Here are the top posts on Eco Child’s Play for 2015.  All of these posts are from previous years, which is testimony that we have been providing relevant natural family living information and advice for many years! The posts show a variety of interests of our readers.  Thank you for your support!  May 2016 be filled with love, health, and well-being!

Top 10 Natural Family Living Posts 2015

1.  Shoes Transmit Disease, Leave Them by the Door

Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, joined forces with shoemaker Rockport to study what types of microorganisms are transported by footwear. Ten people were given a brand new pair of shoes to use for two weeks before having them tested for bacteria.

After two weeks, more than 420,000 units of bacteria were found on the outside of the test shoes. Of that bacteria, 27% were deadly E. Coli. Also detected was Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause pneumonia and wound and bloodstream infections and Serratia ficaria, which can lead to infection of the respiratory tract.

 

 

2.  Baby Essentials That Aren’t, Part 2: Infant Car Seats

OPEN ANY PREGNANCY OR BABY BOOK, AND YOU’LL FIND THAT LIST: THE BABY ESSENTIALS, THE THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT.  WHILE MANY ACCESSORIES ARE EASILY RECOGNIZED AS FRIVOLOUS, CERTAIN ITEMS ARE TRULY INDISPENSABLE: THE BASIC NECESSITIES FOR LIFE WITH A BABY.

OR ARE THEY?

 

 

 

 

3.  Olive Oil Treatment: Get Rid of Head Lice Naturally

Well, it has happened.  My daughter’s best friend had head lice, which of course puts my family at high risk for contracting this parasite.  I immediately reread Jessica Gottlieb’s post Head Lice (Leave Mommy alone, She’s Shaking in the Corner) and sent my kids to school with tea tree oil sprinkled in their hair.  But what if your child is infested?  There are ways to get rid of lice naturally!

Head lice can cause many natural families to resort to chemicals, but you don’t need to.  There are a lot of weird things people try in order to get rid of it (mayonnaise, kerosene [do not try this!].  The most common over the counter solutions are pediculicide containing shampoo, which Pediatrics calls non-toxic. Other lice remedies contain the neurotoxins permethrin, pyrethrin, or malathion.  Even though pyrethrin and permethrin are naturally-derived from chrysanthemum flowers, its use should be avoided in children for obvious reasons.  Furthermore, head lice are becoming resistant to these chemical, toxic solutions.  Getting rid of head lice naturally takes diligence but it is more effective than chemicals.

 

 

4. CDC to Investigate Ashland, OR: Least Vaccinated City in US

More than one quarter of kindergartners in one school district and about two-thirds of students at two schools in Ashland, Oregon are not vaccinated.

LIKE MANY STATES, OREGONIANS CAN OPT OUT OF SCHOOL REQUIRED VACCINATIONS BY CLAIMING RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION.  STATEWIDE, 3.7 PERCENT OF KINDERGARTNERS WERE EXEMPT IN 2007; HOWEVER IN ASHLAND, 28.1 PERCENT OF KINDERGARTNERS WERE NOT VACCINATED MAKING IT THE LEAST VACCINATED CITY IN THE US.  THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) WANTS TO KNOW WHY.

 

 

5. Shame on you Clorox: Bleach Doesn’t Belong in our Homes

According a Clorox commercial on TV today (during a baby show, meaning lots of Moms saw this ad) you should sanitize not only your child’s toys but also their BOTTLES and SIPPY cups in a bleach and water solution.

Are you freaking kidding me?

BLEACH IS A HUGE CA– USE OF CALLS TO THE POISON CONTROL CENTER, AND THE MAKERS OF CLOROX CHLORINE BLEACH WANT US TO SOAK YOUNG CHILDREN’S FOOD CONTAINERS IN IT?

6.  DIY: 3 Recipes to make your own natural face paint for Halloween

My daughter brought home Halloween face paint.  She knows better and waited to open it until I read the ingredients.  Although many cosmetics are not required to give full disclosure of ingredients by the FDA (trade secrets are protected), the package my daughter brought home was full of enough parabens to give anyone a fright!

 

7.  Baby Essentials That Aren’t, Part 3: Strollers

OPEN ANY PREGNANCY OR BABY BOOK, AND YOU’LL FIND THAT LIST: THE BABY ESSENTIALS, THE THINGS YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT.  WHILE MANY ACCESSORIES ARE EASILY RECOGNIZED AS FRIVOLOUS, CERTAIN ITEMS ARE TRULY INDISPENSABLE: THE BASIC NECESSITIES FOR LIFE WITH A BABY.

OR ARE THEY?

 

 

8.  Raising Boys With ADHD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that affects 5.4 million children between the ages of four to seventeen, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ALTHOUGH THIS DISORDER WAS FIRST DOCUMENTED IN 1845, “RATES OF ADHD DIAGNOSIS INCREASED…AN AVERAGE OF 5.5% PER YEAR FROM 2003 TO 2007”. FURTHERMORE, BOYS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE AFFLICTED BY THIS DISORDER.

Raising Boys With ADHD: Secrets for Parenting Healthy, Happy Sons by parents James W. Forgan, Ph.D, and Mary Anne Richey explores this disorder in depth.

 

 

9.  Baby Essentials That Aren’t, Part 1: Cribs

NON-ESSENTIAL #1: THE CRIB

Certainly the largest, and often the most expensive piece of “essential” baby equipment, a crib is something many of us do just fine without, thank you very much.  While it is still the best option for some, we must not simply take it as a given that it should be the default choice for everybody.

The entire basic idea of an infant sleeping isolated in a crib in their own bedroom is a relatively modern one, and quite limited to western culture.  And yet it is so entrenched in our collective consciousness, that it can be very difficult to conceive of doing things any other way.

10.  Baby Essentials That Aren’t, Part 5: Baby Bathtubs

NON-ESSENTIAL #5: BABY BATHTUBS

I’ll admit off the bat that I hemmed and hawed a bit whether to include this item in this series.  Many parents do already understand that’s it’s not really an “essential.”  But since it’s another big hunk of plastic that we can live without, frequently included on “the lists,” and since many parents are not fully aware of the alternatives, I decided to include it.

CONVENIENCE OR NUISANCE?

Supposedly just the right size and shape to safely contain a slippery, squirmy newborn, baby bathtubs always seem convenient.  Until you actually use one.

Photo credit: Nanagyei via Foter.com / CC BY