I defined myself as an attachment parent at first, but then realized some of my parenting choices that were best for all of us didn’t fit that mold. I try very hard to be the Queen of Green when it comes to what products and foods we buy, but as you might know- it’s a tough world out there and we have some green “don’ts” going on in this casa. It usually comes down to money when a green corner gets cut, money and a willful husband. I started out as a non-vaccinating parent, but promptly switched to a vaccinating parent after being told a very emotional pitch about babies and whooping cough and how ugly that looks. It was the kind of speech that would choke up the toughest body builder… even my husband. Now we are back to being parents who don’t vaccinate because our kiddo has autism and no one can convince me of their safety at this point. So I’m kind of somewhere on the liberal parenting spectrum with natural ideals and a few hippy-dippy practices like making whole foods, using natural cleaning and skin care products, ensuring my son knows he is adored and more coveted than the Crown Jewels. Co-sleeping and breastfeeding never ended up working out for us. Holding my son every time he melts down isn’t the best option for us either.  So that’s where I bust out and have my own momtastic style that changes as my son does. Those are just a few of my parenting choices that have come and gone on my journey through parenthood. Did I mention my boy is only three? Think of how many more decisions I’ll change my mind about.

My unique parenting style is a living document that can change at a moment’s notice if it needs to. I am flexible because I have to be for the sake of my stress level. This is the point I’m trying to make- the type of parenting ideology you are going to live by is a great thing to know, but there is actually a bigger decision to make.

What are you going to do for YOU beautiful soulful mamas?

I like to consider myself a baby-hugger and a cheerleader on Team Mommy by trade because my business of parent coaching, baby planning and sleep consulting is all about supporting moms to make the best decisions they can for their babies and FOR THEMSELVES. I learned myself that our mommy needs often fall through the cracks… that in the best interest of our babies, we should put ourselves at the top with them a close second.

Not an easy task. I know. But if you delve with me into the world of self-care for a moment, I can show you what you could be doing for yourself that could make you a better parent with more patience and a greater sense of peace. What speaks to you?

Yoga is a beautiful, beneficial exercise safe for pregnancy and those with medical conditions. It focuses on alignment and the flow of energy throughout the body and promotes strength, flexibility and a connection between mind, body and spirit. It truly feels like “me” time when I practice yoga and I always feel lighter afterward.

Reiki is an amazing way to connect with the energy of the universe and is a way to relax and connect with a deeper meaning and in a deeper way with others. By becoming a Reiki practitioner, you can give this gift to others and yourself or you can seek out a Reiki practitioner and get this energetic healing from another amazing person. Reiki can ease emotional and physical postpartum healing as well.

Acts of art can take many forms and it is all powerful and meaningful to the creator. Is there a form of art you enjoy? Dance, writing, painting, sculpting, crafting, etc are all ways to inspire your spirit and take time to yourself to honor what is sacred in you.

Talking to a friend, joining a support group, going out- these are all ways to reconnect to the world as you rather than as a mother. Lets face it, having an honest, soulful, adult conversation is an underestimated healing medium. Ahhh… it feels to good to connect with another mature person not in diapers who doesn’t need a thing from you. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone listen, sometimes it can be equally healing to be the listener. Friends are a great tool. Use them. These are just a few of the many ways to take time for yourself, to honor YOU as a separate entity from your child.

This is not selfish, to want your own identity outside of the words “mommy” and “wife.” The self-care piece is so important, I believe it is the ultimate parenting-style decision.

Hey Tiger Moms and Attachment Parents— are you going to decide to honor yourselves with the gift of self-care and self-nurturing?

I hope so with all the sparks of my being because it’s the best decision you can make for yourself and your family. Your peace will shine through and reflect in your children. Trust that. For help making a self-care plan or stress management coaching, please call me! I’d love to help you on this journey of putting yourself first. 920-527-8295.

Love, Light and Babies,

Amanda Hammond

Certified Baby Planner, Family Sleep Consultant, Stress Management Coach, Green Parenting Educator

From now until January 5th, receive 15% off your basic sleep recipe package! For 125.00, I will do an hour-long consultation and present you with a customized plan to implement with your little one (or yourself if you are pregnant or having your own sleep issues)! This includes 3 days of unlimited phone support once you begin the plan and weekly phone calls for the next two weeks.  Happy holidays and I hope to give some of you the gift of sleep for Christmas!

Hiring me as your sleep coach is a great investment in your physical and mental wellness whether you are pregnant or have a young child. It is simply unfair to expect yourself to function as a wife, mother and professional while sleep-deprived. Make the call and let me put together an evidence-based plan, or as like to call it– sleep recipe, for your specific needs, lifestyle and values. Sleep should not be the Stuff of Dreams.

courtesy of Timeless Photography

Tis the Season to Plan for Baby!

For the Month of December I am offering a 50%discount off my packages and a 30% discount off of my hourly rate if working outside of a package.  This is a great deal, especially because my packages are already at a huge savings off of my hourly rate.

To take advantage of this amazing offer, please call me, Amanda, at 920-527-8295 in the month of December.

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful holiday season!

I had a lot of fun teaching moms how to put cloth diapers on my fake-yet-very-realistic Diana doll.  An expecting Dad even came up to me without his pregnant counterpart.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Overall I enjoyed hearing birth horror stories from the older crowd and talking to pregnant and new moms.  What a positive experience!

Having a healthy body, environment and mind during your pregnancy.
Amanda Hammond, an area GreenBirth educator and Certified Baby Planner, will be educating on the secrets of keeping yourself and your baby healthy during pregnancy. Learn how to nourish and protect your body so it can do the same for your little one.
The Every Woman Expo, Saturday November 12th, will provide a fun day for all women with wine, food, chocolate, pampering, massage, seminars, demonstrations, prizes and shopping. Grab your girlfriends and enjoy a day created just for you at the Appleton Performing Arts Center from 10 to 3.

The phrase “going green” has often been thought of, and often is, about using environmentally sustainable products and having a low carbon footprint.   It’s a hippy-dippy thing right?  Wrong.  Being green is more than that.  For me it is about my family, specifically my toddler.  I do NOT hug trees.  I hug babies.  I also love my husband, myself and even my dogs enough to give them a safe home.  To me, green is synonymous with safe.  When you look at it that way….

Cancer, nervous system disorders and birth defects are on the rise.  It is reasonable to assume that the toxins our babies are born with coupled with ones they are exposed to postpartum are partially to blame.  Our bodies are affected by the scads of new chemicals produced each year as well as the ones already being used.  According to studies done by the Environmental Working Group, babies are born toxic.  The toxins found in their cord blood are alarming:  Dioxin is a hormone disruptor.  PCBs can impair fetal development lowing IQ permanently.  Methylmercury impairs brain function.  Babies’ bodies are to a disadvantage at conception having to combat all the pollutants already in the mother’s womb.  This makes it crucial for mom to take care of her body by avoiding as many harmful chemicals as possible.  Once baby is born, it is important to continue this trend in the home environment especially her sleeping space.

Babies spend at least 10 hours asleep.  Whether they sleep in your room or their own room, there are several places toxins can be found.

Let’s start with the mattress as that is where they are actually laying (hopefully).  Infant and adult mattresses are not manufactured in a very responsible way.  Whether your little sweetheart is sleeping in a bassinet, your bed or in his crib, the mattress needs to be SAFE.  It should be made with organic cotton or wool and void of toxins.  This means, no flame retardants, no synthetic fabrics, no boric acid or antimony and no vinyl.  100% cotton, bamboo and wool are best, ideally if they are grown and manufactured responsibly.  Cotton should definitely be organic being it is heavily doused with pesticides.  Follow suit with the mattress pad and sheets.  That new jungle-themed bedding set you’ve been eyeing up can have the above mentioned chemicals as well.  The packaging on the mattress and bedding you buy should boast its virtues as being certified organic, nontoxic, Green Guard certified, etc.  A great choice is Naturepedic as they offer many sizes and styles of their nontoxic mattresses, sheets and mattress covers.  There are many other good companies out there too.  Do your research though.

The crib and changing table need to be put together at least 3 months before baby arrives and allowed to air out.  Ideally, this should be done outside as to keep the chemicals out of your home, but if that is not possible, let them off-gas in another room with a lot of open windows.  This process takes between 2 to 3 months.  The gas here is in the wood treatments and the wood itself if it is particle board or any other type of compressed wood.  Formaldehyde and other VOCs are emitted from nursery furniture and other wood furniture in your home unless it is otherwise specified.  If you can, it is really best to invest in a crib made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood or reclaimed wood.  Other safe materials are wicker and rattan.  The finish on nursery furniture should be VOC-free!  Often it is not.  Again, research!  Green Guard has a great database of cribs and mattresses that are tested to have low to no off-gassing.

Flooring is an important thing to consider as well.  Whether the room rests on hardwoods, vinyl or wall to wall carpeting, there are some things to be aware of.  Any flooring that involves adhesives is suspect when it comes to infant safety or your own for that matter.  The adhesives used are often full of toxic chemicals.   In addition, carpet can harbor a host of tiny particles including dust mites and pet dander.  It is often treated with stain resistant chemicals that off-gas.  If you already have wall-to-wall carpeting in the nursery steam-clean it rather than using carpet shampoo.  It gives a deep clean and can be done with just plain old water!    The most family-friendly flooring is FSC hardwood flooring with nontoxic treatment.  Other good options are slate, ceramic tile, cork and bamboo.  Cork is more forgiving for newly crawling or walking babies.

The drawback to avoiding wall-to-wall is that you are sacrificing comfort.  Who doesn’t enjoy the feel of high pile carpeting under their feet?  To remedy this, buy some safe area rugs with no backing that are made with natural fibers.  Place organic rug pads underneath to keep them in place.  Bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, wool and jute are good options.  Make sure the dies are low-impact and nontoxic.  Ideally they should be machine washable or easy to steam clean.  DwellSmart offers some great options.  This is a great way to warm up a cool slate or ceramic floor!

There should be no chipping paint, especially if your home is old.  It is a good idea to have your home checked for lead paint before conception.  Once pregnant, it is best not to remove the lead paint because it can release into the air.  Paint over any exposed areas instead.  If you’d like to repaint, this is not a job for pregnant women.  It makes for cute pictures, but that’s about it.  It is a disservice to your baby to be breathing in paint fumes.  Have someone else do the dirty work.  Your paint should be VOC free or low-voc after the coloring is added.  Milk paint is another good option as it is naturally VOC free and free of many other chemicals.  Wallpaper and borders should contain no vinyl and be applied with a nontoxic glue.

When cleaning the nursery, be mindful of chemicals!  Use safe products like Seventh Generation, Method, Meyers or better yet, make your own!  Recipes involve baking soda, vinegar, washing soda, lemon juice and essential oils for the most part.  Then all you need are some spray bottles.  Once you have all your ingredients you can make years worth of product.  Eco-nomical right?

Loving the cute curtains at Babies R Us?  Fabrics used in your new non-toxic nursery should be free of any treatments like water or stain-proofing and flame retardants.  Avoid synthetic fabrics and stick with natural ones like organic cotton, wool, bamboo, silk, linen and hemp.  Organic cotton is recommended because it will not emit chemicals found in pesticides.  Not only that, but natural fabrics will not emit any type of smell and will look beautiful in any nursery.    There are many adorable organic choices available.  Check out www.babyearth.com.

The air quality in our homes is far worse than what we breathe outside, even in a heavily industrialized area.  Air quality has been associated with SIDS, so make sure your nursery has excellent air flow.  Fans are great.  A window fan or air conditioner will work too.  Open the windows and air your baby’s nursery a few times a day to release any toxic chemicals that have accumulated from furniture stains and paint.  Keep your shoes off in your baby’s sleep space.  Shoes track in pesticides, dirt and other harmful substances.  Ideally, we shouldn’t be wearing our shoes in the house at all.  Eastern cultures set good examples as they find it completely disgusting to wear shoes indoors.  They are right.

Use incandescent light bulbs to sidestep the mercury found in compact fluorescent ones.  When broken, the mercury is released into the air of your home.  Yikes.  Incandescents also cast a more pleasant light.  There is a reason babies scream at Wal-Mart.

The designers from Inspired Everyday Living recommend light or neutral colors in a nursery because bright ones can be over-stimulating for babies.  That is the last thing parents want when putting baby to bed for the evening!  This is a place for sleep so design it as such.  Keep clutter as low as possible using furniture that multitasks, shelves and hidden storage areas.  Clutter causes stress, which is something we have enough.  And as you probably know, our babies can sense our stress and will respond accordingly.

If you can’t afford to buy the nontoxic crib or install cork flooring, make small changes.  Opening windows and starting a “no shoes” rule will be a great start.  So will cleaning with nontoxic products which can be made for pennies on the dollar.  You can also purchase a Babesafe mattress wrap which will block any off-gassing from your little one’s mattress.  Find them on Amazon.com.

It may be frightening to hear all the things in your home that could potentially harm your baby.  The only thing more frightening is the ignorance we as parents have about these dangers.  We certainly aren’t warned about them like we are about placing baby to sleep on his back.   So empower yourself with information on these topics by doing research on your own.  Use what you learn to make changes in your environment and feel good because you are truly taking care of your family.  Love is an amazing motivator.

Sources

www.inspiredeverdayliving.com  Healthy Decorating

Ecologist- How to Reduce Toxins and Green your Baby’s Nursery by Laura Sevier, 2009

www.healthychild.com  Carcinogenic Cribs and Changing Tables?  Jennifer Taggart, 2008

www.healthychild.com  Trimester Calender  Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes, 2008

www.ewg.org