Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide - The Babywearing Workout

I am Taking Part in the Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide!

If you need to complete your holiday shopping, find a birthday present for a friend, or just treat yourself to something special, go sneak a peek at the Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide - it has something for everyone. But what's even better, the NPN Holiday Gift Guide is a great opportunity to shop consciously and to support many naturally minded small businesses. The companies that have provided items for review and giveaway are almost exclusively made up of small businesses or work-at-home families.

The NPN Holiday Gift Guide features information on 74 companies. The companies are giving away 89 products and gift certificates, for a total combined value of $2,550. You can learn more about each company by clicking on the title links from the Gift Guide. I have included The Babywearing Workout as one of the many great prizes you could win!

We hope that you take a few minutes to check out the Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide, and enter to win one of the fabulous giveaways. Help Natural Parents Network support small businesses this holiday season!

The International Babywearing Week - GIVEAWAY!

Happy International Babywearing Week... This is the perfect time to host my first ever Giveaway!

Win 1 of 3 available downloads of my new video The Babywearing Workout!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Babywearing Workout

Before I got pregnant I was overweight. Then I gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy!

Now I want to share with you how my new life as a babywearing and breastfeeding mom was all I needed to lose the baby weight and now weigh less than I did before I became pregnant. By month 5 I had already lost the 50 lbs and by month 10 I had lost a total of 70 lbs! I believe our bodies know exactly what to do and there will never be another time in your life more optimal for losing the weight than from the time you go into labor until around your baby’s 1^st birthday. You have everything you need to lose the weight. You don’t need a gym membership. You don’t need a personal trainer (you already have one that is attached to you 24 hours a day anyway). You don’t need to pay someone to make you get on a scale every week. You don’t need those diet pills that cost a fortune and are terrible for your health in the long run. All you need is your baby! Oh and some kind of soft carrier.

 

I created this workout after I found myself moving and bouncing around with Kayla in her Mai Tie trying to put her to sleep a few times a day. I decided that if I was going to be moving around so much anyway I might as well be doing some exercises since there was no way I was going to be getting someone else to watch her while I took myself to the gym. Ha! Yea right...that was never going to happen. And so was created The Babywearing Workout. Not only was I getting a good workout but Kayla was also falling asleep so much easier than she was before! I felt like I found the answer to all of a mother's questions (well 2 anyway). I wanted to share this with every new mom I knew. So here I am...sharing it with you!



Download Available Now for Only $9.95
DVD's are coming soon!

Check out my new website www.thebabywearingworkout.com

Kids Want To Eat Real Food...Let Them!

Funny is the best way I can describe my relationship with food. I LOVE food...good food that is. I enjoy going out to eat and trying new things. My travels around the world over the years have also afforded me the opportunity to try different foods from different cultures. I am "mostly" a vegetarian (actually mostly a vegan now that I'm breastfeeding and "Little" didn't have a good reaction to dairy so I cut it out of my diet entirely) I know what things are good for me and the things that are not so good for me. I'm sure most of you, that are reading this, are the same way...we know we shouldn't be eating this or that but we go ahead and do it anyway.

Now that I have a daughter it's becoming more apparent that I really need to put an end to eating those things that I shouldn't be eating....because there is no way I want her to start off her relationship with food the way so many Americans do. This brings me to the reason I wanted to write this post. Last month I was able to spend a week with a very close friend of mine, her husband and two sons, "X" who will be 6 in October and "C" who will be 4 also in October. They currently live in Paonia, CO....a very beautiful piece of our country surrounded by mountains, a river, orchards and vineyards. They moved there to get away from the city life and to let their boys grow up closer to nature. They are in the process of building a garden behind their house that the boys have enjoyed being a part of starting with planting the very first seeds. They are so excited and proud of their garden. They can walk you through and tell you what is growing in each and every section. They help their Dad harvest things as they become ready and then enjoy eating what they picked that day together as a family sitting around the dinner table. The few times that we did go out to eat the boys actually ASKED if they could order a side salad and then ATE it!!

This is the kind of relationship with food we need to start our kids off with from the time they start eating solid foods. Now, I know the majority of us don't have the ability to grow a beautiful garden in our back yards. But there are other ways to get your kids involved in what they are eating and where it comes from.

Go visit a farm (preferably organic, if you can, please!).

Grow some fresh herbs in your kitchen window.

Let them pick out some of the fruits and veggies you are going to get at the store, show them which ones are ready to eat and which ones aren't and tell them why.

If you have the access, take the kids shopping at a farmers market at least once a month. Let them meet the farmers, ask them questions and learn about how it was grown, where the food came from, why they became a farmer and so on.

Get them involved. They will love it and you will see their perspectives on what food is and what it means to them on a personal level change.

Children have the inborn quality to want to learn about, take part in and take pride in the way they live their lives. If they are given the opportunity to do so I truly believe that our babies will thrive without being pushed or prodded to do what YOU want them to do. It's no wonder that kids don't want to eat their green beans when you are pushing them to eat them "or else...." It's too bad so many kids don't enjoy eating their meal unless there is a packaged toy included or a colorful character on the box.

How do you get your kids involved with their food?

More Photos from our trip:

"X" Harvesting his Potato's

Potato Claw!

Kale from their garden.

Another Kale and yes the boys ate KALE too!

Early Squash from their garden.

They have 9 Chickens that will be laying eggs this coming October.

"Little" Loved those chickens!!

Heading out to the orchard to pick peaches.

Picking peaches in the orchard near their home.

A beautiful day...

"Little's" First Harvest!

An orchard is such a beautiful place to be.

A Babywearing Dad Now A Grandfather

Just after I had "Little" my mom found this photo of my Dad wearing my little brother back in 1981. My brother was around 1 year old and my parents had one of the original Sungli's made out of a blue corduroy.

Now that "Little" is almost 1 year old I made a trip back to see my parents for a few weeks in Breckenridge, Colorado. My Dad was so excited when I asked him if he wanted to help me re-create this photo. He immediately started rushing around the house looking for the orange backpack, an old shovel, white painters pants and a blue sweatshirt. The next thing was finding the same exact spot that the original photo was taken in. That was the hardest part. After 31 years its amazing how much the land has changed and how many new trees had grown. So, to be honest, I don't think we got that part exactly right but oh well!

This was so much fun for all of us.
A few hours after we were finished my Dad came to me and said he'd had a vision of the next photo shoot with him wearing "Littles" baby....wow...could you imagine!?

DISCLAIMER: Do NOT attempt to wear your baby facing forward in a Mai Tie carrier. They are not ment to be worn this way. It was the only carrier I had with me and I wanted to re-create the photo as closely as I could get it. So she was only positioned this way for the photo.

Babies Are Humans Not Objects-Image

Babies Are Humans Not Objects.

Before I had my own precious child I was never the kind of person who would ask to hold someone else's baby even if that said person was someone I was very close too. However, if the mother or father asked me to hold their baby I gladly would. Now that I have my own little girl this subject is one that I think about often.

Yesterday "Little" (who is almost 11 months old) and I were standing on the sidewalk with her Grandmother (Big's mom) and two other women I had just met only minutes prior. Then a man came out of their house and without even an introduction walked straight up to me and grabbed her out of my arms. With in seconds she was full blown crying with big tears rolling down her beautiful little face looking at me like "OMG Mom...what **** is happening?". This is when everyone that was standing around started smiling and/or laughing. Now of course, I reached out for her immediately and it took this guy a couple of seconds to concede to me and let me have her back. Within a few moments she had stopped crying but was still breathing heavy and still had tears in her eyes. This is when the man said while laughing "Oh come on, see, she wasn't scared at all. If she had really be scared then she would still be crying right now." What was so funny about this? Why was everyone enjoying this so much? I didn't think it was funny and she clearly didn't think it was amusing in any way!

Why do people feel the need to hold babies that aren't theirs?

An even bigger question...why do some people think its OK to just walk up and grab a baby from it's mother?

And why to people think it's so funny and amusing to watch a baby start crying or get extremely uncomfortable when they are taken out of their mom or dad's arms?

I go back to the idea of showing the same respect to every being on this planet with the kind of respect that you would want to be shown as well. With that said, do you want a stranger to come up to you and grab you, put their arm around you or otherwise physically touch you? I bet 99% of you would answer NO to that question.

So why do some people think it's OK to do that to a baby?

Just because she is a baby doesn't mean that respect for her personal space should just go out the window.
Just because he is a baby doesn't mean that he needs to "learn" to be held by people other than his parents.
Just because he is a baby doesn't mean that he needs to cry in your arms so he can "learn" to like you.
Just because she is a baby doesn't mean that she is now an object that needs to be passed around from one person to the next.
Would you be OK with that? Even if these people are family...to that little baby any person who is not Mom, Dad or their immediate caregiver is still a "stranger" to them. They don't know that you are related or what related even means (and even if he did that doesn't make it OK for you to walk up and grab him without him being alright with it...does it?)

Now if your your baby isn't crying and seems OK with it then by all means let them hold your baby if you want.
But let's review the situation where your baby is clearly unhappy with what's happening and the only way of letting you and everyone around know that is by crying.
So, if your baby is now crying for you while they are in someone else's arms what do you do? 

Do you let them continue to hold your baby while he still keeps crying so as not to offend them by taking your child back?
Or do you immediately get your baby so she knows that you are there to make her feel comfortable and safe under any circumstance?
Does your answer change if it's an immediate family member this is happening with? 

Personally I don't understand why you wouldn't rather sit next to said baby and interact with them while they are laughing, smiling and playing instead of needing to hold them while they are crying. Selfish is the word that comes into my mind every time. Obviously if the baby is upset it is not benefiting her in any way. It's about you doing what is making you feel good. Selfish.

Does the act of physically holding a baby really create a bond even when the baby is clearly not happy about it?

I have to wonder if when people do this its really more about control. Maybe not consciously but unconsciously if it's giving them a feeling of control over another being that can't do anything about. It's just adding a little more fuel to their "Ego Tank" that is forever needing to be filled up. 

We are Mothers. We are One.

We are Mothers. We are One. 
Let's Protect, Love, Nurture and Lift Each Other Up.

We are all just trying to protect and raise our children the best way we know how. There are enough battles out there that we will encounter...let's not break one another down for doing something differently. Let's be a Village and do it together!

My Instincts and Attachment Parenting

Here I was, a new mom basking in the amazement and joy of my new gift. I just jumped into motherhood with gusto. I was in awe of this little being that solely depended on me to help her survive in this new world.  I wanted to do nothing but make sure she felt safe and secure in every moment of her new life. She was only going to get the best from me as that was now my purpose in life. I had decided from the moment I found out I was pregnant that I was going to breastfeed her. It was what my body was designed to do and finally I would get to use it for its purpose. I started wearing her close to my heart in a mai tie or ring sling. I was using cloth diapers to help avoid anything toxic that that might touch her soft skin. I was right there ready to respond to her when she told me she needed something. I was watching every move she made to try and catch her needs before she had to yell at me to do something. I was sleeping right by her side so she could nurse whenever she woke to hunger pangs and the need to know she wasn’t alone. It was wonderful… really I couldn’t image doing it any other way. It wasn’t until a few months into it that I heard about Attachment Parenting and started reading up on it. Turns out, that everything I was already doing, instinctively, was right in line with the AP principles. It was kind of a wonderful moment for me to learn that I wasn’t the only one out there that believed in these same things. There are many different ways to parent a child but this is the one that feels right for me. As women and mothers we have to follow our instincts and do what we know is the right thing for ourselves and our children. 

How did Attachment Parenting come into your life?

I Love Babywearing Because...

I can kiss her every 2 seconds!!

Why do you love babywearing?

Lose That Pregnancy Weight. Start with a Vaginal Birth!

So here you are 9 months later and who knows how many lbs heavier and the contractions have kicked in. This is the start of your new weight loss plan. It’s pretty brilliant actually….not only are you pushing out a baby and losing lots of fluid that have all contributed to the number on the scale but you are embarking on probably the most intense workout session that even Bob or Jillian couldn’t rival! I’ve heard that going through labor and the act of giving birth could be the equivalent of running a marathon. And for most of us…that would be running a marathon without doing even one day of training for it. Now I wish I could tell you exactly how many calories you burn giving birth but it all depends on what kind and how long of a labor you have. If you needed any further motivation to try and have a vaginal birth this should just be the icing on the cake.

With a vaginal birth, be it at home or in the hospital, you will speed up your recovery time enabling you to start moving and losing weight much sooner than if you had a c-section. You will also be able to burn more calories by carrying your baby around as soon as right after birth. You will have a better chance at breastfeeding which plays a very large role in your weight loss plan.

Vaginal Birth=Burn More Calories=Weight Loss

Vaginal Birth=Quicker Recovery=Weight Loss Starts Sooner

Vaginal Birth=Easier Breastfeeding Start=Burn More Calories=Weight Loss

Breast Feeding and Weight Loss

I’m sure you’ve heard that breastfeeding can help you to lose weight. It’s no joke…really! On an average you will burn 500 extra calories a day. Could be less or could be more up to even 1000 calories a day. I’d have to say I’d rather sit in my rocking chair or lay in bed gazing into my little nurslings eyes and smelling her sweet smell than spend an hour or more running on the treadmill and/or driving myself mad on an elliptical machine…wouldn’t you? There will be no other time in your life that your body will be able to burn so many calories without you having to expend a major amount of physical effort and energy. That being said, this is also the easiest time in your life to take advantage and do a little extra moving around to multiply that 500+ calories burned. Milk it while you can girls! But this doesn’t mean cut back on the calories you are consuming. Please don’t do that! You still need to make sure you are giving your body the fuel it needs to produce this amazing milk for your little one and keep you healthy and full of energy.


We are breastfeeding on demand. That means I feed her whenever she cues me that she’s hungry. The hospital lactation consultant told me that I needed to feed her every 2 hours. Well sometimes that’s the case but sometimes she needs to eat every hour, sometimes every 3 hours and occasionally she needs to be at the breast every 20 minutes or so. With all of the changes she’s going through and growth spurts that come and go it makes sense to me that she does not look at the clock and say “ok mom, it’s been 2 hours it’s time for me to eat now.” It can be exhausting for me sometimes but it’s what I signed up for. I’m here to nurture her however she needs it and she is flourishing! She’s growing fast and is right on top and even ahead of some of the developmental stages. And…I’m losing weight. This is why it’s hard to say exactly how many calories are burned breastfeeding. Some days it’s probably way more than others based on what she needs. I’ve heard that it could be something like 20 calories burned for every oz of milk.


Breastfeeding=Burning Calories=Weight Loss



Have you lost weight while living an Attachment Parent lifestyle?

Share your story with me! I'd love for more people to see how easy and fun it can be to lose weight this way.

Babywearing Exercise- "Nap Time" Yoga Ball Bounce Video

Eco Nail Polish for Summertime!

Just a little something fun....I've been holding off on painting my nails until I could find an eco-friendly nail polish option I liked. And I think I've found one! This one from Scott is called "Canal Street Daisy"....it's a little pricy at $15 but since I'll be wearing it all summer long I guess it's worth it.

Scotch Naturals™ polish has a lot in common with the women who wear it. We are smart, fun, and forward thinking. We care about the environment, and we come in a wide variety of colors. When we want to look and feel our best, we choose natural products, knowing it’s not just healthier for us, but for the world around us.

Making the change to non-toxic nail polish is one you won’t regret. Scotch Naturals is a safe and eco-friendly alternative to conventional solvent-based polish. Our revolutionary water-based formula nourishes and conditions nails, delivering long lasting, salon-quality color. Our polish contains none of the chemicals found in typical nail polish: toluene, dibutyl phthelate, formaldehyde, acetone, and heavy metals.

The journey to healthy, nourished nails is a beneficial one, but it does take time. If you have dry, parched nails, your first couple coats of polish may chip or streak. But don’t be discouraged, it’s just part of the process. As you continue to use our conditioning polishes your nails will become healthy and strong, allowing your polish to shine in all its eco-chic glory.

Ingredients:

WaterColors: water, acrylic polymer emulsion, and non toxic colorants

Breastfeeding While Babywearing

I had no idea what a huge help to breast feeding babywearing was! Now, I don't know how I would live without it. "Little" is such a happy baby and as long as she is rested and fed she is so much fun to hang out with. I love being able to just jump up and head out of the house, even at the last minute, without having to worry about a feeding or nap schedule. Babywearing and breast feeding on their own make us a very mobile duo but doing it together makes us unstoppable! We don't have to stop what we are doing. If she is hungry, she eats. If she is tired, she sleeps. All while we are out and about LIVING LIFE!

I thought it would be a lot harder than it is. It did take a couple of tries to get the hang of and, to be honest, I didn't even give it a try until she was about 5 months old. But now I wish I had started sooner! Now that she is almost 10 months old we do it anywhere we are. Each carrier works a little differently but you can do it with any of them.

The Woven Wrap- This one is great if you are looking for a little more "privacy". Depending on how you have your LO wrapped the sides can completely cover and no one will even know what's going on in there. Not that I am promoting covering up...Oh no...I say feed feed feed anywhere and everywhere. However, I have had a couple of moments where I just felt more comfortable with a little more coverage. (like on the train with that creepy guy staring at me across the way)

The Mai Tie- As seen in the photo to your right. This one is pretty easy to just loosen the straps and drop her down low enough to be able to latch on. Then tighten back up so as you are moving around she can stay snugly latched on and not be disturbed by being bounced around.

The Soft Structured Carrier- Like the Boba, Ergo, Onya, Etc... These are great but I feel like they are not quite as easy and fast to adjust so "Little" can get her feed on. You have to adjust all of the buckles/straps which I'm sure if you use them a lot you get the hang of it pretty quickly. I'm still more of a wrap/mai tie kind of girl but now that "Little" is getting bigger I think I'm going to have to find one of these that works for me to help take some of the strain off of my shoulders/back.

Ring Sling-to be completely honest....I was never very good with this one. Personally, I feel like these are best for when your baby is much smaller. I would welcome any comments from mama's that love their ring-slings and breastfeed in them even as their "Little" gets bigger.

This is how good I've gotten at breast feeding while babywearing: sometimes at bed time I will nurse her in the mai tie, she will fall asleep, I will untie us and lay down in bed all with her still latched on and asleep. Then within a few minutes I can slowly remove myself from her and the bed and voila...down for the night!

Oh and you know I have to mention this:
Breast Feeding + Babywearing = Burning MORE calories = loosing more weight
Yeay!!!!

Babywearing Exercises- "Nap Time"

I would have to say that nap or bed time, besides walking, is the way that I get the most exercise babywearing. Instead of using a swing or rocker to help put my little one to sleep I either put her into her Baby Hawk Mei Taior in a Boba Wrap or Carrier on my front and get to work!

I have a slew of different moves I do but I'll narrow it down to the best ones for both me and the ones that seem to put her to sleep the fastest as well:

#1- The Torso Twist:
Put your feet shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly.
Place your hands on your shoulders with your elbows up even with your shoulders.
Engage your stomach muscles and twist from left to right and back again.
Make sure you are keeping your hips stationary and all of the work is happening with your torso only. Keep at this for as long as you can or until your little one falls asleep. You can speed it up or slow it down based on what seems to work best for him or her. If you want to take this to the next level you can even add a little bounce while you are doing it....that's usually the final KO for my girl!

#2- The Yoga Ball Bounce
Sit straight up on the ball with your feet flat on the floor at about 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Now bounce. But don't just let gravity take over. Engage your core stomach muscles as well as your quads. Just use the ball more as a support. Sometimes I'll add a modified Torso Twist to each bounce to take it up a notch. Again, do this for as long as you can or until your little one is down for the count.

#3- The Bouncing Mini Squat
Just like what it sounds like...put your knees shoulder width apart and bounce into mini squats. Don't go down all the way just what feels natural as a bounce and soothing not jostling for the bebe on your chest. Also make sure you knees stay over your ankles so you don't injure your self. Now bounce, bounce, bounce until your legs are burning and you can take any more!

Sometimes I rotate all of these moves throughout one nap or bed time routine depending on how long it's taking for her to fall asleep.

Depending on your little one's age and how many naps they are taking a day you will get yourself into the best shape of your life if you are doing this on an average of 20 mins 3-4 times a day don't you think?!

Put on some soothing music, sing or hum to your baby while you are doing this and you'll find that it's really very enjoyable for the both of you.

Babywearing and Weight Loss

Wearing your baby from the time she is born at least until her 1st birthday is the easiest, quickest and most enjoyable way to lose the weight you gained while you were pregnant. I gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy and by about 8 months I had lost 65 lbs and I attribute a large part of that to wearing my baby. Your every day activities can turn into a great way to burn extra calories with the extra weight of him on your front or your back while you're doing them....the dishes, laundry and grocery shopping can all be done wearing your baby! Just taking a walk to to park using your baby carrier instead of simply pushing a stroller will turn it into an extra calorie burning session. He will also love being close to you and getting to see everything that's going on from your same level.

If you were to start a conventional weight loss work out plan your trainer would have you start with lighter weights in strength training and slowly increase the weight over time as your body gets use to them. Well, your baby is a genius fitness trainer because she naturally will do that for you. As your body adjusts to carrying her around she grows and gains more weight to up the ante of your workouts with her. Awe... she is so smart....yes the smartest baby in the world!! She helped you gain all of that weight and now is going to help you lose it too.

This is what inspired me to create The Babywearing Workout! I wanted to share with other new mom's a fast, easy and fun way to get back into shape and loose that extra weight but without having to drudge off to a boring gym while you leave your little one with someone else. Check it out and let me know what you think. I have also set up a Facebook page if you'd like to follow along there too.

Have you lost weight babywearing?

My Pregnancy Weight Gain and Weight Loss

Let me start by saying that I am in no way a professional exercise coach or have any kind of trained expertise in weight loss. I am just a new mom, probably like you, who needed to lose weight after giving birth to my beautiful baby girl. In fact, I have struggled with my weight for many years. Growing up I was very athletic. I started skiing when I was 2 years old which turned into racing that lasted up until high school. I was also involved in t-ball, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, track and cross country running. So needless to say I didn’t grow up having any kind of body or weight issues. It wasn’t until my last year of high school that I gave it all up. I was tired and you know how teenagers are…I just wanted to do what I wanted to do. From that point on I pretty much stopped moving. Since I didn’t have a specific sport to focus on it didn’t even cross my mind to find another form of exercise. So, I started putting on the weight…20 lbs here, 5 lbs there and on and on. Before I became pregnant I was on the BMI chart just about to cross the line from overweight to obese. Yikes right? But I didn’t really feel like that. I mean, I knew I was overweight but obese? I’d sort of tried to lose the weight over the years but never really went on any kind of serious diet. I would work out but could never stay motivated enough to get results any better than 5-10 lbs at a time and then I would put it back on and more usually. Then I got pregnant and gained 50 lbs more. But to be honest, I wasn’t really worried about it. I had this feeling, even before I became pregnant, that once I had a baby things were going to change for me. I’m not sure why but I just had this gut feeling. Plus the last thing we women should be doing while we are building a baby is stressing out about the weight we are gaining and how we are going to lose it!

So now I’m a new mom basking in the amazement and joy of my new gift. Losing weight was nowhere near the top of my list of things to do. I just jumped into motherhood with gusto. I was in awe of this little being that solely depended on me to help her survive in this new world. I wanted to do nothing but make sure she felt safe and secure in every moment of her new life. She was only going to get the best from me as that was now my purpose in life. I had decided from the moment I found out I was pregnant that I was going to breastfeed her. It was what my body was designed to do and finally I would get to use it for its purpose. I started wearing her close to my heart in a mai tie or ring sling. I was using cloth diapers to help avoid anything toxic that that might touch her soft skin. I was right there ready to respond to her when she told me she needed something. I was watching every move she made to try and catch her needs before she had to yell at me to do something. I was sleeping right by her side so she could nurse whenever she woke to hunger pangs and the need to know she wasn’t alone. It was wonderful… really I couldn’t image doing it any other way. It wasn’t until a few months into it that I heard about Attachment Parenting and started reading up on it. Turns out, that everything I was already doing, instinctively, was right in line with the AP principles. It was kind of a wonderful moment for me to learn that I wasn’t the only one out there that believed in these same things. There are many different ways to parent a child but this is the one that feels right for me. As women and mothers we have to follow our instincts and do what we know is the right thing for ourselves and our children.

So as of right now "Little" is slightly over 9 months old and after gaining the 50 lbs while pregnant I am now already down 65 lbs! That's right...I'm 15 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. I'd have to say I'm pretty darn proud of that!

More on exactly how I lost the weight to come....

How did you lose your pregnancy weight?