Alright, my friend, we are keeping today’s blog post short ‘n’ sweet and to the point!
While I normally like to write longggggg, heavily reserached blog posts— today is more of a “real life” rapid-fire list of 6 holistic things I do every single day for my baby!
I am officially 8 months into motherhood (HOW), and here are the small [more crunchy😂] things I prioritize in taking care of my little love!
As always, this is not medical advice. I know every kiddo is different, and this is just what works for *us* 🙂
infant foot massage:
every single day (often multiple times per day!) I will rub Miles’ feet. This simple practice helps to stimulate acupressure/reflexology points, is shown to help support sleep, & can help reduce gas (honestly this part is wild… I swear he will always let out a toot when I hit the “digestive” points😂)
natural teething relief:
as Miles enters teething territory, I have been freezing small chunks of my breastmilk in a unique ice tray mold and putting them in a silicone feeder so that he can “chew” on the hard milk while the cold milk soothes his gums, annnd it’s just sneaking in a little extra breastmilk in the process👏🏼he loves this! it’s like a lil baby popsicle 🥹
staying hydrated
ok this one is more about me, but I am really invested in the quality (and quantity) of my breast milk I make for my lil bub 🥰 this is a “duh”, but there’s a tangible difference in how much milk I produce based on how hydrated I am. I’ve noted having 1-2 electrolyte packets per day with my water helps me to produce even more milk than when I just have water alone.
nontoxic products on his skin:
just like I am intentionally using nontoxic products in my own life, I am very intentional about the soaps, creams, lotions, laundry detergents, etc, I use with moe.
i do my best to avoid any unnecessary chemicals, toxins, or fragrances— and his skin is so healthy!
(If you want nontoxic products for your baby’s bath & skin, look no further. This one set has everyyyything ya need for nontoxic baby skincare — and it’s at a discount 🙂 I really recommend this! It includes a baby bar, baby oil, and baby balm to keep your little one clean with high-quality products. This is everything I use on my baby’s skin! Coupon: KATE10)
limit plastic exposure:
similar to above, I want to reduce toxin & micro plastic exposure as much as I can (of course without being overly obsessive about it). This looks like using glass bottles for breastmilk, more wood-or-fabric based toys, using silicone teethers, feeding supplies, etc.
quality solids:
On his 6 month bday, we started his first food ever— mashed avocados! For me, food is SUCH a love language, and it has been really fun (and sometimes stressful, lol) learning to nourish him in this stage! Overall, my vibes with feeding my kids? being chill & flexible…. but also INTENTIONAL!
While I am in no way trying to be “perfect”, I am trying to *nourish* him & his growing brain, body, and development! I want to make the most of this crucial window where his taste buds are developing— but also leave room for imperfection, flexibility, and, um, life, along the way! (I could talk so much more about this!)
While I ultimately plan to go with the baby-led weaning approach long-term, I intuitively felt most comfortable with purees & soft foods in these early stages 🙂
After A LOT of research, this specific brand had the highest quality, and the best nutrient profile I found for baby purees (I specifically get their meat pouches!). Beautiful grass-fed, pasture-raised meats & organic veggies, spices, etc. The ingredients are SO pure, straightforward, and a beautiful option for nourishing foods in a pinch! This is NOT sponsored— I bought these with my own money and I reached out to them, but they were nice enough to share an affiliate code!
Enter “KATE15” for 15% off their delicious, nourishing kid food and baby purees!
less baths:
Okay, honesty hour— we only bathe miles about once per week (obv more if he needed it!) but, in general, I believe less is more! (Fun fact: we didn’t give him his first bath after birth until he was 10 days old!). Baby’s skin is so sensitive & developing its own microflora. If we do need to bathe him more (messy mealtime for example…), we will often just use water (no soap). Too frequent of baths and use of soap can be irritating to the skin & disrupt the bacterial balance. Obviously every situation is different, but this is just what we do!
okay, that’s a wrap! 🥰
as always, I acknowledge EVERY baby & situation is different— this is just what *i* am doing!
You do you, mama!
-Kate
PS: If you liked this post, I think you’d love My Holistic Baby Registry (this is every last thing I bought for Miles— with an emphasis on nontoxic, quality products!)
Source link: https://thefoundationblog.com/blog/holistic-things-to-do-for-your-baby by Kate Eskuri at thefoundationblog.com