If you’re not a parent who has caved and turned on the TV in a desperate search for sanity, you may not be familiar with the British cartoon, Peppa Pig. Since I am one of those parents, Abby has grown to love this cute cartoon character, and thus had a Peppa Pig-themed second birthday party. …
Lactation Cookies (Vegan & GF)
If you’re a breastfeeding mother, you might discover that your milk supply dips on occasion. As I mentioned in my Lactation 102: Improving Lactation post, there are certain foods that can help boost your milk supply. Among these foods are oats, flax seeds, and brewer’s yeast, which are all ingredients included in my lactation cookie recipe!…
Breastfeeding 102: Improving Lactation
As I mentioned in my Breastfeeding 101: Why and How post, the number one excuse I hear from women who gave up on breastfeeding was that they weren’t producing enough milk for their baby. Many times, a nurse or pediatrician even recommended they supplement with formula as a result.
Lactation works through supply and demand, so if you supplement with formula, your body will respond by producing less and less milk until you stop lactating altogether!…
Breastfeeding 101: Why and How
It’s now time for me to start my breastfeeding series, a continuation of my pregnancy series!
I’ve been putting this post off for a while now, because the topic of breastfeeding can be quite polarizing among mothers. On one end you find the die-hard breastfeeders, and on the other are the defensive formula users. …
Strawberry Smash Cake (Vegan & GF)
Yesterday my baby girl turned one year old, and I can’t believe it!
One year old already?! How did this happen?
In preparation for Abby’s birthday, I worked two weeks on a smash cake recipe that’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, dye-free, and refined sugar-free — and it was no easy task! I’ll admit I almost caved and added eggs and confectioner’s sugar, but I was determined to start Abby’s second year of life on the right foot.
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Super-Fruit Snacks
Now that Abby is almost one year old, I am constantly searching for nutritious finger foods to give her. There are several fruit snacks on the market, but they all have a long list of unnecessary ingredients that I don’t want to give to my baby. So I decided to roll up my sleeves, dust off my dehydrator, and pull out my food processor.
My goal was to create a nutritious snack that is high in vitamins and antioxidants, is naturally sweet, and is soft enough for a 6-toothed baby to chew. The fruit snacks I came up with contain superfruits goji berries and wild blueberries, in addition to apple and Chia seeds. They’re easy to make, and Abby loves them!
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DIY – Hand Sanitizer
During cold and flu season, many of us use hand sanitizer religiously. I keep a huge bottle on Abby’s changing table and a small bottle in her diaper bag. You just never know when you’re going to need to wash your hands, and you can’t always count on being close to a sink.
The commercial hand sanitizers contain alcohol in high amounts, which can be dangerous if ingested by small children. They also may contain potentially harmful chemicals such as fragrances and dyes, which simply aren’t necessary….
DIY: Hand Salve & Eczema Lotion
Why I Don’t Feed My Baby Rice Cereal
If you have ever had a baby, you probably received a pamphlet or read books about how and when to start feeding your baby solid food. In my experience, most pediatricians and nutritionists recommend starting your baby on iron-fortified rice cereal between 4 and 6 months of age. The reason for this suggestion is that a) rice is the food that is least likely to cause an allergic reaction, b) rice is fairly easy for immature organs to digest, and c) babies only have enough iron stored up from being in utero to last them 6 months, and they do not get enough from breast milk. …