Archive for Recommendations
Tricks of the Trade: Skin Problems with Babies
Posted by: | CommentsHaving had four babies now who have all had sensitive skin (looking at Joe and I with our fair skin and light eyes, it isn’t surprising!), I have been through a number of skin problems that babies face. Here are a few of the “tricks” that have worked on my little ones.
Cradle Cap: This is that wonderful flaky looking skin babies get on the head and often extends down the forehead as well. The best thing I have found for this is to use simple olive oil. Take the olive oil and rub it gently on your baby’s head before bath time. Then I allow it to sit there for a bit while I bathe the other parts of the baby. Then use a gentle baby wash to clean it off. I know you can also use a comb or baby brush on it, but I just brush baby’s hair as normal after the bath (Isaiah especially is not fond of having his hair brushed). After a few applications of the olive oil at bath time there is a significant reduction in the cradle cap. Plus I didn’t have to go out a buy a special product, but was able to use something all natural that I had right in the house!
Diaper Rash: Although using cloth diapers has really helped with diaper rash, there are times when our kids get some pretty terrible ones. When Abby was a baby the doctor had suggested trying Triple Paste. I don’t know if the formula has changed, but using it back then it did not seem to spread very easily. So when Isaiah had a bad diaper rash from being on antibiotics in the hospital and my neighbor suggested it again, I was hesitant. It seemed to go on much easier this time and really did clear up his rash quickly. Plus it has a low hazard score on the Skin Deep Database, which makes me feel better about using it.
Baby Acne: One of the least pleasant looking baby skin issues to me is baby acne. Especially because it comes up on those precious little cheeks that you just want to kiss all over! When Elijah was a baby and had a pretty bad case, one of Joe’s parents’ neighbors told me to use Dove Unscented soap on it. I decided to give it a try and in a few days it was gone! I thought maybe it was a coincidence, but when Naomi and Isaiah both cropped up with it as well, out came the Dove Unscented and bye-bye went the acne! Again it has a low hazard score, so I can still try and keep that lovely baby skin chemical free.
These three products are very friendly to our lifestyle as well because they can either be found abroad (the olive oil and soap) or can be bought in a big size that lasts a long time (the Triple Paste). It can be discouraging when you live internationally and find a product you LOVE that can only be bought in the U.S.
If You Read One Blog Post Today…
Posted by: | Comments…let it be this one by my husband on Lebron’s decision to sign with the Miami Heat. Having these kind of discussions with him and getting to the root of issues is one of the many reasons I love Joe. He is a wise and discerning man and I believe the article will be a benefit for all to read, whether you follow NBA basketball or not.
Recommended Reading: July 7, 2010
Posted by: | CommentsMy reading has really slowed down since having Isaiah! Before he was born, I had read 23 books in 2010, and in the 7 weeks since he was born I have read only two! Although I now have time to sit and nurse, I have to admit that I am often using that time to be on my iPhone catching up on e-mails, reading blogs, updating Facebook or Twitter…and sometimes just playing games! I am making an effort to be a little more balanced so reading doesn’t fall off the chart. Here are two books that have been a blessing to me in the past few weeks though:
Power of Blessing Your Children by Mary Ruth Swope
My neighbor in State College recommended this book to me. It is not a typical book that you read form cover to cover, but more of a reference type book. The woman who wrote it lived away from her grandson, so they kept in touch over the phone. One time at the end of the conversation, she decided to speak a blessing over him. The next time they talked when she went to say good-bye he asked if she was going to bless him again. So from that she began to write blessings to speak over him at the end of their phone conversations. And many of those blessings became what is now in this small book. It has been a neat resource to use at breakfast time as I sit and eat with the kids. What I have done so far is to pick a blessing for each of them for a struggle I see in this season of life to pray over them in the morning. If there is a special upcoming event or time in their life, then I pick something different (for example, if they are traveling somewhere that day I may pray for safety). It is neat to see the way the kids already look forward to being blessed at the outset of the day!
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
I really enjoy the writings of Elisabeth Elliot, especially when she is writing in a biographical fashion. I have been wanting to read her biography of Amy Carmichael for some time now. It did not disappoint in the beautiful fashion that I have become accustomed to when reading Elisabeth Elliot’s books. Amy Carmichael also became much better known to me through this book, both her strengths and weaknesses. For those of you who do not know, Amy Carmichael was a Christian missionary to India. She was a single woman who dedicated her life to saving children who had been sacrificed to Hindu worship temples by bringing them to the Dohnavur Fellowship she began to raise, educate and love them. She was a tireless worker and it was an encouragement to me to see the way she spent her life working to make her life a sacrifice to serve in the name of the One who died for her.
