Donna's Healthy Living Tips

I went to a really interesting meeting last night with a group called “Holistic Moms” in Livonia.  It is a nation-wide organization with chapters across the country.  Each month they have guest speakers on various topics of how to raise children more naturally.  You may know that I don’t have any children of my own but I thought it would be a good place to connect with people who are interested in the same things I am.  By the way, in case you are wondering, there was one dad there last night.  There is no discrimination and men are very welcome.

Anyway, the topic last night was on “babywearing” which is the action of having your baby or small child secured to you using a wrap, sling, or baby carrier.  Many of us are familiar with the image of people from developing countries “babywearing” because they need to in order to get their day to day tasks done.  In the U.S. it is more frowned on with some pediatricians and other child-rearing specialists being adamantly opposed to the concept.

The presentation was really interesting and one of the points that I came away with was that those professionals who are so against babywearing do not have scientific data that shows that there is harm to the child that comes with being that close to one of the parents for a large portion of the day.  However, there are lots of scientific studies that show a lack of physical contact between the child and caregivers DOES create some very real developmental issues including attachment disorders and reduced brain development.

Some of the interesting studies that have been done on babywearing show:

• Both parent and child release endorphins when the child is close and this enhances the child’s sense of well-being and immune system.
• Children who are kept close have better brain development.
• Carried children have less emotional stress and cry significantly less.
• Children learn to communicate better because they are an optimum distance of about 12 inches away from the parent’s face as their eyes and brains are developing.
• Using a carrier allows for the caregiver to have hands-free for other activities.

One of the things I enjoyed about the presentation was that it wasn’t a “militant” or opinionated soapbox that you “must” carry your baby for so many minutes throughout the day.  It was more about, here is why you might want to carry your baby or small toddler (some of the carriers can hold up to 65 pounds!), and here are some of the pros and cons of various styles of carriers.

There is more information (and a very interesting read) in a book titled “The Vital Touch” by Sharon Heller.  The suggestion is that if you are looking for a baby carrier for yourself (or someone you love), go to a natural parenting store or, better yet, see if there is a local “babywearing” group.  They often have an assortment of carriers that you can try first so you can figure out which style suits you the best before you make your purchase.  Carriers also come in a variety of fabrics and sizes so if both parents want to participate you will likely end up purchasing two.

For more information on the holistic moms organization, you can go to www.holisticmoms.org. Thanks to Karen for the great presentation and to Andrea for leading the meeting.  Also, thanks to Tonya for introducing me to Holistic Moms in the first place!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who believes in finding natural ways to stay healthy for the whole family.  You can find more information about Shaklee and Donna’s favorite products at: www.Shaklee.net/DonnaCopeland There is a free membership offer for the month of July so be sure to check that out if you are not already a member.