You Are Reading This Because You Want to Raise Children and a Family Naturally.

Let’s say you are in the preconception or early pregnancy stage of parenting.  What are some of the best ways to get started on the natural family path from the beginning?

It Starts With Food

It might sound obvious to say that the main reason people rely on medicine is poor health, yet to many people good health is a mystery and ill health seems to strike randomly.  Almost eighty years ago a dentist name Dr. Weston Price traveled to various primitive people groups around the world searching for their secret to radiant health and near perfect teeth.  The most striking and consistent thing he discovered was that as long as they were eating their native diets, they were healthy overall and had very little dental problems.  But once they switched to the modern diet, which was high in refined flour and sugar, it didn’t take long for their teeth and health to suffer, and it got worse with each generation.  Also interesting were the difficulties women on the new diets had in childbirth. Today degenerative diseases run rampant, and a good argument can be made that our modern diet leaves much to be desired.  Begin by educating yourself on what real healthy eating means, and start putting what you learn into practice no matter what age you and your children are.  We know it is hard due to time constraints in modern life, and the quick availability of an early meal.  Many will even say “Hey, you aren’t going to live forever.”  This is fine for those who are not real concerned with their own health or their children’s health.  All we can tell you are tips on the way to raise children healthier.  What you do from there is on your own.

Consider giving birth at home

The way a child enters the world has profound implications on how the child develops.  If you want your child to grow up natural, what better way than to welcome him into the world in the most natural way possible, in the comfort and privacy of your own home?  In addition to the birth, a home birth midwife can give excellent prenatal care, and often, she will use natural remedies to treat the various complaints of pregnancy.  She can also help you keep on track with eating well.  This is not for everyone, but it is a good start for the die hard natural parents.

If you’re having a boy, don’t circumcise him

Circumcision (other than for religious conviction) is unnecessary and can be harmful. At the least, it’s elective cosmetic surgery. Most experts now agree that routine circumcision is inappropriate. There is nothing dirty or shameful about your baby’s anatomy.

Once your baby is born, you could use cloth diapers in combination with some elimination communication.  From birth, your baby can control his toileting functions.  Even if you’re only doing EC part time, each time baby pees or poops in the potty, that’s one less diaper you have to wash.  When you do use diapers, buy or make cloth diapers.  If you want to go further, use an all-natural soap to launder them.  Going natural and green is not the easiest thing to do we admit, but your life will be so much more rewarding.

Even more important than diaper choice is how you feed your baby.  To raise a baby naturally, you will normally choose to breastfeed the baby naturally.  You are probably well aware of the many benefits babies (and moms) gain from breastfeeding.  One of the interesting and not totally understood benefits is that the suckling action helps the child’s jaw grow properly, which can save you a mint in future orthodontic bills.  We will get into more benefits in this site.

Once you have decided to be a natural parent and raise your kids that way, we suggest you keep your entire family and life green if you can.  Being a natural person is a natural extension of being a natural parent, and the way to do that is to be as green as possible.

As you family grows practice the 3 R’s together.

The three R’s of environmentalism are reduce, reuse, and recycle. They are important for green natural families to know and consider in daily life as they often serve as the foundation for green goals and family ideals. All three of them should be considered whenever we take out the trash or buy new products for the home.

Reducing basically means eliminating things you don’t need to; making less garbage. When making purchases it is important to determine if the products you are buying are really necessary. Many times we tend to find that we buy many luxury items along side the necessities. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself occasionally but as a rule simplicity is better.  If you do decide to buy, you can still reduce your landfill contribution buy electing to buy products that will last for a long time or have another use later on.

Purchasing reusable items that need not be thrown away is another great way to avoid landfill waste.  It is environmentally reckless to use disposable products that can only be used once before being thrown away.  This puts a burden on our planetary resources and creates needless waste.

Recycling is the process by which materials are collected and used as a basis for new products or materials. Recycling items that you would otherwise throw away reduces landfill waste and helps us conserve energy and money.  Buying products made from post consumer recycled materials encourages more recycling.

Here are some of the ways that green families can practice what we call the 3 R’s:

• Use dishes, flatware, and glasses instead of their disposable counterparts.
• Set out cloth napkins for family meals.
• Use cloth diapers and cloth baby wipes.
• Start a compost pile for kitchen scraps.
• Ask yourself if that item your buying is a necessity or a luxury.
• Donate toys and clothes you no longer have a use for to others.
• Instead of buying new, check out second hand stores, thrifts or online message boards like Craigslist and Freecycle.
• Start an organic garden to reduce your grocery bill and time spent shopping.
• Buy rechargeable batteries.
• Use solar or self-powered devices
• Invest in reusable shopping bags.
• Join a book or clothing swap.
• Recycle your old cell phones and eyeglasses.
• Use paper scraps and old magazines for kids craft projects.
• Don’t purchase greeting cards and invitations from the store, send digital invites and greetings instead.
• Use worn out clothing and make a memory quilt that will be treasured for generations to come.

Enjoy reading more of the articles on this site, and happy parenting!