Is co-sleeping benefic or not?

Will you ever sleep in your bed or in your own room?

This is the question I ask my 6 year old daughter every day. She's been sleeping in bed with me or her daddy since her 1st year of age. And my second daughter does the same. And I don't regret it at all. Because when I look at them, I see two peaceful little angels, full of joy and with no frustrations, no fears, no nightmares. Most of people say that this is wrong, that the children will be spoiled or with a wrong behavior towards everything, or they won't be self-dependent at all. Will they sleep with her mom or dad until the age of 18? Of course not. They will need space at some point, so, like every other issues that come into our lives and simply go away at a moment, our children will become more and more self-dependent. Of course our role is to help our children become the adults they want to be, and to guide them in life to be good people from any point of view.

Atopic dermatitis in children

How did we handle with  the atopic dermatitis

Everyone dealing with this health problem knows that life's not easy when having skin rash, eczema, poor sleeping, irritability, etc. According to the specialists, the atopic dermatitis is an affection that begins in the early childhood or within the first months of life. Although the doctors say that the progress of this affection is somehow stopped or slown as the child grows older, it is different from case to case. My daughters had it from their first months (one is 2 and the other 6 now), and they still have it, because it never goes away, but the quality of their lives improved as all you can do regarding the atopic dermatitis is to keep it under control. 

There were so many things that I didn't know about concerning this affection. In the beginning, distracted by the overwhelming moments with the first newborn, I overlooked it for a while, as I thought it was a transitory issue. But things proved to be more complicated, as the skin problems were getting worse. My baby was irritated and crying alot, and the skin was looking awful. I was lucky that she couldn't scratch, but, unfortunately, it was bad for her, as I could only imagine how uncomfortable was for a baby to live with that.

I am your best friend, sweet child of mine

The age of 6, the tween age

My sweet child, sometimes I'm not the best mother for you, and neither the best friend you dream of,  but I know I try to be. Sometimes I don't have self-control and raise my voice, and sometimes I don't seem understanding, but I really try to. I blame myself for not being the perfect mother, but all I know is I love you with all my heart. You're just the perfect child, but now that you grew older, things became more difficult than I thought and you are such a strong spirit. You know how to support your own point of view, even if you think you're right. I love teaching you things, but it's just complicated when you're going against it. I'm not a bad mother if I want to teach you things, and you're not a bad child if you don't want to learn at the moment. But let's find a resolution together. It is not easy, but remember I am your friend, and you have to trust me. I am also your mother, and my love for you is infinite.

Dear stranger, mind your business

Strangers think they know better

Children need to feel safe in every situation. And we are there to protect them. Also, a child is not self-dependent and has no judgement until certain ages. Every parent knows better which are the needs and likes or dislikes of his child. He also knows everything about his moods and feelings.

Now, I'm telling you, STRANGER, why do you think you know my child better, or why do you even try to talk to my child when he's playing in the park, or in any other place? Why do you think your approach is better than mine, or your advices are good for me? Do I know you? Do you know me? Do you think your life experience makes you a better parent than I am? Every child is different, and education has different perspectives for everyone.

Happy children in a dangerous world

Raise happy children

Every mother's desire is to have happy kids and provide them with all that is necessary to live a good life, with no fear, constraint, stress and affection. Although it is almost impossible to fully achieve this goal, we do everything in our power to protect this tiny angels from the unkindness of the outside world.

God knows what mixture of feelings is inside a mother's heart, and how her concerns are intensifying as time goes by; and at every moment, we realize that little by little we must let them go, and not necessarlily because we have to, but because they want to and need it.

We are like lions from the day they are born, and since that moment, we promise to ourselves to make them happy no matter what.

Mommy, I love winter but I hate it

When winter comes, I know there's the beginning of a new struggle with my daughters. Too much clothes are pretty troubling for them, and there are stressful moments when starting the whole process of getting  dressed, explaining over and over again that it is cold outside and it is really impossible to walk out in t-shirt. We all get nervous (I know I suppose to be calm, but it's impossible having an eye to the idea that my children could catch a serious cold): "Mommy, why do I  have to get dressed? I hate winter!". This is the eternal question when winter is coming, and from year to year, I realize that nothing is changed, except from my children growing-up. Who says that the child will be more empathic from one year to another, and all the development stages will be less frustrating for parents? 

Virosis in wintertime

In some parts of the world, the cold season has already come, and, it is known that winter is a good home for the viruses. No matter how hard we try to immunize our children against colds or other severe illnesses, it is not sufficient, because there is a continuous forthcoming of new viruses that pull down their bodies. I often heard some voices saying: "Her immunity is not good enough". I think it has nothing to do with this, since the body is not prepared for new viruses, and it's impossible to stay strong against new illnesses. I mean, it's a matter of luck. Very few people are immune against new viruses, never mind a child. So, I don't know if immunity means to be invincible against the illnesses, but for sure it helps our children to go through affections easier. 

The age of kindergarten

The bond between moms and children

It is clearly known that children have a strong attachement to their mothers, as they are the first who hold them in their arms, who feed them, who offer them all the comfort when in pain, or give them the feeling of safety whenever they need. The bond is so strong that is almost impossible for the children to get apart from their mothers, and, implicitly, for their mothers to detach themselves from their children. When it's time to start going to kindergarten, there are difficult moments for both of them.

Love between brothers/sisters

Families with two children will surely understand the "problems" that may occur between sisters and brothers. The waters are still calm until the arrival of the second newborn, and, apparently, your first child accepts the situation pretty well. But, in time, when they both grow older, things are completely different, beacause they define their personalities, behavior, and actually know what they want. Jealousy can't be actually avoided, it is normal, and all we can do is to help them feel comfortable one to another, or help them get away from all the frustrations and angers they feel towards anything related to the new member of the family.

It depends on us to make things work better between our children. It is a difficult task but the results are the most important part of it. 

Playing, reality and fantasy

Children love playing, and this is the only job they have during their childhood. Playing comes naturally in their lives, and is good to know that this is the way their brain makes connections. When playing, children develop themselves from a social, physical and intelectual point of view. That is why is very important to play with our children. Spending time with them seems to be difficult sometimes, as the adults have duties to carry out, jobs, housekeeping duties, etc. But the time spent with our children is precious, and if we want them to have a "beautiful" development, than we must do all the efforts.   

Not all the children are the same

Behavior problems

It is good to know the way your child's behavior could change during his growth, in order to appreciate what is normal and when is the case to worry about. Many types of behavior could be questionable, and your level of tolerance may vary - depending more on your state of mind than the child's behavior itself. I have two girls, one of  2 years old and one of 6 years old, and I know how difficult it is to manage this situation. And I've learned that most of time it's up to us to manage the types of behavior, and tolerate it or not when it is the case. 

Hand Foot Mouth Disease

Hand Foot Mouth Disease

Motherhood is the most beautiful job of all times, if someone could say that, but from the moment you become a parent, you become an emotional part of your child; you fell that everything your child feels should actually be taken upon yourself, all his worries and pains should be passed over yourself. So, even it is the best job in the world, it is obviously the most difficult one, too, especially when our children are ill, and we make the worst of it. 

There are so many moments of childhood when illness takes away the hapiness of our children, and we just want them to get well sooner. But what if sometimes we don't get how that our children are getting worse, when the fever is persistent, the child is lethargic, and, more, his hands, feet and mouth are full of eruptions?

Hashimoto's disease

Pregnancy and Hashimoto's tyroiditis

Although pregnancy is the most beautiful period in our lives, and everything seems ok for us and our babies, there are so many changes that affect our bodies, including hormonal problems. After the baby arrives, we feel overwhelmed and we become tired, get some weight, sleep less, and all these together lead to serious problems, and the emotional stress is the main factor which causes problems with our tyroid.

Life after two babies

 New life, new start

Photo source: Pinterest

Welcome your new baby and get used to your new family life, because now you are four and everything will change. Your mental health should be strong, as you need to be prepared for a new lifestyle, and there's a battle inside of you which will never end..you have to accomodate your first child to his new baby sister/brother (and believe me, that's the hardest thing of all), you have to take care of your second baby, your mind faces so many contradictions, between the love you share with your children and the love for your partner; and, there are so many frustrating things regarding your new kilos, your physical changes, and the balance that is gone in your intimate life...

Pregnant and famous

Pregnant like a celebrity!

Photo source: Pinterest

When we are pregnant, we start feeling strange concerning our body, because there are so many changes that take place, and everything starts  from our hormones. It is a continuous change from the first day we find out the great news: having a baby! We start planning and changing our future plans, we are happy and excited, we imagine how our baby will be, how beautiful our  lives will be, and there is plenty of time to do that amongst the nine months we are carrying the pregnancy. But those changes are not comfortable all the time. Some women feel sick at the beginning of the pregnancy, or the entire 9 months period, they have physical disorders or bad moods all the time. Of course  there are women who don't even feel they are pregnant, and we talk here about women who had a really healthy lifestyle before getting pregnant, and who did sports with regularity.

Healthy Sweetness for Children

Since my little girl has been born, I realized that I am obsessed of everything that comes from nature, and, as a mother, I want what's best for my child. I just want to confess that, personally, I'm a fan of healthy and organic food, natural herbs and remedies for my child's health, all that comes from nature, from fruits to meat, eggs and milk. Today is so difficult to find such natural resources, but we should really try to raise our children in the best way possible. 

What to avoid during pregnancy

There are 9 months to wait until the baby will be born, and it's such a long period of expectation for mothers-to-be, and all they should do is to take care in each moment of their own health and their unborn baby. During pregnancy, mothers-to-be ask questions and try to find out new things from the experiences of other women. But we should not forget that pregnancies are different in each woman, and sometimes we should only follow our instincts if we do not agree with some opinions or experiences. There are so many myths regarding pregnancy, changed from generation to generation, and all we must do is listening to experts, to doctors or proven studies, and not to advices from other people. 

Health in Pregnancy

Do's and Don'ts in pregnancy

ivillage.com

It is believed that pregnancy is one of the most beautiful periods in a woman's life. Some women enjoys it, and some don't. Why? Because there are so many reasons and factors that influence our lives and, generally, pregnancy is not pink all the time. It is not a general rule to feel sexi, comfortable and happy during pregnancy. Sometimes this is a myth, or, it depends on how each woman faces difficulties. It is true that  everything is up to the state of mind and motivation. When a woman has a difficult pregnancy everything seems so blue and she hardly waits the baby to be born. But when she has an easy pregnancy, she feels like moving the mountains and she's positive all the time. It is difficult to take care of your own health or baby's health during pregnancy, when you can hardly eat something or get yourself hydrated enough. If you have enough resources before getting pregnant, it could be easier for the baby to have a normal development during intrauterine life, because he consumes from your resources.  

Dandelion Honey for Children's Health

Nature is magical for our health

Mothers want what's bests for their children and their health. Nowadays, when everything is so unorganic, we are looking only for healthy food and a healthy lifestyle. When it comes about our children, we do our best to offer them healthy aliments especially in the first three years of life, when they gather the needed nutrients for a good start. That is why we should not forget that nature is magical and we should get from it as much as we could. There are so many plants that nature offers, and we should be thankful that we still have this choice for us and for our kids. I didn't appreciate nature until I've had my own child. Now, I'm trying to be more selective regarding the food from supermarkets, and I also try to prepare some goodies in my own home (like all sorts of sweetness, sauce or syrup made of various herbs benefic for different diseases, etc). 

Stem Cell Collection

The importance of stem cells from the cord blood

The umbilical cord contains powerful stem cells that have been used to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems. Cord blood stem cells have been used in more than 35,000 transplants worldwide. Doctors are also researching cord blood as potential treatment for conditions that currently have no cure. Stem cells are able to transform into other types of cells in the body to create new growth and development. They are the building block of the immune system. The transformation of these cells provides physicians with a way to treat leukemia and some inherited health disorders.If parents do not decide to collect the stem cells, they are discarded as medical waste, if not collected at birth. Usually the volume of stem cells collected is quite small, so these cells are usually used for children or small adults. So, the stem cells are frozen and stored by cord blood banks or programs until they are needed.