WebMD reports that babies given acetaminophen in the first year of life have a 46% increased risk of asthma. It’ also increases eczema, and runny nose/itchy eyes. Click here for the full article.
One of the main reasons it’s given to babies is for teething pain. There are many alternative safe teething remedies. We have them posted here- just search teething in our search bar.
Doesn’t the title of this post sound so yummy? Well I try not to laugh, because my toddler LOVES his broccoli water! When you boil vegetables, lots of the vitamins end up in the cooking water because they are water soluble. So, save that water! You can strain it and put it in a cup for baby to drink right away (my baby loves warm drinks!), or refrigerate it to add it to soups or smoothies later. It can also be used to “thin” other vegetables that you puree. And remember to always serve your baby’s veggies with a little fat (butter or olive oil) so he can absorb the fat soluble vitamins!
Did you know if you adopt a baby you can breastfeed him or her? It’s wild but true, and totally amazing. Turns out that your breasts just need sucking stimulation to produce milk- no pregnancy necessary! For a great article on how to prepare your body to nurse your new baby, click here.
Aren’t our bodies incredible? This blows me away. If you’re adopting, breastfeed! If you know someone who is adopting, spread the word! This is a little known fact, and one that needs to be shared.
Wow- did you know that the American Association of Pediatrics recently changed its stance on food colorings and preservatives? It’s true- they now agree with what many of us moms already know- artificial flavors and dyes in our children’s food increase hyperactivity, depression and behavioral problems in children and could be linked to other illnesses such as chronic ear infections and asthma. For a great article on the subject of diet for behavior modification in children, click here.
What can you do to decrease your child’s consumption of non-food, aka artificial ingredients?
Think outside the box! (or bun, or bag, or package of Blue’s Clue’s Mac&Cheese)
For years I searched for the answer to my skin breakouts, and since I believed dermatologists and beauty magazines assertions that “what you eat has nothing to do with your skin” I tried anything and everything. Seriously: extremely harsh prescriptions, antibiotics (needed to be taken for life), crazy 3 step skin care regimens, peels, scrubs, new pillowcases every night, you name it, I tried it- unless it was diet related. Then I found Dr. Nicholas Perricone and the wisdom he had to offer! Here was a dermatologist on the Upper East Side of Manhattan saying that what you put in your body has everything to do with the health of your skin! Of course since then most people have wisened up and recommend eating cleaner for healthier skin, but Dr. Perricone gives us exact foods to eat and recommendations for clear, vibrant, radiant skin.
It was in his book The Perricone Prescription that I happened on a little factoid that changed my life- dairy may cause breakouts. What? Why had I never heard of this? Sure enough, I removed dairy from my diet and within a week my skin started clearing up completely. If only I had known this while I was modeling full time, it would have saved me from many worried filled nights before big photo-shoots! (I painfully remember showing up to film an Oxy commercial with the biggest zit I’d ever had. Everyone on set was laughing at the irony…must have been that Ben & Jerry’s I was somewhat addicted to!) These days of motherhood I have a lot less time to spend on my skin care routine (and by less time I mean sometimes i wear the same make up for a week. You know it’s true…) The beauty of taking care of your skin from the inside out is that you don’t have to add any steps to your already crazy life! You eat no matter what!
Oh- and now I get to decide what I’d rather have: clear skin, or a latte. And yes, sometimes I choose the latte. As I said in my Oxy commercial many years ago, “It’s called balance.”