of town, I don’t have anyone to help with my son or the house or just to keep me company, and it made me think how wonderful having your extended family nearby can be.

Family is wonderful for keeping you company, for helping you fix things, for helping out with the kids and for being someone that you can count on. When you don’t have family nearby – everything is more difficult. I have to hunt and beg when I need a babysitter for my son. I don’t have anyone to help me go look at cars to buy or give advice on redecorating my home – or just to have breakfast with on Sunday mornings! My son knows his cousins, but he won’t grow up playing with them on a regular basis – only on holidays or special occasions. I come from a family of three children, but my mother is the baby of eight children – so we have a TON of family in the town where my parents live. I live an 8-hour drive away from all of them.

So today, when you count your blessings – count your spouse/significant other, count your children and don’t forget to count the rest of your family. If they are close by or far away, let them know how much you appreciate them. I will be sure to!

Does your extended family live close by? What are the challenges that you face by being away from your family?

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