Natural Baby and Childcare: Practical Medical Advice and Holistic Wisdom for Raising Healthy Children

by Lauren Feder

The bible for natural baby and child care.

For parents who live natural, environmentally responsible lives, child rearing can seem impossible. From feeding to healing, clothing to washing, raising children naturally can be a daunting task—unless you know how.
BR> Natural Baby and Childcare helps parents who want to raise a "green" baby. This comprehensive book discusses how to complement conventional medicine with alternative treatments such as homeopathy, essential oils, and herbal medicine; how to bathe your child without using damaging chemicals; and how to feed your baby healthy, organic food. As a physician and a mom, Dr. Lauren Feder skillfully bridges the divide between medicine and motherhood, empowering parents to personalize traditional child-rearing practices to their own child.

Natural Baby and Childcare answers common questions such
• Are there any side effects of homeopathic medicine?
• What alternatives are there to wasteful baby products, such as plastic diapers?
• Is breastfeeding good for my baby?
• Can chamomile really cure colic?
• What side effects can vaccinations have?

Dr. Feder encourages parents to examine the conventional products that are offered and be choosy about which to include in their own children's lives. With information for all stages and ages, Natural Baby and Childcare is a comprehensive, intelligent, and reassuring guide to raising healthy and happy children. 50 photos.

Genres: Parenting, Health, Reference, Nonfiction, Childrens

352 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2006

Reviews

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stuff but I stopped reading as the years got older…this would be a good reference to have on your shelf vs. reading all at once. Nice resources and great approach.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I will say that this book contains some very helpful information and I am glad I read it. Second, I must point out that the editing is very poor. There were so many grammatical errors (especially in regard to missing articles) that I often had to re-read sentences three or four times before I understood what Feder was talking about. The A to Z guide was especially confusing at times when she would talk about the homeopathic remedies for ailments. Often she would start to give symptoms of the ailment, proceed to talk about what other ailments the specific homeopathic remedy is also good for, and then go back to talking about symptoms to look out for with the original ailment. I had trouble figuring out at first whether or not she was talking about symptoms from the ailment or symptoms that may result from taking the specific homeopathic medicine that was listed. I'm still not entirely sure what she meant. Overall, the grammar is not bad to the point that I will never read it again, but it appears unprofessional and can certainly cause confusion.
Third, the book is not exactly what I expected. I was expecting it to be entirely holistic and health-centered, but Feder left out important subjects I wished to learn more about and also seemed to agree with a lot of things that are pushed by companies like WHO, AHA, and the FDA. The topics below are what I strongly disagreed with:
* Saturated fats: The author states that all saturated fats are bad, including coconut oil! I personally have had a radical transformation in my health as a result of consuming coconut oil daily.
* Canola/soy: Feder considers these to be healthy, but studies have shown that they lead to inflammation, cancer, and various other health issues.
* Plastic: While the author does speak on the dangers of all plastic, in several chapters she mentions that she likes to store milk or pureed meals in freezer bags or ice cube trays. PLASTIC! There are several different kinds of glass containers that store well in a freezer. Plastic and food should never mix!
* Co-sleeping Past Infancy: I have no legitimate argument to discourage co-sleeping; in fact, I plan on co-sleeping to some degree with my baby. However, she encourages co-sleeping well into their childhood. I think she mentioned that her children were at least six years old and still sleeping in the same bed as their parents every single night. That just didn't sit well with me.

Now that I have shared my criticisms of the book, I want to go back to my first point. There were several things that I found to be extremely helpful. The newborn chapter was by far the most informative part of the book for me as I am expecting my first child. I know how to better prepare and care for my infant. The vaccination section was also very helpful with regard to the risks of each shot and has further assured me of my decision on whether or not to vaccinate my child. I also found the Breastfeeding and Natural Medicine Chest sections to be great reads. For these reasons, I plan on keeping this book as I raise my children as I know it will help me raise them naturally and healthily.

[Barrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this a 3.5, really, but leaned toward the 4 because I felt like I took away a few valuable tips from the book and would want actually like to own it for references if I didn't find something more aligned with what I'm looking for. I do wish the title informed me that this was going to be mostly about Homeopathic ways to heal, rather than 'finding things around the house' ways to heal. With homeopathic methods, you really do have to see a homeo doctor who will give you a method that you most likely won't find at any grocery store, or even Vitacost (which does sell Hyland's and arnica, but that's about it). I did like a lot of topics that I was already considering with our own (try to avoid plastic toys, not ALL vaccines are truly needed, follow your kid's lead rather than making them do things, find a doctor who doesn't try to fix the problem, but rather tries to understand what's happening) and I hadn't heard about the potato poultice and onion sock tricks before (which basically will cure colds). Calendula and arnica montana are basically a godsend (and hooray for me for just buying some calendula essential oil before reading the book--great minds, ya'll). I also liked the idea to keep a sick journal, where you write down symptoms/possible diagnosis/treatments/etc. to keep on hand for that future doctor visit or in case there's a pattern that you can reference to. So smart. But the section I was most looking forward to reading about--how to tend to certain ailments that don't require a doctor immediately--were so Homeo focused that I'd have to build a whole new kitchen to buy all the supplies for the one day that the kid gets measles, a bee sting, etc (fyi: baking soda and water totally works on a bee sting, IF your kid isn't allergic, that is). Overall, a great book for those who want to practice Homeo and a good book for lesser-hippie types like myself.

[Gena · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Since my baby is not born yet, I skipped over part I on holistic health, the info on children over 1 year of age, and part IV on common childhood conditions, I plan to read these at another time.

Overall I was pretty disappointed with this book. It had some good information, but I feel that it could have been better balanced. I feel like there are many ways to approach natural parenting and a lot viewpoints were neglected. Some examples:
*although the author says they are offering balanced info on vaccines, the info seemed to lean against vaccines and some of the info even seemed contradictory
*I come from a Montessori background so I was disappointed that the author just mentions not using breakable dishes with children, without any reasoning
*the author mentions RIE as a good example of a natural parenting philosophy, but some of the advice in the rest of the book contradicts or fails to mention even the perspective from the RIE philosophy
*the author talks about the importance of responding to your baby when it cries, but doesn't really touch on the importance of how you respond. It is stated something to the effect that no one goes to therapy because they were given too much attention. However, I beg to differ that a lot of the soothing techniques presented to parents shut down children and their emotions and don't really allow them to be properly expressed which can also lead to problems

It seems like the book is just coming from the perspective of "this is my experience and opinion of what natural parenting is". For the size and scope of the book I thought it would cover different possibilities and viewpoints and offer more balanced information. It's a good book to look through, but I wouldn't use it as the only book to get information on natural parenting. I did appreciate that the spiritual development of the child was covered though.

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to find this book at Borders when I was looking for one on natural remedies and childcare. After reading through it, I was disappointed. I found the advice to be too anti-medicine for my taste. (yes, I was looking for "natural," but still wanted something balanced. See Dr. Sears' Vaccines book for a more balanced approach). Also, there is not enough info about the recommended remedies, and most of the remedies are pretty unusual. Overall, a lot of the advice is just not that practical or balanced.

[Dayspring · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sort of skimmed through this one, definitely not a thorough read. It is more of a resource book than a cover-to-cover read. The first half of the book goes through the typical baby book chapters on birth, infant development, etc. Feder comes at it from a more natural perspective, but in the end it's comparable to other books.

The second half of the book is more unique. Feder, a pediatrician who practices more holistic care (including naturopathy), offers herbal and natural remedies for childcare. I probably will go back and read this one again later.

[Christa Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, balanced overview of natural baby and childcare techniques. Information is presented by an MD who is also trained in homeopathy. My favorite part of the book is that the author shows how to combine allopathic (aka, conventional, traditional) medical techniques with holistic remedies. She doesn't try to force parents into categories (either pro-modern medicine or against), but gives parents solid advice on how to make the best possible health and care-related decisions that result in happy, healthy, toxic-free kids. Highly recommend this book to new and experienced parents alike!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll confess I didn't read the whole book, it's not the kind of book you read cover to cover. It's more of a reference book. What I did read, I liked, however, some topics are not covered in the depth I was looking for. I think the author tried to cover too many topics in my opinion. Overall it's a great general reference.

[Jeanne Gaisford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been referring to this book consistently as my kids move from infancy to toddlerhood into preschool. And I'm sure I'll keep referring to it as they continue to grow. I love the balanced and thoughtful approach to medicine offered in the book.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed and inspired by this book! Will definitely be buying a copy for future reference in regards to the homeopathic treatments! Biggest complaint was lack of proper editing. Lots of solid ideas and advice throughout.

[Lisa Olivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Latest baby health care book I have gotten. I have been to Dr Feders office, although I did not see her. I saw one of her nurse physicians.

[jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far - this has been hands down my favorite 'medical' baby book. I love the explanation of appropriate medications as well as herbal remedies.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful guide... I borrowed this book from the library but I plan to purchase a copy to have on hand.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I owned this, as it's full of useful information.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-have book for any natural mama...great remedies for the whole family!

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent overview of natural childcare. If you're into homeopathic remedies, etc. might be a good one to have at home for reference.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. A good read for mothers seeking alternative medical advice.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful holistic information and ideas for infants up to teens.

[Lynnae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this constantly as a reference for sick kids, vaccines, . . .