Being a new mom can be totally overwhelming so we asked leading Pediatrician and expert in organic living expert Dr.Greene what the top things are a new mom needs to know — from food to vaccines. Here’s what he had to say:
The First Year
Kids will learn foods like a language in the first year of life so introduce your kids to all kinds of foods and don’t limit them. It’s good for them to taste new flavors. Did you know in the first year 95% of moms will give up on new foods if their kids don’t seem to like them after five tries. Give your child 10 tries — give them a chance to learn to like it! Feature great flavors and textures.
Allergies
Although many believe kids will have allergies by introducing them to foods to early, Dr Greene believes kids are less likely to have allergies if you let them try a variety of foods. Don’t delay — they can have almost anything!
What to Eat?
Dr. Greene says a baby can pretty much eat what you’re eating — if you blend whatever it is you are having for dinner, they will learn to like it later on it life. Give the gift of 10 times. If they don’t seem to like a certain food, don’t force them — give them another taste another day.
Crib Mattress
Get a natural or green mattress for the baby because babies spend so much time there. Most mattresses are made of foam, you can smell it– it’s like a new car smell and the fumes are toxic. Get an organic mattress for your baby — it’s much better.
Chemicals
There are lots of chemicals in the environment, and not just outside: In plastics — look for BPA free bottles like Dr.Brown or Born Free, and Born Free pacifiers (or BPA free pacifiers and teething soothers). 80,000 chemicals haven’t been tested. It’s now being discovered that there are many estrogen related diseases — and it’s related to the plastics. One sure way to avoid it is to look for the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5 which are safe recycling numbers. 3, 6, and 7 often have chemicals.
Asthma
Ashtma has quadrupled over the last few decades and it’s becoming chronic. Here’s why: 1. Kids are not getting enough vegetables and fruit 2. Chemicals inside the home: The typical home has worse air quality than outdoors! Open windows, get house plants — house plants can remove 90% of air pollution! Two main ways people get ashtma is when they’re painting the nursery or putting in new carpet — use organic paints, they’re much safer. Do you have toxic cleaning products? Use a product like Seventh Generation to clean, instead of the harsh things like Windex.
Vaccines
This is a very controversial topic these days, but according to Dr.Greene, the risks outweight the benefit…and there’s been a lot of research…
About Dr. Greene
As a father of four himself, Dr. Greene has devoted himself to freely giving real answers to parents’ real questions — from questions about those all too common childhood conditions to those that address the most rare childhood illnesses. Dr. Greene is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California at San Francisco. Upon completion of his pediatric residency program at Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Northern California he served as Chief Resident. He entered primary care pediatrics in January 1993. He is now a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, an Attending Pediatrician at Packard Children’s Hospital, and a Senior Fellow at the University California San Francisco Center for the Health Professions
