I Take Mine with Lemon - Home Remedies Instead of Deodorant

When I was pregnant, I suddenly became accutely aware of the food I ate, and also the products I used on my body. For instance, deodorant became more of a concern. Knowing things like aluminum and talc were present and bad for not only me but my baby as well, I began eliminating certain products. And after I gave birth and began breast feeding, the same concerns lingered. I learned that what you use on your pits travels nicely to the breast milk. I'd already tried using an interesting solution in place of deodorant, and I've also come across some other alternatives; some of them more - ahem - unusual than others.

I'll start with my favorite, one that was told to me by a coworker. It's simple, portable, and it sure smells nice! Lemon. Yes, folks, plain old lemon. You can squeeze a little of the juice on your hand and rub it under your arms. It's a deodorant and a surprisingly effective antiperspirant. I've even taken slices of lemon to work with me. (During certain parts of pregnancy, a little extra protection is good to carry around.) I prefer an actual lemon to the little plastic bottles shaped like lemon, as those have additives. And since the point is to eliminate that sort of thing, it's good to go straight to the source.

I've tried baking soda, and although that works okay, it can sting after shaving. It also irritates some people's skin. But if you mix it with water and wash with it, I'm told it works nicely.

For persistant body odor, you may be magnesium deficient. Try taking magnesium tablets and see if that helps over time. Some swear by it.

The granddaddy of them all, however, is an old Peruvian remedy. You only need to do this 4 times a year, thank God. Here are the ingredients if you are truly desperate: 1 cup syrup, 2 tbs. lemon, and 10 crushed fireflies. (Or for you Southerners, lightning bugs.) Apparently if you apply this mixture to the ol' pits and wrap it in Saran wrap for 30 minutes, you shower yourself to fresher underarms. They do suggest stocking up on the bugs for the winter months as they are hard to come by. This gets the gold medal in the gross category. Or shall I say "cate-GORY".

Whatever your preference, there is something satisfying in finding the natural way to solve life's little problems, no matter the odor! Overall, I suggest the lemon minus the lightnin' bugs. Unless you like glow-in-the-dark pits.

Homemade Baby Wipes - The Calendula Solution

I've done a couple entries in the past on homemade diaper wipes and diaper ointments. I'm always testing out new things, but I've been sticking with the same solution for some time now, so I figured it's time to share!

A friend of mine turned me on to calendula flowers, which are part of the marigold family. These flowers can be very soothing for irritated skin, and they also aid in healing. I learned to make my own calendula ointment, which I add to water for my baby's diaper wipes. Here's what I do:

Take about a cup of dried calendula. (Make sure it's truly calendula and not ordinary marigolds. I get mine from the health food store.) Place it in a clean jar, and cover it with olive oil. Cap the jar tightly. Every day for at least a week, turn the jar over a few times to help mix. After at least a week has passed, strain the oil through cheesecloth.

I add a couple tablespoons of this oil to about two cups of water. This water I keep by the changing table. On the changing table shelf is a basket full of those tiny baby washcloths. I just dunk one of those in my solution, and voila! A healthy baby butt, no chemicals!

Be careful - no double dipping. Besides, if you don't double dip, this solution is great for other wipe-ups as well. You know, that glob of dried sweet potato you find stuck to your baby's thigh. Or maybe a little patch of dry skin that could use some help. Okay, I admit - I've even used it as a sort of furniture polish to dust my baby's room. Totally nontoxic, and the olive oil is nice on the wood.

I've also been keeping an aloe plant on the dresser near the changing table. If my son's bottom does start showing a little more distress than usual, there's aid right there. Break off a little tip of the aloe leaf, squeeze out the jelly, and apply it to the irritated skin.

So there you have it - another option for taking care of your baby's backside! If you have any other natural remedies for rashes, or you make your own wipes, share here. I'd love to hear what other natural moms are doing.

Whistle While You Work - A Safer Solution to Clean

Cleaning takes on a whole new perspective to the first-time mommy, especially if she's health conscious about the products she uses. I've always been an advocate of chemical-free living, but waiting for the birth of our son, I saw even more cleaning products in our home I'd like to replace.

I was going through that big cleaning spurt that happens when you're in the last trimester and hardly able to move. I was scrubbing every square inch of anything sitting still and half the things that didn't. (Ah, the poor dogs.) Any fumes wafting from cleansers became even more of a nuisance to me than before pregnancy. When it came to polishing all the wood in the baby's room (and yes, I mean the picture frames too - it was a serious frenzy in there), I didn't want to use any old spray-on furniture polish filled with pretend lemon and something that smelled a little too close to airplane fuel. After doing a little digging, I found a very nice recipe for furniture polish that sent me into whole new ecstasies of dirt purging.

Here's what I use now: 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 Tbs. olive oil, 3 - 4 drops lemon oil or sweet orange oil. Put these in a container with a lid and shake until they're blended. Use a dry cotton cloth to apply and buff off. (After the baby's born, you can use some old cotton diapers if you have any. No lint!)

The vinegar in this solution is a nice cleansing agent, and the oils nourish the wood and leave a nice glow, as well as a fresh scent. Now that my son is old enough to pull himself up on everything and he finds my carved Asian rosewood chairs to be appetizing chewies, I'm glad he won't be ingesting any jet fuel-scented polish. All bite marks aside, my furniture glows! Now, wouldn't Donna Reed be envious?

The Well-Oiled Tushy - A Recipe for Baby's Bum

My son had been experiencing a slight case of diaper rash - nothing major. It seemed to be a run-of-the-mill case; red and irritated, sometimes sensitive to a wet diaper. But for some reason, I had quite a time of getting rid of it. I wanted to pass on to you some natural remedies I've uncovered. I started to see improvements, and it's great knowing there are ways to do it naturally, without any chemical-laden diaper rash treatments.

One thing that seems to offer an immediate feel-better solution is a simple oatmeal bath. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of uncooked oats right into baby's bathwater to ease skin irritations of all kinds, including diaper rash. I noticed this quick fix reduced the redness immediately. A few moments of splashing in the tub, and baby's backside is relieved.

Some parents swear by the hairdryer. Set at the lowest heat setting, it can be used to air out baby before putting on that new diaper. Airing out is a necessity for a healthy bottom, and the warm air is especially soothing this time of year.

I just made my own diaper ointment. It seems to work well for daily use. Simple, really. 1/2 cup olive or sweet almond oil, 3 drops lavender oil, 3 drops tea tree oil, 4 Tbs. water. Whisk it all together until it becomes opaque. Apply a small amount to baby; no double-dipping! It will ensure the oil remainds clean. Also, keep the oil covered when not in use. (This one smells really nice, too.)

There are several natural remedies out there for diaper rash, but these are just a few suggestions. If you have any of your own, add them to the comments box - I'd love to hear them and even try them out, because nothin's cuter than a baby butt!

More on Cradle Cap

Not too long ago, I posted an article on cradle cap. I had indicated that I started using pure liquid glycerin soap for my son's hair and that it was working very well. To update you, it's still impressing me as the best natural solution to washing baby's hair. Although it doesn't have a pretty perfume smell, the results are wonderful. Even better, the cradle cap is gone!

I was noticing no new buildup on my son's scalp, but the old buildup was still there. Afraid to scrape at it because it might hurt or make things worse, I was sort of hoping it would start coming out on its own during washings and combings. That didn't happen - until I found a finer baby comb. (Note: I didn't try to remove what was still attached to his scalp - only what was caught at the base of his hairs. Picking it off the scalp is not advised.)

The comb I'm using now has small closely-spaced teeth that, when I comb his hair, simply lifts off the old cradle cap buildup. I couldn't believe how much came up from his scalp from one combing. I washed his hair first to soften the scalp, towel dried until his hair stuck up like a baby orangutan, then gently combed his hair. I repeated that the next day, and to my surprise, his scalp is beautifully clean with nary a scalp crud to be found!

I just wanted to share this small victory with you, in the hopes that it will help any of you along who might be battling the same scaly little issue.

Note: I am sorry to say liquid glycerin does not work so well on adult hair. Imagining my own locks to resemble my son's gleaming tresses, I dumped some on my head and scrubbed away. When my husband returned from work, he took one look at my new do and asked, "What happened to you? You look like a shrub." I think I'll stick to Burt's Bees.

Cradle Cap Cures

Around here, I lovingly refer to this scaly issue as "cradle crap". Those little flaky, crusty pieces of skin clinging to your baby's otherwise perfect head can be really annoying. It usually shows up by three month of age and can occasionally last into the toddler years. What the heck is that stuff, anyway?

No one seems to agree on what causes it. Hormones from mommy, reactions to an immature digestive system - the list goes on. One thing experts agree on is it's not due to bad hygiene. My pediatrician assures me it's not dangerous. It rarely gets to be an extreme case. Mostly it's just an annoyance to parents who are constantly flicking little flakes out of baby hair. (Never peel them off, by the way. That can cause infection.)

There are some natural and safe ways to deal with cradle cap if you are tired of waiting it out. One way is to rub olive or vegetable oil onto your baby's scalp and put a hat on baby. Wait a few hours or overnight, then take a soft brush and gently brush the scalp. I tried olive oil with a couple drops of tea tree oil, and it did help. But washing it out is pretty tough.

Aloe gel is another solution. That too can be rubbed into the scalp and left on, same as the oil. It washes out cleaner. Although I haven't tried it, chamomile tea is said to work too. Just make up a cup, let it cool thoroughly, and use it as a rinse.

I mentioned in the last posting that I'd purchased pure glycerin soap. I washed my baby's hair with this mild liquid, and to my great surprise, his hair looked wonderful. It actually laid flat and didn't float away like the feathery hair of a Muppet puppet, as I am accustomed. It's so shiny and soft too. And although there are still signs of cradle cap, it looks much better. I plan on mixing a small bottle of the glycerin with a drop or two of the tea tree oil to use on cradle cappy days.

On the "don't" side of things, make sure you don't use dandruff shampoo or adult shampoo on your baby. Those are too harsh and can irritate the scalp rather than soothe it. Most of all, don't fret. It is a condition that usually clears up with time. If it looks like it's getting worse instead of better, though, do check with your pediatrician.

Do you have anything special you do for cradle cap? Let us know! Leave a comment or email me at themommyspot@gmail.com.

The Bottom Line on Homemade Wipes

I've been really curious about trying homemade baby wipes. I currently use the Kirkland brand from Costco, and although they're unscented with limited chemicals, it still bothers me that I don't really know what's in there. Not to mention the waste of throwing all those little pieces of paper away every day. I did a little research online, and all I was coming up with was slightly different versions of the same recipe. I considered just using water, but my son's bum is a wee bit red lately (probably from teething), and I felt he could use a little extra healing power. So, as I do with cooking recipes, I just altered it.

The original recipe calls for about 2 cups distilled water, 1/4 cup baby shampoo, and 1/4 cup baby oil. Most baby shampoos are also full of a lot of unnatural ingredients, and since my natural shampoo is in bar form, that ingredient was out the window. Most baby oils are mineral oils with a powder scent of some sort. Mineral oil, according to Wikipedia, is "a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline." No thanks there.

My improvisation was this: 2 cups distilled water, 1/4 cup Baby Bee Apricot Oil (from Burt's Bees), 1/4 cup liquid pure glycerin soap. I got the glycerin soap from my health food store. The way the recipes read, you're to cut a roll of good paper towel in half, take out the tube in the middle, and put the paper towel into one of your old baby wipes containers. (I found only about half the roll can fit in those at a time.) Then you pour the mixture over the paper towel, close the lid, and give it a shake. If you're into reducing waste and don't want to use the paper, you can invest in a few packs of plain cotton baby washcloths. I tried it with the paper towel this time, and if it works well for me, I'll invest in the cloths. It seems it will be worth it, as this one box of wipes cost me less than 30 cents!

My son's bum is already looking much better. I might cut down a little on the oil next time, but otherwise it seems fine. If anyone else has some homemade baby wipe tricks or recipes, let me know here, or email me at themommyspot@gmail.com. I'd love to hear more ideas!

Homemade Baby Food - Trick or Treat?

I remember seeing a scene in an old movie of a mother making baby food. She wore a printed dress, her hair was in a messy bun, and she smashed peas through a cone-shaped strainer. It looked like a whole lot of work. So when it came time to introduce my baby to solid foods, the first thing I wanted to do was run to Gerber. But then I thought again.

I have two dogs and two parrots. The parrots get an array of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. My dogs get a homemade concoction of meat and vegetables. Why would I stop when it comes to my child? I considered the organic baby foods I saw on the shelves at the store. And why not? Gerber has a whole line of organic, as do other big namebrands. But I couldn't get the notion out of my head that maybe I could make my own organic baby food. I headed for the internet.

I found a great website for making my own baby food. I've added the link to the sidebar for you. It tells you just what food can be fed to baby at any age, and it gives detailed instructions. If you start feeling creative, there are even recipes for blending different fruits or veggies together.

I started easy with some apples. I was surprised that it took very little time. With just a potato masher, the apples got to the consistency I felt comfortable with. After the apples, I tried banana, which is probably the easiest since no cooking is involved. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I moved on to pears, peas, and just yesterday, acorn squash. Okay, so the peas were really fussy. You have to get all those little guys out of their pods, and it takes a lot of pods to make just half a cup of food. (I swore I'd never do it again until my son gobbled them up faster than any of the other foods.) But that was the only tricky item so far. Most fruits and vegetables are simply steamed or boiled until they're soft. Then you just mash away or put them in a blender with a little liquid.

The website even has cost comparisons between homemade and store-bought. Or you can read up on health info or learn how to make your own teething biscuits. There are even freezing instructions, if you're so inclined.

I prefer fresh everything when I can. One good way to handle the extra time it takes is to simply add an extra pan to the stove when you're making dinner. So far, other than the pea experience, I haven't felt a dent into my busy schedule. And with a good website onhand to take out the guesswork, I'm actually having fun with it.

So if you're feeling a little adventurous, give it a go. You may find it's just as fun to make as it is for baby to eat!