Elimination Communication

Elimination communication (EC) is something I first heard about not too long ago. Monday I checked a book out from our library because I wanted to know more. It's "The Diaper Free Baby" by Christine Gross-Loh. The general idea is that babies are born with the instinct not to soil themselves and we can learn to communicate with them about their toileting needs, like reading their hunger cues.

EC involves observing your baby's body language and patterns, cueing your baby (holding your baby in a certain position and making a certain sound that she associates with peeing or pooping), and changing her as soon as possible after a miss so she doesn't get used to sitting in a wet or dirty diaper. Some people start EC at birth, while many start at around three to eight months.

If EC sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to read this book and read it now. I enjoyed it and it made a lot of sense. I only wish I'd heard about this when Jesse was younger. He just turned 2, so it's a little late to start EC (at least as described in the book). I'm planning to try a modified version tomorrow. I was telling hubby about EC the other night when he interrupted me and said "Before you go any further, we're not having another baby just so you can try this." I laughed and told him that's not why I want another one!

Simplicity

Our living room was hit by Hurricanes Olivia and Jesse for the umpteenth time. They have accumulated LOTS of toys in their short lives. We surveyed the damage and cleaned up the debris with a large dust pan (bought just for that purpose). We scooped up stuff and deposited it in storage buckets. We corralled all the ping pong balls and golf balls. We reshelved books. Meanwhile, we had a discussion about which toys seemed to be their favorites. We've discovered that the best toys are the simplest ones - things like balls, blocks, boxes, trucks, and dolls.

We got a new freezer the other day. One of its best features was the box it came in. First it was a post office. Now it's a house for the kids. Olivia takes wonderful care of her baby doll, while Jesse drives trucks around the living room. They both love blocks. And Jesse is obsessed with balls. "Ball" was his second word ("Mama" was his first).

Last week we went to the recreation center for a puppet show, only to discover the schedule had changed. The presentation was now a geography lesson by "Professor World." You see where this is going, right? We walked in to find a 4-foot globe. Jesse pointed to it and exclaimed "Ball!" He does the same thing in the produce section. They're not cantaloupes, oranges, apples, and onions. As far as he's concerned, they're all balls.

For birthdays and "just because," Olivia and Jesse have received tons of fancy toys that light up, make noise, spin around, and do other silly things. They play with them a little, the novelty wears off, and they're banished to the toy shelves. There they sit, played with once in a blue moon, while the boxes they came in are worn out from play. I try to keep this in mind when I give gifts. For her first birthday, I gave my niece some books and edible treats (snacks saved her mom some grocery money and didn't take up room in the house for very long). For her second birthday, I gave her a bath towel with her name embroidered on it and a dress.

Stick with B's and you can't go wrong - books, balls, blocks, and boxes.

Off to a Good Start

I recently read "The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood" by William Sears, M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., James Sears, M.D., and Robert Sears, M.D. I was in the middle of it when I came across this article which states that 18.4% of 4-year-olds in the United States are obese. 4-year-olds!

Although "The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood" is directed to parents (particularly those with young children), the information put forth would be beneficial to everyone. At the beginning of the book, the authors list 10 changes every family must make. The rest of the book is devoted to explaining how and why to make these changes. I've listed them below, along with some examples.

1. Shape young tastes early.
2. Feed your family the right carbs. (fruits, beans, peas, nut butters, soy foods, veggies, whole grains, yogurt)
3. Feed your family the right fats. (avocado, flaxseed oil, nut butters, nuts, olive oil, seafood, seeds)
4. Feed your children grow foods. (avocados, beans, blueberries, eggs, flaxseed meal, nuts, oatmeal, salmon, spinach, tofu, tomatoes, yogurt)
5. Feed your family fill-up foods. (apples, beans, beef, cheese, cherries, eggs, fish, grapes, nuts, oatmeal, olive oil, oranges, salads, soybeans, vegetables, whole-grain breads and pasta)
6. Begin the day with a brainy breakfast. (A brainy breakfast includes protein, fiber-filled carbs, omega-3 fats, and minerals such as calcium and iron.)
7. Raise a grazer.
8. Feed your child's immune system. (chili peppers, cold-water fish, flaxseed oil, fruits, olive oil, nuts, spices, vegetables, whole grains, wild game meats)
9. Raise a lean family. Get active as a family.
10. Teach your children to be wise supermarket shoppers. (mainly shop the perimeter, buy whole grains, buy mostly grow foods, read labels carefully)

The authors note that by not feeding your children anything containing high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils ("trans fats"), or any color additive with a number symbol attached to it (e.g., blue #1, yellow #5, red #40), you'll have gone 90% of the way toward de-junking your child's diet.

You can find a wealth of information at http://www.askdrsears.com/.