The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears, M.D.,F.A.A.P.

What a relief this book was to me. Finally, an impartial view of vaccines and their benefits and side effects. I wish I would have had this on my bookshelf before my son was even born. The Vaccine Book is an invaluable tool filled with facts on everything a parent should know before deciding on a vaccine. The book not only explains the most common vaccines given in the first 12 years of a child's life, but it also delves into those often given for travel and in other special circumstances.

The Vaccine Book is a compilation of valuable information in an easy-to-reference format. You can have your answers in just a few quick minutes of reading if you choose, or dive into some statistics, even learn how the vaccines are made. I'd suggest reading a few days ahead about the vaccines your child is about to receive, so if you have any questions, you know exactly what to ask. Take the book with you to the doctor visits. The more informed you are going in, the more easily your doctor will be able to address your concerns.

I finished The Vaccine Book feeling like the confusion had lifted. Dr. Sears wrote this book with the parents' interests at heart, and he has no problem openly stating both negative and positive answers. Where there are no answers, he tells you straight out. This book never attempts to answer the question, "Should I vaccinate?" Sears simply gives you the information and allows you to make that decision without feeling judged either way. I highly recommend this book to all parents, and if you have any baby showers to attend soon, this is a great gift idea. I have a feeling you'll be thanked over and over.

Exposed - A Book on the Toxicity of Everyday Products

I was recently listening to an interview with Mark Schapiro on NPR. He was talking about his new book Exposed, and I was riveted to the discussion. I knew I had to review the book for The Mommy Spot because it covers so much of what I talk about when it comes to the chemicals present in our everyday lives.

But I'm a hard sell. I come by none of my opinions easily, and when I find something of interest, I really dig into it and research every shred of information before jumping on any bandwagon. For me, this book was a fascinating overview of a topic I know I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of.

Exposed discusses how the U.S. has not stepped up to the plate when it comes to protecting its citizens from chemicals added to everything from plastics to shampoos. While all of Europe and much of the rest of the world struggle to replace harmful chemicals such as lead and formaldehyde, Schapiro tells how the U.S. manufacturers wait for more "convincing" evidence these chemicals are causing us harm.

Some books take a small subject and stretch it to fill enough pages for publication. But Schapiro could have filled volumes with what he covered. He managed to expertly crunch everything down to an easy-to-understand journalistic style. He gave me lots of food for thought and a long list of things I plan to look into further.

Every page covers daunting information, and although I feel every parent should rush to read this book, I would caution not reading it before bed. Stephen King couldn't come up with some of this stuff. I had a hard time reading about the PCBs present in so many of the toys our little ones chew on, and I could hardly wrap my brain around how those PCBs can effect testicular development in our sons.

If you're going to read this book, and I sincerely hope you do, make sure to take pauses and focus on the positive things you can do around your own house. Yes, lead in toys is darned scary. But you can replace questionable toys with safer versions, one at a time. You'll learn about the harmful chemicals in plastic baby bottles, but the good news is they still make glass ones. (No, they won't break that easily - I've dropped them in parking lots with nary a scratch!) Don't look at your dinner plate and fear the chemicals that might be looking back at you. Focus on all the organic and local produce available, and how one step at a time, you can take control over those long lists of nasty chemicals. The good news according to Schapiro is, with all the pressure from other countries, America will have to conform or lose its place in the global market, and I'm confident in time it will conform. In the meantime, learn what you can and take comfort in your own ability to make informed choices. If you choose the natural route, you'll never even have to learn to pronounce things like "phthalates" and "octa brominated diphenyl ether".

I plan on making the book Exposed only the beginning of my education on America's use of chemicals in manufacturing. I'm going to gather together all the arguments and turn over each one carefully. And as I do, I'll err on the side of being "too natural" as much as I can. Because I have to believe the natural choice is the right choice.

Book Review and Giveaway!

I am so excited! (Can you hear my voice shake?) It's time for my second book giveaway. That's right, I have two copies of "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? The Essential Scoop on Raising Modern Jewish Kids" by Sharon Duke Estroff, M.A.T. Now, if you're a Jewish mom, you're probably already skimming through the text here to find out how you can win. But if you're a Christian mom like myself or a mom of any other distinction, read on. Believe me, you'll like this book too.

Insightful and humorous, "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?" covers many of the parenting issues us mommy bloggers banter about every day, such as choosing a kindergarten to teaching your children the value of a dollar. Estroff writes in a fun and catchy rhythm that makes her down-to-earth advice a joy to read, including text peppered with Jewish references that add flavor and voice. In fact, I may just start referring to my own son as "my little bubbelah"!

Most of this book is totally relatable, no matter what your religion. But if you're a Jewish mom who wants to know, "What do we do about the whole Santa thing?" that's covered too, as well as a section on Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The bottom line is, if you want to know how to raise your children to be well-rounded, moral people in an ever-more materialistic world, this book will help you along. I'm certainly keeping my copy for a re-read when my son enters the school years! So no, you can't have that one.

But as I said, I have two others to give away! Simply leave a comment on this post, along with your email address in a format like this: themommyspot (at) gmail (dot) com. ( I'm told spammers can't use it then.) I'll hold the drawing next Friday, November 23rd, and the winners will be announced that afternoon.

NOTE: Contest will close at 12:00 noon EST on Nov. 23rd.

On Overload

I've just finished reading The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. My original intention was to do a book review on it, but I'd like to add something to that. Reading this book, and hearing and reading about so many other types of parenting advice has got me to thinking. If you can't share these sorts of thoughts on your blog, I guess you might as well not have a blog to begin with. But I will start with the book.

I think Dr. Karp has some excellent advice on how to understand the inner workings of a toddler brain, and how to communicate with your toddler. I've already tested his advice on my own little guy and it works. The basic principal is learning what Karp refers to as "Toddler-ese," which is the language all toddlers speak. In a nutshell, that means communicating with your toddler with his own limited vocabulary and body language, thus letting him know you understand why he's upset. At first this sounded kind of hokey to me. I really didn't like the idea of saying something like, "No, no, no. No diaper. No," mirroring my son's upsetness at having his diaper changed. (He's taken a great dislike to diaper changes lately.) But I thought, what the heck, no one is watching. My son stopped crying immediately and looked at me in a bit of surprise. Then he stopped crying and let me change his diaper. Amazing!

Now here's where I take issue: While reading through the book, I began to feel overwhelmed with a lot of extra book-fattening parenting advice. Little nuances on how to do this or that. I started thinking, "How in the world can I remember all this?" and "Do I need to know all this? My parents, after all, never had a Dr. Karp. Or a Dr. Sears. Or a Dr. Phil, or an Oprah, or any other advice-givers. By now you're scratching your head and saying, "Hey, isn't that what you do? Your blog is all about advice on natural parenting." Yup! Believe me, I love to share and receive advice. I am the A-#1 book digger on all things. No one likes to research a topic to its absolute last shred of usefulness like I do. But I also understand something we all need to be reminded of from time to time: If the advice doesn't sit well with you, ignore it.

Don't feel pressured to try some new-fangled parenting technique, don't feel like a failure if everyone else is doing it and you can't stomach it, don't let anyone give you a guilt trip if you aren't following the parenting herd.

I believe we're given some innate ability to understand what our own distinct child really needs. Yeah, sometimes we need a prod or direction. That's what the books and the internet help us with. But in the end, we're the ones who somewhere deep down know that this little child of ours truly does or does not need to fall asleep with a binky, eat only organic fruit and vegetables, or learn toilet training at an early age. Since every child is so wonderfully unique, doesn't it stand to reason that the way to raise each child would be just as unique?

So whether you're hanging out with Oprah from your living room television, or checking in on my humble blog, just remember to go with your gut and leave the guilt behind. If you are truly choosing the parenting choices that make you comfortable, it doesn't matter if you're the only mom or dad in town who believes strongly in interpretive dance before bedtime. Because in the end you'll have raised a beautiful one-of-a-kind adult. One who understands interpretive dance or has learned the importance of generosity or healthy eating or culture because you found it important enough to teach. Isn't that in essence the very beauty of raising a child, after all?

(Note: If you're interested in Dr. Karp's techniques, you might try the DVD. It gets to the meat of the information without the overwhelming amount of extras. I also found it much more helpful to see his techniques used on actual screaming toddlers.)

Disease-Proof Your Child - Dr. Fuhrman's Book

I've just finished reading (devouring) "Disease-Proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. If you really want to understand childhood nutrition and how it affects your child later in life, you must read this book. Every page had information I wanted to reread, just trying to retain it. In fact, this book has changed my own eating habits, and I thought I ate pretty darned healthy already!

Dr. Fuhrman discusses how the eating of live fruits and vegetables reduces asthma, ear infections, and allergies in children. He also states what a child eats now can protect against diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer later in life. The book is full of scientific evidence and studies (ooh, I like that stuff) presented in an easy-to-understand way, and it's never a dull read. In fact, what I learned there will certainly surface in this blog - I'll be writing more on it in the near future.

The back of the book has over 50 recipes in it, which go along with his eating plan to consume lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm going to try some of these, but I must admit some of them are kind of radical, even for me. But if there's one thing I've learned about changing eating habits, it often takes time and lots of small steps to get to your dietary goals.

And speaking of dietary goals and recipes, I have another blog called Nature's Kitchen which is chock full of healthy recipes. (Smooth segue!) In the interest of time and sanity, I will slowly be transferring my recipes from that blog to this one. I think it will be a nice fit to keep the recipes here, as they focus on nutritious whole foods that are simple to make - perfect for busy families! My other blog will still be there and functioning, but when a new recipe comes along to share, it will be found here. Make sure to check them out under the Recipes label in the sidebar. Oh, and never fear - The Mommy Spot will continue to feature all the natural cures, home remedies, and WAHM stuff it has in the past.