How to choose safe, non-toxic toys for your kids

November 5, 2017 · 10 Comments

How to choose safe, non-toxic toys for your kids

Play is a fundamental childhood experience.

As well as being an important part of our children’s development, it’s also fun and many of us have fond memories of childhood toys.

Toys are something our kids will come into contact with nearly every day and they love exploring them with their mouths! So, it’s incredibly important to make sure toys you provide them with are safe and non-toxic.

“The World Health Organisation has emphasised that infants and young children are more vulnerable to gene-damaging chemicals than adults” Dr Peter Dingle

What to avoid when choosing toys

There can be many toxins in cheap toys including things like PVC, BPA, BPS, phalates, polyethylene terephthalate, fire retardants and heavy metals. They can be ingested, inhaled or transferred through the skin. These toxins are linked to a range of health problems, including cancer, endocrine disruption, developmental delays, and reproductive system damage. Scary stuff!

As well as being toxic, cheaper toys tend to be very poor quality and can break easily. Be wary of anything that has small pieces that can break off and become a choking hazard. Anything smaller than a ping pong ball can get trapped in airways.

Cheap toys are not designed for longevity. It’s a vicious cycle of consumerism where plastic toys are bought cheaply, broken and then discarded to landfill. Every bit of plastic ever made is still in existence.

There are also issue of fair-trade and ethical practices to consider. Denying a worker in a third world country a decent wage and safe working conditions so kids can have all the latest toys for Christmas is pretty messed up, no matter which way you look at it.

Wishbone 3 in 1 Bike

What to look for when choosing safe toys

♥ Choose a reputable store where you know the owners are eco-conscious and ethical.

♥ Choose natural and untreated materials such as wood, bamboo, metal and natural fibres like cotton, wool or felt. These materials are also an environmentally friendly option.

♥ Check that soft toys are not stuffed with toxic fillers. Natural fillers like bamboo or GMO free corn starch are preferable.

♥ Check that the paints, dyes and treatments used are natural and non-toxic.

♥ Check that wooden toys are not made from MDF or plywood or use toxic glues.

♥ Look beyond the labelling. Just because something says it’s non-toxic or wooden doesn’t mean it’s safe.

♥ When choosing plastic toys, look for recycled plastic that is food grade safe and free of toxins. Some good brands are Green Toys and Miniland for dolls.

♥ Personally, I also look at who makes the toys and where they are from. Is the company ethical and are they looking after their workers? It’s just good karma!

Some of my top picks:

♥ Hevea

Hevea make rubber toys that don’t contain holes so there is no chance of mould build up. The safe rubber ducky! See more here.

♥ EverEarth

EverEarth make beautiful wooden toys from sustainable wood and water based non-toxic paints. Find the whole range here.

♥ Maud n Lil

I am so in love with Maud n Lil soft toys. You will see them featured often on Natural New Age Mum. They are beautiful quality and certified organic with corn starch filling and no small buttons. Find them here.

What about family and friends?

I hear you. A new child in the family gets everyone excited and they want to buy all the baby things!

I find it’s best to nip this in the bud early and explain your stance on toxins, plastics and cheap toys. You might instigate a ‘books only please’ policy or something else that works for your family.

If you need some help navigating those conversations, have a read of my article, What to do when your family and friends don’t support your lifestyle choices.

Kinderboard

Good quality, eco-friendly toys should last a lifetime and may even become family heirlooms. You will be able to pass them on to siblings, other families or sell them when you are finished.

It’s also worth remembering that kids (and babies in particular) don’t need a lot of toys for stimulation – that’s what we are here for! There is something to be said for providing less to encourage more imaginative play. Simple toys without all the bells and whistles (or flashing lights and sounds!) are often best.

Choosing quality over quantity is a safe bet for your kids and the environment. Good quality, ethical toys do cost more than cheap plastic junk from the discount stores but I think our kids are worth it.

What do you think? Do you actively search for safe, non-toxic toys?

Further Reading and sources:

Slow Death by Rubber Duck

Healthy Home, Healthy Family

Is your home making you sick?

10 Cool Nature Crafts for Kids

September 28, 2015 · 5 Comments

10 Cool Nature Crafts for Kids

Using items found in nature for craft or creative play is a great idea.

As well as being eco-friendly and sustainable, kids are getting hands on with nature – learning and appreciating our natural wonders. You don’t have to buy plastic stuff that ends up back in landfill – just throw it in the compost.

Here are some fun ideas for kids of all ages!

Natural Paint Brushes

Nature Boats

Dinosaur Play World

Butterfly Finger Puppets

Easy Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Echidna Grass Head

Pinch Pots with Nature Designs

DIY Terrarium Necklace

Seashell Windchime

Nature Dream Catcher

I hope these 10 Cool Nature Crafts for Kids have inspired you!

Want more?
Check out the Mother Natured blog. Penny has some amazing ideas.

Do your kids love nature and nature play?

Why would you use Modern Cloth Nappies ??

November 5, 2014 · 44 Comments

Nappies!! I wonder how many of those I have changed over the years? I shudder to think! Not the most fun or glamorous part of being a parent, is it?

My babies are now nearly 16 and 13. So it’s been a while since I had to change a nappy! Back then, I used the old fashioned terry towelling squares, nappy pins, pvc pilchers (yikes!) and washers at home. Disposables and baby wipes were used when we went out. These days there are so many better options, both environmentally and logistically. It’s actually pretty exciting to see what has been developed.

So what are Modern Cloth Nappies (or MCNs)?

Modern cloth nappies basically combine the convenience and design of a disposable nappy into a reusable cloth nappy. So you get the benefits of both! These ones pictured are made from cloth, with a waterproof outer, elastic legs and waist, absorbent inserts and snaps for closing. It will depend on the brand as to the features.

What are the benefits of using MCNs?

1. CHEAPER. Let’s not beat around the bush, having kids is expensive! If you can save thousands of dollars using these, why wouldn’t you? It’s a one-off expense, plus laundering, but in the long run, it’s a lot cheaper than buying disposable nappies.

2. ECO-FRIENDLY. As a rough estimate, 2 billion disposable nappies go to landfill each year in Australia. (Ibis World 2009). Not cool. Apart from the landfill and carbon emission problem, there is also the environmental impact of manufacturing of the disposable nappies and their poor decomposition rate to consider.

3. TOXIN-FREE. Did you know disposable nappies can contain a toxic cocktail of chemicals that get absorbed straight into your precious bundle’s blood stream? Sodium Polyacrylate, Dioxin, Pthalates, Heavy Metals, and more may be present in your nappy. There is also concern that childhood asthma may be linked to inhaling the emissions from disposable nappies. You can see that Pub Med study here.

4. LESS NAPPY RASH. Without the plastic and chemicals, the incidence of nappy rash on baby’s bums in reduced. MCNs allow the skin to breathe better and avoid sweaty, uncomfortable bubs.

Introducing…. Cloth Nappies Direct

I have known Stefanie Samuel for a while now and have worked with her before. Last year, she told me all about the new venture with her husband, Illan : Cloth Nappies Direct.

“I always knew I’d nappy my baby in cloth, it’s just who I am. But I was not impressed with the high prices of modern cloth nappies (MCNs). $30 plus for 1 nappy seemed steep to me, but, I figured, I would just have to be smart, shopping on sale, and purchasing carefully. We started our baby on the traditional flat cloth towel nappies – our washing line would be a sea of white every day, and my husband would fold them while watching TV at night. I had purchased a few MCNs to try once baby was bigger (she had tiny little thighs). Somewhere along our cloth nappy journey, my entrepreneurial husband said, “why don’t you just find a manufacturer and make your own?” And a new business idea was born!” Stefanie

Stefanie and Illan make their MCNs and sell directly via their website – there is no other distributor, wholesaler or retailer involved, so the cost is significantly lower than most MCNs. In fact, most of their nappies are $14.95, with savings to be had when purchased in bulk. They make a ‘one size fits most’ nappy, with snaps at different positions so you can adjust as bubs grows. That makes it a lot more affordable to go the eco-friendly way!

They have also been getting a lot of great feedback from happy MCN mums. The no-leaks feature seems to be a big hit – well, that’s understandable I guess!

Stefanie

I’m really excited about MCNs! Now that I understand more about them, thanks to Stefanie, I am telling all my new mumma friends to get into them. I also love the fact that the nappy doubles as bottoms as they come in funky colours and prints. Whack on a t-shirt and you are good to go out! No need for extra clothes. Winning.

It’s the way of the future – saving our planet, cutting out chemicals and being more economical. It almost makes me want to have another baby to get to use them. Nah………… not quite!

Special Offer:

Stefanie is advertising with me on the blog now and I am thrilled to help her spread the word about MCNs! (See her ad up there on the right). If you click the ad, it will take you through to a special offer on the Cloth Nappies Direct website, just for NNAM readers. You get a FREE nappy with your first order over $10. It’s a great way to try them out.

Giveaway:

This giveaway has now closed. The winner was Jessie!

Stefanie at Cloth Nappies Direct is kindly giving one of you a ‘Try Me Out Kit’ worth $49.80! It contains:

1 Cloth Nappy

1 Swim Nappy

1 Double Pocket Wetbag

1 Pack of 5 Cloth Wipes

How to enter:

♥ Make sure you are a blog subscriber (add your email to the top right box)

♥ LIKE Cloth Nappies Direct on Facebook. Go here.

♥ Comment on this blog post, telling us what colour or print you would like in the cloth nappy and which of the three prints you would like in the swim nappy! IE so you might decide KERMIT and HAPPY HAWAIIAN. You get to choose!

Terms and Conditions: Australian residents only. Winner will be chosen via random.org from those meeting the entry requirements. Giveaway closes on 14th of November at midnite. Winner will be emailed and announced on this blog post. Good Luck!

{This post is sponsored}

Sleep tips for anxious children

April 16, 2014 · 10 Comments

Sleep tips for anxious children

This is one of the most common questions I get asked on my Facebook page. Parents are desperate to help their children get to sleep. It seems to be a very common problem, perhaps indicative of our society today?

I asked Monique Phipps, The Nourished Psychologist to share with us her expert tips on settling anxious children, naturally.

♥♥♥

Having a child that won’t go to sleep can be frustrating and exhausting, especially at the time of night when all you want to do is sit on the couch with a cup of tea.

When a child is anxious we need to find ways to help them feel safe but also to empower them to feel confident that they can manage on their own (whether it is going to sleep or any other issues). What we don’t want to happen is to teach your child that the only way they can go to sleep is with your help. This is not useful for you or your child. So we need strategies that are both gentle in terms of making the child feel ok and firm in terms of setting boundaries about what you will and won’t do.

If you suspect that anxiety is the reason then there are several things that you can try…

♥ Check for intolerances.

There are many food additives and intolerances that can cause both anxiety and difficulty sleeping. My first step would be to eliminate all harmful food additives from their diet (click here for a list of additives to avoid) and see if this helps at all. Intolerances to substances such as amines, salicylates, glutamates (substances found naturally in foods), gluten, soy, dairy and even chocolate can impact on brain chemistry and lead to anxiety. If you have cut out the additives and tried some of the following techniques and are not seeing any improvement, have a look at the Food Intolerance Network website for some information about the failsafe diet.

♥ Establish a routine.

Children function best when they know what to expect and what is coming next. This helps them to feel secure. Design an evening and bedtime routine that works for your family but make sure it includes a gradual wind down in energy levels and predictable steps e.g. dinner, bath, brush teeth, story, toilet, bed. Try to stick to this routine whenever possible. Have a special routine once your child is in bed but make it time limited and specific. This might be a short relaxation, a song or poem, a specific number of pats or strokes on their back, counting to a certain number or a specific routine of cuddles and kisses. Make sure the child knows when it is going to end. Saying I will pat your back or I will sit with you for a while with no actual ending can make your child feel anxious about when it will end and what is expected of them.

♥ Talk to your kids.

If you haven’t already done so, try asking your child what is making it hard for them to sleep and if they have any ideas about how to help them sleep better. It might be as simple as a nightlight, a special toy or dream catcher. Let the child sleep with extra pillows around them to make them feel safe or allow any reasonable suggestion from them. Lights on are not great for a good night sleep so you might need to phase this out over time. Your child might come up with a great creative idea and having solved the problem on their own will help with confidence.

♥ Gradual withdrawal.

If you have found yourself having to sit or lie with your child to get them to go to sleep then this is a nice gentle option to try. It basically involves gradually moving further away from your child until they are going to sleep without you in the room. It can be used with any age group. Start by explaining to your child exactly what is going to happen and why. The first night, start by moving only a tiny bit away e.g. sit up rather than lying next to them. Continue with this until they are falling asleep without distress (it can take a few nights). Gradually move further away (to the end of the bed, sitting on the floor, moving towards the door, at the door, just outside the door). Do this as quickly or slowly as needed for your child but be firm and stick with your position. You can reassure with words (or a brief touch if you are still close enough) and praise them for being brave and doing such a good job. If your child becomes hysterical you can move back to the previous spot until they calm down and then move back again. We want them to feel safe and confident.

♥ Popping back in.

Another option is to explain to your child that you will leave the room for a few moments but will check on them frequently. Come back into the room after a short period and give them a kiss, an I love you or praise for doing so well (quickly and quietly as we want them to go to sleep). Gradually extend the length of time between visits as they become more confident. Always return if you say you will. We want them to feel safe and secure.

♥ Externalizing the problem.

I love this strategy! Discuss the anxiety as something separate from the child. Let them name it or draw a picture of it. Make up a story about how the ‘night time creepies’ love to make us feel bad and worry that we can’t sleep on our own. That they grow big and strong when we give in to them but shrink and get weak if we don’t listen to them (be creative!). Discuss ways to fight the problem and make it shrink right down to nothing. Make sure that the solution is always something that your child can do and is sustainable (these can include the techniques above). We want to empower them not reinforce the idea that they need you to fall asleep.

These techniques can be used on their own or in combination. You know your child and what will work for you and your family. If you commit to trying something make sure you stick it out for at least 2 weeks before you decide that it is not going to work. None of these strategies involve leaving a child to cry or to be too distressed.

Finally, if your child is prone to anxiety, limit exposure to things that will fuel fear. This includes the news and scary stories or movies (my 6 year old cannot handle the wicked queen in Snow White!). If none of these ideas help consider an elimination diet and/or seeking help from a qualified clinical psychologist. Click here for info on how to find one.

Happy sleeping!

About Monique:

Monique is a mum to 3 gorgeous children and has worked as a clinical psychologist in mental health services for 14 years. After reading about the harmful effects of food additives she decided to cut them out of my family’s diet and noticed major changes to sleep, behaviour and physical health issues.

This lead her to realise that in order to treat mental health you need both psychological input and good nutrition and that is how The Nourished Psychologist was born. Monique is currently studying a post-graduate diploma in nutritional medicine for mental health.

Find her at The Nourished Psychologist website and Facebook page.

Paving a Holistic Path for Children with Special Needs.

March 14, 2014 · 29 Comments

Paving a holistic path for children with special needs.

Today I am welcoming one of my gorgeous friends to the blog, Kristen Morrison. We first connected many years ago via Facebook over our mutual interest of all things healthy. In that time, I have witnessed her family’s journey, smiled and laughed at photos and cheered at the milestones. I have no words for how much admiration I have for this woman. I wanted to share her story here today in the hope of inspiring other families whose children need a little help.

Kristen, tell us your story.

7 years ago, we welcomed our first baby boy who was born at home just like his sisters. Having had minimal testing – despite being in my late 30s, it came as a complete shock to us when we discovered he had Down syndrome – a condition I didn’t know the first thing about, except what it looked like!

Gryffin was adored from the moment he arrived but I knew he was going to need a lot of help. We were told to expect terrible health and development complications relating to the diagnosis, on top of intellectual disability and an overall compromised future. He would never drive a car, may not achieve an education and ‘you wouldn’t want him to have children, would you?’.

Nightmare doesn’t come close to describing the first few months until – after reading some encouraging stories online – we decided to prove the ‘experts’ wrong. We threw everything we had at achieving his absolute best with and for him. I gave up my career and spent 5 years working with him full-time at home.

The utter joy of watching him emerge like a butterfly was intoxicating, breathtaking and spurred us on every time he achieved a ‘win’ – and the wins came thick and fast!

Where did you go for help?

Initially I went to our family doctor – who had doubled as my obstetrician for all 3 of our kids. I asked him where a natural, holistic-minded parent might go for help in such a situation and he had no clue. Before forging my own path, the only other places I went to were an Early Intervention service, a Paediatrician and a Physiotherapist but frankly these weren’t a good fit for our family; their expectations were just too low and in that environment, we just couldn’t imagine him flourishing.

What happened next?

After realising that there was no ‘Holistic Service’ available for us, I researched intensely and put together my own program of therapies for Gryff including Naturopaths, Homeopathics, Nutritional Supplements, Osteopathy and Yoga for Special Needs children. A phenomenal kinesiology / acupuncture based technique – which balances out messages sent from the brain to parts of the body – brought miracles for Gryffin as he began to absorb his nutrients better, overcame food intolerances and improved his reflexes – at times overnight. Truly, this was miraculous and very exciting to watch! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of such successes for compromised children before – the potential was clearly WAY beyond anything I’d ever seen in the mainstream!

By the time Gryffin was 10 months old, he had a full day of exercises and therapies with me but I knew it wasn’t a complete approach; we could be more effective if we knew what else to do to help him. This is when someone introduced me to The Institutes For The Achievement Of Human Potential – a Not-For-Profit organisation based in Philadelphia USA.

The Institutes’ approach filled in every gap, gave us comprehensive strategies and tremendous hope for our son’s future! Theirs is a comprehensive program for stimulating every neurological function from hearing to seeing to reading and moving superbly, for children with neurological conditions of any degree or kind – genetic or otherwise. We read stories of blind children achieving sight, deaf children hearing for the first time, immobile children moving across the room, children’s diagnoses being lifted… normal lives being achieved in some cases! When we heard stories of adult graduates with Down syndrome driving cars, attending university, getting married and living independent ‘normal’ lives, we signed up without question! Gryffin’s Dad travelled to Philadelphia to do their parent training and 18 months later I attended the course in Singapore.

At this course, I was the only Australian and I vowed to bring what I had learned home to spread the word and help other parents to find true hope and solutions as we had.

Tell us about that program?

This program is different from anything else because it is entirely parent-run which means we do it all ourselves. No therapists needed! The course empowers you to assess your own child and then to create an ideal environment for a compromised child including changes to diet, sleeping arrangements etc and the removal of toxins from the home – because these kids are so sensitive.

Parents are trained to know which exercises to do with their children to target development areas which need help. For example, a child with vision issues will spend time being stimulated with light at many, many regular intervals throughout the day; a hearing impaired child will be stimulated with sounds of different volume and intensity, again at regular intervals and intensity daily.

On the subject of hearing, there are subtle issues with the auditory pathway in that whereas a child may be able to hear, they may not respond to ‘vital’ sound such a car screeching to a hault or a dog barking. This is not a normal reaction so The Institutes train parents to stimulate the reaction to vital sounds appropriately to specifically target this issue and develop appropriate reactions – which in this case are the child’s protection from the outside world!

With this program, physical movement is stimulated with an emphasis on moving symmetrically so activities like crawling and monkey bars are used. Intelligence is stimulated with a reading program and educational materials are presented to the child at a standard way ahead of the child’s age so they get to crave information, use their brains and explore their own inquisitive minds where they may not otherwise. (The kids LOVE the intellectual programs, in stark contrast to programs which assume the child isn’t very intelligent and therefore don’t stimulate or challenge much at all.)

Tell us more about The Institutes themselves?

The Institutes have worked with special needs children for the past 50 years, having begun their initial work rehabilitating adult stroke patients. The whole concept of ‘neuroplasticity’ comes from The Institutes’ founding research, which the Founder Glenn Doman did with a team of extraordinary minds including Nobel prize-winning scientists & NASA. This team is quite frankly dauntingly knowledgeable and the parent course they present gives parents the absolute best possible training to help their own kids. Their wealth of experience and spectacular results mean that they know exactly what a child needs to do to improve brain function. They know not only which exercises to do but how often and for what duration and these factors can make or break an effective program in my experience.

Honestly, children on these programs have a BALL and the rewards are so bountiful, you can’t help but continue as you watch your child’s abilities unlock and unravel (and begin to read street signs out loud at 3 years and under!).

By 3 years old our son could walk, run, read, do basic maths equations, he spoke well, attended day care 6 hours a week with neuro-typical children – he was a brimming success story for alternative and natural therapies, and – like his sisters – he had never had a drug in his life.

Still hasn’t today at 7 years old.

Who could this program help?

Quite honestly, any child with conditions such as Developmental Delay, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Aspergers syndrome, Autism spectrum disorders, Dyslexia, chromosomal or other conditions affecting brain-function… The gains are there to be had, through the efforts of parents with support from The Institutes.

Our Grow Foundation now sponsors The Institutes to come to Australia every year to present this course to Australian parents – for the first time ever – and the results for Australian families are stunning! (You can read some of these on the Grow Foundation website).

Program Details

The Institutes For The Achievement of Human Potential’s

“What To Do About Your Brain Injured Child” Course

Date: March 31st to April 4th, 2014

Venue: The Bayview On The Park Hotel 52 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004

To Book: Harriet Pinsker : wtd_registrar@iahp.org

For more information about the course, please visit www.iahp.org.au or call Sarah Delarue on 0417 104 689. Visit the Grow Foundation website to read some Australian success stories.

Thank you so much Kristen. Your story is so inspiring – it gives me goosebumps. This information truly is paving a holistic path for children with special needs.

Please share this information if you know someone who may need this help.

It could make all the difference.

How to Raise a Happy, Healthy Teenager

September 6, 2013 · 34 Comments

How to Raise a Happy, Healthy Teenager

So, you thought the terrible twos were bad huh? Welcome to the teenage years.

I have two gorgeous children, my boy is now 19 and my girl 16 (had to update that!)

So far, the teenager thing is a little challenging but not too bad! I certainly don’t have all the answers but I wanted to share my tips on what is working for us. I would love you to share your tips too, so please add them as a comment.

♥ Love bomb. Just because they are all grown up now, doesn’t mean you should stop hugging and kissing and telling your kids how much you love them. Keep it up, even if they resist. Find sneaky ways to love bomb them, like sending them a message on Facebook! Take them on one-on-one dates to the movies or out for dinner. Look for anyway you can think of to make them feel loved, always.

♥ Talk. Keep the lines of communication open and make the time to talk regularly. Always have dinner together at the table where everyone can chat about their day. For more personal chats, I find going for a walk with my kids really useful. They are more likely to open up when it’s in a relaxed setting, away from distractions and not face to face in ‘interrogation mode’.

♥ Establish boundaries. I have a fairly relaxed style of parenting – I let my kids pretty much do what they want, within reason. There are certain things I won’t tolerate though. Rudeness, disrespect, hurting each other, etc. Make some firm boundaries, let the kids know what they are and have consequences for stepping over the boundaries.

♥ Choose your battles. Best bit of parenting advice, EVER! So what if what they are wearing looks weird (to us!) or they want a wacky hairstyle? These are the small things. Save your energy and angst for the big things that really matter – their safety and wellbeing.

♥ Respect their privacy. Give them some space and respect their right to privacy.

♥ Make your home a safe haven. Teenage years can be tough – negotiating school, friendships, work and romance! Making your home a relaxed, loving environment where they can de-stress. It keeps them close to you and they will come to you for help, advice and validation, rather than looking elsewhere for these things. Keep the nagging to a minimum and the love bombing and fun a priority.

♥ Feed them good, nourishing food and teach them how to cook it. This is so, so important! Fill your pantry with good, healthy food so they always have something good to snack on. I also have taught both kids how to cook as it’s such an important life skill. Get them involved in the weekly menu plan and ask them to cook one night a week for the family. I find appetite is so variable at this age, so I just relax about food and let them choose what and when they eat to some extent. As long as there is good food available, they will be fine. I always try to have healthy snacks with lots of protein for growing bodies ready for them (like bliss balls). Don’t be too hung up on a bit of junk food that they might choose to buy with their own money. Let them explore and make choices.

♥ Encourage activity. So many studies show that sport and exercise is vital for growing bodies and good mental health. Get the kids involved in sport or just going for a familywalk or bike ride.

♥ Use technology with respect. Establish boundaries around the use of technology. We like no phones or gadgets in bed at night as they interfere with sleep. Talk to teens about being safe online. Have rules about appropriate use of phones ie not at the dinner table! Find out some more tips about limiting screen time.

♥ Acne. Please refer to my blog, Natural Acne Remedies for help with acne. Don’t nag kids about it or make them feel bad, give some gentle guidance and help.

♥ Coping skills. I really think this needs to be taught in schools! Coping safely and effectively with emotions and stress is so important. Teach them things like yoga, meditation, relaxation exercises, essential oils and EFT to handle this crazy time.

♥ Give responsibility. Teenagers should contribute to the smooth running of the household. Work out some chores you would like them to do. Make them responsible for the cleanliness of their own spaces. Gradually give them more and more responsibility for things like their lunches, laundry and transport. They don’t learn life skills if you keep doing everything for them.

♥ Get support. There is so much support out there. Here are some of my favourite resources that I use:

The Kids are All Right website. A fabulous Aussie website with forums and blog articles. Ask questions, find information, feel better!

Scarleteen website. This is a sex education website presented in a teen friendly way.

Flower essences are a fantastic emotional support (for you and your teens). I recommend Megan at The Simplest Remedy.

♥♥♥

I know all kids and all situations are different, but I hope some of these tips are useful for you. We seem to just struggle through the best we can and so far it’s working out okay. I would love you to leave a comment and talk about what is working for you. The more information we can share, the better.

Do the best you can. Breathe. Persist. Love.