Sunday, March 20, 2011

My baby's not even here yet and I can't believe how many diapers I have washed. Thank goodness DH,Google, bought me a beautiful new washing machine! For the past two years I washed clothes buy hand or with a laundry service.  Now I have a lovely washer and can do it on my own. (Can you feel the excitement?)
I thought I would share some Jungle Baby washing that you can do in your own home (even in the big city)

Washing diperliners:
 No more toilet swirling for me!  Her is my #1 Tip from Thailand. YOU NEED THIS!
Let me introduce you to what we lovingly call the "Butt Squirt"
So this little guy can be found in almost every bathroom in Thailand. We don't have a very good sewer system here, so you aren't suppose to flush TP. So the creative Thais installed these lovely things to there toilets. Think poor man's Bidet!   My dear friend told me when her Thai husband first went to Canada he asked why they had a but squirter in the kitchen sink!  ROTFLMAO!!!! I wonder if he envisioned us crazy white people with our bottoms over the sink????!!!!!
These are the greatest thing with diapers (or mommy's  monthly). It's so easy to install, even I can do it!  Her is a great easy tutorial for you folks over therefrom 3Strands


To clean your diapers, you just hold the poopy diaper or liner over the potty and give it a good squirt. for my diaper liners and cloth wipes, I keep a big bowl next to the toilet that I have added one small scoop of homemade oxi-like cleaner, you just toss the liner in there and let them soak over night. The diaper covers I Velcro closed and toss in the laundry basket if they aren't soiled, or simply add them to the soak bucket. 


The next morning while I am still in the shower, I dump the bucket in the shower and rinse them all out, (scrubbing if needed). Another thing we do is dump them in the bathtub water after I've taken a bath and use the water (earth friendly). After a nice rinse the liners hang out in the glorious Thai sun to  naturally bleach them and leave them smelling April fresh! Not that's not so hard!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011


                                    “Peace begins on the changing table.” Ute Strub
I have always loved that quote by Ute Strub  Waldorf educator and child development expert.
As a natural parent the main thing I want for my baby is peace. But peace is not something you can teach a child, it is a feeling that it must get from it’s caretakers and from it’s environment. Every thing we do with a newborn can make or break that sense of peace and calmness.

In Waldorf-thinking, children come from the spirit world, where they have been cared for peacefully for by loving, gentle hands. They are tiny gifts from heaven and it is our job to continue that loving environment for them.

With this in mind, shouldn’t everything we do with our new baby be given the utmost thought? It can be very difficult in this fast paced, technology world to slow ourselves down and focus on one single task, giving it our 100% undivided attention, but our child is worth that attention.

Babies have four basic bodily senses; life, touch, movement and balance. We need to be aware of the senses as we prepare to care and nurture our baby. During feeding, bathing, and changing times speak calmly and quietly to your baby, using slow and considerate movement. Be aware of what you are doing and saying and give your baby the complete attention he needs to feel safe and secure.

So how do we begin this “changing table peace”? Establishing a rhythm to what you do each day creates security and peace for a baby. So lets begin with a bathing ritual.

Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t need daily bathing. They just don’t get that dirty and water and soap can be drying and irritating to baby’s skin. I start my bath ritual after the umbilical cord has fallen off and healed about every other day. Before that it is sponge baths on my lap, and Indian baby massage

For me personally I always end my day with a nice relaxing bath, so this is the time I feel is best for my babies. I think it is a wonderful relaxing way to end the day. It also helps to signal the brain to begin winding down and preparing for sleep. I can remember Zippy, who has severe ADHD, at 2 years floating in the warm tub totally relaxing, letting the cares of the world drain away. She actually couldn’t sleep without her night time bath. (my mother, Mimi and I are the same way!)

So, I have my bath ritual in the evening about an hour before the baby’s bedtime. It is important to begin preparing carefully for the experience before even touching the baby. Prepare yourself inwardly to give the baby your undivided attention. In an unhurried, loving and peaceful mindset, gather the things that you will need and preparing the bathing water,
Here is my ritual;
• First you need to select a bathing area. I like the kitchen sink personally, but in Thailand we do not have hot water in the kitchen, but we are fortunate to have a bathtub, so for Pickles it will be the tub. Where ever you choose, the room should be warm and draft-free and the lights should be low. Candles are nice if you like. I enjoy lavender candles in the bathroom, as it helps relax you.

• Turn off the phone so that you will not be tempted to leave baby unattended "just for a moment."

• Prepare “bath kit”. You will need:
  •  Two wash cloths
  • A mild soap( In Thailand I suggest Sabu Sabu Natural Body Care)
  • Cotton balls
  • A hooded towel
  •  Massage Oil ( I use virgin coconut oil)
  • Diapers
  • Clean clothes/ PJ’s
I like to keep these in a small basket beside the tub, all together and ready to go.
How I would LOVE to live in America so I could try these!

Wild Roots on Etsy!

 

When the bath is ready it is time to gather the baby. Announce yourself as you enter the room. Before you touch the baby speak in a tender, soft voice. As you gently lift the baby, tell her what you are doing, what is going to happen and what is going on around them.
I am not a baby tub fan. For myself I want to be in the tub with the baby. So for us, I believe what will work best is for mommy (or daddy) to be in the tub and for Daddy to gather the baby and gently pass her off to mommy.


Babies are often uncomfortable at the beginning of these rituals. They want their warm, secure feeling back. So, they often cry the first couple times. (The Grown-Ups never cried they all LOVED baths) If we handle them peacefully from the beginning they will begin to recognize the safety and joy and learn to rust us more and more. Soon, those cries should turn to happy gurgles.

After the bath, wrap the baby in a soft warm blanket and snuggle them close. (This will be our pass back to daddy) I like the idea of putting them in the sling for a few minutes to help them return to their safe “cocoon world” . Remember to continue talking to the baby quietly telling them what you are doing.

At the changing station, lovingly and thoughtfully apply oil to the baby’s skin, in a slow, gentle massage. I read somewhere an article comparing rubbing your baby with oil to the anointing with oil in the Biblical times. (still practiced in India and other parts of the world) This was a sacred ritual to show the love and gratitude of the practitioner to the recipient. (used all my big words in that one!)

Swaddle the baby or put them in their sleeping clothes and then take a few minutes to play quietly or sing to her. This will probably be our pass back to mommy time, so that baby can be nursed and lulled off to sleep.
Here is our Changing Station. No, it's not very Montessori (It should be on the floor) but, we have this beautiful cribs that friends brought from America that I wanted to use. And if you didn't know, I have MS so I don't trust myself standing up from the ground with the baby. I think this is a great solution. The crib isn't just sitting there empty and I don't have to worry about dropping Pickles on her little head!
These baskets hold the cute little cloth diapers I have made (20 small, 20 med , plus 4 NB and 3 larger ones) and the diaper liners. We have a bit of a problem with little tiny mice  (and bunnies)right now, I just keep making them!  The big pink pig is definitely NOT Montessori. That's Stick Pig, and he is the hero of the children s books I have been writing... so he gets to stay!


One final Thought....
Dr. Henning Kohler, A Steiner professional,teaches his patients that infants have a need for nourishing and warming acts of bodily care. He says : ”These acts must be done with a true inner participation.”
If we dedicate ourselves to these acts with an unhurried, patient foresight and a personal inner quiet, we are helping our baby become at home with their body and to fell trust and joy in the world and with the people around her.

And that’s all I got to say about that! =)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Dragon Invasion!

In America I always know it’s spring by the lovely little lambs and calfs frolicking in the pastures. Here in Thailand it’s the birth of the lovely little LIZARDS! Living in the jungle you come to expect all kinds of creepy crawly things. I love creepy crawly… at a distance.

This week we have had a bit of an invasion by these lovely little dragons. It seems that my fairy garden is being dominated by this guy:


Meet Firedrake. In Thai he is called “king kah hua daeng” which means red-head lizard (creative huh?) He actually has a blue or green headsometimes.

He is the guardian of our newly formed fairy garden, in our beautiful new front yard. I suppose we should have asked his permission before renting out his hollow tree stump to the Fairies, because he’s a bit angry with me right now. As I sit out on the patio writing everyday he gets closer and closer and I thought we were going to be fast friends, but his mood has changed and he has started making this weird croaking noise at me. Yesterday we discovered why, when his wife Saphira and little son, Zhou Long (Little Dragon) appeared with him.. Now they all spend the day giving me their little beady dragon stares as if to say “Get your dumb magic tree and picnic set off our front lawn!”

Sorry guys I know what it’s like to have your home invaded for sure, because not only are the Firedrake family on the front lawn, and about 40 little ginkgos (geckos) in the house, but this horrible beast has moved INTO THE HOUSE!

I know your thinking “cute little Gecko.’ Cute Gecko my ass! Let me explain that this thing is called a Tokay (which I think is Thai for “big-ass lizard) and is about 20 inches nose to tail, and it hisses, and it poops the size of a cat! And if having that ugly thing lookin at you ain’t enough, it’s got 3 babies!

Every morning now I’m cleaning big cat size poops off my floor, and this morning it was on my YOGA MAT! That’s the last straw of course. Giecko Gecko and her family gotta go. I called some friends and they are going to come lasso her tomorrow (which should lead to some pretty good photos!) And yes, Thai’s do eat these things, but for the most part they believe that they posses spirits of people and are good luck. So it’s kinda bad juju if you eat one! So no, my friends are not going to eat them! Hopefully.

Spring just isn’t the same in the Jungle!
 
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