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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Mr.Dylan (a.k.a. cranky pants)

So Dylan is 19 months as of today, and he is one spunky little boy let me tell you. He is talking up a storm, not like you can understand much but it's there. He is always on the go and has mastered the skill of having temper tantrums. His latest being when I put him in the stroller and he doesn't want to go in...man oh man..does he ever give a fight. I literally need to restrain him to get him in there, and this little boy is pretty strong I may add. He also does this thing where he looses his breath and can't breathe and goes all purple in the face. He actually has done this since he was a baby, and it still scares me everytime he does it.

                                                                       "AHHHHH"
                                                                    (caught in action)

Dylan also has took in this new habit of screaming everytime he wants something or isn't getting the attention he wants. He does this "ahhhh" thing with the cutest face afterwards..well the screaming isn't cute but that face..omg !! I have tried every behaviour strategy and he just doesn't want to listen to mommy. I can just ignore the scream but he will just keep doing it and it will just get louder and louder. He actually is doing it as we speak, he is in his room having some playtime and obvioulsy wants me. OK....so guess what? He had a dirty diaper. I went down there and he said to me "poo poo", sure enough he was right!!

What else is new Dylan's world?

Well he has been sleeping in his 'big boy' bed for a few weeks now. It was a challenge at first because I would stay there with him until he fell asleep and then I realized that he would never learn to sleep on his own in his bed if I kept that up. So I had to start sleep training him all over again, as I did with him when he was in the crib. The only method that has ever worked with us is the cry it out method (CIO) so that is what I had to do with him, except this time it was harder because he has a big open room to explore while he's crying. So we stick to our bedtime routine and once we've finished reading his 'night night' book, I sing him a slovenian prayer and then I tell him it's time to go to sleep. I kiss him goodnight and proceed to leave the room. He will still cry a bit (it's only been about a week of this) and come to the gate at the door, but it doesn't last more than 5-10 minutes and then it's all quite. I can somtimes hear him playing but he's usually in his bed sleeping within half an hour. He has always been an early riser, about 5ish and that has stayed the same.

So as I just read this draft (well it's a post now)....I started writing this about a good week ago.

Dylan is still Mr.cranky-pants!!!! Teething, being in the good old 18-21 months transition period and a new baby sister may just be the culprit.

Yay for MOMMY!!!!!!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

SUNSCREEN: Helpful or harmful ??

So now that the weather is getting so summerlicious the need for suncreen has come in to effect.

Over the years we have had this constant reminder that too much sun exposure is bad for our health so we avoid damaging our skin by applying sunscreen. Our children are probably the most likely to be smothered in sunscreen because we want to protect their delicate skin, right? But the real question that has been on my mind lately........

Is it realy all that helpful ?

Protection from the sun is important (I get that) but the chemicals we put on our skin can be very harmful, especially to our children. I don't know about you but have you ever really taken a look at the ingredients list in the products we are putting on our children?

Over the years the skin care industry has had to increase the level of chemical compounds in sunscreen in order to raise the sun protection factor (SPF) level. Upon the absorbtion into the skin, sunscreen can actually form the dangerous compunds it was meant to block causing negative substances that lead to skin cancer.

In addition to the cancer risk is the effect that common sunscreens have on the develpoing child. Many sunscreen chemicals have estrogen-like effects. Children's organs are more sensitve to these estrogen exposures and can develop abnormalities.

Limiting our exposure to the sun, especially between the hours of 10-4 when that sun gets super hot and seeking out more healthy skin products that don't contain dangerous ingredients are possible solutions for us to consider. But let's not forget that sun exposure is a GOOD thing. We need sunlight for good health and being in the sun for a short time without sunscreen poses no real dangerous threat. I mean as long as your being sun smart (not at peak times, wearing a hat, protective clothing, seeking shade when needed etc...) you really don't have much to worry about.

So with all that said.... what exactly do we need to avoid when choosing a sunscreen? Here are some nasty ingredients that we want to stay away from:

Benzophenone (benzonphenone-3), hemosalate, and octy-menthoxycinnamate (octionxate):
These chemicals are bad news because they have shown estrogen activity in lab tests. Oxybenzone is aderivative of benzophenone and its linked to allergies, hormone disruptions and cell damage.
To read more on this chemical click here

Parabens ( butyl-,ethyl-,methyl-, and propyl-):
These are preservatives that have estrogenic qualities. They have produced hormonal effects following on laboratory rodents, partically male, resulting in decreased testosterone levels and othe abnomalities. The have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of woman with breast cancer.

Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone):
While on the surface of skin these chemicals appear to prevent UV damage but whe absorbed intot he skin thay can damage DNA. There is evidence that the sun's light may cause these chemicals to become reactive and cause free-radical damage when they are absorbed.

PABA:
This is not widely used anymore because many people were very sensitive to it and ended up wth red, itchy skin.

In general any zinc oxide and titanium are good choices as they scatter and reflect the sun's rays rather than absorb them. When sunscreens leave white streaks on the sun there is a less risk of the substance actually absorbing into our skin.

I have also recently heard about something called Nano particles, these are particles of small dimensions that leaverage the unique physical properties that chemicals exibit at the nanoscale. Thus making the zinc and titanium oxide in sunscreen go on clearer and smoother. The changing properties often result in unpredictable changes in toxicity that are not yet understood. The problem here is that companies don't even label the use of nano particles or any safety information.

To read more on these nano particles press here .

So with all that said I would highly consider checking out the sunscreens we are currently using on our children and ourselves. I had no idea the risk I was putting my child under when I was using the common Coppertone baby sunscreen. Just take a trip to the local pharmacy and check out all the common ones; Banana Boat, Coppertone, Nivea, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Hawaiian tropic, Kiss my face, this list can go on for days.

I recently took a trip to my local health store and purchased Badger All natural mosturizing sunscreen ( I really like!) for my little one.

There is also an organization called Environmental Working Group.....check out the 2010 guide to sunscreen.

Okay...so this post only took me about a week to write (lol) my children have been super CRAZY lately. So there might be some parts that are a bit rush rush, I truly had a lot more to say but the most important information is there for you. I just had a moment to finish this post.....and there goes they little one crying for her mommy, so I have to say bye bye for now.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

So things have been a bit busy over here.......

 Juggling between my "not so baby" anymore little boy who is actively entering the toddler stage (oh so fun!!), my 8 week little princess who is trying to figure out how she works and the various house chores I need to stay on top of to keep the hubbie happy.

In between all of this I'm trying my best to keep myself as healthy as I can so I can have the energy to accomplish all that needs to be done. So if you notice the lacking in my writing I do appologize in advance, with that said I am trying my best. If my brain could telepathically signal to the computer all of my thoughts I would have many interesting and informative posts for your reading pleasure.

I can tell you I am working on some very interesting pieces of reading material that you should stay tuned for.
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