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Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Day Giveaway! :: PLUS! An Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop!

April 7, 2017

Earth Mama Angel Baby is a brand you can trust with the most sensitive of skin – and we have a great Earth Day giveaway too!

Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Day Giveaway! :: PLUS! An Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop!

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” I received compensation for my time to write and sponsor this post and giveaway. Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family. 


Earth-Day-GiveawayWelcome to the Earth Day Giveaway Hop, hosted by The Pistachio Project and Green Moms Network!

Each of the participating blogs will be giving away a prize to help you go green and celebrate Earth Day! Earth Day is just one day out of the year but we want to give you ways to go eco-friendly all year long. After entering my giveaway, be sure to hop around and enter all of the other giveaways listed on the link at the bottom of this post! 


Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Day Giveaway! :: PLUS! An Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop!There was something about becoming a momma for the first time…

…that completely awakened the momma bear inside of me toward *anything* my baby came in contact with. From clothing and toys, to food and soap, something in me started to question just about every label and every ingredient that my baby was going to touch, ingest, or be slathered in!

I became a label reader…

I remember the very first “bath” I gave my first born. I had received oodles of a certain “popular” tear free baby wash at all the baby showers, and I figured, “Well…it has a baby on it right? It must be safe?!” As I was watching her wiggle in the little baby hamock I flipped that bottle over to see just how baby friendly the ingredients looked – I mean what ingredients made it a baby wash really?

Immediately my heart sunk. I couldn’t even read half the label, and my red flag, red light, momma alerts were going off in my head.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Day Giveaway! :: PLUS! An Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop!A brand you can trust

My research into a better baby wash continually brought me back to Earth Mama Angel Baby . I loved that I could understand the ingredients and I loved the mission of the company. Now that my babies are older, we still love the gentle soaps and lotions when we need them, and there are even more product options and scents…and in a house full of little girls…well, that is extremely important!

Spring lavender is in the air!

To celebrate Earth Day, Earth Mama Angel Baby is helping us step into the fresh air with this amazing package of their most popular naturally scented lavender products and a great tote to carry all of your farmer’s market finds this spring and summer! Total retail of the package is $65 plus shipping! Yeah!

Earth Mama Angel Baby Earth Day Giveaway! :: PLUS! An Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop!

Enter via Rafflecopter below (Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends April 22, 2017) ::
a Rafflecopter giveaway


But wait! There’s More Earth Day Giveaway Fun!

I’ve teamed up with my fellow Green Moms Network blogging friends to bring you all of their Earth Day giveaways, in one big massive Earth Day Giveaway Blog Hop! Follow the links below to enter more Earth Day giveaways!



This contest will run thorough April 22, 2017 at 11:59 EST. No purchase necessary. US entries only. Must be 18 years or older to win. Sponsors may have provided free samples of products to the bloggers. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Raising Generation Nourished and not to Facebook. Please not that Raising Generation Nourished, The Pistachio Project, Green Moms Network and the Earth Day Giveaway Hop bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do n to fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.

Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies Taking Care of Momma

Liver Support For Every Season Of Motherhood :: Gentle Liver Support & Detox Tips PLUS! A “Liver Love Smoothie” Recipe!

March 3, 2017

Gentle liver support and detox tips for every season of motherhood, plus a liver love smoothie recipe!

Liver Support For Every Season Of Motherhood :: Gentle Liver Support & Detox Tips PLUS! A "Liver Love Smoothie" Recipe!

Momma, this one is for you!

Get baby to sleep in that sling, get a stack of coloring books out for your toddler, and send the big kids off to play, and settle in so we can talk about taking care of you for a bit!

Spring cleaning…

I’ve never been enthusiastic about housekeeping, and while I do a form of spring cleaning on the house each year (as much as can be done with little whirlwinds running around the house!), I’m going to be talking about spring cleaning…you!

Momma, did you know that it is ok to focus on your health? In fact, it is vital to your kids to have a momma that feels her best and is functioning at her best!

Gentle is the name of the game…and the most effective.

So here’s the deal. I’m a go-getter. I’m a jump in with both feet kind of a person. I decide I’m going to do something and I’m full on, 100 percent into it…and then some.

However, when it comes to our liver, brute force, full on, over doing it is not always wise, especially if you have never done anything to help support or detox your liver before. I am putting this all in bold at the beginning of this post because I have over done before. And it is not pretty. And it actually is super ineffective as you flood your body with toxins you can’t handle.

I am going to show you how to add a few things into your daily routine to assist your body at getting rid of toxins in a natural, gentle, and effective way. Because when we just DUMP and over do it, you can really throw your body off as toxins are released. It makes you feel even sicker, or cause Herxheimer reactions, that will make just about everyone need to stop. Including someone like me {ahem…can you tell I have experienced this?!}

Do you need to work on loving your liver a little?

Do you eat food? Breathe air? Drink? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then the answer is probably yes! Unfortunately there are toxins just about everywhere we go these days, and even if you are a “clean eater”, the environments that we live in are just not ideal.

Our livers were designed to filter these toxins, but sometimes things get backed up. Helping the liver stay clear and doing a few things to unclog the liver will keep things flowing well. Many of these items are things you can do on a daily or weekly basis to keep your liver happy, all year long.

My goal in this post is to show you the most gentle effective ways to give your body’s natural filtering process some love during all seasons of life.

Detoxing can take on many forms, and depending on what stage of the game you are, you will want to find the best fit for you in the season of life that you are in.

  • If you are planning on getting pregnant, are pregnant, or are nursing, your goal will simply be to give your liver some love and support so it can do it’s thing. You don’t want to be dumping and detoxing while making or nourishing a baby.
  • If you are not in a season of pregnancy or nursing, but have never given your liver a second thought before (IE you have never done any of the items on the list before), you may want to consider starting out with just a few of the first suggestions. Dumping too quickly will make you feel pretty crummy.
  • If you are a veteran dry brusher, detox bather, caster packer, and beet and dandelion lover, I’ve got some great supplements to share with you at the bottom to up your liver love game – and they truly have been a game changer for this veteran! You’ll love them!

Set your thought process in the right direction.

Your thought process in this gentle, effective detoxing should be…

“I am going to nourish my liver and lymph system whose job it is to clear toxins from the body.”

You are like the assistant making the environment prime for filtering. Dumping out loads of toxins is not the end result you want. Believe me. Assisting the unclogging of your liver and getting lymph moving should be at the forefront of your mind, and your body will do the rest for you.

I promise that there are gentle things you can do to assist your body’s natural cleaning process while you keep your body environment safe, and still able to function.

So let’s get started!

Liver Support For Every Season Of Motherhood :: Gentle Liver Support & Detox Tips PLUS! A "Liver Love Smoothie" Recipe!


Proactive Ways to Support Your Liver and Lymphatic System


You can add some of these to your day today! Don’t be overwhelmed with getting every point in *right now*, however. In fact, just start with what appeals to you the most with where you are at. Some of you that maybe are already doing the first couple points are ready to move on to something more in depth. And those of you that haven’t done anything ought maybe just start with the first couple of ideas.


Lemon Water

Quite simply lemon water is a great place to start. Especially if you have never done anything to aide your body in detoxing, drinking lemon water will get the party started. It will also get things moving and flushing so the other detoxing methods can work effectively. It is something you can start today, and just about everyone can afford it!


Eat Foods That Encourage Natural Detoxing

From beets to greens, turmeric, garlic, and other herbs, there are every day foods you can fit into your meal plan to make detoxing a part of your everyday life. Beets blend into smoothies nicely (see the Liver Loving Smoothie at the bottom of this post!), as well as make a great roasted veggie side for dinner. We love this beet slaw for a side salad or as a topping to a grassfed burger too! You can wilt greens into just about any stir fry and they blend up into a green smoothie without even noticing! And as far as the herbs, well…dress your food up with real food medicine! Turmeric is the main component of curry blends – you can make curry for the whole family in the form of curry soup or curry skillets and to get that in. We also love collecting dandelion greens from the yard in the spring to make dandy salads.

Another quick note about food and the liver! The liver cleans out around 1-2am every middle of the night. If you eat big, heavy meals at night, you might notice you wake up and feel crummy around this time of the night. Try to make the last meal of your day a healthy dinner and skip the bedtime snacking to allow your liver free space to work at night and  not be so bogged down. (If you are pregnant or nursing you can snack on healthy options, but I encourage you to try eating most of your food during the day so your digestion and liver and recover at night).


Dry Brushing

You can coordinate dry brushing with your detox bath which I will discuss below. Dry brushing moves lymph. Our lymphatic system carries toxins from various parts of the body to the liver to filter. Moving the lymph keeps things, well…moving! It makes your skin feel amazing too which is just an added bonus!

To dry brush, simply start at your feet brushing towards the heart. Swipe each area 3-4 times moving up the legs and the groin, tummy, back, arms, armpits, and chest. Always brushing toward the heart. I like to use this brush for my body, and then I have this brush for more sensitive areas like my chest, neck, and face.

This is another super affordable method to aide detoxing that just about everyone can start this week!


Detox Bath

Epsom salts have been used for ages for natural detoxification. A simple hot bath full of epsom salt draws impurities out of the body after just 20 minutes, and then after about 20-40 minutes of soaking you will absorb the mineral benefits of the epsom as well. I use 3 cups of epsom salt in my bath. You can use a cup or two of baking soda in your bath if you don’t have a water filtration system. It neutralizes the chlorine and helps the minerals in the epsom salt to absorb.

This is the simplest, bare minimum detox bath, and it is very effective. If you want, you can occasionally add clay or Himalayan salt to your bath to up the ante. I like to add a few drops of lavender essential oil, and I make an herbal tea bath once and a while to make things even more relaxing. Just steep a strong pot of chamomile tea and pour it into your bath. It is very soothing!

I buy large bags of epsom salt and baking soda at Costco.


Castor oil packs

*NOT recommended if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant!*

Castor oil packs are another very simple, cost effective way to draw toxins out of the liver or digestive system. I am 3 years out from a very looong season of being either pregnant or post partum or trying to get pregnant, so castor oil packs are newer to me in the last 2 years. I used to hate doing them because it meant I needed to lay down (ha!) and I just didn’t have time for that…or did I?!

You know that 30-60 minutes before you go to bed or are laying in bed looking at your phone (yeah yeah yeah, I know we aren’t supposed to do that, but we pretty much all do it anyway!)? THAT dear momma is the perfect time to castor pack!

Castor oil packs improve lymph circulation and lower inflammation to the area it is directed toward as well as the natural detoxification for that area. You can focus on different areas depending on what you are going for. For instance, you can lay the castor pack over your liver to stimulate the liver, over the lower intestine area to aide digestion, etc

To make a castor oil pack, you will need caster oil, a thin cotton cloth (use an old cotton cloth, piece of flannel, piece of an old tee shirt, or you can buy castor oil flannel here.), and a heat source such as a hot water bottle.

  • Place the cloth in a quart jar and pour about a tablespoon or so of castor oil over the cloth and let it soak in completely. Keep adding the oil until the cloth has absorbed it all but it is not dripping wet.
  • Lay down with your feet elevated slightly and place the cloth directly over the area abdomen you are looking to help. If you are not moving your bowels well, I would recommend starting there so you can get things moving – you don’t want to be backed up while you are detoxing. Place your heat source over the cloth and rest for about an hour if you can. If you don’t want oil to get on your heating pad, put a layer of plastic wrap over it.
  • When you are done, put the oiled cloth back in the jar, put the lid on, and keep it in the fridge for up to a month to re-use. You can then wash it and reapply the oil. Make sure to drink/stay hydrated while using a castor oil pack to keep things moving. I try to aim for 3 times per week when I am focusing on detoxing because that is what I can fit in – if you can fit it in daily that is fine! Uncomfortable side effects from castor packs are rare – only really good deep sleep and relaxation! It is truly a gentle way to detox.

*Please remember castor oil packs are NOT recommended while pregnant or while trying to get pregnant!*


Rebounding

Rebounding is a great routine to make your exercise while loving on your liver because it moves lymph very effectively! Here’s the way this multi-tasking momma looks at rebounding….exercise AND lymph movement checked off my list for the day, all in one shot?! I’m in! My friend Kristen wrote a great post about rebounding here if you would like to learn more. (This is another one that I would be careful with if pregnant – gentle is the name of the game. You can always do stretching, yoga, or walking to move lymph and exercise too!)


Herbal supplements for liver detoxing

BIG BOLD notes for mommas who are planning on getting pregnant, are pregnant, or who are nursing! Repeat after me…“My liver focus is supporting my liver so it can do it’s thang!” You do not want to be dumping toxins while making or nourishing a baby. Focus on the supportive things above. Milk thistle is a liver supporting herb, and I loved sipping on milk thistle tea while nursing – or make milk thistle tea and use that as your base for the Liver Love Smoothie below if you don’t like tea. This is a great Milk Thistle Tincture you can add very easily to your day as well. I big puffy hear love this post my friend Kristen wrote about detoxing while pregnant or nursing.

Ok! Onto my friends who are not in a season of pregnancy or nursing! There are so many herbal supplements on the market to try out for loving on your liver. Some of them use herbs or herbal blends that are more supportive in nature, while others are focused on actual detoxing and removing toxins.

Over the years I have tried numerous liver loving herbs. I like making dandelion root tinctures because they are easy. And adding milk thistle to tea is great too. I have used a handful of herbal liver detox supplements on the market, and I am quite impressed with the Liver Detox supplement from Perfect Supplements. (If you decide to give the PS Liver Detox a try, be sure to use your RGN reader code for 10% off! Just put GENERATION10 in the coupon spot at checkout!) I have been using the Perfect Supplements Liver Detox for the last month!

The Perfect Supplements Liver Detox is naturopathic doctor designed and endorsed. It is SO easy to take, and lets just be honest…sometimes I don’t make the time to brew tea! It is the perfect blend ratios of milk thistle, turmeric, and artichoke as well as schisandra berry, broccoli sprout powder, cilantro, and chlorella superfoods to enhance both phase I and II Liver detoxing. It really is an “all in one” package! I like to take liver detoxing supplements at night on an empty stomach so that by the time “liver time” comes around in the middle of the night (livers clean out around 1-2am!) they have the support they need.


Notes About Detoxing Symptoms & When To Back Off


While everyone is certainly going to have different responses, there are a few general ideas to keep in mind as you take on unclogging the liver so you can get rid of toxins. You may not notice more than a few pimples as your body rids toxins. If you are doing something more thorough such as some of the supplements, you may feel more.

Here are some of the symptoms I have experienced myself:

  • Tiredness/Fogginess/Energy Decrease. It is a lot of work to detox. And the toxins can make you feel a little off. It shouldn’t last long – again if you feel really off it might be indicating that you are doing too much too soon. Back off on doseage, and start with some of the basics of unclogging your liver so it can filter better. Be gentle to your body as you start, getting enough rest/sleep so your body can work.
  • Nausea/Digestive Upset. As the liver and gall bladder drain, it can cause nausea, and as old material in the digestion get moving, you can feel bloated. Again – if this is amplified over days, it might mean you need to back off a bit.
  • Skin Eruptions/Rashes. Your body can get rid of toxins through the skin. A bit of acne or a skin rash may indicate some detoxing. It should be mild – if it is not and you feel like you are having a Herxheimer type reaction (I have experienced this – NOT fun!), you may be doing too much too soon. Back off and start with some of the basics of unclogging the liver.

Be sure to check this post from my friend Kristen for  more possible detoxing symptoms, and a thorough explanation of healing reactions.


What can I do to get over detoxing symptoms and still function as a mom?


GREAT question! I think many (including myself way back when) think detox equals energy. And it just doesn’t until you get rid of the toxins. Detoxing is getting rid of the yuck so you are not going to feel fabulous until the yuck is gone. I don’t feel awful when I do these things anymore, but when I first started out it wasn’t very fun. Here are a few things I have learned that will help you over the detox hump so you can still get through your day.

  • Take it easy. Nap, sleep, rest. Whatever you have to do. This is another reason why it is important for pregnant and nursing moms to not go full on overboard with detoxing. It is near impossible to get the amount of sleep you will need for a big detox when you are up nursing a baby or rolling all over uncomfortable in bed at 8 months pregnant. I am not ashamed to say that while I am spending a focused period of time on detoxing, I get at least 9 hours of sleep per night. It’s called discipline. And it stinks. I set an alarm for my bedtime. I let a few things go on the house so I can occasionally get a nap in. It is so worth it though. In the end you will have MORE energy!
  • Drink more water/herbal tea/lemon water. You may feel more thirsty while you are detoxing (I usually do), but even if you don’t, drink as much as you can to flush it out. I don’t do well with plain water diluting my electrolytes, so I sip on sea salted lemon water or herbal infusions all day. It sounds simple, but I even plan ahead for this. I have an alarm set on my phone to remind me to make a gallon of herbal infusion to sit over night so I don’t forget. Plan ahead!
  • Eat well and ditch the sugar. *ducking*. I know it. I’m sorry. But we all know sugar just doesn’t jive with a healthy lifestyle. Even “real foodies” can sometimes get caught up in making real food treats, and for occasions, that is totally fine. But sugar is still sugar at the end of the day, and it inflames the body when we get too much of it. Period. So you can do all the liver cleansing techniques you want, but if don’t eat well, you are just putting it all right back in. You don’t need to be 100% perfect in my opinion, but if you want to feel well, I do think the food we eat plays a roll.
  • Don’t over do the exercise. Again, it is a lot of work to detox. Gentle walking, stretching, and yoga are great for getting lymph to move without taxing your body. Rebounding is probably one of the best exercises during detoxing as it is a great way to move lymph and get the yuck out.
  • Sweat it out in a hot bath or infared sauna. Not only will a hot bath make your achy-ness feel better and relax you, you can make it work double time for you by making it warm enough to sweat the toxins out. This is one of my favorite indulgences to let myself have during a time of focused detoxing. I literally schedule it in and am very protective over it. You are allowed to have a 20 minute bath every once and a while. (More details on how to take a detox bath are in the Detox Bath section above.)
  • Make sure your bowels are moving. It goes without saying that your bowels are moving waste out! You don’t want to be backed up while unclogging your liver. Add some chia seed to your smoothies (see the Liver Love Smoothie below!), drink plenty of water, make half of your plate veggies, take a good probiotic (you can see the probiotics I take in the supplement section of this post), and keep the sugar low.
  • Support your adrenals and boost your mineral intake. Your body can always use a little support for the adrenals. Adaptogens like Cordyceps keep the adrenals balanced, improve energy, and build resistance to bodily stressors. I added the Aquatic Greens from Perfect Supplements into my daily routine while taking the Liver Detox supplement for added minerals to support my organs. (Adaptogens like Cordyceps and the Aquatic Greens are NOT recommended while pregnant or nursing)

As promised! My Liver Love Smoothie Recipe!


This is safe for every momma, no matter your season of momma-hood! Just watch the notes on the Aquatic Greens for my pregnant and nursing momma readers! This liver love smoothie is refreshing and energizing!

Happy liver loving to you dear friends!

Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Liver Love Smoothie!

Gentle liver support and detox tips for every season of motherhood, plus a liver love smoothie recipe!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: liver support smoothie, liver support smoothie recipe
Servings: 1 serving
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 1 cup liquid base of choice I used herbal tea infusions or coconut water. Any herbal tea or even water works fine too. If you have higher calorie needs such as if you are pregnant or nursing, you can use coconut milk or raw milk per your tolerance
  • 1 scoop Aquatic Greens leave this out if you are pregnant or nursing. You can use fresh or steamed spinach instead
  • 2-4 TB steamed peeled beets or greens like kale or spinach freeze a load of them so it's easy to grab!
  • 1 scoop grassfed collagen this adds 10g of taste free protein!
  • 1 TB healthy fat of choice I use Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil or an egg yolk. Melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or avocado would work too
  • 1 TB chia seed to keep your bowels happy!
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 whole small/medium orange peeled (I like my to be frozen. Just freeze bag full of orange slices so they are easy to grab!)
  • 1 pitted date raw honey would be fine here or leave it out if you want it less sweet

Instructions

  • Everything into a high powered blender to blend until smooth. Tastes the best if the liquid base is cold and the oranges are frozen. You can freeze a load of orange slices and steamed beets and keep them in a freezer bag in the freezer for convenience. You can also steam huge boxes of baby spinach or kale and freeze them into "pucks" in a muffin tin and then into a freezer bag.
Healthy Kids and Teens Natural Remedies Products & Books We Love!

Preparing Your Daughter For A Non Toxic Period :: Safe Product Options And Natural Period Relief For Teens

February 24, 2017

Learn why non-toxic period products are safer, and what you can use for natural period relief for your teen.

Preparing Your Daughter For A Non Toxic Period :: Safe Product Options And Natural Period Relief For Teens

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

A Note From Renee ::

3 girls. 3 girls! I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven’t really given a ton of thought as to how we will handle this season of life! Now that I am emerging from the fog of a {long} season of baby-hood and see my little girls growing up before my eyes, researching safer period options has become important to me.

I asked my fellow Green Moms Network friend who is the expert on non-toxic personal care items, Brittany, from The Pistachio Project, if she would address this important topic with my readers. I know a lot of you are moms with kids – even if you don’t have teens in the house yet, this will help you get ready to walk through this special season of life with your daughter!

Welcome Brittany! We are thrilled to learn more about this important information!


Anytime is the right time to start researching!

My daughters are still a few years away from getting their first period but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about how they will go about dealing with it. When I was a young girl, the only options I even heard about were disposable pads and tampons. I had no idea that there were more natural ways to deal with my period. Thankfully, I now know all about the natural and non-toxic ways to have a period and I enjoy that time of the month a bit more since making the switch. I want my daughters to have the same natural and toxin free period options when their time comes.

Preparing Your Daughter For A Non Toxic Period :: Safe Product Options And Natural Period Relief For Teens Healthier for Her

We’ve all heard about Toxic Shock Syndrome but disposable tampons and pads actually carry other health concerns as well. Synthetic materials, bleach, fake fragrances, chlorine, pesticides, dioxin and other harmful ingredients are in disposable feminine products! This stuff does indeed enter our bodies and can have a negative impact on us. Take dioxin for instance, it’s a known carcinogen that has been linked to cervical and breast cancer! Why in the world are brands allowing this to be in our feminine products?

Lighter Periods and Less Cramps

This has got to be one of the greatest reasons to switch to non-toxic period products. As a woman, you know that heavier periods and cramps are no joke, so naturally you would want to help your daughter so that she doesn’t have to deal with all that! Using feminine products that do not contain all those toxin ingredients that I mentioned above actually can mean less cramps and lighter periods. It’s pretty amazing!

Saves Money

Ok so perhaps your daughter will not care about this factor, as I’m assuming you are likely to pay for her feminine care products right now. But you will appreciate this! Think about how expensive buying period products for you and a daughter will be (or 3 daughters like I will eventually have to do! Oh my!!!) $120 is what the average woman spends each year on feminine products! I can think of better uses for my money.

Reduces Waste

Hopefully your daughter is already a budding environmentalist, but if not then this is a great place to get her aware of how much waste we create. One woman will use over 10,000 disposable feminine products in her lifetime! Those disposable products aren’t going to be breaking down anytime soon either! All that waste will sit in the landfill for ages and the chemicals will seep into the ground and water that we use.

Much More Fun

Sure, these products are ones that nobody but your daughter are likely to see but girls like to have fun! Having fun feminine products will make this new experience much more enjoyable for your daughter. Forget about boring white pads and tampons! These non-toxic period products come in tons of fun colors and patterns (I’m talking mermaids, leopard print, rainbows, emojis, I even just saw some Star Wars pads!!!)

Preparing Your Daughter For A Non Toxic Period :: Safe Product Options And Natural Period Relief For TeensCloth Pads

These are the reusable alternative to disposable pads/pantyliners. (They are also referred to as Mama Cloth but clearly that won’t fly with your daughter!) Their is a bit of ick factor as yes, you will have to rinse these out and wash them but it’s not all that different from dealing with leaked on panties.

Pros:

  • Super easy to use!
  • Similar to their disposable version.
  • Tons of sizes (super light panty-liners, medium flow, overnight, even thong sizes)
  • Super fun colors and prints!

Cons:

  • They have to be washed.
  • Can’t toss them like you would disposables so your daughter would need to carry a small wet bag with her to store the dirty pads. (I recommend a cute little wet/dry bag so that she can store her clean pads in the dry section and the dirty ones in the wet. Plus all she will need to take to the restroom is her cute bag; no trying to hide a pad in the palm of her hand)
  • Can’t go swimming (just like disposable pads)

I love Pink Lemonade Shop for all their cloth pads! They have so many great colors and prints! (A note from Renee: I use cloth pads if you are curious what I use! If you like to use Amazon, I have found lots of great cloth pad options on there too!)

Want more info on cloth pads? I have a more detailed post on mama cloth and how to make the switch.

Menstrual Cups

These are the reusable alternative to tampons. However, they do not look like tampons! They are cup shaped and actually collect the blood unlike tampons which absorb the blood. Like cloth pads, there is a slight ick factor because your daughter will be getting close and personal with her body.

Pros:

  • Can be worn for 12 hours straight including through the night!
  • Can be worn for swimming, sports, exercise.
  • Non-drying as they do not absorb moisture like tampons.
  • No leaks unlike tampons (so long as the learning curve is mastered)

Cons:

  • Have to dump and rinse the cup so it’s a little icky.
  • Must get very comfortable with anatomy (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).
  • There is a learning curve. Such as learning different folding methods, inserting, and remove menstrual cups.
  • People who do not want their virgin daughters to use tampons would have the same issue with menstrual cups.

There are many different brands for menstrual cups each with their own pros and cons. I love SckoonCup personally but it’s also the only one I’ve tried so far.

Want more info on menstrual cups? I have a more detailed post on menstrual cups on my blog.

Period Panties

These are one of the newest non-toxic period product options! Period panties are quite literally underwear that are extra absorbent. They are like a pad and panty all rolled into one.

Pros:

  • Hold up to 2 tampons worth of blood (depending on panty style).
  • Custom sizing and variety of styles.

Cons:

  • They have to be washed.
  • Must remove pants to remove the underwear so that could be problematic depending on location.
  • Can’t toss them like you would disposables so your daughter would need to carry a small wet bag with her to store the dirty panties. (I recommend a cute little wet/dry bag so that she can store her clean panties in the dry section and the dirty ones in the wet. Plus all she will need to take to the restroom is her cute bag)
  • Can’t go swimming (just like disposable pads)

THINX is the popular brand for period panties! I haven’t tried them yet but they definitely seem like a great option. (A note from Renee: I am very seriously considering trying some Thinx out and they are on my wishlist – I really think they look great!)

Sea Sponges

If nature created a natural tampon, the sea sponge is it. These are actual live (used to be alive?) sponges. They are to be used similarly to a tampon minus an applicator.

Pros:

  • All natural, no man made products at all.
  • Not as scary looking to insert as a menstrual cup.
  • Can be worn for swimming, sports, exercise.
  • Actually contain healthy sea minerals that the body can use.

Cons:

  • Only lasts about a year.
  • Learning curve on how to insert.
  • Only holds one tampon’s worth.
  • Not vegan.
  • Can’t toss them like you would disposables so your daughter would need to carry a small wet bag with her to store the dirty sponges. (I recommend a cute little wet/dry bag so that she can store her clean sponges in the dry section and the dirty ones in the wet. Plus all she will need to take to the restroom is her cute bag)

I’ve not tried sea sponges yet but Jade and Pearl looks like a popular choice. (Edited to add: Please see the comments below for a quick note from a reader on some safety issues regarding sea sponges that was brought to our attention after this was published. This does concern me (Renee), so please keep those comments in mind as you make your choice!)

Preparing Your Daughter For A Non Toxic Period :: Safe Product Options And Natural Period Relief For TeensWhile on the subject of periods, let’s talk about period relief. When I was a teen, I was all about the Tylenol. Now that I’m older and wiser, I prefer not to use drugs unless absolutely necessary. There are lots of great natural options out there and I love using them and I’ll introduce these methods to my daughter when their time comes.

(Note from Renee: It is important to note that extreme PMS symptoms such as extreme cramping can be a red flag to mineral deficiency and hormones being off. I highly encourage a simple hair tissue mineral analysis with my NTP friend, Lydia to figure out your daughter’s unique biochemistry related to her symptoms. Your daughter does not have to live with extreme pain during her period. The items in this section should help with normal cycle symptoms. Coming from personal experience, I can attest to going from really extreme cycle symptoms to not noticing I’m having a period at all through mineral balancing!)

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

Any lady who has gotten her period should be sipping red raspberry leaf tea! This tea is mellow in flavor (reminds me a bit of black tea) and is amazing for uterine health. It can help relieve cramps and other period related issues like PMS. If your daughter isn’t a big tea fan, try brewing an herbal tea blend similar to this nettle infusion – the hibiscus will make it taste better. You could stir in raw honey if you wish too.

Magnesium

Many people deficient in magnesium these days. Proper levels of magnesium helps with cramps. If you or your daughter are dealing with cramps, try increasing the magnesium rich foods, or spray some magnesium oil on your body.

(A note from Renee: I always keep Cell Salt #8 on hand for period pain. I don’t experience cramps anymore since balancing my minerals and recovering from post partim hormone imbalance, as well as taking a slow release magnesium supplement during the month, but when I was in a lot of pain, those cell salts really took the pain down quite a few notches. Cell Salt #8 is a homeopathic that helps the body absorb and use magnesium efficiently.)

Gentle Movement & Rest

Moving and exercising might be the last thing any woman on her period wants to do, but it actually works great for reducing cramps. Even if your daughter only does some light yoga while her period, it can help her feel better.

It is also important for there to be conversation about how she might feel the day or 2 before, and the first day or so of her period. Making your daughter aware that it is normal to feel more tired and need extra rest is important so she doesn’t feel abnormal. Explain to her it is important to listen to her body and get a little extra rest, take a long bath, and care for herself.

Rice Bags

Much like a heating pad, rice bags can provide warmth and comfort for any aches and cramps. I prefer to use rice bags because they are not tied to electricity and they can go where you go. You can also add soothing scents like lavender to rice bags. You can buy rice bags (sometimes referred to as aromatherapy bags) but it only takes minutes to make your own rice bag.

Menstrual Cramp Relief Salve

This cramp relief salve has worked wonders on my cramps if I get them. It’s not too complicated to make and will last at least a year. Make a jar for you and your daughter (it’s also helpful for any type of cramp/ache so others could make use of it too)

I hope this post has been helpful for you. Please use it as a way to talk to your daughter about these options and about how she can have a non-toxic period. Bonus idea: After you’ve talked to your daughter about what she’d like to use, put together a great first period kit for her!

BrittanyThomasBrittany Thomas is the author of The Pistachio Project. A mother to five children, she began her journey of living green and crunchy because she wanted the best for her kids. However, she soon realized that natural living was a benefit to herself as well and now she shares what she’s learning on her blog. You can also find her at Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

 

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Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities & Toxins Could Be The Culprit!

December 8, 2016

Kids spend close to half of their 24 hours in a day in their beds! Are your kids sleeping in a toxin free zone?

Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities Could Be The Culprit!

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site. I was provided product from NaturePedic in this post for review purposes and did not receive monetary compensation. 

Sleep.

The ever constant desire of almost any parent, and yet it is something that isn’t talked about near often enough.
We talk a lot on this blog about how to nourish kids with the right food so that they can function well all day, and sleep well at night, but the physical environment our kids are sleeping in is just as important as food to their overall health – both day and night.

Kids spend 8-10 hours of every 24 hour day in their beds. (Babies and toddlers 10-12 hours!)

Let that sink in a little bit.

Almost half of every day, our children are in a bedroom, sleeping. If you have never thought about it in that way before, it is a good place to start when asking great questions like, “Why is my (older) child up 3 or 4 times a night?”, and “Why do my kids wake up stuffy and sneezy, or coughing?”, or even “Why do my kids have darkness or redness around their eyes?”

Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities Could Be The Culprit!

This was me about 4 years ago when I put my oldest into a big girl bed for the very first time.

We struggled for almost a year with restless nights, darkness around her eyes, and super stuffed up noses every morning.

I couldn’t figure it out. Her diet was squeaky clean, and I had eliminated all sorts of common food allergens to no avail. I had never thought about environmental sensitivities until I started doing some digging around with my reading.

The very week we threw a load of dust mite arsenal at her room, the darkness around her eyes went away and she slept sounder.

We were still dealing with sneezy mornings (though admittedly less in intensity), and to be honest I knew what the problem was. She was sleeping on an old mattress. I knew it needed to be replaced, so we got to researching a solution. In the meantime, we covered her mattress with dust mite covers and followed a strict protocol to keep the dust mites under control.

 


Our Dust Mite Control Plan!

  • Use an organic pillow to avoid chemicals in the fibers
  • Cover the bed and pillow with dust mite covers.
  • Wash bedding in hot water weekly and put pillows into the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes every week.
  • Limited the stuffed animals in her bed to 5 or less and give those a tumble in the dryer on high heat along with the pillow every week.
  • Wipe down window sills and floor boards every 1-2 weeks, and dust mop 2 times per week. (We have hard wood floors in the bedrooms which is great for keeping dust at bay. If you have carpet, vacuuming every other day would be a good idea if you haven’t already tried that.)

Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities Could Be The Culprit!

My research into safe bedding really opened my eyes to the chemicals and materials commonly used in making mattresses and bedding.

I was even more convinced that her mattress had a lot to do with her environmental sensitivity symptoms. I couldn’t get over the polyurethane in the foams, the toxic flame retardants, the soy, and many other materials and chemicals used to make mattresses!

I spent all this time avoiding chemicals in the food she ate, only to have her spending half of her day in a bed full of toxins!

I researched so many sleep solutions and kept coming back to Naturepedic because the quality was so sound. We have been so happy with our Verse Organic Mattresses for the girls, and even more importantly, I am happy to report that my daughter has been sneeze and cough free every morning since we swapped out her mattress! The girls sleep 10-11 hours every night, and I know they are safe and comfortable.

Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities Could Be The Culprit!

The Naturepedic Verse Organic mattresses boast:

  • 100% Organic Cotton Fabric & Filling :: Organic cotton is the purest form of cotton and a healthier alternative to synthetic fabrics and foams. Naturepedic uses only U.S. grown and certified organic cotton as filling for its mattresses and buys directly from USDA certified sources. This increases purity, organic reliability and support for U.S. farmers. The surface fabric is soft to the touch and easily stretches to conform to your body.
  • Safe Fire Protection :: Due to the innovative natural design and intelligent mattress construction, Naturpedic passes all Federal and State flammability standards without the use of fire retardant chemicals or flame retardant barriers. This is achieved through superior product design, the use of more natural materials and the elimination of polyurethane foam.
  • PLA Comfort Layer :: The PLA comfort layer adds resiliency to the quilt for increased performance and moisture wicking. Our non-GMO PLA is a made from potatoes. It wicks away moisture, offers a comfortable resiliency, and does not off-gas harmful chemicals. In fact, it is used for food packaging and a number of biomedical applications.
  • Breathable Encased Coil Support :: The coils in the Verse are individually wrapped for full body-contouring comfort. This method ensures isolation of movement while promoting balanced support for proper postural alignment. Exclusive construction completely avoids the use of glues or adhesives. Provides just the right amount of bounce while adding excellent breath-ability and heat dissipation characteristics as compared with memory foam and even all-latex mattresses.
  • Safe Fire Protection :: Due to the innovative natural design and intelligent mattress construction, Naturepedic passes all Federal and State flammability standards without the use of fire retardant chemicals or flame retardant barriers. This is achieved through superior product design, the use of more natural materials and the elimination of polyurethane foam.
  • Organic & Greengaurd Gold Certified :: Not only are the individual materials certified, but the finished mattress is certified as well. This ensures that all components meet a healthy non-toxic standard. Certified by OTCO to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). All Naturepedic products are also tested for chemical emissions and certified according to stringent GREENGUARD® Gold certification standards.

An investment in your kids’ long term health

The day it dawned on me that what my kids were breathing in and sleeping on night after night affected their health, was the day my determination shifted to making that environment as safe as possible for not only their respiratory health, but their overall health. Sleep affects everything. Kids are unstoppable when they’ve had a good night of sleep, and every organ and system in their bodies function best when the body is well rested.

Kids Not Sleeping? Environmental Sensitivities Could Be The Culprit!

Start somewhere…

Here is your healthy checklist to get started on *today* for a better night sleep!

  • Naturepedic has an entire line of kid safe specific organic mattress toppers and pads as well as safe pillows and pillowcases that are a great start to breathing safer.
  • Remove clutter from the bedrooms to keep dust at a minimum.
  • Follow the dust mite “protocol” for cleaning the bedrooms above. Get the kids involved to help with the load. If the kiddos are old enough to toddle around following you as you clean, they are old enough to carry a little dust cloth to help!
  • Add a salt lamp to the bedroom to keep the air clean purified. The soft glow doubles as a night light for kids, and it doesn’t affect their sleep rhythms. I have noticed the salt lamp calms my kids.
  • Ultimately the mattress does in fact make a difference. All of these things made a huge difference but it wasn’t until the mattress change that my oldest was finally breathing better the next morning! The Naturepedic mattress has been a great change for us!

So talk to me! Have you experienced sleep struggles with the kids related to environmental toxins? What has worked for you?

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Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review

September 23, 2016

A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review :: A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” I was provided product in this post for review purposes. Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

I think these days we can all pretty much agree that it isn’t just the ingredients in the food we eat that is important…the ingredients in the products we put on our body is pretty important too!

Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies and anything you put on it absorbs into your body. Flip over that bottle of soap or lotion you apply to yourself and your kids day in and day out and you have a list of every healthy ingredient or harmful chemical entering their body.

Luckily, there are so many easy personal care switches you can make, and one of the first I made was using grassfed tallow on my skin and on my babies. Years ago I read in the book Nourishing Traditions, that the saturated fats in grassfed tallow give cell membranes the “necessary stiffness and integrity” necessary for proper function, and after a few days of using tallow on my face before bed I could absolutely tell.

Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review :: A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

Tallow is gently rendered beef fat.

Our ancestors frequently used tallow to moisturize and protect their skin, yet somewhere along the way we were led to believe that plant-based products were superior, although their chemistry does not match our skin well. Though plant based oils and butters can be great, animal products (like tallow) offer your skin a unique set of nutrients like vitamins A,D, E, and K in perfect harmony with their activators as well as anti-inflammatory CLA.

OK…so you are asking me to smell like a cow all day?!

Well, at first I totally did. I was not an expert DIY’er so I didn’t have a clue how to make it smell…less cattle like! I made my tallow and slathered it on. And you know what? I am still not an expert DIY’er in the least! Which is why I nearly flipped when my amazingly talented friend Emilie from Crunchy Balm sent me her handmade “tallow balm” that did not…I repeat…did NOT smell like a cow!

It was also not rock hard from being in the fridge, and absorbed much better. It truly feels like pampering, and after literally a decade of not using store bought skin care products to avoid toxic chemicals, I have enjoyed every minute of getting to pamper myself with skin care that not only smells amazing and is not toxic, but it works!

Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review :: A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

3 Crunchy Balm Ingredients! That’s it!

  • 100% grass-fed Tallow :: The tallow in the balm is only sourced from grass-fed cows pastured on organically grown grass, which results in tallow that is rich in nutrients and free of pesticides and other toxins. Man-made toxins found in conventionally raised cows makes the fat from non-organic cows unfit to nourish your skin. Tallow nourishes your skin. It is health promoting and has a cumulative effect, which means the more you use it, the more soft and supple your skin becomes.
  • Organic USA Olive Oil :: Olive oil is superb for moisturizing the skin, containing 3 major antioxidants and hydroxytyrosol which prevents free radical damage to the skin. Because olive oil is very easily cut with cheaper oils and sold as olive oil, Crunchy Balm only sources organic USA grown and made olive oil.
  • Essential Oils :: All of the essential oils used Crunchy Balm products are of the highest quality grade. These therapeutic essential oils are carefully selected for their skin restoring properties. Far from the common “fragrance oils” commonly found in subpar cosmetic products, these plant essential oils can cause various neurochemicals to be released in the brain for true aromatherapy. (For those sensitive to essential oils on the skin, the Unscented Crunchy Balm is just the whipped tallow and olive oil – it is super smooth and creamy just like the scented too!)

Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review :: A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

Crunchy Balm‘s Purity

Crunchy Balms are non-comodogenic, naturally abundant in vitamins A, D, E & K, sustainably sourced, and handcrafted.

All 3 Crunchy Balms are free from:

  • petroleum based ingredients
  • artificial colors, ingredients, or fragrances
  • chemicals
  • GMO’s

Crunchy Balm is going to make the best birthday gift, stocking stuffer, Valentine’s Day gift, Mother’s Day gifts….and gift to yourself this year!

Which is why Emilie was so gracious enough to give RGN readers a discount code so you can stock up for a year of gift giving as well as self care! Simply fill that cart up to the brim and use the code RGN16 at checkout to get 10% off your order! You can click the image below to get shopping! (coupon expires 10/31/2016)

Safe Skin Care :: Crunchy Balm Tallow Balm Review :: A real food, tallow based healing and moisturizing balm, Crunchy balm is perfectly safe for babies to adults with results you will love!

Find Crunchy Balm online!

Website :: www.crunchybalm.com
Facebook :: www.facebook.com/crunchybalm
Instagram :: www.instagram.com/crunchybalm

 

Cold & Flu Season Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips

Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School Year

August 5, 2016

Simple, natural tips for keeping kids healthy and giving them the advantage in fighting the every day school germs!

Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School Year
Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Every momma’s goal come the start of the school year…

Escape the back to school bugs!

I admit, it creeps in the back of my head as well. Within those first few weeks of school the emails start rolling out warnings of this bug and that being passed around the classroom, and it’s enough to make you want to send your kid to school in a bubble!

Of course our kids do not live in bubbles, and in fact, an occasional cold bug is a great thing to let their bodies “clean house” and build immunity.

There are definitely some things we can do however, to give our kids the “upper hand.” We can help their bodies fight off bugs more efficiently so that the bugs either don’t even show up as a full on cold, or so that they don’t last as long.

Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School YearHere are our household secrets in keeping our houseful of kiddos healthy *all* school year long!


Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School YearFirst and foremost, it is important to remember that school aged kids are kids. Not adults. School days are long at every school age. In addition to school schedule, packing in a bunch of extra activities at the end of the day can really drain their bodies. If activities after school are a “must”, then it really ought to be made up for on the weekend with naps and early bedtimes. Period.

Growing kids need downtime and play to recoup. Taxed adrenals from lack of sleep and stimulating days don’t allow the immune system to do its job effectively. Plan in what is absolutely necessary, and literally schedule in bedtimes and playtime if after school activities are a part of their week.


Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School YearBack to school bugs are pretty much a given to be passed around within the first few weeks of school. We have escaped the throws of those first few weeks of the back to school cold being passed around by boosting our systems a good month before school starts and continuing through the fall.

Get the kids outside for fresh air after school and open the windows at home to air everything out! YES in the middle of winter too! The kids breathe stale, inside shared air all day at school and need to play outside and breathe some fresh air. You would be surprised at what even the winter sunshine can do for their demeanor and health – outside light and fresh air is important!

Keep in mind that bugs are going to happen!

It’s inevitable and sometimes a good thing for their body to do some housecleaning with a bug. If the illness is a recurrent thing, it’s time to stop and take a look at what might be a root cause keeping their body run down, but a few bugs in the course of a school year isn’t the end of the world.

So here is our immune system booster line-up!


DAILY


1. Cod Liver Oil

Well sourced cod liver oil is a fantastic source of the right ratios of vitamins A and D which nourish the immune system. High doses of vitamin D by itself is not recommended as it is balanced best in the presence of vitamin A. This is why cod liver oil is a great source of getting your vitamin D during the cold, dark fall and winter months.

Cod liver oil is also a good source of omega 3. Omega 3’s fight inflammation in the body from stress and stressors (like being sick!) and help the body heal. I have doubled up on cod liver oil during the first day or 2 of the onset of a cold and really felt like it helped knock the virus and inflammation out faster.

How we take cod liver oil in our house

You can find our favorite quality sourced cod liver oil here (Use the code GENERATION 10 checkout and get my RGN reader 10% discount!). We follow the WAPF dosage recommendations. 1/2 – 1 teaspoon 3 months old to 12 years old, and 1-2 tsp 12 years old and up. I do double up the cod liver oil for a day or 2 during illness.

2. Whole Food Sourced Vitamin C

Vitamin C can do some pretty amazing things to aide our immune systems in fighting bugs. It reduces inflammation and boosts the fighting power of our immune system to make the bugs have a shorter duration.

The sourcing on the C truly does matter, and if the back of your bottle says that the C is “ascorbic acid” as its source, you will want to take a peek at this article about why a whole food sourced C works better and is safer.

How we take vitamin C in our house

My favorite source for a whole food based vitamin C is this brand. I also use THIS whole food vitamin C spray for my toddler who can’t swallow capsules yet, and I LOVE the convenience of it! My girls take 250-500mg of vitamin C every day, though keep in mind every child is different and has different needs. Start out small and be sure they are doing well on it. I do double their C during illness.

3. Quality, Whole Food Sourced Multivitamin

Since our soils are so depleted of minerals and vitamins, which in turn make our food supply less than robust, a multivitamin is a good idea. A quality whole food sourced multi-vitamin is hard to come by though! I don’t want the synthetics, and a bunch of other junk like dyes added either! Kids need a chewable or powder until they can swallow capsules, and I have used THIS brand for years. We follow the dosing directions on the back of the box. (Don’t forget you can use your RGN reader code at check-out for 10% off! GENERATION10)

4. Quality Probiotic Rotation & Fermented Foods

By now I think everyone has heard the phrase “all disease begins in the gut,” and it couldn’t be more true. The beneficial bacteria in our guts are the immune system’s first line of defense. Probiotics keep the intestinal lining strong and secure, providing a barrier to fight against pathogen attacks. Keeping the flora in the gut balanced means having more good bacteria present than bad.

We love probiotic rich fermented foods such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, and pickles in our house. Sometimes they just aren’t at every meal we are eating, however! I have found it best to keep up on our gut flora by using quality supplements which also present our guts with different varieties of bacteria to keep everything happy.

How we use probiotics in our home

My girls take 1 dose (depending on the brand we are rotating) of probiotics every day, and I rotate the brand to give them a variety of bacteria strains. We use Just Thrive, PrescriptAssist, and Garden of Life for Kids. (Don’t forget if you click through those links and purchase through Perfect Supplements to use my code GENERATION10 at check-out to get your RGN reader 10% discount!).

A quick baby and toddler note! When I had babies in the house, I just poured the powder in the cap right on my baby’s or toddler’s tongue. You can stir the powder into food like yogurt, smoothies, or even a spoonful of cod liver oil if you wish!


AT ONSET OF ILLNESS OR IF THERE IS SOMETHING “GOING AROUND” THE CLASSROOM


1. Elderberry Syrup

Elderberries are powerful virus killers and immune system boosters! When I get teacher email warnings of flu spreading, hand foot and mouth outbreaks, or other viruses, you better believe that elderberry syrup is coming out! You can bottle up elderberry goodness in elderberry syrup or tincture form and it is super easy to take because it tastes really good!

How we take elderberry syrup in our home

2 weeks before school starts I like to give the girls 1 tsp of elderberry syrup per day through the first week or two of school starting. If I get warning emails of flu or other viruses, I will do the 1 tsp per day for a good week or 2. When my kids are coming down with something or are home ill, we do 1 tsp of elderberry syrup every waking hour until they perk back up.

2. Boosted Vitamin C

You can pop up to the Vitamin C section in the preventatives section of this post to read about why the Vitamin C is so crucial in fighting illness, but just wanted to review here that during the onset of illness or illness, I double their vitamin C dose until they perk up from being sick.

3. Chiropractic

Years ago, I had a chiropractor friend where we were living at the time explain the benefits of having kids adjusted at the onset of illness to help them recover faster, and I have been amazed at how true this is. I have gone through a couple colds with the girls where we haven’t gotten to the chiropractor, and they just seem to linger longer.

I asked our family chiropractor if he could explain why chiropractic is good for the immune system, and his response made so much sense I asked if I could quote him!

Proper alignment enhances circulation and drainage of fluids. It also optimizes nerve function to help calm the body’s stress response (sympathetic nervous system), and enhance the body’s healing response (parasympathetic nervous system). This has been shown to not only reduce illness, but help children recover from illness quicker.
Dr. Levi Pulver, DC

I also want to mention that I have noticed regular, “well visit” adjustments seem to keep my kids on top of things especially during the school year. I take them for an adjustment monthly whether they are sick or not. It is a simple, non invasive step to keep the connections at the spine firing where they should be to keep every organ system operating well. (If you are looking for a chiropractor in your area that works with kids well, I love using this site to search.)

4. Germ Targeted Essential Oils

Essential oils were fairly new to me when my daughter started school a number of years ago, but I have come to realize just how effective they are! I have been without them during illness and really could feel how much faster my kids got better when germ targeted oils were diffusing during illness.

How we use germ targeted essential oils in our home

We do not diffuse germ targeted essential oils all year every day. That is not how they were intended to use. I diffuse germ targeted essential oils during the first week or 2 of school starting, during school bug outbreaks, and when my kids are ill. I have found them super effective especially diffusing them in their room overnight – when they wake up acting like a whole fresh new kid you know something is working! I love that!

Our favorite germ targeted essential oil blend is THIS kid safe blend. I am a huge fan of using oils that are safe for kids – many germ targeted blends are great for adults but not intended safe for kids. This Kid Safe blend was created to be safe for kids and it really works!


nourishing mealsI decided not to put the nourishing menu in the “preventatives” section, even though that is exactly what it is, because I didn’t want it to get skipped by. Children’s fuel makes a difference in their body operating correctly, including the immune system…period.

But wait! Before you write this section off because your kiddo might not be the best eater, hear me out!

Eating well for their immune system doesn’t have to mean boring veggies they might turn their nose up to. I think the biggest thing we can do is get the sugar and processed food out, and get the nutrient dense items in.

Ensuring they are getting adequate amounts of friendly fats will help their hormones and sugars stabilize, which will keep their immune system functioning.

  • Lots of pastured butter, lard/tallow, coconut oil, used in your cooking and serving of food.
  • Bone broth is a daily goal of mine to get into my kids during the school year. Whether in a tea cup with butter at breakfast, or in their school thermos in the form of a kid friendly soup like tomato soup, broccoli soup, chicken noodle soup, or butternut squash soup, daily bone broth replaces missing minerals in the diet, nourishes the gut lining with collagen, and is an overall comforting addition to their day.
  • Nettle Infusions are another great way to replace missing minerals in children’s diets which will help organs and systems in their bodies operate more efficiently. The infusions are also hydrating and kid friendly in taste. It packs up in the water bottle for school to drink easily. It is a great mineral rich boost at lunchtime!
  • You can use immune booster smoothies once or twice a week for breakfast. If your kids really love smoothies you can try these green smoothies for kids as well to change things up.
  • You can browse the meals in the Recipes tab at the top of the blog, and you can also get a collection of my family’s favorite staple meals in my new book Nourished Beginnings . The recipes in the book are meals my girls have grown up on, and are on our table weekly!Tips For Keeping Kids Healthy All School Year

More cold & flu season posts you might like:

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie

Naturally Healing Ear Infections In Kids

Natural Tummy Bug Remedies For Kids

Vitamin C Gummies

Elderberry Syrup

Cold & Flu Season Drinks Feeding Babies Natural Remedies Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie

March 25, 2016

You’ve made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat – but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie :: You've made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat - but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!

We made it through the whole winter with no more than a little cold bug…until last week.

The weekend spring began to be exact! How ironic!

I went on a field trip with my preschooler on a Friday morning and listened to the teacher’s warnings to the mothers there that 6 or 7 kids plus 1 teacher were out with the flu that week…

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie :: You've made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat - but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!

And my 6 and 4 year olds ended up with buckets at the bedside by Saturday morning.

What a drag!

It’s bound to happen – our kids don’t live in bubbles right?!

We do what we can to keep their immune systems boosted during the winter with quality cod liver oil, whole food sourced quality vitamin C, eating nourishing food and getting quality sleep, and here and there do rounds of daily elderberry syrup or elderberry tincture when there are viruses going around in herds in the classroom.

But sooner or later the body does a little house cleaning and a bug takes over.

We spent the greater part of the next 24 hours nursing the 2 girls’ high fevers with yarrow baths and cool washcloths, hourly elderberry syrup doses, sips of homemade electrolyte drinks and nettle tea, and lots and lots of sleep and rest.

By Sunday morning the girls perked up a bit, fevers had been broken, and {most importantly!} there had been no throwing up since late Saturday morning.

We were in the clear to try a little bland food at the girls’ request, and I typically start with sea salted bone broth. They both had a tea cup full that morning which stayed down well, and they were ready to try more.

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie :: You've made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat - but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!

I decided to try a gentle smoothie to start while I worked on getting more bone broth made to make some soup for later that afternoon.

Here are the components and purposes of the ingredients:


Mineral Boosting Liquid Base

The purpose here is getting the liquid part of the smoothie to do some work for you in replenishing the little ones electrolytes without being too heavy. While raw milk and coconut milk are great in smoothies, when you are just coming off a tummy bug you want to ease into those heavier fluids. Coconut water or nettle tea work well. Or even just water with a big pinch of mineral rich sea salt, Celtic salt, or pink salt works great.


Gentle Mineral Rich Veggie

While we love green smoothies, the focus here is getting the digestion up and running again. Gentle veggies like sweet potatoes or any of the squashes (yes even zucchini) are loaded with minerals and (in their cooked form) are very easy to digest as well as provide a slow burning carbohydrate to the mix. Just use whatever you have on hand. I had mashed sweet potatoes leftover from dinner earlier in the week so I used that. You can steam up a little sweet potato or squash in just 20 minutes time.


Easy To Digest Fruit

Fruit makes the smoothie palatable for little ones without adding any extra sugar. Because we are talking gentle ingredients while recovering from a tummy bug, I chose to use mango and banana. Both are low in pectin which can irritate sensitive tummies. Banana also contains amylase which is helpful in carbohydrate digestion. All in all it is just a great choice to not only make the smoothie taste good after coming off a nauseating tummy bug, it is nice and easy to digest. Papaya is another low pectin fruit if that is more readily available to you. Most of the time I purchase frozen mango in bulk at Costco, though sometimes I catch a sale in the fresh produce department.


Grassfed Collagen

Not only does a quality grassfed collagen add an easy to digest, natural protein source, it is also fantastic for repairing stomach lining and just over all digestive support. I have been using Perfect Supplements grassfed collagen since early fall last year and I couldn’t be more pleased. Zero taste, blends in perfectly, and great price point.


Gentle Fat Source

This boosts the satiating part of the smoothie balancing out the fruit sugars and protein to make it well rounded. Just a small splash to start digestion running is all you need and really you could choose whatever you wish. I typically add egg yolks to the girls’ smoothies but I ended up using avocado oil this time just to keep it simple and smaller in portion size. Melted coconut oil works well too and is extremely nourishing.


Optional Add-Ins

If you have kids that are tough to get probiotics or vitamin C into, this is where you can get a dose of those in easy. My 4 and 6 year olds swallow probiotics and C’s without issue but I know there are some that don’t! You can add a quality probiotic and vitamin C to the smoothie and they’ll never know 😉

Another star player that I like to add-in is slippery elm. This herb helps soothe and repair the entire digestive tract from the stomach to the rectum – so if things have been happening at both ends, this is a great remedy to have on hand. It does have a bit of a taste that my kids don’t mind. Add a bit of raw honey to the smoothie if you need to cover it up, but really just a teaspoon or so is all you need! (If you would like to try slippery elm outside of the smoothie, simply mix the powder with some raw honey and have them take it off the spoon. Sometimes my kids prefer to take it in tincture form, which is fine too!)


 

Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie :: You've made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat - but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!

Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

Post Flu Recovery Smoothie

You’ve made it through a tummy bug, and are ready to eat – but what do you eat on a sensitive empty tummy? This smoothie is not only gentle, but is loaded with minerals and nutrients to nourish your family back to eating again!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: tummy bug recovery smoothie, tummy friendly smoothie
Servings: 3 servings
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut water Other options for mineral boosting fluid would be plain water with a big pinch of sea salt, or brewed nettle tea. The fruit will mask any flavor.
  • 3-4 TB sweet potato mash or about 1/4 cup cubed and cooked sweet potato - I just used leftover mashed sweet potato from dinner earlier in the week. Squash is gentle and would work too
  • 1 banana fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup mango or papaya fresh or frozen
  • 2-3 TB grassfed cold soluble collagen
  • 2 tsp avocado oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1-2 tsp slippery elm powder optional - see notes above

Instructions

  • Everything into the blender and blend until smooth. Serves 3 small child sized servings. Can also be poured into ice pop molds for popsicles.

More real food recipes you might like:
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16123557472_77aae7a02e_b
Elderberry Popsicles

14840310605_d27ebdcfc8_z
Immune Booster Smoothie

15016020524_098c8da6c5_z

 

Batch Up Meals Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips Soup Taking Care of Momma

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

February 19, 2016

Bring back the practice of caring for postpartum moms with these nourishing ideas to take to a new momma in your circle.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

This post has been right at the tip of my heart to share for almost a year now.

While the heartbeat of the passion behind the Raising Generation Nourished blog message revolves around nourishing our next generation of kids, in all reality the goal of raising a healthier generation of kids begins right at the very beginning…with momma.

My sweet friends I am so encouraged by what I read and see today for postpartum momma care compared to what I saw and experienced almost 7 years ago as a brand new momma myself (which was practically nothing). We have a ways to go in my opinion, but the rise of a generation of women that are choosing to care for themselves and the women in their tribe is breaking down walls of generations of women that have had to walk through the season of postpartum alone.

My very first postpartum experience was one drenched in severe postpartum anxiety.

I had a massive hemorrhage after I delivered her to the point of them almost losing me, and my body was just flat out not working right. Top that off with a very “Type A,” get-it-all-done-myself type of personality, and it was a recipe for disaster.

I was horrible at asking for help. Honestly, I’m not sure what new mom is. My postpartum experiences are what have brought about this practice of making my new momma nourishment packages.

I promised myself that if there was a momma in my circle, they were going to be cared for without them having to ask for help.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

Because about 5 days into being a new mom I think I would have given just about anything to have someone take care of me a little. YES my husband was *amazing* – he literally sat next to me to feed me for weeks while I was figuring out nursing. But there is just something about women taking care of other women. That whole “it takes a village” thing…

So here are some of my suggestions to include in your own nourishment packages! These are just some ideas to get the ball rolling – I hope it serves as an encouragement to you to take care of the mommas in your circle. Because really if we have a goal of raising a nourished generation, it really does start with momma.

And before I get to the list I just wanted to take any new mommas or soon to be new mommas aside for a second and share with you a little something…

Young momma, this encouragement is for you. It is ok to accept help – yes you are going to need help if you want to maintain your health, and that is a promise. You, dear momma, are the heartbeat of the home. When you are taken care of the rest of the house will run within a beautiful rhythm. You are worth caring for – your baby is worth having a momma that is cared for.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

Ok! Onto my nourishment package staples!


Nourishing, Replenishing, Nutrient Dense Food

This is sort of a given, but I wanted to share with you some of the food staples I bring to young moms to replenish their body postpartum. The goal here is super nutrient dense – but also easy prep without being processed. It seems like a tall order but it is so do-able.

The key is to just double batch for your family so you aren’t overdoing yourself trying to take care of someone else too. Meals, soups, breakfast cookies, snacks etc all can be easily double batched to feed your family for a meal and another one in need.

If you have a staple meal you love to bring new moms go for it! I would encourage you to sneak in a little grated liver if it is a meat dish as momma and baby would really benefit from the added nutrients from grassfed liver.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

Bone broth rich soups are my staple meal and I pack spinach lasagna soup most of the time. I just cook the soup to the point of adding the noodles and stop. I pack up the brothy soup part in a freezer safe container and the noodles in a separate bag with instructions to bring the soup to a simmer and add the noodles. It is a very easy prep that anyone in the house can make from the new momma to daddy or a relative that might be visiting. The other great part about this soup is that it is super kid friendly with all the noodles. If there are other little ones in the house it helps to have them fed well too! It really does taste like lasagna when you top it with cheese too – I have had rave reviews of kids eating this one that aren’t used to real food styles of eating.

I also like to pack in smaller jars of easy brothy lunch soups that can go in a mug easily to sit next to momma while she nurses. Simple soup purees like squash soup, broccoli soup, and tomato soup work well, and will get momma extra broth for mineral boosting and recovery that she needs.

You can also pack momma’s freezer with breakfast cookies to make for quick midnight nursing snacks or early morning pre-breakfasts. They are also a favorite of any other little ones that might be in the house and make for an easy breakfast for mom to serve. You can try these Ultimate Breakfast Cookies, Lemon Breakfast Cookies, or Molasses Breakfast Cookies.


Herbal Recovery Tea

There are so many combinations you can pick from in this category. My goal here though is zeroed in focus on replenishing momma’s minerals and hydration from having a baby. Teas for boosting milk supply are great, and momma may already have some of those, but again…the focus here is on mom. If momma’s minerals are being replenished, then believe me, the milk will follow.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

I like to mix a pint jar of nettles and hibiscus with instructions to just steep a tablespoon of herbs per quart jar of hot water into an infusion. Making nettle infusions was absolutely key in my energy as a new mom as well as my milk production (and yes I was one of those that really struggled with nursing supply – I had to work my tail off for my milk). It is also a good way to hydrate mom without diluting all of her minerals with too much water.

You can read more about how to make herbal nettle hibiscus infusions here – while the post is geared toward kids, the method is the same for adults as well.


Replenishing Mineral Bath Salts

It is so easy to lose yourself in those first few months (probably more like the whole first year!) after having a baby. You literally eat, sleep, and breathe a newborn, and as wonderful as it is, there is a big problem if momma is not taking some “me time”. Twenty minutes momma. You are allowed 20 minutes to not be attached to baby, cleaning a house, or tending to other little ones.

Ok I’m getting the feeling maybe that wasn’t heard so I will step on my soapbox here a minute and make it more clear…

Momma…you are allowed to take care of yourself with some alone time.

How To Make A Nourishment Package For Postpartum Mom

Ok, whew! Now that that is out of the way, let’s talk about mineral baths. My sweet friend Jessica from Simply Health Home was the one that really got me started on postpartum baths. This was key in not only my physical recovery…but my mental recovery. The whole “me time” thing. A good friend is one that will be honest with you – and she was persistent on being gently firm with me about taking some alone time and she taught me a lot about how to add different salts to baths for recovery after baby.

I typically write momma a little reminder note attached to quart jar of bath salts to take some time for herself. I like to put 1 cup of epsom salt, 1 cup of magnesium flakes, 1 cup of baking soda, and 1/2 cup dead sea salt in the jar. You may add a couple drops of lavender essential oil if you wish, though keep in mind not everyone tolerates essential oils in a heated environment like a warm bath (I am one that cannot) so I tend to leave them out unless I know for sure. She can pour the whole jar into a bath and enjoy some time to gather her thoughts and take care of herself.

Ok! So keep me posted on your endeavors! I would love to see your nourishment packages for the new mommas in your life – tag me up on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! We are truly all in this together – I’m determined to change what postpartum care looks like by the time my girls become mommas.

Cold & Flu Season Drinks Feeding Babies Herbal Recipes Lunch Ideas Natural Remedies Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips school lunches Taking Care of Momma

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

January 9, 2016

A kid friendly, hydrating & mineral rich herbal infusion made with busy kids in mind!

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

Links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product or service I wouldn’t use on my own family.

An almost daily staple in our home, I can’t believe I haven’t posted this nettle infusion recipe before today!

This nourishing nettle infusion stands right alongside bone broth in our home as mineral rich boost for busy bee kids and is one of the first teas I like to introduce to their palates to develop a love for herbal tea.

As little ones, I like to give sips right off my tea cup or glass around 6 to 9 months old. Obviously not a replacement for breastmilk, letting baby take tastes of an infusion like this helps create a taste palate for tea for later in childhood. I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a toddlers that willingly drink a cup of mineral rich tea with their lunch, or sip on a healing herbal tea when ill.

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

But wait!

If you have big kids this is for you too!

Even if you have a big kid or teen that has never had a cup of tea before today, I left instructions on how to slightly tweak the recipe to make it palatable for them. Nettle infusions are a fantastic way to hydrate and boost minerals for kids that are busy with school all day, in sports, or are just busy outdoors playing! It is a great replacement for working on getting juice out of the routine in the house, and a little lemon and raw honey make it taste really good.

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

Those who follow my Instagram account know that I often pack nettle infusions in my first grader’s lunch for school. While the students take a mid morning break for a quick snack that includes water, as I have volunteered in the room I notice just how little the children drink during the morning! You can physically watch some of them start puttering out by lunchtime…including my daughter who gets a very nourishing breakfast every morning. They need a big re-fuel at lunchtime and that includes hydrating.

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

Giving them an extra mineral boost with an herbal infusion works great – and I have seen my own daughter perk right up for the rest of the day after her meal and infusion. (To follow our lunch ideas and routine, you can search the hashtag #rgnschoollunch on Instagram to follow her lunches!)

You don’t need fancy equipment to get started – just the loose herb and a quart mason jar is all I used for years. I have a dedicated French Press that I have been using just for infusions for a couple years now, and I love how convenient they make tea making. No straining or fuss. Just push down and pour. I even have a smaller French Press so that my 2 and 4 year olds can do it themselves!

Links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product or service I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Nettle Infusions For Kids!

A kid friendly, hydrating & mineral rich herbal infusion made with busy kids in mind!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to make stinging nettle tea, stinging nettle infusion, stinging nettle tea
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp nettles
  • 2 tsp hibiscus
  • 1 quart of hot water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon Optional - leave this out for babies as the acid can be irritating for sensitive digestion
  • 2 tsp raw honey This is optional for using for those bigger kids that might need a little sweet to make it more palatable. Leave this out for the babies and toddlers to work at developing their palate for tea without honey. We use a local raw honey - the linked brand is a good one if you don't have access.

Instructions

  • Put the loose herbs at the bottom of your mason jar, French Press, or other glass container or teapot.
  • Pour the hot water over the herbs and let them steep anywhere from a couple hours to overnight. You can steep up to 24 hours if you wish. My routine is to make the infusion at night before I go to bed and then I strain it off in the morning for school lunches and myself so that I can make another infusion for the afternoon that steeps all morning. Do what works for you!
  • After the infusion has steeped, strain off the herbs and enjoy. You can add a squeeze of lemon (my favorite!) and for the kids new to herbal tea you can drizzle in the raw honey. Just shake up the infusion and honey in a jar and it will dissolve. The hibiscus herb gives a slightly sweet and tart flavor to the bitter nettles so you actually might be surprised at how much they like it without the honey. It is certainly enough with just the hibiscus herb for young palates in babies and toddlers.

For more nourishing staples in our home, you can follow my Nourishing Staples board on Pinterest!

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Fall Launch Of Apothecary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!

October 11, 2015

Fall Launch Of Apothacary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!Bug bites, diaper rash, scrapes, chafes, bruises, oh my!

They come with the territory of having a kid or two under your belt, and finding safe skin care these days can be so tricky. Not only are there so many choices, but because conscious moms have demanded safer ingredients, even the “safe” and “natural” skin care brand choice selections are daunting!

So here’s the deal. We want to look at labels – but not just the front of the label my friends. The ingredient list on the back of that label tells the story! Because all natural skin care is not all created equal.

When my friend Donielle from the Natural Fertility & Wellness blog told me she was going to launch an herbal skin care line for kids I nearly flipped! She is one of my go-to people to ask herbal questions, and I just knew this stuff was going to be good.

These ingredient labels on the Apothecary Kids products will knock your socks off – completely non toxic and super safe/allergen friendly.

I wanted to introduce you to the launching of the first in her herbal skincare line – be sure to check out the code at the bottom of this post to get a *free* herbal salve stick!


J. Dubs Butt Butter


Fall Launch Of Apothacary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!Now THIS! This is a diaper cream! Listen, I love my homemade tallow or lard for the occasional irritated bottom on my toddler, but let’s face it…that stuff gets rock hard in the fridge, and when you have a squirmy 1 or 2 year old they are not waiting for that stuff to melt very easily!

Donielle whips the J. Dubs Butt Butter so it is super easy to apply, the container can sit right next to your diapers, and it works great! Here is the ingredient list:

shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba, apricot kernel oil, (all infused with lavender), candelilla wax, and vitamin E

It just so happened that the day I got our J. Dubs Butt Butter in the mail, my 2 year old was cutting a molar which meant she had a slightly red bottom poo that day. I put the butt butter on before bed and in the morning the redness was gone. Real ingredients work so great!


Herbal Lip Balm


Fall Launch Of Apothacary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!Confession. I rarely put make up on. I know, I know. Take care of yourself momma. Take some time for you in the morning. Sigh. I get that. I call it good if I can get a little mascara on. Michigan winters can be rough on the skin though, so having a little lip balm around is helpful.

And my kids get dry sometimes too – there is something about those school classrooms that is so drying! I like to have a small safe lip balm in my oldest’s backpack in case she feels dry. I love the simple ingredients in the Apothecary Kids Herbal Lip Balm:

almond oil, rosehip seed oil, extra virgin coconut oil, mango butter, shea butter, candelilla wax, beeswax, and vitamin E

These lip balms are pure as you can get, with no synthetic ingredients or preservatives, flavors, or scents.

There is also a tinted lip balm for the older girls and for momma! It isn’t overpowering in color, but gives a healthy light red sheen similar to a light lip gloss.


Herbal Salve Stick


Fall Launch Of Apothacary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!This is a game changer! I am completely in love and I don’t know that I will want a jar of herbal salve another day in my life! These herbal salve sticks are a great way to carry your herbs with you on the go, perfect for busy mommas!

The herbal salve stick is made with a blend of natural oils infused with herbs known for their skin soothing properties. Scented only with herbs (the lavender and cocoa butter really come through and smell fantastic), it’s easy to apply to chapped and irritated skin. Here are the ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, extra virgin coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, candelilla wax, beeswax, and vitamin E. The oils are infused with plantain, comfrey, calendula, lavender, and echinecea.

The herbal salve stick is larger, 0.5 ounce stick in comparison with a typical 0.15 ounce lip balm stick you are used to – there is a lot of herbal salve in there! But it is also compact enough to stick neatly in your purse or diaper bag.


Get a FREE Herbal Salve Stick!


Apothacary Kids is offering Raising Generation Nourished readers a *FREE* Herbal Salve Stick with any purchase through October 24, 2015! Just enter the code RGNFREESTICK at checkout! My friends, this is your answer to stocking stuffers, cousin gifts, teenager gifts, and new momma gifts this holiday season! Done in one *online* shopping trip! Yeah!

Fall Launch Of Apothacary Kids Herbal Skincare Promo! Get A Free Herbal Salve Stick!

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Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie Created To Promote Focus, Attention, & Mineral Balancing in Children!

September 19, 2015

This delicious, *kid approved* smoothie nourishes attention, focus, and mineral balancing in children who need it the most!

Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie Created To Promote Focus, Attention, & Mineral Balancing in Children!

Links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product or service I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Note from Renee :: I am so honored to introduce Lydia Shatney guest posting this week! Lyida is an NTP with a background in working with families to naturally work through adrenal fatigue, thyroid disorder, chemical and metal toxicity, and childhood diagnoses like ADD/ADHD. I was blown away when I heard how she helped her son work through ADD-like behaviors using very non-invasive, natural means. I asked her if she would be willing to share her story with you on the blog, and I hope her story resonates with you.

My heart is truly to see this post go viral with sharing because our kids are so worth it – this can be done without more chemical medications!

Welcome to RGN Lydia! We are so happy to have you!

I am a mom of four boys and also a nutritional therapist, and by using hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA), along with my past studies through the Nutritional Therapy Association, I was able to better understand my youngest son’s hyper and volatile behaviors and create a plan to help him. Through his hair analysis I was able to see that he was in an extremely fast rate of oxidation. Meaning both his adrenals and thyroid were working on overdrive due to lacking sedative minerals (like calcium, magnesium and zinc) and extremely elevated sodium and potassium.

Kids in this pattern would be consider hyperkinetic or likely labeled with AD/HD.

To set the stage a bit, when I was pregnant with him, I went through the most difficult season of my life. The most stress EVER, and the first 2 years (while breastfeeding) of his life were just as stressful. I was already depleted when I conceived him – and my magnesium was probably quite low (I had numerous health issues that correlate with magnesium deficiency most of my life). Mineral deficiency in mom is carried to her unborn children.

In kindergarten he had a lot of behavioral issues in school – 1st grade was a nightmare. So bad that it took several adults to manage him on a daily basis we then had to get him an IEP and move him to a different school. (first of all, I think that the first grade curriculum and structure is ridiculous in it’s expectations of boys but that is another story – he was clearly volatile). We switched him to a small school with a behavioral program where he had to go through an evaluation with the school psychiatrist.

The school psychiatrist clearly told me she did not think he had AD/HD or any diagnosable issue. Yet, she still recommended I get him on meds to better ‘manage’ his behaviors.

I firmly said NO.

It wasn’t until he began his 2nd grade year that I ran an HTMA on him. When I got the results back – I was shocked. I grieved a bit and was really softened to the why behind his struggles and then I was relieved. I now knew what he needed.

His pattern was a severely hyperkinetic one – sky high tissue sodium and potassium and extremely low tissue calcium, magnesium and zinc, elevated manganese and aluminum, very low copper. His ratios were scary extreme to me at the time because I was new to it. BUT it gave me hope anyway and a plan of action -something which I really did not have up until then.

You see even though I was an already practicing NTP (nutritional therapy practitioner) and had plenty of knowledge about health – I had no idea what HIS biochemistry even looked like. I had run blood tests and allergy panels and saw some improvements with our efforts to that end -but nothing like I got from the HTMA.

Here are some of the behaviors he had:

  • Extreme volatility – fly off the handle rage – cursing -not able to calm down without physically assisting him out of a room into a place where he could finish his melt downs.
  • trouble sleeping through the night or going to bed on his own
  • poor social skills, he could not be trusted around peers without supervision (it was difficult for him to make friends or have play dates)
  • refusal to write/writing was a huge labor
  • challenge to read -would give up and throw fits out of embarrassment.
  • would come home from school and throw his back pack down and throw fits about how terrible school was.
  • non-stop movement (literally bounced off the walls)
  • EXTREME appetite/voracious was never satiated
  • eczema
  • severe bed wetting – through a pull up and a bed mat
  • extremely loose bowels that were whitish gray
  • numerous sensory issues, including extreme fear of stickers
  • verbal issues – fast utterances and a slight lisp and also he would say a sentence then repeat himself not out loud but with his lips

Within 2 weeks he started calming down a bit with the new supplements and the changes in his diet – I could tell.

He was just a sweet kid in a minerally depleted body.

I’m happy to report that ALL of the above is now gone. He is still active and still eats a fair bit but nothing compared to before.

Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie Created To Promote Focus, Attention, & Mineral Balancing in Children!Kids in this fast oxidation pattern need a lot of fat in their diet, so I use this chocolate banana mineral smoothie as way to get more fat in to him. Cocoa powder has minerals in it and we manage to avoid adding any additional sugar because the bananas are sweet. Thankfully, he loves smoothies and these go a long way to keeping him full, keeping my budget in check and also are a great way to get the bulk of his supplements into him.

Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie

This delicious, *kid approved* smoothie nourishes attention, focus, and mineral balancing in children who need it the most!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate banana smoothie, chocolate banana smoothie recipe
Servings: 1 serving
Author: Lydia Shatney

Ingredients

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 TB organic cacao powder
  • 1-2 scoops grassfed collagen
  • 1 capsule Mega SporeBiotic or whatever probiotics you may be using Optional. Note from Renee :: The MegaSpore is only available through a practitioner like Lydia.
  • 1 - 1 1/2 cups of whole fresh milk or coconut milk or whatever 'milk' you tolerate -even water would work or coconut water
  • 1-2 TB fat Coconut oil or raw egg yolks. Optional but good for fast oxidizers, or kids with AD/HD patterns
  • 1/4 cup of cooked frozen chopped kale
  • vanilla stevia drops to taste Optional
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. camu camu or other whole food c powder THIS SOURCE and THIS SOURCE are good options

Instructions

  • Throw all ingredients into your blender or Vitamix.
  • Blend for 2 minutes on high speed. This makes one large serving that Christian has right away as maybe his first breakfast or a snack and then we make 2 popsicles for him to have later as a snack, since he eats probably 6 times a day.

Approximate Mineral Content of this smoothie (makes 2 servings):

  • Calcium: 410 mg
  • Magnesium:  140 mg (+ 24 ionic magnesium)
  • Sodium:  112 mg
  • Potassium:  1590 mg
  • Iron:  2.5
  • Copper:  .4 mg
  • Zinc:  2.1 mg
  • Manganese :  1.3 mg
  • Chromium : 100 mcg added from ionic chromium drops)
  • Selenium:  13.3 mcg
  • Phosphorous:  320 mg

(Note from Renee :: Lydia also shared with me that she adds in the rest of his supplements that are specific to his mineral needs. Since every child’s nutritional/mineral needs are different, it is very important not to just add any supplements without working with a professional like Lydia who can look at exactly what your child’s body needs! You can start working with Lydia to get your child’s specific mineral levels and needs by clicking through this link.)

Ok! Back to Lydia!

I share Christian’s story very openly because I know there are other kids out there that have similar struggles and parents don’t always know what to do or how to help them. A child with this kind of behavior can put a huge strain on the family. And often the only recommended help is therapy or medication.

It does not have to be like this.

It used to hurt my heart so much because he was ‘that kid’ in public – the kid that everyone stared at and thought ‘what is his deal?’

This is why I do what I do – I started learning HTMA to help my family and it indeed has. We all are on a game plan and I test my boys every 2-4 months. It is not EASY but it’s it worth the effort above and beyond the work it takes.

Kids respond well to mineral balancing – and it does not take as many supplements or time to help them feel better!

For more information about mineral balancing and hair tissue mineral analysis, you can start the conversation with Lydia HERE!

Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie Created To Promote Focus, Attention, & Mineral Balancing in Children!Note from Renee :: While thankfully my kiddos at home don’t display ADD-like behaviors, children do tend to run on the faster metabolism side, and in one of my kids especially there is a noticeable change in mood when her blood sugar is low. Kids really do need more fat in their diet to be stable, so I have been using this smoothie over the last week for the girls as an afternoon snack. 1 recipe is enough for all 3 of them (my kids are younger – this is 2 servings for older kids), and they really do love the flavor!

unnamedLydia is a Nutritional Therapist and a single mom of four fabulous boys, on a mission to share her passion for whole, healthy, real foods with the world! She enjoys living life one day at a time, from the inside out! Lydia believes that health is a choice, a right and a gift that we cannot take for granted, and in this day and age, unfortunately, must fight for!

Lydia started Divine Health From the Inside Out to log her journey with food and evolving food philosophies, along with her own personalized recipes. Along the way shifting over to a more traditional, real foods way of eating and incorporating the most natural, organic, nature intended foods possible. Thus ultimately leading to a more nourishing way of life!

You can find Lydia on Facebook and Twitter. Lydia offers Hair Mineral Analysis to help with healing.

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Vitamin C Gummies :: And The Truth About Vitamin C Supplements

September 5, 2015

Vitamin C is an amazing immune system booster to fight colds, flu, & even adrenal fatigue – but are you taking the right kind?

Vitamin C Gummies :: And The Truth About Vitamin C SupplementsDisclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor am I claiming to be one. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat anyone. Links are affiliates and help to keep the information on this blog free. Please know that I never recommend a product or service that I wouldn’t use on my own family.

We are in a constant state of learning aren’t we?

I think I have learned more in my years after schooling and college than I ever did in formal education. It’s always good to be learning, reading, and growing.

Especially with regards to optimal health, it is really important to stay on top of things. I recently started working with a nutritional therapist for some adrenal issues I have had since having my last baby, and we had a really great conversation about vitamin C.

My NTP really opened my eyes to not only the importance of using the right source of vitamin C, but also that how we handle the vitamin C makes a difference.

Because, listen, I don’t mind doing the supplementing thing – I get it. I get that our soils (and therefore our food supply) is severely deficient in many vitamins. But I don’t want to supplement with something that is just as deficient as our food supply because it isn’t sourced right, or properly handled so the vitamin is destroyed.

Nobody wants to waste their money, and it isn’t doing anyone’s health any good to be taking a supplement that you think is doing you some good when it really isn’t.

So here’s the deal. Vitamin C is pretty amazing!

An immune system equipped with properly sourced and handled vitamin C can do amazing things with colds, flu, and other immune system crashers like adrenal fatigue.

Unfortunately vitamin C in many supplements on the market today are sourced with ascorbic acid instead of whole food. Using a whole food source is obviously always a better route, and in this case specifically, vitamin C is so much more complex than just ascorbic acid. There are actually dangerous downsides to taking just ascorbic acid based vitamin C (See this podcast for more details! So fascinating!).

Vitamin C is also very delicate.

Heat destroys it.

Prolonged air exposure destroys it.

Light destroys it.

So while this amazing vitamin we know we need is super powerful, it is pretty useless when it is not in it’s natural form, and has not been handled or packaged properly. My NTP said to think about it this way…our traditional ancestors would have foraged their berries and then dried them to save in dark storage. This would have kept the integrity of the nutrients – specifically the vitamin C – in the fruit.

So why not just eat an orange?

You guys know by now I am all about whole foods. My kids absolutely eat oranges, and other whole fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C. But unfortunately our soils are so depleted there is no way we could eat as many oranges as it would take to get what we need. In fact my NPT told me that the whole food source of vitamin C in Camu Camu is 300 times the amount of vitamin C than American oranges.

So how about a whole food sourced vitamin C supplement that is properly prepared and packaged! Win-win! Since vitamin C is heat sensitive, it is important that the whole food source is dried out instead of heated to maintain the vitamin properties. And then packaged in a capsule and dark bottle to reduce light and air so as much of the C as possible is maintained.

We have been taking this whole food sourced vitamin C since well before school started, and it feels really good to know for sure that the C is intact, and doing some good!

My big girls swallow the capsules, and my 2 year old will take the powder from the capsule on her tongue.

…but sometimes it is just fun to have it in a different form!

Vitamin C Gummies :: And The Truth About Vitamin C SupplementsWe made some Vitamin C gummies to kick off the school year – and made them in a way that still protects the properties of the vitamin C! I am so excited to share this method with you!

Anytime you heat vitamin C, that C is destroyed.

So instead of cooking a vitamin C rich food like citrus oranges or lemons and destroying the vitamin C, we’re going to use whatever fruit you have around, warm up for the gelatin to work, and then we’ll add in our whole food sourced vitamin C off the heat to give it an immune boosting punch! I am keeping my vitamin C gummies in an airtight container in the fridge to further maintain the properties of the vitamin C.

This recipe allows YOU to decide how much vitamin C goes into each gummy so you can know for sure how much you are giving the kids. You can pack a full dose into one gummy, or spread out the vitamin C so they can have a 3 or 4 gummies at a time. Since kids come in different shapes and sizes, and with different nutritional needs, you can dose the vitamin C how their needs fall. I very highly recommend working with an NTP like Lydia that can see the nutritional needs of your kids from a very specific professional viewpoint.

UPDATE 2021 ::

Perfect Supplements came out with an Acerola Cherry sourced Vitamin C powder, and I am loving the super mild fruity flavor that blends so easily into anything. This is another great whole food sourced C that would work so well in a Vitamin C gummy like this! You can use my RGN reader code, GENERATION10, at check out to get 10% off!

What a fun way to build up the kid’s immune systems while they navigate the first couple months of back to school germs!

Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Vitamin C Gummies

Vitamin C is an amazing immune system booster to fight colds, flu, & even adrenal fatigue – but are you taking the right kind?
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Freeze30 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to make vitamin c gummies, vitamin c gummies, vitamin c gummy recipe
Servings: 24 gummies
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Warm up the fruit and water in a small sauce pan until everything is thawed and comes to a slight bubble.
  • Put the warmed fruit and water into your food processor or blender along with the gelatin and blend to combine.
  • Pour the mixture in your gummy molds and dose out how much of the vitamin C you want in each mold. Use a small spoon to mix the C powder into the gummy mixture.
  • You can put the mold in the fridge for an hour or freezer for 30 minutes to set the gummies. Once you pop the gummies out, store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to maintain the properties of the vitamin C.

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Natural Remedies For Lice & How To Prevent It

August 22, 2015

A simple homeopathic treatment to clear it up, and essential oil based preventative hair care! Yes you can treat and prevent lice naturally!

Natural Remedies For Lice & How To Prevent It!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one. I am sharing my own story and what worked for us. I am not sponsored by the product companies in this post. I just happen to really like the products, they worked really well for us, and I wanted to share them. Product links are affiliate links but do not add any extra cost to you – the affiliate links help keep the information on the blog free. Please know I would never recommend a product that I wouldn’t use on my own family.

It was just about the last thing on my mind as I sent my first kindergartner off to *full time* school.

“Will she be ok for that long” and, “Will she get tired for her nap” and , “I wonder if I packed enough for her to eat”….those were all the things running through my mind.

But lice?

I didn’t have a clue. And I didn’t know how common it was to pick it up, especially for the younger kids who are constantly rubbing up against each other playing, or taking naps in the same space.

I literally never gave it a thought…

…until the email.

A few weeks into school we got the email that lice was found in a few children after a routine head lice check.

I felt my stomach crawl. I immediately began to research how to prevent it and how to get rid of it just in case. I started pulling her hair back every day and taught her about not sharing her hat or laying on the floor with her head at school. I had read a few things about a essential oils helping with repelling, and started adding rosemary to her hair when we would wash it.

By the second letter a week later with more children being sent home, they decided to not have naptime anymore and children would have a head check at the door.

This tactic worked and within a week or two it seemed the lice was taken care of. The teachers took one recess out of every week to pull kids over to check their heads (bless their hearts…I mean really!), and it seemed under control.

Within a couple months, I backed off from pulling her hair up every day – she has this gorgeous curly hair and I hated hiding it every day!

Unfortunately just before Christmas break I got the call.

They were sending *6* kids home that day. Mine included.

So off I went to pick her up, and started what would be days of tackling a laundry mountain the size of my house to be sure it wasn’t anywhere else…and figuring out how to get rid of the lice in my sweet baby’s hair.

So here’s the thing. Lice doesn’t care what kind of hair you have – clean hair, dirty hair, brown hair, blonde hair, thick hair, thin hair. It just latches onto what it can and as long as it isn’t removed or killed…it keeps multiplying.

I knew I had to kill the lice and nits (their eggs), but I also knew I didn’t want to put conventional pesticides like Nix on her body. As it turns out, lice have done what many bacteria have done in the presence of antibiotics…they have mutated to become resistant to the over the counter pesticides we have used on them for decades.

They are harder to clear out, harder to kill, and they multiply…fast.

So here is what we did!

We eliminated 100% of the lice and nits with an all natural, homeopathic kit, and went the rest of the school year without any lice using essential oil based lice repelling hair care!

Natural Remedies For Lice & How To Prevent It!


GETTING RID OF LICE & NITS (THEIR EGGS)


  • Natural Remedies For Lice & How To Prevent It!There are a handful of natural treatment remedies I read about, we decided to use Quit Nits by Hyland’s. It is a homeopathic treatment kit and it worked GREAT. We got the lice and nits in one shot – I am told that is unheard of with the “super lice” we have today. I know of someone that had to do 2 rounds, but it did get everything after that second part. The nits (eggs) take up to 2 weeks to hatch so you really have to go through the children’s hair everyday for about 2 weeks to be sure you got everything. YES this part is tedious but if you miss just one it can mean a whole new outbreak.
  • The Quit Nits DOES kill lice AND their eggs – but you still have to remove the actual eggs after the treatment. They stick right to the hair shaft. If the next day you still see eggs that look “plump” and “alive” (you can Google this to see what an alive nit and a dead nit look like) you need to do another round of the treatment. It is not unheard of to have to do a couple rounds of lice treatment to get everything.
  • Once the treatment was done, I used a lice and nit comb I picked up at the pharmacy and combed through her hair, pulling off the eggs that were stuck to the hair and put them in a plastic bag to throw away. After that, I used the lice comb twice a day for a couple days just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. And then every day for 2 weeks after since the eggs take that long to develop.

HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT


  • Boil all combs, brushes, hair ties, barrettes etc to kill anything left behind on them. I ended up just tossing out our 2 brushes and buying new ones. I boiled barrettes, bands, and combs and let them air dry.
  • Launder all bedding down to the mattress in hot water and dry on high heat. Same for the children’s clothing and pajamas. I also did shoes.
  • Don’t forget hats, coats, scarves, mittens etc! Of course ours happened in the middle of winter so this all needed to be laundered including snow pants and boots.
  • Pillows and stuffed animals can be put in the dryer on high heat for a half hour to kill everything. Lice cannot live more than 3 days without a host, so you could alternatively just put any stuffed animals into a plastic bag for a few days if you don’t want them in the dryer.
  • Check the *whole* family – yes even those with short hair – for lice/eggs. Don’t get me started on how much of a challenge this was with a 3 year old and a 1 year old, but it was worth it to know they were clear. I even had one of my daughter’s teachers go through my thick hair just to be sure. Those teachers are pretty amazing at spotting stuff!

LICE PREVENTION


  • Natural Remedies For Lice & How To Prevent It!I have fallen in love with the Fairy Tales brand hair care line. Fairy Tales is an essential oil based hair care line with everything from shampoo and conditioner to lice repelling spray. NO harsh chemicals, pesticides, toxins, paraben, sulfates, dairy, gluten, nuts!
  • The essential oil blend of Rosemary, Citronella, Tea Tree and Geranium oils used in the products are CLINICALLY PROVEN to effective to prevent lice.
  • I used the Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Shampoo and Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Conditioner once a week to wash the girls’ hair, and then used the Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Spray to do their hair on school days. The spray is light-weight and smells really good. It makes a good detangler as well. Be sure to spray at the nap of the neck and behind the ears well, as this is where lice tend to gravitate. I do not think it smells too “girly” to use on boys either. I know of a couple of people that use it on their sons just as something to wet their hair down to brush in the morning. Even just a couple sprays by the hairline and ears should be good. Some of those kids sent home during our school outbreak were boys – they can get it too!
  • We avoided lice the rest of the year using the Fairy Tales line, and there was one more classroom outbreak during the school year. I was very pleased with these results.
  • Also, as far as prevention goes, be sure to talk to your children about not sharing hats, scarves, coats, etc. I also talked with her about not laying on the floor with her head, and showed her how she could still hug her friends without getting her head and hair right next to theirs (total girl thing!).

School starts in a couple weeks! What can I do to be prepared?


 With school starting soon, I just stocked up on the Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Spray. I have actually been using it some this summer as a detangler on the girls, but once school starts I will be spraying every school day. We’ll also be using the Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Shampoo and Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Conditioner. I don’t think hair needs to be washed daily so this is just something I use once a week on the girls – in fact everything that I have read says that lice attach better to squeaky clean hair. I have found the cheapest price on Amazon, but you can check local salon supply stores – there were a few around here that carried it.

And since I don’t want to get stuck if it does happen again…I grabbed a Quit Nits kit to have on hand. I was able to pick up the one I used on my daughter at our local Walgreens – but it was the LAST ONE on the shelf that day. I am so thankful one was there – I ordered my extra one on Amazon because the price was much cheaper than Walgreens.

Happy healthy school year to you!

For more natural remedies you can follow the My Herbal Ways board on my Pintrest!

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Getting Started with Using Natural Remedies & A Review of The Book Natural Remedies For Kids

August 18, 2015

Getting Started with Using Natural Remedies & A Review of The Book Natural Remedies For KidsThis post is a review for the book Natural Remedies for Kids. I was given the book for review purposes and to compensate for my time – please know that I never recommend products that I wouldn’t use on my own family. There are affiliate links for the book in this post – it does not make the price any different for you, but helps keep the information on this blog free to you!

There was something about that first time I became pregnant that brought this raw, protective momma bear instinct out in me. I was always intrigued by naturally going about health related issues, but was rather laid back in studying too much into things. While I definitely did my research about certain health topics, I never really gave too much thought to simple things like a common cold, skin rashes, or bug bites.

But the first time one of my kids got a simple cold I stood in the pharmacy isle at the store completely overwhelmed, and there was something about those ingredient labels that sent big fat red flags up in my momma bear head.

Motherhood has a way of throwing you into research and learning with both feet first doesn’t it? From that day on I started looking more into how to avoid modern chemicals in products and fell in love with how simple ingredients found right in nature were created for the purpose of balancing, healing, and soothing.

Here are a few tips if you are getting started with using natural remedies in your home ::

  1. Start small. Don’t go broke buying every herb on the planet all at once, or seeing one article go out and buy everything. Pick one or two things thing commonly hit your home – say maybe the common cold, and allergies and try things out from there.
  2. Give it time. Some natural remedies do in fact heal or soothe super fast. However some work with your body to help heal more naturally. We have become quite the instant gratification society with our meds that kill a headache in 10 minutes. Let nature work it’s magic over time. Sometimes those little things like a cold or flu are our body telling us it is time to rest. Getting better in a day isn’t doing your body any favors when the illness was really meant to make your body rest in the first place.
  3. Don’t give up. Just like most things, what works for some doesn’t work for everyone all the time. There is usually more than one way to approach things. Be patient and give things some time, and if it doesn’t feel right try another.

While I am 3 kids into this thing now and have first hand seen the benefits of natural remedies with my own eyes, I most definitely am still a natural remedy “newbie” – I still have to look things up when a new ailment happens in my home. I still have to brush up and remind myself what certain herbs or tactics work best for this or that.

Getting Started with Using Natural Remedies & A Review of The Book Natural Remedies For KidsWhich is why I was super excited to get my hands on the new book Natural Remedies for Kids! I need something quick that I can pull off my shelf and easily read when I have something new to tackle! My friend Kate Tietje who blogs at Modern Alternative Momma, is an experienced momma of *5* naturally raised kids. With that many pitter pattering feet running around, you bet she has pretty much seen it all! She wrote the book in collaboration with Dr Bob Zajac, M.D. and throughout the book there are easy to find “Dr Bob Says” sections with very informative tidbits.

Getting Started with Using Natural Remedies & A Review of The Book Natural Remedies For KidsNatural Remedies for Kids is a comprehensive guide to just about any remedy and treatment known to childhood! It is so easy to read. I am not an herbalist. In fact sometimes herbal books get really overwhelming to me shooting right over my head. This book is very well laid out with sections that describe what the ailments actually are, how it happens, and how it is best treated, soothed, or remedied. Better yet, the ingredients are all easy to find.

Natural Remedies for Kids is on **SALE** now on Amazon – over 40% off so grab it up!

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Rehydrating Eletrolyte Popsicles

June 27, 2015

It’s summer, and those kids play hard! Restock their electrolytes naturally with refreshing bursts of cool lemon in every bite!

Rehydrating Eletrolyte PopsiclesI am really excited to share with you guys my summertime answer to long, hot summer afternoons!

Long gone are the days of the afternoon nap for 2 of my girls, and while we do a version of “quiet time” for a short while – it is just that at ages 6 and 4…a short while 😉 These 2 play hard and busy most of the afternoon.

Product links in this section are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

I’m not a huge fan of afternoon snacks since they seem to ruin dinner appetites for my kids, so these lemon electrolyte popsicles are enough to give them a quick energy boost, but light enough not to ruin their next meal!

Rehydrating Eletrolyte PopsiclesA quick energy and mineral shot from some local, raw honey, and electrolyte balancing boost from real sea salt is all you need for refreshing the system in the heat of the summer. And in a much more natural way compared to store bought electrolyte drinks or snacks. Lemon not only tastes amazing, but it nourishes the body with real vitamin C and cleansing properties.

Rehydrating Eletrolyte PopsiclesThese are also perfect for the kids when they get sick. You can even keep a stash of them away in the freezer for those illnesses that pop up out of nowhere so you are prepared. Similar to my quick, shake up homemade electrolyte drink, these popsicles can help keep kids hydrated and balanced while ill and not eating much.

Rehydrating Eletrolyte PopsiclesProduct links in this section are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

I love my 10-pop popsicle mold! I seriously love it! I can make a big batch all at once, wrap them up and store them away in the freezer for when I need them! The girls can help themselves that way too!

Print Recipe
4.50 from 4 votes

Rehydrating Eletrolyte Popsicles

It’s summer, and those kids play hard! Restock their electrolytes naturally with refreshing bursts of cool lemon in every bite!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Freeze4 hours
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: electrolyte popsicles, lemon ice popsicles
Servings: 10 popsicles
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • Juice & zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 TB raw honey (I get mine from a local farmer. Ask around at farmer's markets to find some - if you don't have access THIS is a good brand.
  • 1/4 - 1/2 tsp real sea salt per your taste

Instructions

  • Blend everything up and pour into your popsicle molds. This amount fills up my 10-pop popsicle mold.
  • Freeze the popsicles and serve!

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How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids

March 1, 2015

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids
Quick preface! I’m not a doctor and don’t claim to be one! If you have a kiddo with really labored breathing or really struggling with a cough, you should be seeking medical assistance via ER or your doctor’s office. There is definitely a time and place for both! This is my own experience using onion poultice with my girls for chest colds and you can use the method at your own discretion. Product links are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I would never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family – what is linked here is exactly what I use.

I’m not sure there is a much more of a panicking middle of the night wake up call than a barky seal cough from your child.

The very first time it happened to me as a mom, my oldest was about 3 and it scared the living daylights out of me! I remembered reading that cold air helped them calm a cough down so my husband held her in a blanket on the snowy front step of our house, and within seconds her cough calmed.

I learned quick that it is really no fun to have a sick kiddo and I started studying tried and true natural ways to help children get through an illness. As it turns out many simple, old natural remedies that our great grandparents probably used are super effective, and an onion poultice for chest congestion is one of them.

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids
The combination of the warm, moist onion poultice with the natural expectorant quality of the onion help to break up the congestion. My experience using this on my girls has been very successful and within a good 10 minutes of wearing the pack they are able to cough more freely and easily to loosen it all up and get it out.

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids
So we have agreed this onion poultice thing is great…but getting a 3 year old to agree that the onion poultice is great can be tricky – let alone a sick 3 year old! Here are some ways I have made this process more successful for everyone:

  • Be sure the poultice isn’t too hot. What feels warm and good to you is probably still too hot for little ones in my experience. I let the poultice cool off for a good 5 – 10 minutes after coming out of the pot. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable or hurt – it should be warm and comforting to them.
  • Let them pick out the towel to use. I actually got a cheap pack of tea towels with bright, fun colors just for using with onion poultices for the girls. It came with 4 towels so I have enough to rotate around if I have more than one with a cough and if I have to get 1 or 2 into the laundry.
  • Spray some lavender essential oil or other essential oil blend that they like on the top of the poultice that will be facing up so they can smell that instead of the onion. This last cold we ran through the house I actually sprayed the Calming the Child blend from Plant Therapy, and really felt like it kept things calm too. I have a small spray bottle with water and about 10 drops of the EO in there. Just shake it up before you spray. You only need a small spray or 2! If they are really sensitive to the onion smell you can put an extra towel over the top of the poultice and then spray.
  • Get a distraction going *before* you put the poultice on. Get a stack of books next to them for them to read or for you to snuggle up to them to read to them. We don’t have the TV running all day, but when you need a child to sit still for 15 or so minutes, putting on an appropriate educational show or musical isn’t the end of the world in my experience. I used the girl’s LeapPads for games while they lay there too.
  • One of my girls really liked the idea of making her a “nest” to lay in on the floor while she had hers on – a big pile of blankets in the shape of a circle with her favorite stuffed animals (and her big sister laying next to her too!).
  • I’m not against a reward system for the really little ones. My 5 year old can understand the importance of sitting still for the poultice to work, but last year my 2 ½ year old did NOT. Doing 5 minutes or so at a time and getting a sticker or something helped move things along without the fight. This year at 3 ½ she understands better and wanted to get better so reasoning with her is just much more do-able.
  • Let them know the why 🙂 You can tell them it will help them get the gunk out of their chest so it doesn’t get infected and so they get better faster! It’s amazing what they understand! And amazing what they will go from not wanting to do, to willingly doing when they know what to expect. And really the warm pack feels good and is really comforting and warm – once they feel it usually my girls are willing to have it on for a while.

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids
So here is how to make a simple onion poultice for kids! Please keep in mind that if your child is really laboring with their breathing and things just don’t feel right you should be going to the ER and/or calling your doctor.

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

How To Make An Onion Poultice For Kids

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion sliced
  • Water to cover the bottom of your sauce pan

Instructions

  • Put the water in the bottom of your sauce pan along with the onion and bring to a simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.
  • Strain out any extra liquid and put the steamed onion into a thin kitchen towel or tea towel and fold it up. I like to lay the towel out horizontal and fold the top and bottom up over the onion, then fold the sides in – like making a burrito. Their little chests are so tiny so just be sure the onions in the middle aren’t all spread out.
  • Let the poultice cool for about 5-10 minutes before applying to your child’s chest. My youngest needs it cooled even longer as her tolerance for warm even in a bath is cool to me! Let the poultice sit on their chest up to 20 minutes if they will sit there long enough.
  • You can re-heat the poultice throughout the day. I like to just put the whole poultice right back in the pan and warm it on low heat. Discard the onion after using it for a day.

Here is another great resource about naturally dealing with chest congestion. I also like to use the Hylands Cough N Cold remedy at nighttime finding it really helps with calming the cough and helping them rest.

You can also read about natural flu remedies HERE and how I was able to clear up an ear infection in my oldest naturally HERE.

And come follow my pintrest board My Herbal Ways for more natural and DIY remedies.

Cold & Flu Season Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies

Naturally Healing Ear Infections In Kids

January 25, 2015

Naturally Healing Ear Infections In Kids :: My Story
Disclaimer :: I am not a medical doctor, nor do I claim to be one. I am a well read, well educated momma who chooses natural remedies first before choosing mainstream medicine. That is my choice for my children and my household. If that doesn’t resonate with you, that is ok! Please be respectful in any comments, however. This is also *my* story. Many of these remedies may and can work for other children but please keep in mind every child is different. I do tend to really trust my children’s bodies to fight infection naturally because they are so well nourished while they are well. Healthy, well nourished children’s immune systems compared to children with compromised immune systems, junky diets, and/or multiple other health issues going on is like comparing apples to oranges. Please use your own judgment as to how to treat your own children. Product links are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I would never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family – what is linked here is exactly what I used during the ear infection.

So it all started with a phone call from school. I knew Chloe had looked a little tired that morning, but it was the end of the week and she is usually tired by Friday as this is her first year in full time school. I didn’t give it much thought, and she had brushed me off when I asked her if she was ok that morning. She just said she was tired but really wanted to go to her reading group that day.

Her teacher called about mid-morning and said Chloe just wasn’t herself, crying a lot and wasn’t feeling well. I picked her up and could tell right away by the glassy eyes that she wasn’t well. She cried all the way home about missing her reading group, but when I tucked her in bed she fell right to sleep.

She woke up saying her ear hurt and I called the chiropractor to get in for an adjustment right away. She took a peek in her ears, did an adjustment or 2, and did some drainage massage. We swung by the store on the way home for some garlic/mullein ear oil (yes I know they can be made but with the baby and another toddler I just didn’t have the time) and started what would be a very long weekend. We really kicked this ear infection well though, and I wanted to share how we did it!


1. Chiropractic adjustments to address the ear infection/drainage.

This is vital. At the first sign of the ear hurting our chiropractor was the first person I called. There are simple, gentle adjustments that can be done to help with drainage flow connected to the ear. Everything is connected to the spine. Certain points in the cervical spine will be subluxed with ear infection and fixing that helps with healing. We went a total of 5 times within 2 weeks and it was worth every penny to me. After one of the visits Chloe told me that she could feel “water” draining in her ear. After one of the last ones we had an hour later she could hear 100% better.


 2. Let the “bug” run its course.

The vast majority of ear infections are viral. They just have to run their course. Our pediatric chiropractor said upwards to 80 percent of them are viral. And it takes time to let a virus run its course! Can I just be real here a minute? Man, it was hard to watch her in so much pain. This was my first real ear infection in the house, and it tore at my momma heart to see her sick. I kept telling myself, maybe tomorrow it will be better – because the minor illnesses that have gone through my home have been quite short lived. This was 5 (five!) days of pain (It started in one ear for about 3 days and then when that one got better it had moved into her other ear!). 5 days of religiously keeping up on natural remedies. It was exhausting.


 3. Ease the pain.

So while we wait on the bug to run its course we have to do something about that pain. I was surprised at how well the garlic/mullein ear oil that I had helped. We dripped these in her ears hourly at some points. She would tell me how much it helped, and I really think it took the edge off during the day. I also used the oil with a drop of lavender essential oil to massage downward from the neck behind her earlobe downward as our chiropractor showed me how to do to help move any drainage. She said this helped with pain a lot too. I used a warm coarse sea salt pack on her ear/neck area after dripping the oil. I followed the instructions on the salt pack from THIS article. She LOVED this – she had the salt pack on most of the day – it was very soothing to her.


 4. Boost the immune system.

I had her taking a whole food sourced vitamin C and cod liver oil to boost the immune system. I also used Plant Therapy’s KidSafe Immune Boom roller bottle on her feet at bedtime. And since the majority of the immune system resides in the gut, she was taking quality probiotics daily. I even added this probiotic that has a strain that is specific to the ear. She was not up to eating much, even her favorite bone broth, but she would sip on these immune booster smoothies here and there.  I was also making her nap and letting her sleep as much as she wanted. Rest for the immune system to fight is vital. Two of the nights I had her go to bed much earlier than her sisters much to her dismay, but it was worth it – she always passed right out and slept hard. And I knew she needed it. There were a handful of times I used some chamomile tea in her bath, or had her take some Rescue Remedy to help her relax so she could just rest.


 5. Naturally help kill the bug.

I actually started out dripping my breastmilk in her ear, but my toddler is in a process of weaning and it was getting harder to hand express or pump as my supply is significantly different. If you are a breastfeeding momma your breastmilk is naturally antibacterial and antiviral! Yeah! So go for it and drip away! I did a drop in each ear about 5 times per day. After a couple days of the breastmilk dripping and deciding that it just wasn’t working for my weaning supply, I switched to dripping collodial silver in her ears to have the same effect on the bug.  I actually feel like within 12 hours of starting this was when I saw her turn a corner.


6. Flush and detox the lymph.

I wanted the bug OUT! I kept her drinking this simple hydrating electrolyte drink since she wasn’t into eating much. And we also did dry brushing and simple detox baths. At one point she took a warm bath 2 times a day mostly because she asked for it – it was very soothing and made her feel better. To be honest the bath was when I saw her perk up the majority of the time. I did the dry brushing and then she took a warm bath with a cup of epsom salt and baking soda. I used lavender essential oil and Plant Therapy’s KidSafe Sweet Dreams blend in the bath at night to help with sleep.


So what did we do after this epic ear infection?

I treated as if she were still sick for about 2 weeks after. I religiously kept up on the gut nourishment with bone broth based soups, probiotics, and I even finished out the bottle of the probiotics that are specifically designed for ear health. Bedtime on time was a must, and I even said no to a family gathering the weekend after she was sick. I could tell she was still getting her strength back, and we can always see family another day.

I kept sugar at a minimum, and while that is usually always the case for our house anyway, this all happened the week before Christmas…of course! She had one cookie on Christmas day, and I just didn’t make any or have it around. It wasn’t that big of a sacrifice to keep her immune system happy and not give it a sucker punch with a bunch of sugar.

For now I am also keeping her off milk. Even though she has not had chronic ear infections, I am just being cautious since dairy and ear infections can be connected. Our raw milk share decreases from January until May anyway, so we don’t have a lot of it around. I will bring it back in this spring.

And finally, I am being more consistent on being at our monthly well adjustment at the chiropractor. It is so easy for me to put it off this time of year with the roads being so snowy – but I really have noticed how monthly adjustments keep my kids sleeping well, and overall healthier.

So tell me! Have you treated an ear infection naturally at home? What worked for you?

This post was shared at Fat Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday

Cold & Flu Season Drinks Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies Real Food 101

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion

December 28, 2014

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion
Product links in this section are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use!” Please know I would never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Every winter it is bound to happen.

Those sad little glassy eyes wake up and pout “momma…I don’t feel good”.

We certainly don’t live in a bubble, and as diligent as I work at keeping the girls’ immune systems built up to fight the bugs efficiently, once or twice a winter the immune system has to clean house and we have a bug sweep through. (I love THIS post about why this is a good thing!)

 

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion

I am a big believer in listening to our kids when they are sick

If they don’t feel like eating that is fine by me. Let their bodies use energy to fight the infection instead of digesting food! But they do need to stay hydrated so their organs and immune system can do their job.

 

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion

A better hydrating choice using real food ingredients

While mineral rich bone broth is always my first drink offer, even my girls who like bone broth won’t likely sip on it all day. A few years back when my first daughter got her first cold I did a quick freak out at the ingredient list in the Pedialyte isle and decided I would just make my own. A mixture of cleansing lemon and energy giving raw honey was welcomed by my little one at the time. And the sea salt packed a mineral punch that kept her electrolytes in balance while she fought off her first cold.

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion

Easy shake it up in the jar prep!

In the last 2 years I have nailed down the ingredient amounts I like to use – AND made it an efficient and quick process to make. This momma of 3 doesn’t have much time for playing around with mixing, measuring, and heating. This recipe is literally dump the ingredients in a pint mason jar and give it a shake. Done.

DIY Electrolyte Drink :: Natural rehydration for colds, flu, food poisoning, & physical exertion

A few notes!

  • This recipe makes a pint mason jar perfectly. My girls are younger and typically won’t drink more than this amount in one day while they are ill. It is a nice amount to make for them to sip on in small amounts during the day. If you have older kids, or will be using it for yourself while ill you can double, triple, or more into a pitcher. When I make it for myself I double it into a quart mason jar.
  • Make the mixture into popsicles! Perfect for scratchy throats too! (And might I add teething toddlers?!)
  • Since most of the immune system resides in the gut, I also like to add probiotics to the jar if I haven’t been able to get them in any other way during the day.
  • I have one of these super simple lemon juicersit’s quick enough for busy momma!
  • These elderberry popsicles are another great idea to have on hand during illness.
  • For more info on managing flu symptoms see THIS POST.
  • When the kiddo’s tummies feel like eating solid food again, here is a great Post Tummy Bug Recovery Smoothie to introduce solids back into their gut.

Please note this drink is not suitable for babies under the age of 1 considering the raw honey and acidity of the lemons. Babies under 1 should be nursing as much as possible during illness, and if baby is not nursing you can use coconut water to hydrate.

Print Recipe
4.97 from 27 votes

DIY Electrolyte Drink

When your family isn't feeling well, mix this up to get them on the mend ASAP.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: electrolyte drink recipe, homemade electrolyte drink, homemade pedialyte
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Everything into a jar with a lid and shake well to combine. This recipe fits perfect in a pint mason jar.
  • Store in the fridge up to a week.

More natural health posts you might like:

Cold & Flu Season Herbal Recipes Natural Remedies

Flu Remedies For Kids :: 8 Natural Home Remedies To Help Your Children Through The Flu

September 21, 2014

8 natural home remedies you can use right now to help your children through the flu.

Flu Remedies For Kids :: 8 Natural Home Remedies To Help Your Children Through The Flu

A NOTE FROM RENEE:
I am extremely honored to introduce Jessica from Simply Healthy Home to you! She is my “go-to” natural remedy expert, and she is just a wealth of knowledge in this arena (just take a look at our daily texting log and you’ll see how often I pick her brain 🙂 ). The flu can be downright exhausting to manage in anyone, let alone a child, and I am hoping this resource will be useful in the event you need to use it this season. (Also note product links in this post are affiliate links and help maintain this site and free information for you! Thank you for your support!)

************************

I’m going to keep it real here, folks. I cannot stand throw up. Just the thought of it makes me want to gag. And then when I start to think about cleaning up throw up from someone else, well, that is enough to send shivers down my spine.

I thought being a parent I’d naturally just be able to deal my kids throwing up without being grossed out but that hasn’t happened. (It’s like that rumor where they say you’ll become a morning person when you have kids and that is so not true!!)

Needless to say, I do all I can to make the process as short and as easy as possible for all of us. Yes, there are things you can do to shorten the life of a stomach bug! I’m going to share with you a few of my favorite remedies.


ACTIVATED CHARCOAL

Activated Charcoal is something that should always be around your house. Not only is effective at helping with a stomach bug (both ends) it also works for food poising or if you accidentally get glutened.

It works by binding with the ick that is going around your digestive track and helping pass it. Make sure your child is also getting plenty to drink to make sure things are passing through their system.

Charcoal is messy so I use caps as soon as my kids are able to swallow them. If not, I mix the charcoal in some applesauce or yogurt.

According to the Mayo Clinic, for children less than one you can dose .23-.50 grams of charcoal per pound of body weight. I tend to start with lower doses. I dose after the child has had an episode of diarrhea or vomiting.


PEACH JUICE

The syrup from canned peaches not only tastes good for those with icky tummies but it also helps stop diarrhea. I like to water it down and make it in to popsicle. Popsicles seem to be an easy way to keep up fluids when the kids are sick.


CELL SALTS

Cell salts are remedies that help the body use the minerals that are already present in the body. What I have found in particular with stomach bugs is that they help keep the minerals balanced and help prevent dehydration.

I personally like Bioplasma and Magnesia Phosphorica #8, which helps with cramps. (And I have used these both and I know it kept me from having to take a trip to the emergency room for fluids)


EPSOM SALT/MAGNESIUM BATHS

Epsom salts or Magnesium flakes are a great addition to a bath any time the kids are sick. Magnesium helps the body detox and reduces muscle aches that are common with colds and the flu. (They also help soothe sore behinds when diarrhea is an issue). Baths aid in hydration as well.


SLIPPERY ELM

Slippery Elm is a great, gentle herb that does a bang up job of helping to soothe an inflamed digestive tract. Slippery elm contains large amounts of tannis which is an astringent so it can help ‘dry up’ diarrhea.


PROBIOTICS

Keeping the gut full of probioitcs is going to help lessen the severity of a stomach bug. Yogurt, kefir, beet kvass, and kombucha are great because small amounts contain loads of good bacteria.

If you don’t have any cultured drinks, a powdered form of probiotic can also be useful. Just stir it into some applesauce – even just a spoonful if they aren’t eating much. If your child is really having trouble keeping things down, you can also apply probiotic powder to ‘the back door’ gently with a q-tip to get some good bacteria quickly into the GI system. (Not a fun picture but I have heard from some parents this can be enough to stop a bug in its track)

Quality gelatin is also good for the gut and homemade gummies and jello can help sooth an upset stomach as well as provide nutrients. You can also add anti viral herbs like elderberry to your gummies like in this recipe.


BONE BROTH

If you can get one thing in your child’s system while sick, it should be bone broth. This is a rock star because it will help with hydration, provide minerals and nutrition and is very healing.

Renee has some great posts on how to make stock and many soups that are kid friendly. (Click HERE and look under “lunches” and you will find many simple soup purees to try!). There are also some fantastic soothing and nourishing food staples that can be helpful as children work back to eating after active throwing up and/or diarrhea. You can find those HERE.


SAFE ESSENTIAL OIL USE

I am a big fan of Plant Therapy’s KidSafe “Tummy All Better” synergy for tummy aches – the oils chosen for this blend were specifically chosen to be safe for kids as well as effective. You can get a ready made roller bottle which is really nice for those middle of the night tummy aches! It is diluted perfectly for you and you can just roll it right on their tummy. They also have it in a undiluted essential oil bottle you can dilute yourself.

If you have older kids, another option would be diluting peppermint oil  down in a carrier oil, and rubbing it on the feet and stomach. If your child is sensitive to smells, don’t force this one on them. I find it is very individual.


A FEW NOTES ABOUT ACHES, ICKS, & FEVERS FROM THE FLU:

Fevers feel scary to most moms, but know that they do have a job to do. I like to support the body while a fever is going on and luke-warm epsom salts baths are great for that. There are some herbs that work fantastic for fever. Here is where you can read more about very simple methods for how to use yarrow and elderberry for fever. Gently bringing the fevers down without causing the body to be overloaded are key.

If you have chest congestion going on, you can find my favorite ways to deal with it, HERE.

While there are many, many more herbs and supplements to help stomach bugs, these are my tried and true ones that I pull out for my kids. I have been able to keep a stomach bug from being passed around the family and lessen the severity of it with the above remedies.

If you are interested in more home remedies, you can check out this page on my blog, HERE.

I’d love to hear from you, tell me what are your favorite home remedies for stomach bugs are?

Flu Remedies For Kids :: 8 Natural Home Remedies To Help Your Children Through The Flu
SimplyHealthyHome

Jessica loves to learn and share about natural living, from whole foods to herbal remedies. With a desire to take care of her family through natural means, she has spent a lot of time researching and experimenting to find what fits best in her lifestyle. Struggling with her health for a few years after a miscarriage she tested positive for Hashimoto’s and is currently working on healing through diet and natural supplements. Jessica started her blog Simply Healthy Home to share her family’s journey to being healthy and happy. You can follow Jessica on Facebook and Pinterest.

This post was shared at Fat Tuesday, & Real Food Wednesday!

Batch Up Meals Dinner Ideas Lunch Ideas Natural Remedies Nourishing Staples Real Food 101 Real Food Tips school lunches Soup

Roasted Garlic Soup

February 25, 2014

This brothy, flavorful soup is the cure for what ails you from just the cold winter blues, to cold and flu recovery!
Roasted Garlic SoupLinks in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product or service I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Ok, so March! We made it! Right?!

I mean spring – it’s almost here!

Roasted Garlic Soup

Ok, well in Michigan we still have a good month until it will feel like spring, and to be honest there are still quite a few cold and flu bugs floating around the preschool classrooms…so we are still on my winter menu of having soup with homemade bone broth once a day to keep us healthy. I have so many soup recipes up my sleeve, and I just had to share this one during the new blog launch because it is one of my favorites.

Roasted Garlic Soup
We have only had one cold this winter, and I am not afraid to claim the healing and immune boosting benefits of bone broth as a big part of that. If you have never read Broth is Beautiful, you will see why! Garlic is also known for it’s immune boosting properties, and so this roasted garlic soup is on my meal plan at least once a month during germy school kid months of the year.

Roasted Garlic Soup
Just a few ingredients – so simple. But the flavor will blow you away. You don’t need fancy seasonings when you have beautiful vegetables that have been cooked the right way! Give it a try! And keep thinking happy spring thoughts!

Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Roasted Garlic Soup

This brothy, flavorful soup is the cure for what ails you from just the cold winter blues, to cold and flu recovery!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: roasted garlic soup, roasted garlic soup recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 4-5 heads of garlic
  • ½ large onion chopped
  • 2 large carrots chopped
  • 3 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 ½ quarts bone broth
  • Sea salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cut the tops of the garlic heads, smear butter or coconut oil generously on the cut end, sprinkle them with sea salt, and roast in a 325 degree oven open side DOWN on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet for one hour.
  • While the garlic is cooling, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in a soup pot with a few pinches of sea salt for about 10 minutes on medium/medium-high heat.
  • Squeeze the garlic out into the pot, add the stock, and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
  • Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender and season with salt/pepper to taste.

Tips:

    • Make your own bone broth! It is too easy, way more flavorful, and so (so!) full of nourishment!
    • You will be floored at how flavorful this soup is with such simple ingredients – it is not so overwhelming though that the kids won’t like it. I serve it to my girls in a cup with a straw – less mess and actually they usually end up asking for seconds!
    • This batch makes enough for the girls and I to have lunch and then usually a quart leftover either to have the next day, later In the week, or to freeze up for another time. I have doubled the batch before as well and that is a nice way of stocking up your freezer for quick pull out lunches.
    • Pack it up hot in a thermos for school or work!
    • If you don’t have an immersion blender…OH! Please treat yourself to one! I use mine almost daily – it is my favorite kitchen tool!

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