A Green Environment for Your New Baby

A new baby is a beautiful and indescribable blessing to any family. Months of preparation and anticipation lead up to the climactic birth day. All is well it seems, mother and baby are doing wonderfully and in a day or two will head home. From the warm, safe, and very recognizable to the baby, environment of moms womb, what environment, what cocoon will provide your baby safety from here on out?

At home your baby may be faced with an endless array of gifts from family, friends and coworkers that are not safe. Unless you specify during pregnancy that your baby will be wrapped in only safe 100% cotton organic materials you may receive gifts in blankets and crib materials that will not be supportive for a newborn. Let people know early on your preferences for organic and green. This will ensure safe and cozy crib bedding for your sweet baby. Why cotton and why organic?

Certain clothes, especially permanent press, wrinkle free and water resilient fabrics are dipped or sprayed in formaldehyde, which is also used as embalming fluid. Many fabrics on sofas, chairs and carpets are preserved with harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has some alias names to look for: Formalin, Methanal, Methyl aldehyde, Methylene oxide, Morbicid acid and Oxymethylene.

In any home, and especially next to the baby in the crib or anywhere in nursery decor, the materials will have a direct impact on the health and long term safety of a small child. Remember that when formaldehyde or other fabric-preservatives are in conjunction with synthetic materials, or even on top of so-called natural materials derived from plants that are pesticide sprayed, you have the ingredients for a toxic soup.

With constant contact, any person, and especially a small person will acquire sensitivities. These sensitivities are actually meant to be a warning signal that something is not right, to look at what is happening and make changes for the better.

There is no need for scare tactics; it is enough to say that reactions are not what you want for a newborn infant or any person. It is enough said that an allergic reaction can appear as benign as a slight skin rash, or unbearable dermatitis. Allergies can also come on unexpectedly as a life threatening asthma attack or anaphylactic shock.

The best way to insure a healthy environment for the entire home, starting with baby is fine though, is to buy 100% cotton, organic and from a reputable company. There are many listed in the green directories, online and most search engines

It is most crucial when it comes to small children and older seniors to stop all contact with the irritant causing the allergy. It is known in the healing community that a little goes a long way with both the old and the young, whether it is good or bad.

First of all you must stop all contact with the irritant whether it is a food, a fabric, an environmental contaminant such as air, water, etc. This is most crucial when dealing with allergic reactions suffered by the very young or the very old.

Minerals and enzymes, found naturally in raw or lightly cooked foods, are the beginning building blocks to life. Although proteins are considered body building blocks, the body cannot assimilate protein and properly utilize it effectively without minerals and enzymes. The body is equipped with digestive juice factories. Some are located in the mouth, some in the stomach, some juices that digest travel from the liver and pancreas through the hepatopancreatic duct to supply digestive help in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.

Over time, when a person does not eat mineral and enzyme rich foods, the bodys built in enzyme-producing factories run out of those necessary enzymes. At this point the human body begins showing signs such as allergies or early aging; then, it is important that 75% – 80% of all foods ingested should be raw or lightly cooked.

Not only during times of allergy outbreak, I recommend that dairy be avoided completely, along with any food that looks white or colorless, processed meats canned or pre-packaged foods and sugars. In addition, having a good naturopath or nutritional counselor will create the support the parent needs to do the right thing for children who struggle with allergies.

Creating Green Environments is going to be our best ally for the future. Begin small and add something healthy and organic to your home each month. Eating whole and natural creates whole Human Beings. Expectant parents should begin now. Start by throwing out dead foods and replace them one by one with live food. Get older children involved in the making-home-green process. As they grow they will carry good habits forward.

Each baby is a new beginning for a family. Make it a fresh start for new and healthy resolutions for your sweet family. Look for whole and green everywhere. Live for the next generations to ensure they also have a lush green earth to enjoy.

Ellen Valentine is a nutritionist and naturopath dedicated to organic living. Organics today, a Green Earth tomorrow Live Wholly and Well. Organics today, a Green Earth tomorrow