Money Matters for Kids is back!

Three years ago, I took N to an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila to jumpstart her financial education.  I wrote about our experience here.  N was about 3.5 years old then and admittedly, she wasn't mature enough to fully appreciate the activity.  I wanted to bring her back when she was a bit older but there wasn't any there scheduled exhibit until this year.

Do you use #softhands? Consider Positive Discipline

When we became parents, Stan and I naturally gravitated towards the attachment parenting model.  I realize now that it was also because of how I was parented as a child.  During our recent family trip to Tokyo, my dad shared about how an uncle told him how to parent his family - that he as a parent must be feared by his children - rule by the rod, not by hugs and kisses.  But my dad disagreed.  He believed that we should learn to obey him because we love and respect him and not because we feared him.  So my siblings and I were never lacking for warmth and affection from our parents and for this I am truly grateful.

K-12 for Private Schools

In the middle of the year, I was lucky to have joined a small group discussion organized by OC Mom in Manila with representatives from the Department of Education.  Burning in our minds would be the implementation of the K-12 curriculum.  The meeting was held in SM North Edsa's The Block because of the ongoing DepEd GO! (Greater Opportunities) interactive exhibit to launch its K-12 Basic Education Curriculum information campaign.

I went through the exhibit but it was focused on public schools which had a standard implementation.  I had several questions for DepEd, particularly on the simultaneous implementation.  You see, N asked me a very valid question.  Her cousin, J, turned 7 in May 2012.  Meanwhile, her friend K (incidentally, Next9's son) was also 7 (turned 7 in December 2011).  However, J was in Grade 1, while K was in Grade 3.  Both boys go to exclusive boys' schools albeit colors apart ;)

A Guest Post and Giveaway: Why natural birth?

I gave birth to N normally but with an epidural.  I never had the chance to take any childbirth classes then and after hearing my mom describe how she tore and screamed when she was giving birth natural to my sister and me, I decided to opt for an epidural for this first birth.

Financial Lessons for Kids - Starting them Young

This is totally different from what I regularly post.  However, I feel that the tips given are very useful especially to parents with young kids, like me.  I did not write this article but this was shared to me as part of the Weekly Wealth Watch shared by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas through its Financial Consumer Affairs Group.  The BSP is planning to come out with a book compiling all their tips on being financially independent.  So watch out for that!

The Gift of Breastmilk

With E's jaundice scare, I decided to start expressing milk.  N had been required to take formula and I was not able to express enough milk to match the formula requirement.  So I wanted to be prepared and in case E was going to be put under phototherapy and be required to take formula, I wanted to make sure that I had enough stored milk to match the formula requirement.
I started expressing milk, once a day, on new year's day.  Luckily, at his 2-week check-up, the pediatrician said that E's color was much better and no phototherapy was required.  Thus, I was able to stock up on milk and by the end of January, I had about 100 ounces stored.

Guest Post - Vegetable Wars: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies!

Are you having trouble getting your kids to eat veggies? Then today's guest post written by Anne Mercado would be a perfect read!  Anne is a mom who is passionate about raising happy, healthy and smart children.  How? With a glass of information, a pitcher or two of love and patience, and of course, a bucket of humor.  She believes that though parenting is challenging, it doesn't have to be boring.  You can catch her at Green Eggs & Moms.

I was lucky that for N, eating vegetables was not an issue. We did make some effort and made her food quite presentable so she would be happy to eat the veggies.  We also involved her in the food preparation process which I think accounted for her hearty appetite.  If you do have a picky eater, read on and get some tips from Anne.  For further reading, you can also check out this book from Elizabeth Pantley - The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution.
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Vegetables are the enemy!!!

This is probably what you think your toddler or pre-schooler screams in her mind when you tell her to eat veggies. To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea on what goes on in her tiny little head. Although, I do know this: there are ways to getting kids to like veggies, and hopefully stuffing themselves silly with this nutritious food.

Get your battle gear ready because here are awesome ways to win the veggie war!

For the purpose of this post, the term enemy shall refer to kids. From personal experience, I know that veggies are friendly folk; kids on the other hand may not always be.

Naming Spider

Sometime during my 24th week, we finally got confirmation that our Flower was really a Spider!  We hadn't really started looking for a name but with the gender now confirmed, it was time to start shopping.  My first-born's name actually came from America's Next Top Model - Cycle 2.  Stan was watching re-runs during my entire pregnancy and we had been choosing names from various contestants across cycles.  I think our choice of "Naima" was quite fortuitous, with me ending up authoring this blog (if you read my header, you'll know why!)!  "Naima" is actually an Arabian/African name which means tranquil, graceful, to be contented. We paired it with a mainstream name chosen by my sister - which meant clear, bright, famous.

Money Matters for Kids

As a working mom, one of the top traits I want my daughter to learn is frugality and knowing the value of money. We have started her on a piggy bank account - actually a teddy bear bank - where Stan or I give her a coin every day and she saves it up in the teddy bear bank. Whenever she tells me she wants to buy something, I ask her do you have enough saved in your teddy bear bank? And then she stops and thinks about it and says, Okay mommy, I will save up some more. I hope this will help her understand that money does not grow on trees.

Of Parenting Styles

Welcome to the July Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Philosophy
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared their parenting practices and how they fit in with their parenting purpose. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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Three years ago, my friend Stephen asked me about Stan's and my parenting style. He had watched a show on the Lifestyle Channel about parenting styles in raising babies - "Bringing Up the Baby". The series focuses on the parenting styles advocated by 3 experts from different decades. For the 1950's, the expert was Dr. Frederic Truby King, who advocated a strict routine method. For the 1960's, it was Dr. Benjamin Spock, who is for individualized routine parenting. And finally, for the 1970's, it was Jean Liedloff, for the continuum concept. The basics of these styles are as follows: King - Discipline -- Predictability -- Early detachment of baby and mother -- Order -- One size fits all -- Start as you mean to go on; Spock - Acknowledges individuality -- Tailor-made routine -- Relieves parental guilt -- Balance and Liedloff - instinct -- Based on human evolution -- Community.
N is now 3 years and 7 months old.  Since Day 1, I can say that we have been following some form of responsive parenting in dealing with her.  She used to nurse on demand and there were no scheduled feeds.  We also co-slept with her and shared a bed.  
I am doubly glad that (even if we never really talked about it) Stan and I share the same parenting philosophy style.  At this time, we both agree that N's needs (and soon Flower) will take precedence over Stan's and mine.  We schedule everything according to her needs.  With my parents having the empty nest syndrome now, I realized that it won't be long before N and Flower themselves will want to be independent and Stan and I will end up with more time on our hands than we want.
As for bringing her up, Stan and I listen to our moms, to our friends, our doctors, but we do our own research and talk about what we think is best for N and follow this decision. We don't necessarily follow what other people tell us. Also, we don't keep N with us 24/7. We're lucky to have a yaya (nanny) who takes really good care of her (especially when I'm at work), reads to her, perseveres in doing arts and crafts, putting hot compresses when she has booboos, talks to her, makes her laugh and MOST IMPORTANTLY, doesn't watch TV when Naima's around.
If I would need to choose among the three featured styles on the show, I would like to think that our style would be more of Liedloff. However, given the changes we make to adapt to our own culture, I will still say that our style is uniquely our own.  Stan and I live by this quote from Dr. Jay Gordon which I really like and try to apply in the way we bring up Naima: "What many people try to do is fit the baby in to their lives, rather than wrapping their lives around the baby."

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon July 12 with all the carnival links.)

• Between Love and Fear: On Raising our Children Sensibly — Mamma Earthly at Give an Earthly discusses the fear factor in parenting and how she overcame it, despite societal pressures.
• really, when do i get my cape? — Sarah at small bird on fire is a working city mama trying to learn how to set aside her expectations of perfection and embrace the reality of modern parenting.
• Baby, Infant, and Toddler Wearing — Child wearing is part of Sarah at Nourished and Nurtured's parenting philosophy. In this post, Sarah describes benefits of child-wearing and gives tips for wearing babies, infants, and toddlers (even while pregnant).
• First Year Reflections — As her daughter's first birthday approaches, Holly at First Year Reflections reflects on how she and her husband settled into attachment parenting after initially doing what they thought everyone else did.
• Making an allowance — Lauren at Hobo Mama welcomes a guest post from Sam about the unexpected lessons giving a four-year-old an allowance teaches the child — and the parent.
• How to be a Lazy Parent and Still Raise Great Kids — Lisa at Granola Catholic talks about how being a Lazy Parent has helped her to raise Great Kids.
• Philosophy in Practice — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares how her heart shaped the parenting philosophy in her home.
• What is Attachment Parenting Anyway? — Gaby at Tmuffin describes the challenges of putting a label on her parenting philosophy.
• Of Parenting Styles — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom talks about how she and her husband tailored various parenting styles to fit their own preferred parenting philosophy.
• Moment by Moment Parenting — Amy at Peace 4 Parents encourages those who care for children (including herself) to explore and appreciate parenting moment-by-moment with clarity, intention, trust, and action.
• Maintaining Spirituality in the Midst of Everyday Parenting, Marriage, and Life — Sarah at Nourished and Nurtured shares her perspective on finding opportunities for spiritual growth in every day life.
• Parenting Philosophy — Lily, aka Witch Mom's parenting philosophy is to raise child(ren) to be compassionate, loving, inquisitive, and questioning adults who can be trusted to make decisions for themselves in a way that avoids harming others.
• Long Term — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis thinks about who she would like to see her daughter become — and what she can do now to lay a strong foundation for those hopes.
• Connection, Communication, Compassion — She's come a long way, baby! After dropping her career in favour of motherhood, Patti at Jazzy Mama discovered that building solid relationships was going to be her only parenting priority.
• My Parenting Inspirations - Part 4 — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama looks at her biggest parenting inspiration and how that translates into her long-term parenting philosophy.
• A Parenting Philosophy in One Word: Respect — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction summarizes her parenting and relationship philosophy in one word: respect.
• Knowledge and Instinct — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment believes that knowledge and instinct are super important … as are love, encouragement and respect. It's the ideal combo needed to raise happy and healthy children and in turn create meaningful relationships with them.
• THRIVE! — The Sparkle Mama wants to set a tone of confidence, abundance, and happiness in her home that will be the foundation for the rest of her daughter's life.
• On Children — "Your children are not your children," say Kahlil Gibran and Hannah at Wild Parenting.
• This One Life Together — Ariadne aka Mudpiemama shares her philosophy of parenting: living fully in the here and now and building the foundation for a happy and healthy life.
• Enjoying life and planning for a bright future — Olivia at Write About Birth shares her most important parenting dilemmas and pours out her heart about past trauma and how healing made her a better parent.
• My Parenting Philosophy: Unconditional and Natural Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares what she has learned about her parenting philosophy from a year of following her instincts as a mama.
• An open letter to my children — Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine writes an open letter to her children.
• My Starter Kit for Unconditional Parenting — Sylvia at MaMammalia discusses her wish to raise a good person and summarizes some of the nontraditional practices she's using with her toddler son in order to fulfill that wish.
• Responsiveness — Sheila at A Gift Universe has many philosophies and goals, but what it all boils down to is responsiveness: listening to what her son wants and providing what he needs.
• Tools for Creating Your Parenting Philosophy — Have you ever really thought about your parenting purpose? Knowing your long-term goals can help you parent with more intent in your daily interactions. Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers exercises and ideas to help you create your own parenting philosophy.
• Be a Daisy — Becky at Old New Legacy philosophizes about individuality and how she thinks it's important for her daughter's growth.
• What's a Mama to Do? — Amyables at Toddler in Tow hopes that her dedication to compassionate parenting will keep her children from becoming too self-critical as adults.
• grown-up anxieties. — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life explains her lone worry concerning her babies growing up.
• Why I Used Montessori Principles in My Parenting Philosophy — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells why she chose Montessori principles to help her now-adult children develop qualities she wanted to see in them as children and adults.
• Parenting Philosophies & Planning for the Future — Momma Jorje considers that the future is maybe just a fringe benefit of doing what feels right now.
• Not Just Getting Through — Rachael at The Variegated Life asks what truths she hopes to express even in the most commonplace interactions with her son.
• Parenting Philosophy? Eh... — Ana at Pandamoly shares the philosophy (or lack thereof) being employed to (hopefully) raise a respectful, loving, and responsible child.
• Parenting Philosophy: Being Present — Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses the changes her family has made to accommodate their parenting philosophy and to reflect their ideals as working parents.
• Who They Will Be — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a short list of some qualities she hopes she is instilling in her children at this very moment.
• Short Term vs. Long Term — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts how long term parenting goals often get lost in the details of everyday life with two kids.
• Parenting Philosophy: Practicing and Nurturing Peace — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle sets personal goals for developing greater peace.
• Yama Niyama & the Red Pajama Mama — Part 1: The Yamas — In part 1 of a set of posts by Zoie at TouchstoneZ, Zoie guest posts at Natural Parents Network about how the Yoga Sutras provide a framework for her parenting philosophy.
• Yama Niyama & the Red Pajama Mama — Part 2: The Niyamas — In part 2 of a set of posts by Zoie at TouchstoneZ, Zoie explores how the Niyamas (one of the eight limbs in traditional Yoga) help her maintain her parenting and life focus.
• Our Sample Parenting Plan — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey shares hopes of who her children will become and parenting strategies she employs to get them there.
• Philosophical Parenting: Letting Go — Jona at Life, Intertwined ponders the notion that there's no right answer when it comes to parenting.
• Unphilosophizing? — jessica at instead of institutions wonders about the usefulness of navel gazing.
• Parenting Sensitively — Amy at Anktangle uses her sensitivity to mother her child in ways that both nurture and affirm.
• how to nurture your relationships — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes that sometimes all kids need is a jolly good listening to …
• Philosophy Of An Unnatural Parent — Dr. Sarah at Good Enough Mum sees parenting as a process of guiding her children to develop the skills they'll need.
• Life with a Challenging Kid: Hidden Blessings — Wendy at High Needs Attachment shares the challenges and joys of raising a high needs child.
• Flying by the Seat of My Pants — Heather at Very Nearly Hippy has realized that she has no idea what she's doing.

On Breastfeeding Number Two

This post was supposed to be submitted for the Carnival of Breastfeeding for June.  But hormones got in the way and I didn't make it to the deadline.

When we found out that I was pregnant with baby Flower (nicknamed by N), N was still nursing at night with no end in sight.  I considered allowing her to tandem nurse - then I thought that I had been ready to wean since early this year.  Our weaning experience was quite pleasant and couldn't have been more timely.  A couple of days after N weaned, I had some bleeding and was put on bed rest.  As with my pregnancy with N, the first trimester of this pregnancy is not easy - I throw up the whole day and couldn't eat.  I have already lost about 10lbs.

Plus I am concerned about how my breastfeeding experience with Flower will be.  My breastfeeding experience with N was quite difficult.  Since then, I have become started this blog, collected and read several breastfeeding books, become a certified peer counselor and counseled several moms on how to successfully breastfeed.   And this makes me more concerned about breastfeeding Flower.  What if I will have a more difficult experience than I did with N?  What if I have birthing issues?  Will I be able to breastfeed Flower as long as I did N?  What if I will have an experience like Katie Granju's?

N has been great in reminding me about Flower.  Whenever I get home from work, she immediately gives me a kiss and proceeds to kiss and say hi to Flower too. Admittedly, I haven't been connecting much with Flower this first trimester as I just want it to be over.  I am also concerned with how N will be when Flower is here.  For now, the "threat" isn't real yet so I don't really see any sibling jealousy.  But knowing how I was so into N during the first month, I can't imagine how my first month with Flower will be with N hovering about.

I wonder how moms of multiple kids or even multiple babies handle it?  Have you breastfed more than 1 child?  How different was your experience for each?

Choosing My Words

Welcome to the April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they advocate for healthy, gentle parenting choices compassionately. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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"Experience is the teacher of all things" - Julius Caesar


I started my breastfeeding advocacy because of my own breastfeeding experience with Naima.  Admittedly, I was a gung-ho advocate in the beginning.  But because of my sister's experience plus reading Erin's and Neva's experiences and this blog, I realized that not all moms are able to hurdle the challenges that breastfeeding brings and it is not easy reading or hearing self-righteous and judgmental comments from breastfeeding moms. So right now, on top of my compassionate advocacy list is learning to listen and shutting up when warranted.  Sometimes, moms just need someone to listen to their rants about breastfeeding.  I have also learned not to offer unsolicited advice but just wait until they ask me about breastfeeding.  
This is also one of the reasons I started my blog.  I have a lot of things to say and share about breastfeeding.  But I don't want to go on and on to people who don't appreciate or resent what I'm sharing.  Heck, my own brother-in-law already thinks that I'm a hard-core breastfeeding fanatic.  By starting this blog, I have a space for airing our my thoughts with hopes of not offending anyone.   

Sometimes though, when you're faced with a computer and nameless readers, you tend to forget that there are real live human beings with feelings.  Yes, bloggers usually say that you can always close your browser if you don't like what you're reading.  But as emphasized in this post,  I wholeheartedly agree that advocates must be thoughtful and circumspect in their words so as not to alienate the very audience that they are trying to reach.  Further, emails, comments, posts from readers also remind me that there are readers who do not necessarily agree with what I am saying and can be affected by generalizations or conclusions or words in my blog.   
With a full-time job plus a growing business on the side, I sometimes think about stopping blogging or giving out breastfeeding advice to have more time to myself.  But I keep remembering that I wouldn't have been able to successfully breastfeed N if I hadn't received tips, support and advice from friends who were successful.  And not everyone has a friend or family member who was able to successfully breastfeed.  Thus, I try to pay it forward by maintaining this blog in hopes that people who read this and who I reply to in emails also pay it forward by helping their own friends and families.  

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Natural Parenting Advocacy by Example — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction uses her blog, Twitter and Facebook as her natural parenting soapbox.
• You Catch More Flies With Honey — When it comes to natural parenting advice, Kate of The Guavalicious Life believes you catch more flies with honey.
• From the Heart — Patti at Jazzy Mama searches her heart for an appropriate response when she learns that someone she respects wants his baby to cry-it-out.
• I Offer the Truth — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares the hard truths to inspire parents in making changes and fully appreciating the parenting experience.
• Advocating or Just Opinionated? — Momma Jorje discusses how to draw the line between advocating compassionately and being just plain opinionated. It can be quite a fine line.
• Compassionate Advocacy — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting writes about how to discuss topics you are passionate about with people who don't share your views.
• Heiny Helpers: Sharing Cloth Love — Heiny Helpers is guest posting on Natural Parents Network to share how they are providing cloth diapers and cloth diapering support to low income families.
• Struggling with Advocacy — April of McApril still struggles to determine how strongly she should advocate for her causes, but still loves to show her love for her parenting choices to those who would like to listen.
• Compassionate Advocacy Through Blogging (AKA –Why I Blog) — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how both blogging and day-to-day life give her opportunities to compassionately advocate for natural parenting practices.
• A Letter to *Those* Parents — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares how to write an informed yet respectful reply to those parents — you know, the ones who don't parent the way you do.
• Why I Am Not A Homebirth Advocate — Olivia at Write About Birth is coming out: she is a homebirth mom, but not a homebirth advocate. One size does not fit all – but choice is something we can all advocate for!
• Why I Open My Big Mouth — Wolfmother from Fabulous Mama Chronicles reflects on why she is passionate about sharing parenting resources.
• Watching and Wearing — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life advocates the joys of babywearing simply by living life in a small college town.
• Compassionate Advocacy . . . That's The Way I Do It — Amyables at Toddler in Tow describes how she's learned to forsake judgment and channel her social energy to spread the "good news" of natural parenting through interaction and shared experiences.
• Compelling without repelling — Lauren at Hobo Mama cringes when she thinks of the obnoxious way she used to berate people into seeing her point of view.
• I Am the Change — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro describes a recent awakening where she realized exactly how to advocate for natural parenting.
• Public Displays of Compassion — The Accidental Natural Mama recounts an emotional trip to the grocery store and the importance of staying calm and compassionate in the storm of toddler emotions.
• I will not hide behind my persona — Suzi Leigh at Attached at the Boob discusses the benefits of being honest and compassionate on the internet.
• Choosing My Words — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares why she started her blog and why she continues to blog despite an increasingly hectic schedule.
• Honour the Child :: Compassionate Advocacy in the Classroom — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree shares her experience of being a gentle and compassionate parent — with other people's children — as a classroom volunteer in her daughter's senior kindergarten room.
• Inspired by the Great Divide (and Hoping to Inspire) — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis shares her thoughts on navigating the "great divide" through gently teaching and being teachable.
• Introverted Advocacy — CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy shares how she advocates for gentle parenting, even though she is about as introverted as one can be.
• The Three R's of Effective and Gentle Advocacy — Ana at Pandamoly explains how "The Three R's" can yield consistent results and endless inspiration to those in need of some change.
• Passionate and Compassionate: How do We do It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares the importance of understanding your motivation for advocacy.
• Sharing the love — Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine talks about how she shares the love and spreads the word.
• What Frank Said — Nada at miniMOMist has a good friend named Frank. She uses his famous saying to demonstrate how much natural parenting has benefited her and her family.
• Baby Sling Carriers Make Great Compassionate Advocacy Tools — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey shared her babywearing knowledge — and her sling — with a new mom.
• Everyday Superheroes — Who needs Superman when we have a community of compassionate advocates?! Dionna at Code Name: Mama believes that our community of gentle bloggers are the true superheroes.
• Words of advice: compassionately advocating for my parenting choices — MrsH at Fleeting Moments waits to give advice until she's been asked, resulting in fewer advocacy moments but very high responsiveness from parents all over the spectrum of parenting approaches.
• Peaceful Parenting — Peaceful parenting shows at Living Peacefully with Children with an atypical comment from a stranger.
• Speaking for birth — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud soul-searches about how she can advocate for natural birth without causing offense.
• Gentle is as Gentle Does — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares how she is gently advocating her parenting style.
• Walking on Air — Rachael at The Variegated Life wants you to know that she has no idea what she's doing — and it's a gift.
• Parenting with my head, my heart, and my gut — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares her thoughts on being a compassionate advocate of natural parenting as a blogger.
• At Peace With the World — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry talks about being an advocate for peaceful parenting at 10,000 feet.
• Putting a public face on "holistic" — Being public about her convictions is a must for Jessica at Crunchy-Chewy Mama, but it takes some delicacy.
• Just Be; Just Do. — Amy at Anktangle believes strongly about her parenting methods, and also that the way to get people to take notice is to simply live her life and parent the best she knows how.
• One Parent at a Time... — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment believes that advocating for Natural Parenting is best accomplished by walking the walk.
• Self-compassion — We're great at caring for and supporting others —from our kiddos to other mamas — but Lisa at Gems of Delight shares a post about treating ourselves with that same sense of compassion.
• Using Montessori Principles to Advocate Natural Parenting — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells how she uses Montessori principles to be a compassionate advocate for natural parenting.
• Advocacy? Me? — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers that by "just doing her thing," she may be advocating for natural parenting.
• Feeding by Example — Mama Mo at Attached at the Nip shares her experience of being the first one of her generation to parent.
• Compassionate Consumerism — Erica at ChildOrganics encourages her children to be compassionate consumers and discusses the benefits of buying local and fair trade products.
• The Importance of Advocating Compassionately — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood acts as a compassionate advocate by sharing information with many in the hopes of reaching a few.
• Some Thoughts on Gentle Discipline — Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares her thoughts and some tips on Gentle Discipline.
• Compassionate Advocacy: Sharing Resources, Spreading the Love — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle shares how her passion for making natural choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting have supported others in Dominica and beyond.
• A journey to compassion and connection — Jessica at Instead of Institutions shares her journey from know-it-all to authentic advocacy.
• Advocacy Through Openness, Respect, and Understanding — Melissa at The New Mommy Files describes her view on belief, and how it has shaped the way she advocates for gentle parenting choices.
• Why I'm not an advocate for Natural Parenting — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog delivers the shocking news that, after 10 years of being a mum, she is NOT an advocate for natural parenting!
• Natural Love Creates Natural Happiness — A picture is worth a thousand words, but how about a smile, or a giggle, or a gaze? Jessica at Cloth Diapering Mama’s kids are extremely social and their natural happiness is very obvious.
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy — Even in the progressive SF Bay Area, Lily at Witch Mom finds she must defend some of her parenting choices.
• A Tale of Four Milky Mamas — In this post The ArtsyMama shares how she has found ways to repay her childhood friend for the gift of milk.
• don't tell me what to do — Pecky at benny and bex demonstrates compassionate advocacy through leading by example.

The Magic of Breastmilk

Last week, an almost-toddler nursing mom raised formula/pediatrician concern with me. Her son who is turning 1 at the end of January came from his last pediatrician's check-up. According to the pediatrician, her son did not gain weight since September but had above-average weight for his age group. Her son also increased in height. Her pediatrician told her that her milk was no longer nutritious and that she had to supplement with formula. I was appalled by the doctor's comment. I had thought that they at least studied the composition of breastmilk during medical school but apparently, I was mistaken! And even worse - I guess they didn't take up breastfeeding or breastmilk either during their specialization in pediatrics!

Kellymom has a comprehensive compilation on the composition of breastmilk. Tanya over at Motherwear blog recently posted the composition of donor's milk. The Attachment Parenting Blog also has a detailed post on the composition of mature milk. I wish I could print out all these notes and articles and give it to the doubting pediatrician.

Further, not only does breastmilk change while the baby grows but even during the feeding session itself, breastmilk changes in contents from skim (foremilk) to fatty (hindmilk) and likewise, throughout the day as it was found that the milk has day-specific ingredients that stimulate activity in the infant, and other night-time components that help baby to rest.

But for me, a top benefit is that my breastmilk is composed of a variety of tastes, depending on the food I ate just before nursing. In November 2010, I came across this article about how exposure to flavors takes place both in utero and through breastfeeding. While pregnant and breastfeeding, I tried to keep a healthy diet by refusing softdrinks and sweets (must not have worked as Naima is such as sweet tooth like her dad!!). I'd like to think that my continuous eating of vegetables contributed to Naima's easy acceptance of new foods in her diet. We started her on solids shortly after she turned 6 months beginning with avocado. Her yaya kept track of her intake for the first year which I'm sharing as a slideshow below. Looking back, I'm quite happy that her yayas were dedicated in trying new recipes and checking out the baby food cookbooks I had for Naima.

From simple, single dishes, Naima's palate has expanded to a variety of cuisines - Japanese, Chinese, Western and even raw food! Check out her meals below:

All thanks for breastmilk (oh and an inspired cook!)! :)

Review: For Baby's Boo-boos

photo by Stan

More and more moms are becoming conscious of what they put on their babies. Early on, I try to use all-natural creams and salves on Naima whenever she has boo-boos. There are now several products in the market but I've chosen to use only three. IndigoBaby and ByNature because I know the moms behind them and Ilog Maria because I've been to their store and I believe in the owner/founder. Here's a quick review and rundown of our usage of these salves and creams.

photo from Indigo Baby's website

1. Indigo Baby - Jar of Hope (P380 - 30ml)

Jar of Hope was the very first ointment I purchased for Naima. Indigo Baby calls it a "gel" and it does have a gel-like consistency. Purchased my first jar from Monica at one of the Rockwell bazaars. Back then, she told me that she used it for teething and I was skeptical. I didn't want to be putting unknown stuff in Naima's mouth.

According to Indigo Baby's website, their Jar of Hope First Aid Gel is a bestseller and is made of "blue chamomile essential oil". This is not only for babies' use but also for mom and dad - burnouts, stress, insomnia, fussy babies, insect bites, motion sickness, inflammation, rashes, cuts and wounds plus teething. Finally, Indigo Baby attests that "blue chamomile is the most haling of all chamomiles due to its azulene content."

The gel smells really good and is very easy to apply. We've used it for insect bites, inflammation and rashes and it does its job pretty well. We used it mostly when Naima was a baby (e.g. 4-12 months old). However, Naima's yaya noted that since the gel was very mild, it was good for minor cuts/bruises. For major ones, she prefers BN's Salve. We didn't use this for teething though but mainly for diaper rash. Naima got diaper rash because we used wipes on her a lot! On the other hand, my niece Anya had no diaper rash at all because yaya just used cotton with water to wipe her. According to Indigo Baby, to prevent molds, you should use a small spoon to scoop out the gel to avoid contact with your fingers (which may have contaminants leading to molds). We store the Jar of Hope in the refrigerator to lengthen its life and to make it solidify a bit. When stored at room temperature, I found the gel to become water-y.

You can purchase Jar of Hope directly from Indigo Baby.

photo from By Nature's website

2. By Nature Baby Salve - P200 for 20g

This product came out when Naima was more than a year old. But this has quickly become our favorite boo-boo balm. What I like about this product is that the bottom label lists down specifically all the ingredients contained in the salve - "organic sunflower oil, organic avocado oil, organic grapeseed oil, organic virgin coconut oil, organic jojoba oil, organic shea butter, beeswax, pure lavender essential oil, pure blue chamomile essential oil, calendula extract, aloe vera extract and vitamin E." By Nature's Darlene recommends this salve for diaper rash, insect bites, eczema, dry patches, small cuts and booboos. She also recommends this as a lotion for babies (expensive given that a small jar costs P200) or evening moisturizer for moms. The jar is quite compact and unlike the Jar of Hope (with a big jar), the Baby Salve can easily be slipped into the diaper bag.

I haven't used this myself but Stan also swears by it. Every time he has a nick or cut, he immediately asks Yaya where the Baby Salve is to use on himself. My yaya also likes to use this on Naima's cuts (she has plenty - now that she is an active toddler) and says that the salve causes the cuts to heal quickly. There is no need to refrigerate. Although Darlene calls this a "salve", the Baby Salve is quite creamy. And you just need to put a thin layer for it to work - quite economical! We are almost finishing our first 20g jar which has been with use for more than 1 year now.

You can purchase the Baby Salve from By Nature's authorized resellers.

photo from Ilog Maria's website

3. Ilog Maria Propolis Ointment

The most economical of all is the Ilog Maria Propolis Ointment - which actually has a salve-like consistency. Ilog Maria recommends that their ointment be used for skin irritations, infection rashes, itches, insect bites, infected wounds and burns. Listed ingredients are propolis gold and beeswax in an olive oil base. Other users attest that it doesn't only stop the inflammation but actually soothes the itchiness of insect bites and it also helps stop "singaw" or canker sores.

Yaya uses this on Naima, mostly when she has bruises as the ointment helps soothe the inflammation. It is also very helpful on burns, as experienced by our cook. Although we don't refrigerate this, the ointment has a cooling effect.

Like the Baby Salve, the jars are quite small (even the big jar!) so you can easily slip it in your diaper bag. Plus the Propolis Ointment is much more cheaper than the Baby Salve or Jar of Hope!

If you purchase directly from Ilog Maria's website, the big jar (45g) costs P192.50 only, while the small jar (25g) is P110. You can also go to Ilog Maria Farm in Silang, Cavite where purchase prices are cheaper. Meanwhile, if you need the ointment ASAP, one of the Manila stockists is fellow LATCHer, Judy and you can purchase from her store in New Manila.

Verdict:

For babies 0-12, go for Indigo Baby's Jar of Hope - it is very mild and you can't go wrong - although it is quite expensive.

For toddlers, keep both the Baby Salve (for cuts/rashes) and Propolis Ointment (for bumps and bruises). However, if you can only buy 1, I'd go for the Baby Salve.

*Disclaimer: All products were purchased. None given for review and I'm not carrying any of these products in my online store.

More on the Recall and Press Advisories from Arugaan and IBFAN

I was quite disappointed to receive an email from Nanay Ines yesterday that FDA Acting Director Nazarita Tacandong recanted and said that it is safe to use the recalled Mead Johnson products. Meanwhile, in L.A.T.C.H.'s Facebook page, one of the fans posted that their doctor told them that the low fat content in Sustagen and Alactagrow is nothing to worry about since kids get fat from their meals.

Mead Johnson was also quick in damage control and their Philippine website now shows a message from their President:

All of our products currently sold in the Philippines, including Alactagrow and Sustagen Junior, have passed stringent Philippine FDA health and safety requirements and are considered to be safe for consumption and of high quality. While the fat level requirement does not relate to the safety or quality of the product, Mead Johnson is taking steps to meet that requirement also.

Mead Johnson is launching today a reformulated version of Alactagrow that meets the new regulatory requirements. Work is underway to develop an updated version of Sustagen to meet the revised standards.

I think the real issue here is deceptive marketing to consumers. Isn't it strange for Mead Johnson to say that there is nothing wrong with their products YET released a new formulation for both Sustagen and Alactagrow Bibo? They might argue that hey, the new formulation is a response to the new regulatory requirements. Continuously, new ingredients in breastmilk are being discovered resulting in constant changes in minimum formula requirements. This just supports the position that despite what the formula companies say, formula can never equate breastmilk.

I'd like to share the Press Advisories of Arugaan and International Baby Food Action Network below.

Press Advisory

Save the Babies Statement

Contact Person: Ines A. Fernandez cp 09088888153

Protest on Recalled and Recant of Mead Johnson Products

Save the Babies Coalition registers our rage over the recant of the Acting Director Nazarita Tacandong of Food and Drug Administration in last night TV newscast September 22, 2010 saying "It is safe to use these products".

The Recall on the dangerous products of Mead Johnson's Alactagrow Bibo trio and Sustagen Jr. bespeak of its nutrient defieciency of fat contents. It showed that Mead Johnson wrongly disseminated its nutritional and halth claims of "resistensiya builders" and "all around health".

It is a case of misbranding.

Mead Johnson cheated the Filipino consumers.

Based on scientific evidences upheld by Codex Alimentarius that fatty acids deficiency affects the nervous system and brain developmemt of the infants and young children.

Furthermore, Sustagen Jr. product certification registry at FDA - Food and Drug Administration already expired last May,2010 due to non-compliance of Codex Alimentarius and Philippine laws.

Our Constitional law protects us in its aim that " Anything that endangers the life of an individual is a criminal act".

Both Mead Johnson President Paul Richards and FDA Acting Secretary is responsible and accountable for gross deception to the Filipino people.

PRESS ADVISORY

INTERNATIONAL BABY FOOD ACTION NETWORK (IBFAN) STATEMENT

CONTACT PERSON: Velvet Roxas 0915-7741614

RE: DOH and FDA ADVISORY 2010-010:

Product Recall Order For Alactagrow Bibo Trio Milk Supplement Covered by Registration No. FR-71538

The International Baby Food Action Network urges the FDA to fully implement the Product Recall Order for Alactagrow Bibo Trio Milk Supplement, manufactured by Mead Johnson covered by Registration No. FR-71538.

Infants and young children are our most vulnerable consumers and deserve the utmost protection from harmful products. Such protection is vital for milk products marketed for older infants and young children and intended to support growth and development.

The failure of Alactagrow Bibo Trio Milk Supplement to provide the fat content of 3 to 6g. per 100 kcal. as set by FDA regulations and the Codex STAN 156-1987 for milk supplements, potentially puts older infants and young children at serious risk for undernutrition related to insufficient fat intake.

Fats in the diet of older infants and young children are critical because they are essential for brain and neurological development. Brain and neural growth remains rapid during the second year of life. As well, fats have 2.5 times the energy density of carbohydrates and proteins and therefore are critical to providing adequate energy for growth.

Alactagrow has no added fats; hence the only fats present are those from the whole milk powder, which as the 4th listed ingredient, after skim milk powder (no fat) and corn syrup solids and sucrose, is likely to be minimal. Indeed the total fat content as determined by the FDA is a mere 1.34g. per 100 kcal.

The deception and misrepresentation of the label is confounded by the confusing and contradictory messages regarding the recommended age for the use of this product – which on the one hand states 1-3 years old and on the other hand states that a milk supplement should not be introduced before the sixth month. This conveys the clear message that the product is suitable for infants after 6 months. The need for essential fats for infants between the ages of six to 12 months is even greater, so this increases the risk to health.

The product is primarily a fat reduced milk powder, with sugar, fortified with minerals and vitamins. An expensive product that is deficient in the essential level of fat required by older infants and young children.

Since milk (unmodified with added sugars and reduced fats) remains the most important component of a young child’s diet providing:

· 55% of energy - 9-11 months

· 40% of energy - 12-23 months

The marketing of Alactagrow by MJ is fraudulent, misleads parents and risks less than optimal growth and development, especially brain and neurological development for older infants and young children.

Thus we urge FDA to enforce a full recall of Alactagrow Bibo Trio Milk Supplement Covered by Registration No. FR-71538 and any other milk products that violate the nutritional and labeling standards of the Codex-STAN 156-1987, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and relevant WHA resolutions.

===========================

Contact Persons:

Velvet Roxas, IBFAN and Arugaan (0915-7741614)

Ma. Ines Av. Fernandez, Save Babies Coalition (0908-8889153)

Atty. Ipat Luna, Health Justice (0928-5048265)

2 Mead Johnson Products in the Philippines are Recalled

Two Sundays ago, Mead Johnson paid for a cover story in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine to feature their "Feeding Hope" program.A couple of days after that feature, our Food and Drug Administration issued 2 advisories recalling Mead Johnson products - Sustagen Junior Milk Drink Powder Vanilla Flavor (for toddlers 1-3 years old) and Alactagrow Bibo Trio Milk Supplement under Advisory Nos. 2010-009 and 2010-010, both issued on on 16 September 2010.

Under Advisory No. 2010-009, Sustagen Junior is being recalled because of its non-compliance with the standard fat content level (3-6 grams per 100 calories) for milk supplements. Testing showed that Sustagen Junior's fat content is at 1.5g per 100 calories - clearly at a substandard level.

Meanwhile, under Advisory No. 2010-010, FDA declared that tests also showed that Alactagrow

Bibo merely had 1.34g per 100 calories of fat content - also at substandard level.

Interestingly though, labels of both products didn't clearly state the fat contents of their products or that they were within the required levels. Sustagen's label stated that fat content was at 5.9 g per 100g (392 calories per gram), while that of Alactagrow Bibo was at 5.1g per 100 g (380 calories per gram).

The average consumer wouldn't really understand if this is within the required level as stated by the FDA.

However, the 2 advisories clearly stated that upon testing, fat levels of the 2 products are non-compliant with the standard level of quality. This morning, the Mead Johnson representative, who was being interviewed in the morning news, kept harping on (1) how this was a 3rd class recall; (2) the recall shouldn't have been made public and that they were caught by surprise; and (3) their products passed all the minimum standards. I wouldn't be surprised on how Mead Johnson will deal with this recall given their underhanded marketing tactics to undermine breastfeeding efforts and implicitly (sometimes not even!) influencing mothers to think formula milk is as equal to breastmilk and to choose that instead!

If you have purchased these 2 recalled products, better contact Mead Johnson to return then. Consumers of these products are children from 1-3 years old and can actually just choose to drink fresh milk instead. Read THIS POST on why formula milk is not necessary for toddlers.

Natural Parenting and the Working Mom

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: We're all home schoolers
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how their children learn at home as a natural part of their day. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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At 33 months, Naima has been in school for almost 1 year. She started just before she turned two and regularly attends morning classes. Happily, with the help of my yayas, Naima's learning doesn't end when she comes home from school.
In the Philippines, we have "yayas" or nannys to take care of our children. Whether you are a working mother or not, among the major concerns of a Pinay pregnant mom is being able to find a good yaya for her unborn child. In fact, this has resulted in several local books including I Love You Yaya and The Yaya Manual, all geared towards helping moms find the perfect yaya addition to their household.

Potty Training Naima

At 2 years and 6 months, I am very happy to say that Naima is *almost* completely potty-trained. Yaya started potty-training her when she was about 7 months old (able to sit-up). First was the poo part. I know it sounds gross - but what really helped was when yaya made her poo in front of the mirror in our sink. Yaya would put her diaper on the sink and encourage her to poo. That Naima has a regular poo schedule also helped a lot. At age 1, Naima stopped pooping in her diaper (unless we were out and she had no choice!) and was already pooping in her potty. At about 1.5 years old she moved on to the toilet (which was quite a relief for yaya!) and has pooped there permanently.

Peeing was more of a challenge. We started when she was one year old as her wee-wee time became more predictable and continued wee-wee training for 1.5 years! Pee training was challenging because Naima enjoyed having pee-puddles around her feet. Usually, she already knows that she wants to pee. She gives us that "look" and stands still. If we're lucky, we get to her fast enough to cart her to the toilet. Otherwise, she'll happily stand in her pee puddle. When Naima was 1 year and 11 months old (she started going to school) she stopped wearing diapers during the day. Before that she was wearing panties at home and diapers at nap-time or whenever we went out.

At about 2 years old, Naima stopped wearing diapers during the day and also during her nap-time. Diapers were reserved only for nighttime. The night training was more difficult since she wasn't weaned yet and continued to nurse 1-2 times every night. Sometime during the summer, we noticed that her cloth diapers stayed dry every morning. Beginning May, we put her in Gerber Training Pants (I know, I should stop buying Nestle products!) during the night. She still has some accidents but generally she stays dry during the night.

Just the other night, she woke me up at around 5am and told me that she wanted to pee. But the next night, she forgot and wet the bed. :( Accidents happen when she sleeps late - she'll sleep like a log and not remember to wake up to pee. Despite those accidents, we still continue to ask to put her in training pants and hopefully, she'll be fully potty trained before she turns 3.

I would say that cloth diapers tremendously helped us in potty training Naima. They do not turn the wee-wee into gel so Naima immediately gets changed. The wetness also helped Naima realize that it was much better to sit on the toilet and pee and poo there, instead of having a wet and dirty bum. Cloth diapers are making a come-back and I'm pretty happy to notice that unlike the lampins used when I was a baby, these diapers are leak-proof and easy to use (no more diaper pins!). Highly recommended and very effective for toilet training!

Baby Signing Classes in Manila

Part I of this Post Here.

If you do want to join a class there are now several classes to choose from. 

1. When I started out, I only knew of Jaymie Pizarro's Baby Lingo Class. She is affiliated with Dr.  Joseph Garcia's group and appears to be the most popular local class.  She also regularly partners with Hobbes and Landes and holds classes in their various branches.  

2. There is another mom, Catherine C. Avanceña who is affiliated with Linda Acredolo's Baby Signs.  She also sells Baby Signs products e.g. books and dvds and has partnered with Fully Booked for classes. 

3. A newcomer is Alaine Antonio of My Smart Hands.  Aside from conducting classes at Julia Gabriel Center in Shaw, she also conducts private classes upon request.  I saw her booth at Expomom May 2010 but got too busy and was unable to check out her products and classes.

4.  You can also choose to go with KinderMusik who has started offering "Sign & Sing" classes for babies as young as 6 months old.  We joined Busy Days with Teacher Elaine when Naima was about 15 months old and we (most especially Stan!) all enjoyed it!  We still regularly play the free cd we got from the class.  I checked out the local educators' schedules but none of them appear to offer the Sign & Sing class.

5. Finally, Gwen Cox of Signing Time Academy has confirmed that one local instructor is almost done with the certification process while there are 3 more instructors are still in the works.  I will update this post when I've obtained information about the certified instructors. 

Here's Naima being featured in Working Mom magazine.  Article was written by Mec Arevalo and signing was modeled by Naima.