When I first started researching different products and items, I had no idea the terror I was about to learn. The number of chemicals and toxins in every day things we use is unfathomable. Many of you may not even have suspected harmful toxins being in some of the items around your baby. So I just want to share a few ways to avoid those toxins in hopes that someone will be able to learn something and grow from it. Please enjoy and send me feedback if you have other ways you reduce toxins in your child's life!
1. Serve them real food
I can never stress enough the importance of eating real food. The food that this generation is consuming is poison, literally poison. Genetically Modified Organisms, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial food coloring, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutamate, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, sodium benzoate...can I stop now? These are very common harmful ingredients in every day foods we feed our children. I have a saying, "If you can't pronounce a word on the ingredient list, you don't buy the product." Eating real, raw foods given to us by Mother Earth doesn't come with a label, that is such amazing news!! We don't have to read what's in an apple or a head of lettuce. Although, I suggest always buying organic produce. It's just so much better than commercially grown foods. But there are instances where we have to feed our babies items from a box, and that is more than okay as long as you read the ingredients and make a healthy choice. By choosing snacks that have the "USDA Organic" seal on them, you are feeding your precious little ones great things!
Toxins do get eliminated from the body, but most hang on and enjoy the ride while messing up our organs and doing bad damage. No, that bag of chips probably won't kill you, but over time bad food choices lead to diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and even cancer. The best way to erase toxins from your child's life is to give them real food. Food is such a powerful healer!
Another note on this topic, always give your children filtered water. Want to know what's in tap water? Arsenic, aluminum, lead, fluoride, and even pHARMaceuticals. Filtered water will filter out all of these except fluoride. Not even Brita and Pur filters erase the fluoride. There are filters that do, but they have to be special ordered and cost a bit of money. Real food and filtered water are the first steps in reducing bad toxins.
2. Avoid harmful products
Now that we've discussed what goes into your child's body, let's talk about what you put on his sweet body. Have you ever taken the time to read the ingredients listed on the back of that shampoo bottle? What about the lotion you rub into their skin each night? Ugh, I don't know where to begin. Skin is the largest organ in the human body and I personally think is one of the most important. This is the first line of defense against outside threats, it acts as a thermoregulator, balances our water levels, and is a store house for our body. The skin is super cool! Although the skin has a low permeability rate, that can get messed up when chemicals are constantly applied. When these harmful substances are rubbed onto our skin, they break down and move through our cells and enter into our circulatory system. When those chemicals enter our circulatory system, it's game over, they are already spread throughout our entire body.
Babies and children especially have such delicate skin and we should be using the very best on them! Parabens are some of my worst nightmares. I'm not going to name names, but the biggest baby product company out there has products filled with these awful chemicals. Buy from a good trusted company who is organically certified and who uses beautiful ingredients, or make your own. Shampoo, lotion, cradle cap cream, diaper ointment, eczema lotion, toothpaste...read the ingredients in every product you put on your child's body. If harmful chemicals are in them, throw them away and invest in health items. You can't put a price tag on health.
I refuse to go into this topic because of the amount of controversy, but vaccines are major toxin vessels. If you haven't already, please research the ingredients in these dangerous poison cocktails. Thimerosal, aluminum, formaldehyde, bovine extract, aborted fetal tissue, and egg proteins just to name a few. You have the right and the authority to delay or refuse vaccines for your children. Do your research and make the right decision for your family. Refusing these would reduce countless toxins from entering your child's body, and delaying them for a few years would be another great way by allowing your child to build up an excellent immune system to be able to handle the toxins in vaccines. I'm pro-choice, as long as parents research and make an informed decision instead of getting bullied by doctors. Mothers know best.
3. Unplug!
This goes out to the parents whose four year olds have their own Ipads (these parents are real.) Momas, you have to unplug your children. The amount of radiation in cell phones, televisions, and tablets is sickening. There is more radiation coming out of those items than an MRI. Is that scary or what? These things are also filled with flame retardants. When approached about children having electronics, the typical response is, "It's a learning game" or "He only uses it as an educational tool." I call bull. Building a fort from nature, using wooden blocks to learn the alphabet, and learning from parents are all actual tools your children need. Being hypnotized by a screen all day does nothing but control their little minds and gives you an excuse to not parent. Oops...did I say that?
Seriously though, put the electronics away. This is an easy way to reduce the amount of toxins your child is exposed to and it makes for better relationships and better people all around.
Another thing to put away, or should I say throw away...your microwave! Ahhh! I know you're thinking, "But I can't possibly live without my microwave!" I'll let you in on something, you can! The Boober household has been microwave free for almost a year and we wouldn't have it any other way! Zaylen has never eaten anything or drank anything that has been zapped by electromagnetic waves. I will continue this.
Microwaves decrease the nutritional value of food, cause hormone disrupting chemicals from heated plastics to leak into your food/drink, and changes the chemical structure of the food. Who wants to eat that? I'll admit, it was hard at first giving up our microwave, but our health is more important to us than convenience. Toss the microwave or don't use it to heat up anything your child will eat or drink.
4. Clean your home
Rid your home of anything harmful. Toxins are hanging out in cleaning products, furniture, and even toys. Even though you wipe up or dilute cleaning products, the chemicals in them still linger in the air and on surfaces. Using natural products are great for eliminating bad chemicals from your home. You don't even have to worry that much if your child accidentally gets into them. I personally use Seventh Generation and homemade cleaning products and I feel 100% safe with them.
We can't do much about furniture unfortunately, but there are many toxins in the couches and mattresses we use. I love to use wood furniture as much as possible to reduce toxins and I also don't use those nasty wood treatments. Anything made from plastic has Phthalates and Bisphenol-A in it...not good. When buying plastic toys and dishes and things, buy products that are recycled and have "BPA and Phthalate Free" written on it. This will ensure lower toxin exposure as well.
Actually keeping a clean home can remove thousands of toxins daily. Pet dander, dust mites, smoke, and mildew all contain bad toxins we don't want in our children's systems. A daily cleaning routine will reduce these drastically!
5. Don't cause stress
People underestimate the damage that stress can do to the body. Stress is such an incredible weapon against us. Stress, anxiety, and depression are all serious toxins that have an effect on your child's health. These things can change genes...literally redirect genetic code. The chemicals the body produces when stressed can alter genes that determine how you store fat, how strong your immune system works, and other things. Stress can cause food sensitivities, high blood pressure, it can shut down your immune system, and even cause brain damage. Stress is so powerful!
Reduce the amount of stress in your child's life by taking away stressors. Common sense right? If you are causing stress in your child's life (too many chores, fighting, not loving enough), simply change the behaviors. I can't really say 'simply' because I know those things are simple, but work hard at it and improve the health of yourself and your child. Other stressors in young lives can include school, peer pressure, pressure to look a certain way, siblings, and even being consumed in the world/too busy. These are things that can be addressed and fixed. Depression and anxiety are running freely among our children and this is an epidemic that has to be stopped. Instead of medicating them, look into natural remedies. These diseases come from plenty of outside factors and can also be genetic. Find the source in your child's life and fix the problem.
Please don't underestimate stress in your little ones life. The amount of peer pressure, broken families, common core, and modern day societal "norms" are balls of stress waiting to hit our children. This is serious and we as parents should do everything in our power to ease the minds and the strengthen the health of our children.
Well, these are just some every day ways I try to eliminate toxins from Zaylen's life. I hope you were able to take something away from this, I always want to educate and encourage my readers!
xoxo
Cursty
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