Natural Baby Care – No Shampoo

When I was pregnant, I remember telling people that I would not use soap or shampoo on my child.  Most people mocked me, and a few just gave me the “you’re crazy” look.  Saying something as against mainstream as not using Johnson and Johnson on your child doesn’t seem to sit well with many individuals.

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The thing is, so far, we haven’t had to use soap of any kind on Axel.  He’s never had his hair washed, nor has his body been scrubbed with soap.  He hasn’t even been exposed to baby wipes, except for a very small amount of the chemical free variety for a few days after he was born.  The extent of the chemicals his skin has been exposed to goes only as far as what’s in our tap water.  (I’m not pleased about the chlorine issue, so we’re looking into shower filters at the present time.)

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Surprisingly (to most, at least), he does not smell bad.  He is perfectly clean – naturally clean.  We have basically proven that babies do not need to be bathed in smelly chemicals, at least before one year old.  (I’m sure it’s longer, but I don’t have experience with a child beyond that age.)

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Of course, some could make the argument that not all shampoo and body wash are heavy laden with chemicals.  That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not at all the point I’m trying to make.  The fact is, why would one waste money on all of these natural “cleaning” baby products, if they aren’t necessary?

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They shouldn’t have to, but I really believe that people simply don’t know that they don’t have to use them!  That’s where my family’s experience comes in.  I’m thrilled to share this with you all, because maybe, just maybe, someone will benefit from it.

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Infants are naturally clean.  They don’t need to be washed with soap.  A rinse in the bath or shower is truly all that needs to be done.  (I don’t think that most babies even need that, but Axel tends to get dirty, so the quick rinse helps!)

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If you have a baby, or are expecting one, please try the no soap method.  It is working so great for us, and I haven’t had to spend a dime on baby bathing products!

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(I’ve decided to make this a bit of a mini series. I have plenty more to rant about on this topic, so stay tuned!)

March 30, 2010 | 5 Comments »

I’ll Be Back

Sorry for the lack of posts. Axel has been extremely active, and we’ve been spending a lot of time outside.

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We’re going camping for the weekend, but I’ll be back on Monday. I hope everyone gets to enjoy this beautiful weather!

March 27, 2010 | No Comments »

No Shampoo Method

The no shampoo method has done amazing things for my hair.

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In case you’ve never heard of it, I’ll explain the process.

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First of all, since it is the no shampoo method, you must stop using shampoo (duh).  You can stop cold turkey, or you can slowly wean yourself off of it.  I found that the latter worked better for me, because it allowed my scalp oils to adjust and normalize to the new routine.  Either way, it’s likely that you will face oily scalp for awhile.

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Second, you decide how many times you want to “clean” your hair.  Once a week is perfect for me.  The no shampoo method only requires two simple steps, the first of which is scrubbing your scalp with baking soda.  Do not scrub the rest of your hair, just your scalp.  The goal is not to dry out your hair, but to clean your greasy head.  :)

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After rinsing out the baking soda, fill a large mug with water, and add roughly 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar.  (I know you’re probably thinking, “I don’t want to stink of vinegar!”  Well, not to worry, the smell evaporates as your hair dries.)  Flip your hair upside down, and slowly pour the mixture over your head, making sure to saturate your roots, all the way down to the ends of your hair.

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No Shampoo Method (3 Months In)

Do not rinse the vinegar out of your hair.  Simply wrap your hair in a towel, put it in a clip, or keep it down and allow it to dry naturally.  (Of course, feel free to squeeze the excess moisture from your hair before getting out of the shower.)  You will be amazed at how soft your hair feels once it’s dry, and as long as you brushed it before washing, it shouldn’t be difficult to do so once it’s dry.

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I have been using the no shampoo method for about 4 months now, and I’m loving it.  My hair feels softer, and it doesn’t have that weighed down feeling it used to have (due to shampoo residue).  I’m not exposed to any artificial chemicals (I wasn’t before either, because I was using an organic shampoo, but still).  Also, a big plus for me is the money savings.  I was spending $25 dollars a month on shampoo at one point, and it just dawned on me one day that there must be a better/cheaper way.

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It seems that in 99% of cases, there truly is a cheaper way.  I’m just having a great time discovering exactly what those other ways are!  Shampoo just plain isn’t necessary.

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If you’re tight on funds, don’t like chemicals, or if you just want to be weird, try the no shampoo method.  It really does work, and I imagine it’s much healthier for your hair.  Have fun!

March 22, 2010 | 6 Comments »

Elimination Communication Potty Training Issues

Elimination communication potty training isn’t as hard as it sounds- most of the time.

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Today it was hard, though.  Axel overslept last night, so his nap schedule was all out of whack this afternoon.  He has been cranky, agitated, and in an all around lousy mood.  The poor little guy has been falling apart.

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I thought I’d take advantage of this day and let you all know that we most certainly do have elimination communication potty training issues.  It’s important that people understand that even full time ECers have their bad days.  Sometimes babies just don’t want to use the potty, and that’s okay.  The important thing is that we aren’t giving up, even after days like these.  (Axel’s gone through 7 pairs of underwear!)

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I want this post to be encouraging for those who have an interest in elimination communication potty training, but who think that they are not cut out to do it perfectly.  Truth is, no one is.  It would be a lot different if we all lived outside in the nude, like we did in the beginning, but things are no longer that way.  That is the main reason I am not anti-diaper, because I understand that our world isn’t how it once was.  Many of the more natural practices have become not so natural, simply because we live in a completely different culture now.

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It’s really important not to get stressed out on days when you have a lot of misses. Elimination communication potty training is not about perfection.  “Off” days should just give you a chance to learn more about your children, their needs, and how they communicate those needs to you.  Today was a perfect learning opportunity for Patrick and I, and although days like these can be slightly discouraging, we still trust that we are doing the right thing for our family.

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I’ll give you a quick overview of how our day went today.

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We woke up, and well rested Axel used the potty without a problem.  He also went two times after that easily and without fuss.  Then nap time came around, but because he had overslept last night, he wasn’t ready for it.  That’s when things started going downhill.

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He became more cranky as time passed.  He started to flex and throw a fit every time we tried to potty him, but he would pee in his underwear a minute or two later.  We decided to give him a break and relaxed on the ec for awhile.  (There’s no point in trying to force your child to use the bathroom, especially if it’s just going to tick him/her off.)

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He eventually fell asleep, but because he had been refusing the potty, he had a full bladder.  (We had a couple of misses before this, but Axel rarely completely empties his bladder in his underwear.  He doesn’t like feeling wet.)  Anyway, he ended up waking up after only an hour because he needed to use the bathroom (he wakes up to go potty, and he won’t go back to sleep if it’s during a nap).  Then the cycle began all over again.

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I wouldn’t say today was a complete ec failure, as we did catch some of Axel’s pees, and his one poop.  The number of misses or catches we have isn’t really important, though.  This is not a game of score.  Each day is going to be different.  We’re very thankful that we’ve had a lot of success with this process, but we just want people to know that we still have difficulties.  Regardless, we love elimination communication potty training, and we’re happy we get to practice it with Axel.

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If we can do it, you can do it too.

March 21, 2010 | Tags: , | 2 Comments »

Natural Parenting “Wrong”

In my last post I talked about our societies opposition towards natural parenting, and how we should be understanding of other parenting styles because we are all trying to do our best.  After re-reading the entry, however, I realized that I was preaching the same old “tolerance” message that so many others are reciting today.

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It’s the new fad.  Everyone should accept what everyone does as “right,” regardless of whether their heart, faith, or conscience is telling them otherwise.  This kind of behavior is what causes a person’s character to crumble.  We cannot sit back and watch our world go down the drain along with our convictions.

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Natural parenting does not always mean that families simply parent the way that is most natural to them.  (I won’t get into what I consider natural parenting to be, because I’ve gone over it before, but it includes things like breastfeeding, ec, cosleeping, etc…)  Some adults may have been physically abused as children, and now feel the most comfortable treating their own babies in the same manner.  In a case such as that, I would and will most definitely say that they are natural parenting the WRONG way.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it, it’s wrong.

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The difficult issue I’m having is when to draw the line.  When you feel passionate about something, it can be very hard to be objective about it.  I try to view the natural parenting choices I’ve made through other “normal” people’s eyes, but it’s not an easy thing to do.

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For instance, someone online made a comment that I was torturing my child by not allowing him to wear diapers.  No matter how many times I read the statement, I could not for the life of me figure out how that made any sense whatsoever.  Torture, really?  Actually, I could easily make the argument that they were torturing their child by forcing them to sit in their own feces.  Since I don’t believe that, though, I left the situation alone, and I don’t go around trying to get people to take their children out of diapers (unless they ask).

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However, if someone tells me that they are practicing natural parenting by spanking their children with a leather belt until they bleed, I would have to do something about that.  Just because you are a parent who gets the urge to beat the crap out of your child in a fit of rage, does not make it natural, nor does it make it acceptable.  Some things are just wrong, no matter how you put it.

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Who has the authority to say what is wrong?  In my case, obviously the answer is God, because I believe He should have the first and last say in everything.  This is a really tough question, though, because not everyone believes the same way.  Many abusers truly believe that physically torturing their offspring is natural parenting.  (By natural parenting, I’m referring to parenting the way they think is natural.)  In their minds, children are meant to be “trained,” a.k.a. beat into submission.  (I’m all for training, but I’ll get into how I think this should be done in a later post.)

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So, if I consider intense belt lashings on children to be wrong, then does that mean all spanking is wrong?  I honestly don’t know.  Logically, it doesn’t make sense to me, but I do personally know some very loving parents who occasionally spank (lightly on the bottom only).  When I’m around them, I don’t have the urge to run to the nearest phone and dial CPS, because I don’t believe they are “abusing” their kids.  On the other hand, I might see a woman popping her child on the butt in Walmart out of pure anger and frustration, and it just doesn’t look right.  I’ve seen how it can crush a child’s confidence, and it’s saddens me.

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Basically, when it comes right down to it, natural parenting does not fit into a one size fits all box, but there are some very obvious wrongs that we should all avoid.  If you see a man punch a small child in the face, by all means, please do something about it (call 911).  If you see someone making their baby drink soap as punishment for crying, don’t sit back and watch helplessly.

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Natural parenting is different for everyone, and when it comes to small issues (like cosleeping), we really should be understanding of others doing things differently.  But, we should not, for any reason, disregard true wrong doing.  We have a responsibility to pay attention to these sort of things.

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Our world will never get better if we don’t speak up about what is right.

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March 18, 2010 | Tags: | No Comments »
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