Formula Safety: 7 Tips To Minimize Risks
This week a new study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives that found alarming levels of arsenic in baby formulas. The amount of arsenic in one organic formula was 6 times the recommended threshold for adults. This is so distressing to a mom giving her baby formula (like I currently am). You try to do the best for your baby and the industry just seems to totally fail us sometimes! But this news is hardly exclusive as a reason to avoid formula. There are all kinds of scary things going on in formula (bug parts anyone?) and the evidence that breastfeeding is so...
Read MoreAttachment Parenting, Attachment Theory, and Being “Attached”
Every few months I think this post – one differentiating the different meanings we use for “attachment” – needs written but then…I get lazy. Ok, here goes. In the past two weeks there has been a couple of blogs with interesting discussions that usually come to a halt when it is apparent that everyone is not on the same page on the difference between these terms. Let’s look at each of them. Attached Dictionary. com has the following definitions of the word “attached”: at·tached r inter /əˈtætʃt/ Show Spelled[uh-tacht] Show...
Read MoreBVO: What Every Parent Should Know
If you’ve read my previous What Every Parent Should Know posts: Fluoride and BPA, you had probably already heard of those substances. But, BVO? You might have never heard of that but you really need to know about it! What is BVO? BVO stands for Brominated Vegetable Oil. Bromine atoms are added to the oil until it achieves the same density as water. The enables the BVO to stay suspended in water and not separate in layers. BVO is used as an emulsifier (a substance that forces two liquids that would not normally combine to combine) in citrus flavored beverages. BVO is in Mountain...
Read MoreBPA: What Every Parent Should Know
You have probably seen the letters BPA on baby products that advertise they are BPA-free. But, what is BPA, are baby products the only things to worry about, and what can we all do to avoid BPA? What is BPA? BPA stands for bisphenol A. It is a synthetic, organic compound created in 1891 by Russian chemist Aleksandr P. Dianin. It is used as an additive to polycarbonate plastics to make them stronger while remaining clear. It is also used to make epoxy resins. BPA is a synthetic estrogen which means it mimics estrogen in the human body and can disrupt normal hormone behavior (making...
Read MoreCortisol, T-Rex, and Your Baby
This post is part of the 2010 API Principles of Parenting blog carnival, a series of monthly parenting blog carnivals, hosted by API Speaks. Learn more about attachment parenting by visiting the API website. The debate centered around “spoiling” a baby vs. cry-it-out (CIO) extinguishing methods normally focuses on parental life style. Even when framed in an argument that children need to learn to “self-soothe” the primary argument still seems to be that sleeping through the night is the primary goal for the sanity of the parents and the maturity of the child....
Read MoreAttachment Theory and The Strange Situation
Attachment Parenting, a term first coined by Dr. Sears, is used to describe a parenting style that focuses on developing a secure attachment between child and caregiver. It consists of 8 principles (click to learn more from Attachment Parenting International): Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting Feed with Love and Respect Respond with Sensitivity Use Nurturing Touch Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally Provide Consistent and Loving Care Practice Positive Discipline Strive for Balance in Your Personal and Family Life One of the worries often brought by those new to...
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