Bringing Up An Organic Baby

Parents, especially mothers, are rightly concerned about the health of their new born babies, their infants, and their growing up children. Up until the early 20th century, that was all straightforward. During the 20th century the major health risks to a baby and their elders shifted drastically, and one of those shifts was the proliferation of chemicals that were to infiltrate the food supply, our water supplies, our home products, and the air we breathe. It is out of this massive pollution of life's essentials, and less essentials, that the modern demand for organic products arose. Over the last 20 years, more and more parents have sought to protect their children from birth; in effect to bring up an organic baby.

It is just about impossible now to protect any baby from the daily onslaught of synthetic chemicals. These chemicals have been released into the environment without any serious regard to human health. Babies, of course, with their small bodies and poorly developed immune systems, are the most vulnerable. Parents are right to play their part in their baby's health, and part of that is to reduce their intake of synthetic chemicals.

My interest in health matters started in the 1980's due to two reasons. Firstly, like most people, I foolishly trusted doctors to prescribe something to treat my problem. Unfortunately I lived in the land of Western medicine; in England to be precise. I developed the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondilytis at 19, and the next 8 years I was prescribed an anit-inflammatory drug, one from the drug group NSAID's. My problem just got worse, and I had some unpleasant side affects. My spine became totally rigid, and both my hip joints had to be replaced.

3 years later, still being prescribed those types of drugs (some of those I had taken had been removed from the market as they had killed too many people) I started to become very ill, with a stomach ulcer. I had never experienced stomach problems in my life. Late one evening I went to bed, and later had to get up again to answer a call of nature. I felt so ill, I went into that bathroom not expecting to ever come out of there. My life was drifting away as I walked those few yards. At about 31 of years of age.

Obviously, I did come out alive, but that was a wake up call that has been with me for 27 years. Literally, I woke the next morning, and said to myself: "that's it." I am looking after my own health and coming off those killer drugs. I did, and would only now take Western drugs in an emergency or if I needed an operation. But what has that got to do with an "organic baby"?

The second reason for my interest in medicinal alternatives to Western drugs, and in healthy food without artificial additives, occurred during the early 1980's too. My son was quite clearly being affected, both behaviourally and physically, by certain foods, and also foods with any artificial colourings, preservatives and flavourings. In those days, that was just about everything. Almost all food in the supermakets had artificial ingredients, including tartrazine and other additives that can cause severe problems in some children. However, most doctors' eyes would glaze over if you talked about diet and behaviour. That is even so today.

Over the next few years, thousands of parents were experiencing similar problems, and gradually supermarkets stocked food products free of such artificial additives. Even so, it was not until recently that the Food Standards Agency finally took it seriously enough to carry out a study and report the findings:

There is no way to totally avoid the chemical onslaught, but at least you can take positive steps to minimize the chemical intake of your baby. Every reduction you make increases the prospects of your baby maintaining good health both in the short and long term. Here are some of the possibilities you may wish to consider:

Organic Baby Food

When most people think of the word "organic" they probably think of organic food, and that is an important factor. Your baby's diet is something to start thinking about during pregnancy, as it is your own diet that will dictate the quality of the breast milk which you will hopefully be able to provide after birth. By keeping to a well balanced and nutritious diet yourself, you will be able to provide not only the essential nutrients your baby needs, but a stronger immune system than those poor children who have to start life with processed powdered milk.

Once the baby comes off breast milk, for whatever reason, it is best to keep as much control of their food as possible. In other words, make the baby's meals yourself from organic fruits and vegetables, using meats and fish sparingly until you are sure of what the baby digests well, and seems to like. At all times, the baby's diet is served best by avoiding sugar, artificial sweeteners, and all artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives. Not only do they introduce unwanted and unneeded chemicals into the body, they can divert children from eating good nutritious food.

Organic Baby Bedding

A baby may not eat their bedding (though some will try) but they will spend a lot of time close to it. Many parents these days seek out what they call organic bedding, meaning that it is made from a natural fiber that has not been treated with chemicals in any way. Finding such bedding is not easy, as cotton itself, although natural, is often grown in a chemical infested field. However, if you can find "organic" bedding, then you can make a positive contribution to the environment as well as the baby.

Chemical Free Water

It is about 25 years since I have drunk tap water. While still in England I had our tap water analysed, expecting it to be H2O and nothing more. A week later the report came back. It was in the days when there was no such thing as a desktop printer or even a PC. The printer paper was the very large size you used to get for all printouts, about the width of my computer desk and similar depth. One page was not enough. There were two pages of chemicals listed, some of which I recognized as poisonous pesticides. The result of ignorant farming, and the cause of my not drinking tap water again.

It is wise to at least filter your water before drinking it yourself or giving it to your baby. That one habit will be doing your child a great service.

Other Eco-friendly or Organic Products Around the Home

The average modern home in the "developed" world is likely to have a proliferation of possibly harmful chemicals and synthetic materials. Here are just a few ways you can cut down on the risks:

Cleaning Materials

Detergents and home cleaners can be very harsh on the skin, and easily get into the bloodstream. Most household cleaning jobs can be achieved using baking soda, which I can recall my mother using back in the 1950's. Some people like to mix it with vinegarfor some cleaning jobs.

Laundry Cleaning

Washing your clothes, and more especially a baby's clothes, can mean their skin is constantly in contact with the harsh chemicals of detergents. An eco-friendly and organic alternative is to use soap nuts from India.

Other Baby Products With Which You Can Go Organic

There are many other types of baby products that give scope for environmentally and health conscious parents for reducing risk exposure of their children.

You can download a fuller Organic Baby report for more information and ideas.

Disclaimer

This Hubpage is for informational purposes and the author accepts no liability for any action you may take upon reading the page, or by following any links within the page. The page is not intended as professional advice on any health matter, for which you should consult a doctor or other qualified health practitioner, who complies with your local country or state laws on medical matters.