Great Gift Ideas for Pregnant Women and New Moms

* Gifts for Green Moms

BOOKS

Becoming a Baby by William F. Supple, Jr.

For the soon-to-be mom who is into her pregnancy, Becoming a Baby by William F. Supple, Jr., Ph.D is an informative book that has somehow flown under the radar. Sized to easily fit in a purse, this book is a day to day account of how your baby is developing from conception to birth.

Each day includes:

• what the baby/fetus looks like described in words like 'about the size of a blueberry' for Day 36 or in inches, ounces and pounds;
• a black and white image of the embryo/fetus/baby;
• how the embryo/fetus/baby is developing--Day 110 reads, "As you can see [in the image] the baby's legs are developed and muscular enough to generate quite a kick. If you haven't felt kicks yet you will soon. Salivary glands are functional;"
• tips for mom--Day 92 reads, "Scientists have shown that maternal sensitivity and affection have their roots in pregnancy. In other words, many mothers already love their babies--intensely--before they ever see them. . .").

We found this book by chance early in my first pregnancy. I ended up either scanning pages or typing info from each day and sending daily emails to all the eager soon-to-be grandparents, friends and family. The second time around I was able to give my oldest daughter a visual presentation of the invisible, kicking being in mommy's 'baby belly.'

Love this little book!

The Happiest Baby on the Block, by Harvey Karp, M.D.

This book was lent to me on a whim and ended up getting us through the first 3 months with daughter #1. It gives excellent, time-tested ideas for calming newborns and helping them sleep. One thought that made perfect sense is that newborns need a '4th trimester.' After being attached to mom for 9 months, there can be a definite separation anxiety. Every one of their senses is being stimulated in a different way than what they've been used to. It's this stimulation that perhaps causes stress and colic. Transitioning our infants into the world is a compassionate act which can ease the 'new addition' transition for the rest of the family as well. You wouldn't think you'd need someone to tell you these mothering secrets, but this book can be a real lifesaver. You get immediate results which in turn gives a post-partum mother great confidence in her new role.

*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, by Le Leche League International &

*The Nursing Mother’s Companion, by Kathleen Huggins, RN, MS

For the first-time, soon-to-be mom who’s planning to breastfeed or the seasoned nursing mother who is again adding to the family, these are must have reference books. I know that I opened them daily in those newborn months and then was relieved to have them months later as the breastfeeding relationship developed. Great for answering quick, ‘is this normal’ questions as well as giving strategies for more serious situations (i.e. breast infections, an infant with slow weight gain). Definite books to have on hand in the breastfeeding household!

Breastfeeding--can you get any more green?

*Mothering Magazine

For green moms, for older moms, for younger moms, for soon-to-be moms, for moms that think out of the box and for moms who just consider it, for moms that simultaneously love and hate motherhood—for moms that love their kids—this magazine is for you! Check out the website for articles, recipes, events and subscription information: www.mothering.com.

My Very First Years, A Baby Record Book, by Michal Sparks

Given to me by my mother, this book was not an exciting gift for me. It looked like work, which I had enough of at the time. I dutifully entered in family tree names, dates of first teeth, first words, and all the other traditional milestones. Eventually I really began enjoying adding to this book. I envisioned my daughter much older reading about her childhood (it records the first five years)—but honestly, my attention to detailed entries was motivated by the image of her as a mother looking to compare her infancy to her child’s. It wasn’t until my second daughter was born that I really began to appreciate this book. I tried to find one that I like better to no avail. I purchased My Very First Years for my second daughter and have enjoyed journaling her rites of passage. It’s well laid out and contains space for everything you can think of-–even for a lock of hair from the first hair cut!

BABY PRODUCTS

*g-Diapers

www.gdiapers.com

Discovered by my green friend, this hybrid diaper is what I like to call a ‘transitional solution’ to the diapering dilemma. Cloth or disposable? Cloth uses a lot of water, disposables take 500 years to decompose. But lets be frank, besides the environment, the issue is time and energy. Talk to the mother of a newborn and ask her if she’d like to soak, wash and double rinse cloth diapers everyday. She’ll probably laugh between nursing and nodding off. If she’s green she’ll probably say, ‘I hate it! But I do it.” G-diapers are better. Better than disposables. Better than cloth. They consist of a washable, cotton diaper cover (what they call ‘pants’), a snap in liner and a flushable—yes, flushable!—‘insert.’ What are they made of? This is copied from the g-diapers website:

The materials in ‘little g’ pants, liners and flushables are designed with comfort and dryness in mind. Flushables are made of a water resistant, breathable outer material that keep bottoms dry and wetness away. It is made of all natural fiber and is 100% biodegradable. The interior uses elemental chlorine-free tree farmed fluff pulp and Super Absorbing Poly-acrylate to absorb wetness. These super absorbing lock away cells hold up to 100 times their weight in liquid.

Snap-in liners are made of breathable polyurethane coated nylon, not pvc like many diaper covers. They are easy to change and rinse out. Our liners are also breathable which helps prevent diaper rash.

Our ‘little g’ pants are made of a soft, breathable outer cotton/elastene fabric giving them a slight stretch.

You’re hands get a little dirty fiddling around with the insert (but much less involved than with cloth diapers)—it isn’t as easy as just flushing it down. You have to open it (to do so is easy—and on the least messy parts of the insert) and break it up in the toilet (they come with a ‘swish stick’), then flush. The beauty of these inserts is that they compost! That cuts out a lot of time standing in front of the toilet ‘swishing.’ Swish the poopy, compost the pee pee. And the covers can be laundered normally—no special technique needed.

Like I said, a ‘transitional solution.’ Perfect for the motivated green soul—willing to put in some extra effort—even when downright exhausted. Until solutions become easy or mandatory, changes will be made only by those who feel convicted.

The G-diaper shop offers a 'g Baby Shower Gift' for $89.99. It includes 3 diapers (called 'pants' on the site), liners, a case (plus 10) of inserts, a swish stick and a users guide. Everything you'd need to get started!

*Bubble-B-Gone, by Nature's Answer

It’s inevitable, no matter how sharply you watch your diet, your newborn will get uncomfortably, perhaps painfully, gassy. A more natural alternative is this glycerite tincture of chamomile, fennel, catnip and lemon balm--all herbs traditionally used on infants to ease gas pains and colic. Bubble-B-Gone works wonders, but not as well as avoiding onions, broccoli, cabbage and cabbage family vegetables.

*Hyland’s Teething Tabs

Another beautiful, soothing product. Hyland’s Teething Tabs were my first introduction to homeopathy. I’ve seen results, repeatedly! So much so that product is always added to my baby shower gifts. Truly, within 10 minutes the baby is comfortable. And they’re all natural (get the tabs, the gel contains parabens).

*Little Sprouts, boar bristle hair brush

A really nice, non-plastic, gift for an infant to use throughout childhood. Can be passed down or saved for future generations. Made of all natural materials, boar bristles are known to keep scalp and hair naturally moisturized. Find at http://www.beautyneeds.com/beauty/boarbrush.html .

My daughter is almost 3 with hair past the middle of her back (and a super sensitive scalp!). I find this brush eases out the knots. I use it first and then comb gently. For my infant, it's just a perfect brush--soft but still stimulating to the skin.

*Ecobaby Kimono Onesies

My first baby was fussy! Completely and utterly. I had three of these onesies. I always knew where they were, too, making sure I had one on hand for the days/times I needed to buffer stressful situations (like over-the-head dressing). Lay the baby down, arms in, tie on the sides, snap the bottom, everyone is happy! And they’re wonderfully soft, organic cotton. I bought more for baby #2.

http://www.ecobaby.com/catalog/product.asp?pf_id=pc802wp

*Organic Moses Basket

If cost is not an option, the Organic Moses Basket is both practical and luxurious. Find one made in the USA to be sure it hasn’t been sprayed. Beautifully and naturally made, newborn baby will fit snuggly in this basket which can then be set near mom. Minimally cumbersome to move from room to room, this basket creates a worry-free space for a sleeping baby. Our little ones used it for the first 3 months (. . . it was a gift. I still don't know if the cost justifies the functionality--I'd be fine with setting my infants in a blanketed drawer for the few times a day they were set down!). With conscientious keeping, it may see our grandchildren.

Does Your Baby Get Eczema?

In lieu of a mass campaign for a healthy, non-toxic, chemical-free lifestyle, my daughter developed itchy patches on her arms and wrists at age 3 months. The physician said that, because it was January, my baby's skin was affected by the difference in the humidity level inside versus the humidity level outside. His exact words were, 'put as much cream on as you want, it's not going to do anything. . .'

After 2 1/2 years of these 'itchy spots' getting progressively worse (it now being June and they are larger, stay for longer, and are much more irritating) I'm calling it eczema. As her itching has increased, so has my concern. What is causing this? Most cases respond to dietary changes such as avoiding wheat or pasteurized milk products--none of which she consumes. It was amid one of my researching spells that I was introduced to the book Clean Up Your Green Up.

Clean Up Your Green Up is written by a mother who found herself in a toxin-free home with a 2 month old infant suffering from eczema (sound familiar? You're not alone!!). She came upon a site called SolveEczema.org. This site is run by yet another mother in the same situation. This mother realized that detergents were causing her child's discomfort. Makes sense, right? That's why they have baby laundry detergents. Come to find out that it's not just laundry detergent. . .it's all detergents! . . .dish detergent, dishwasher powder, all cleaning detergents, bar 'soap,' shampoo, etc. And not just on baby--on mom, on dad, on pets. It has to do with the chemical composition of detergents.

This post formerly stated that "a detergent contains ingredients, like sodium laureth sulfate, which when examined under a microscope look like little needles. Soap examined in the same way looks like little round globules." This is in fact erroneous. A.J. Lumsdaine, the creator of SolveEczema.org, pointed out this error and kindly commented that, "The underlying reason that detergents cause the eczema, to my understanding, has to do with how detergents affect the permeability of the skin membrane. This essentially comes from the comparatively greater hydrophilic properties of detergents, not their shape."

I have since read an excerpt from Bioengineering of the Skin: Skin Surface Imaging and Analysis by Klaus-Peter that states the following:

"Detergents may affect the skin in various ways, and the targets [that] detergents attack are various kinds of skin cellular components. Detergents dissolve membranes of keratinocytes and lysosomes at higher doses, while they affect primarily the horny layer [of the skin] and produce drying and scaling at low doses. The former mechanism causes acute irritant dermatitis, while the latter causes chronic irritant dermatitis, or non-erythematous irritation."

"When detergents are applied repeatedly at low doses, the adsorbed [adsorb - accumulate on the surface] detergents remain on the surface of the skin even after repeated rinsing, and cause skin roughness."

"Although both detergency of surfactants [i.e. sodium lauryl sulfate] and skin irritancy are complex phenomenon, they are thought to be closely related, for example, penetration of detergents through a dirty substance and permeation. . . of them on the skin, emulsifying/dispersing effects to the removal of the soils and to the removal of lipids and hygroscopic materials from stratum corneum."[In other words, detergent will treat your skin the same way it'll treat a dirty shirt.]

It seems that the properties that make detergents so wonderful to clean our laundry wreak havoc on our skin. In essence, detergents strip away oils (again, great for clothes!) from the skin that naturally protect, at the same time negatively impacting components of the skin's structure. These factors increase skin permeability, making it ultrasensitive to minor irritants. Combined with the already sensitive immune system of a child, this is a perfect recipe for inflamed skin.

It's mentioned that women of the '60's were under extreme pressure to keep their houses spotless--much more so than women of today. Yet, with all their scrubbing and cleansing and sanitizing, why was the occurrence of eczema minimal? It wasn't until the late 1960's that detergents were introduced into household cleaning products. Unlike today, soap was still readily available to purchase for laundering baby clothes (surprise! Dreft is a detergent.) and detergents weren't yet added to personal care products.

If you're looking to find relief for your child's eczema, this might be an avenue to explore. To de-commercialize your cleaning supplies will be means enough to call yourself a GREEN PARENT! And bonus--it'll save tons of money.

I'm 3/4ths of the way through the transition. I've settled on a laundry soap recipe that works (even for my husband's stinky pits! Don't tell him I said that!) and am perfecting a dishwasher powder recipe. I haven't done the math, but it seems like I can get 4 times as much product for the same price as a box of the commercial product. And I find comfort in knowing exactly what's in my soaps.

Green Up Your Clean Up is a great guide to cleaning with non-toxic products. It's full of recipes, ideas, and green product suggestions. It's user friendly layout is helpful to use while working.

To give you an idea of what the recipes are like, here is my version of Laundry Soap, adapted from Green Up Your Clean Up:

LAUNDRY SOAP

• 1/8 cup liquid castile soap
• 2 tablespoons Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Turn on warm water cycle and add soap and washing soda. Let warm water run for a few minutes to help dissolve soap and soda. Change water temperature applicable to load. During the rinse cycle, add 1/4 cup of vinegar (which aids in rinsing residue as well as softening clothing).
Hang clothes outside for a scent that commercial detergents can only dream to capture!

Make Your Own--Natural, Non-toxic, Herbal Lip Balm

Did you know that cherry Chapstick contains ingredients linked to cancer? Check it out on Skin Deep's website.

Know what's protecting your lips by making your own lip balm. Kids will love it too! Be a GREEN PARENT and reuse old lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss containers while making this natural lip balm with the kids.

Got girls? Alkanet root imparts a pink to red coloring to the balm also offering protective, emollient properties. The longer it's simmered, the richer the red will be. Find it in a local herb shop or online (Mountain Rose Herbs). Perfect for little ladies!

Adapted from Rosemary Gladstar's recipe:

INGREDIENTS

makes approx. 4 oz

• 3/4 tsp alkanet root (optional)
• any emollient herb (calendula blossom, chamomile blossom, plantain leaf, etc)
  
• 1/2 cup almond or grapeseed oil
• 1/8 cup beeswax
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• essential oil to taste, start with a few drops (vanilla, mints, orange are pleasant)
• Containers - clean and recycle used lipstick, gloss, and/or chapstick tubes/tins or purchase new (The Ponte Vedra Soap Company). Will need roughly 16 - 1/4 oz containers.
  
• a small funnel (not absolutely necessary, but very helpful for filling tubes)
  
  
  

If using alkanet, simmer the root in the oil over low heat in a double boiler (make one by using a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan filled with 1" - 2" of water. The bowl should be above the water, not in it.) for about 15-20 minutes or until the oil has become a reddish black color. The deeper the color the redder your lip balm. Strain through a double layer of cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer. If using other emollient herbs, simmer in oil in the double boiler over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Add beeswax, honey and essential oil then taste test. Test for consistency by putting a dime size drop of the mixture on a plate and putting it in the freezer for 3 minutes. If the sample is too hard, add more oil; if it's too soft, add more beeswax.

Pour into containers. If the lip balm starts to cool and harden, clinging to the pot, just reheat. Let cool completely before capping containers.