Ticklish - Child development - holistic parenting

Ticklish is the latest offering by Dr Jennifer Barhan-Floreani (international award winning, best selling author, mother of four and chiropractor.)

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Jennifer earlier this month in Sydney. I had flown to Sydney, Australia from sunny England in June this year. I was attending the Intenational Chiropractic Assocaition Council on Pediatrics http://www.icapediatrics.com/news-symposia_seminars.php where I was to present a poster of a case study from my clinic.

Being interested in child growth and development I was keen to meet Dr Jennifer and learn about her new book having heard about its release.

The next day I was flying back to the UK so had plenty of time to read and absorb the book. The title “Ticklish” I thought at first was a little cheeky. What on earth did this have to do with child development? The further I read I found myself hooked on the light hearted nature of the writing but also on the in depth knowledge and extensive research the author has undertaken to create this book.

As many parents may feel that their children have been born inside a medicine cabinet, this book is a refreshing look at how parents can take control of their children’s health. The author takes a holistic view point on health which encompasses many health paradigms including chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, osteopathy to name a view.

The approach to parenting found in this book is modern, up-to-date and backed by a stack of research, the emerging field of epigenetics is touched upon.

As well as lots of practical advice for parents the Ticklish helps parents to find their core values, teaches them that it is OK to follow your own common sense and that it is not necessary to follow a “cookbook” style to parenting. All babies are different, even siblings and therefore need to be treated as such.

“It is important that you make your decisions about your own life and your child’s life rather than feeling pushed into a form of care that does not align with your vision”. P 142

Ticklish does touch on chiropractic philosophy and theory and that the aim should be to protect and restore a child’s health so that they are able to adapt appropriately to their environment.

One of the most useful sections for the new parent is the “Milestones” section. This chapter outlines what should be expected of the child at certain milestone ages. As well as outline what is expected at this timeline helpful suggestions are also given to help optimise the child’s potential.

Ticklish is a joyful book to read, packed full of information and practical advice which helps to empower parents so that they can make the decisions that are right for their child.