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First things first: I don’t have a kid. I am not a parent, and my 7-year-old nephew is the type of kid who says things like, “That has too much salt content, it’s not good for me,” so I have … More
I look forward to having children some day more than I can say, so I am always on the lookout for things that might make parenting a little easier to navigate (though I am well aware that it’s still pretty … More
The British government is on the forefront of body positive initiatives and eating disorder awareness, but their new plan to give parents a guide to building kids’ body confidence is my favorite by far. The UK has also banned ads for using too much photoshop, and even blamed the fashion industry for the recent death of a 14-year-old who killed herself after suffering bulimia, but educating young boys and girls has far more potential to nip the problem in the bud…and perhaps even transform the industry out of consumer demand, instead of government-enforced restrictions. More
It’s not up there with those chicken pox lollipops by any means. But despite taking their kids to the doctor’s office more, parents in or around the city of Portland are ignoring pediatrician recommendations and vaccinating their kids on their own clock.
Reuters reports that the number of children on “alternative” vaccination schedules is on the rise in this specific area of Oregon, growing from 2.5% in 2006 to 9.5% in 2009. Oregon’s numbers mimic a 2011 study of the United States, which found that one in 10 parents either refused to get their kids vaccinations or planned to get those shots in their own sweet time. The parental reasoning ranges from “a general mistrust” of vaccines to concerns about the pain to simply not wanting too many shots at once. But even though mothers and fathers may be well-intentioned, not keeping with doctor’s recommendation reportedly leaves children vulnerable to certain diseases: More
Before having kids, I had very idealist visions of what our lives would be like. Our family would be the perfectly healthy family. What we ate would be carefully scrutinized. Fresh fruits, tons of veggies, lean meats and whole grains would be on the table at every meal. What we did during our leisure time would also be closely mapped out and monitored. Lots of fresh air, exercise and family outings like picnics, hiking and biking together would consume our weekends. And of course, things like keeping the kids spotless and myself looking hip and put-together every day made the list too.
Yes, I had high expectations for being the perfect and healthy mom. And I’ll admit, I even went so far as to judge other moms who weren’t all that healthy (because, you know, before you have kids, you think you know everything about parenting). To those moms that I judged, I apologize. To my former neurotic self, I apologize, too. Because not only did I not follow-through with most of those rules, over the course of the last 15 years, I did some pretty unhealthy things that I swore I would never do. More
Placenta-eating has now become so popular that even January Jones is doing it, and hospitals are changing policies to make it easier. Meanwhile, Jessica Alba founded an entire company to ensure that toxins don’t come into contact with her babies, and Alicia Silverstone is making moms wonder if chewing food for their kids is part of the job. But it’s not just celebrities (or crunchy hippies) jumping on the trend of all-natural, health-conscious parenting; now, all moms are pressured to gain the right amount of weight, eat their own placenta, breast feed long enough, and safeguard their kids against everything from BPA to GMOs. On the face of it, these all seem like a good things—after all, who wants to give their kids gestational diabetes? And what new mom isn’t desperate for a way to jack up her energy levels without having to fake a need for adirol? But much as we here at Blisstree favor being ‘natural’ and ‘healthy,’ we also wonder if all those pressures add up to a new kind of unhealthy—particularly because they’re mostly placed on women. More
In the era of pink slime and unregulated BPA in everything, it’s not super-easy to avoid chemicals and toxins in the stuff that we buy in stores–especially when it comes to baby products. And while most of us just try to do the best we can to be eco-friendly by compulsively reading labels, some people (read: celebrities) have the means to do something about it…like Jessica Alba, who recently started The Honest Company, a non-toxic, natural line of diapers, baby gear, and cleaning supplies. More
There is little that is more iconic than the rush of excitement that fills a child when their little ears first pick up the soft tinkling of “The Entertainer” from around the corner. Ah, the ice cream man. But kinds in the super-bougie Park Slope neighborhood will experience no such delight this summer, if area parents have anything to say about it. They’ve waged war against the cool treats. More
On the Today show this morning, they reported that a whopping 70% of moms in the U.S. say mothering is “incredibly stressful.” On top of that, 96% feel we are far more stressed than our own mothers were. While I can certainly relate (I am a working mom with two kids), I always find reports like that interesting, because I think they can paint a picture of us as martyrs, when in fact, we’re the ones who typically bring this stress upon ourselves. And if we would just cut ourselves some slack, we could probably alleviate a lot of this angst. More
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A disconcerting new study refutes the link between childhood obesity and junk food in schools. The epidemic, it implies, is rooted closer to home than we thought. And with one in three kids overweight or obese, it can’t just be blamed on a few negligent parents. Well-meaning moms and dads are part of the problem, too. That’s because, in an attempt bolster their kids self-esteem by avoiding fat-talk, many have become too afraid to speak plainly and frankly about about what is and isn’t a healthy body weight. Unfortunately, putting blinders on isn’t going to make the problem go away—or make kids feel any better. More
School nurses, beware. Across the country, more and more parents are asking their pediatricians to either delay or exempt their kids from vaccines. In eight states, the AP reports, more than 1 in 20 kindergarten students aren’t getting the vaccines that are recommended before enrolling in school. In Washington State, 80% of pediatricians report being asked to delay their kids’ vaccine schedules. But parents aren’t doing it out of malice–they’re doing it out of skepticism about the safety. More
October is a spooky month for more than one reason. Aside from hosting Halloween, it’s also Let’s Talk Month, a group effort organized by health activists and Planned Parenthood to encourage parents to talk to their kids about their sexual health. And it turns out, according to one poll released earlier this month, while parents understand the importance of having “the talk“, they also find discussing sex (and birth control) to be just as uncomfortable as their mortified teens. More
The court of public opinion has had a roller-coaster relationship with immunizations. But after Jenny McCarthy’s claims were pretty much decried by every scientist ever, it became clear that vaccinations probably don’t cause autism, and in fact, every child should get them. So why are 10% of parents still delaying or denying them altogether? More
Last week, I wrote about my decision to be childfree, despite the fact that many people older than myself (which is a lot, because I am currently the ripe old age of 24) consider me too young to make the decision.
The response was overwhelming. Apparently, everyone has an opinion. And many are similar, if not the same, as mine. More
