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Raising Healthful Kids

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25.01.2022 Sometimes constipation is obvious, although sometimes kids may poo everyday, but still not be clearing their bowel. This is SO common with children in clinic. Some sneakier signs include:... * Skid marks in undies * Regular poo accidents * Lots of stinky ‘fluffs’ * Sticky poos the need to use lots of toilet paper to get a clean wipe * Pooing a little several times throughout the day (everytime they need to wee they do a little poo). * Hard, difficult to pass poos. * Mucous covered poos or bloody poos * Bad breath or coated tongue * Tummy pains relieved by pooing * Really wide poos or really skinny poos Why do kids get constipated? * Wheat/dairy/food intolerance (unfortunately becoming more and more common, but often an indicator of gut permeability concerns or digestive insufficiency). * A diet too high in processed foods with not enough raw/fibre filled foods. * Not enough water! * Antibiotic use which can lead to microbiome disturbance in the tummy. * Intestinal worms!! * Emotional patterns - ‘holding on’, worrying about future, recent routine changes, anxiety. Why do we want to sort this out swiftly? Being constipated will usually be associated with a microbiome imbalance that may affect other areas of the body like the immune system and the production of happy hormones for positive mental health. The ability to pass stools and digest our food serves several purposes but two of the most important are to absorb nutrients for the body, and eliminate toxins - a lack of nutrients, or overwhelm of toxins isn’t how we want little bodies to remain. Your child may be feeling fatigued, you may see behavioural problems, moodiness, irritability and inability to sleep also. Your child’s gut health now is setting them up for life! Providing laxatives seems to be a common approach, and whilst it may seem appropriate, it often doesn’t address any of the causes listed above, so it’s difficult to come off the laxative medications and return to a happy, healthy bowel state - as we haven’t actually improved the cause of the problem! So what other solutions can we start to try? (continued in comments )

25.01.2022 A really common question I am asked is whether there are herbs that are safe for children! Yes!! In fact, there are so many beautiful, safe and effective herbs for supporting your child’s wellbeing in all areas including sleep, anxieties, immunity, tummy upsets and even conditions like constipation or asthma.... *disclaimer: every child is different and dosage and use for herbs is individual so you should always seek professional guidance prior. Three of my FaVouRitE KiDs HeRBs: Chamomile Crankiness, Colic + Upset Tummies! Trusty chamomile; pregnancy, breastfeeding and child safe and useful for so many common childhood upsets. A gentle relaxant both to the nervous system and digestive system, great for the frustrated child after a long day or even restless babe with colic or fussiness around sleep/teething. Elderberry Little Immune Super-berry! With potent anti-viral and antioxidant properties, Elderberry is one of my top picks for the home remedies cabinet. Effective and safe for common colds and many childhood viruses. Passionflower My favourite (ok Lemon Balm comes in close second) children’s sleep herb. So soothing for the nervous system; a great combination with chamomile for a sound, restful sleep for little worriers who have busy bee minds. As a practitioner, I usually prescribe these children friendly herbs in an extracted pear juice so they are a lot easier and tastier on the palate than traditional herbal medicines, however from a young age, herbs like passionflower and chamomile can be utilised in the form of herbal tea (be sure to grab organic). *again, please be sure to check with a qualified herbalist or your provider of choice before using herbal medicines as while these herbs have a very high safety profile, each individual is unique. Have you ever tried herbal medicine with your little one?

24.01.2022 The Breakfast Dash Definitely one to hit ‘save’ on for later! Of all the benefits and reasons for a quality breakfast, the main aim of this game is filling up little tummies for longer, and preventing the carbohydrate crash (often from cereal and plain toast breakfasts) that contributes to poor concentration, and hyperactivity followed by an energy depletion that can all occur before we even make it to recess or morning tea!... Cereals in particular have some great marketing, convincing us to believe they are nutritionally well-rounded for our kids by listing the exciting fortified nutrients they can contain, however these options are often so low in macro nutrients like protein and quality fats, and subsequently high in refined sugars and carbohydrates that they really shouldn’t be classed as ‘healthy options’ at all. This cereal and toast journey often begins right from the get-go when your GP or paediatric nurse advises you that rice cereal is a great first food for your baby . Couple that with the dash of speed and the organisational prowess required of a Mum aiming to get three kids out the door on time, clean and fed in the morning, and there’s any wonder breakfast isn’t always the most nutritionally dense agenda. I hear you!! It certainly doesn’t have to be overwhelming though and sometimes we just need a few ideas (>swipe across) for ways to try new foods or swap out the old and we can begin making HUGE changes to our children’s nutrition and wellbeing overnight.

24.01.2022 Happy 4th Birthday to my Darling Being your Aunty is everything. You have filled my heart with more love than I ever though I could fit. I love you Huddo Monster

18.01.2022 Wean onto water and whole foods, rather than cows milk. We are the ONLY species who has normalised removing our child from our own milk source (human milk), to drink the milk of another animal (a cow), and biologically it’s really not normal for the body to do that. From the age of 12months one of the most common questions I am asked is when to transition from breast or formula to dairy milk, my answer is never. When used for weaning, it’s so common for children to be consumi...ng more than an excessive amount of dairy, which is why I recommend - not for weaning. I know we’ve been informed for years that this is the way, but solid foods and water is actually the way, and unfortunately dairy milk is an industry way. In clinic I see so many young children with asthma, eczema, sinus concerns, frequent tonsillitis, constipation and iron deficiency, which can all benefit from a reduction of dairy in the diet. Most processed forms of dairy we consume have potential to become inflammatory and congestive to the body as they are promotive of mucous production, so for a little one who is prone to bronchitis or tonsillitis for example, this is a huge red flag. Cows milk also has the known potential to inhibit iron absorption, such an essential nutrient for health and one I’m sadly seeing deficient in more and more young children. As baby begins to consume more solid foods (averaging three meals and two snacks daily), it’s fine for them to transition straight to water, noting toddler formula’s are not necessary or recommended in most cases either, but do have some very clever marketing on the labels, as long as we’re meeting their needs with whole foods. If your little one is still looking for a comfort feed, you could try a nut, soy or coconut milk (remembering to get no added sweetener varieties, and can look for calcium fortified), or warm broth (either bone or vegetable), and at this stage also have the option of value adding for example with a probiotic. Always remembering of course - baby should have milk (breast or formula) as a primary source of nourishment until at least 12months of age, and when weaning baby should be ready to be eating enough solid foods to obtain adequate nutrition (which after 10-12m of age may still include some serves of dairy like cheese/yoghurt in your house if you choose) - water and other milk suggestions are not a replacement for breast/formula under 12months. Is this new information for you? What has been your experience with weaning? Edit: this post is about not using cows milk as a WEANING REPLACEMENT due to quantity, NOT a message to completely avoid dairy products as food sources of fat, protein, calcium if you still choose to provide those (it’s recommended children are to have no more than 1.5 serves per day).

18.01.2022 Why do kids get so many ear infections? Mainly, it’s anatomy! As adults, our ear canals slant downward facilitating drainage, for children however, the ear canals sit almost horizontally, meaning the fluid naturally produced by the body in the ear, nose and throat regions isn’t able to simply drain out and often pools in the inner ear (recipe for middle ear infections!).... This is why it’s so common to hear that kids have simply ‘grown out of them (ear infections)! Kids also get sick a lot! Their little immune systems haven’t yet learnt about all the repeat offenders that we as adults recognise and fight off quickly, so it’s also more common for kids to have excess mucous, fluid and inflammation in this region - aka more fluid to pool in that middle ear! Occasionally, excess fluid production and mucous can also be a sign of food reaction/intolerance, so it’s important to explore that too. What can we do to help? Firstly, it’s important to know before putting anything into the ear that your child’s eardrum is intact and to have this checked by your health provider. My favourite home remedies for ear aches are garlic oil (garlic and olive oil - and if you come to clinic we’ll add the herb mullein for its anti-microbial benefits) and an onion ear poultice! Simply halve an onion, steam or microwave until just starting to tender, cover with a brand new, clean cheesecloth or chux, temp. check and then place over the ear while the onion is as warm as is safe for your child. Keep the onion there for 10-15mins (laying on side to watch a movie often works ). Soothing, pain relieving and anti-microbial. Garlic and Mullein oil can be home-made or products pictured above can be purchased from your local health food store or web stores like I-herb. Are ear infections are repeat offender in your house?

17.01.2022 Let’s practice together something that Mama’s often don’t find so easy, being PROUD of YOU! Share with each other below one reason (or ten), why you are PROUD of the way you Mum’ed today. It’s a gratitude practice for YOU!... The harder it is to join in, the more I encourage you to stop and give it a go! You’ve got this Mama

17.01.2022 I have a little story to tell and I’d love to open this conversation for your ideas! I had my nephew with me at a shopping centre (he’s 4 years old), and whilst we were having a conversation about purchases we were deciding between (negotiating ), an older couple (in their 70’s) approach and the gentleman bent down and offered my nephew a $5 note. Whilst my mind starting doing backflips with the pressure of an ‘on the spot’ three second window to decide the fate of the situa...tion (will we accept, will we not)...the elderly man says, I haven’t seen my grandkids in three months and usually I would buy them a nice toy (he mayswell have snagged a fishing hook on my heart strings ). What do we do in this situation? Here were a few of my busy thoughts... It’s important to teach children about the safety (or risk) of taking ANYTHING off a stranger. In this case it was SAFE, and it was a beautiful act of kindness that was going to make both the man’s and my nephew’s day. Instilling kindness, but also worthiness is SO important for emotional well-being and self-worth. My nephew is worthy of random acts of kindness and I could encourage him to recognise how nice it made him feel and his power to recreate that for others. It kind of ruined my chances of explaining we can’t ‘always’ get a toy when we’re in Kmart LOL I don’t want him to be in fear of every person who isn’t someone he knows, he’s been working on shyness and techniques for when it’s overwhelming, so this was great practice for his ‘brave’ - but was it leaving a message of, ‘talk to strangers when they give you things’ - which is a big problem when it comes to child safety. He’s not my baby - I don’t know how my sister and brother in law would handle it, despite trusting me 110% whilst I have him in my care. Gosh I was overwhelmed. We accepted. We followed with a GREAT conversation about safety, kindness, that strangers can be safe when you’re with someone trusted, but that when you’re not, you don’t even need to say ‘no thanks’, you’re encouraged to ignore/leave, and then how we could pass on the happiness. Such a tricky one, thoughts? Conversation ideas?

15.01.2022 An excerpt of words shared by @biglittlefeelings ~~~ , : ' , .... ? 99% . ? 99% . , , 99% . 99% . , , . ' , . , , . : , , , . , . . ~~~ If you’re looking for more ways to educate both yourself and have conversations with your children, go follow: @theconsciouskid @hereweeread @rachel.cargle It starts here , is shared here , then changes here

11.01.2022 Unfortunately the most common and first line of ‘treatment’ for managing eczema in our little ones is usually a topical corticosteroid cream (the most common being hydrocortisone). These ‘treatments’ unfortunately often do the job of masking the symptoms of conditions like eczema and psoriasis, but miss treating the root cause and so the cyclical nature of these uncomfortable skin concerns seems to keep boiling to the surface. ‘Boiling to the surface’ is a really great way to... describe these skin conditions, because they really do start from the inside-out, so treating holistically with nutritional care and consideration for the microbiome (all the little bacteria that live in and on our bodies) is essential to achieving long term, forever healing. Topically, steroid based creams are damaging to the skin integrity - the opposite to what we want for long term healing. The uncomfortable list of side effects shared in the images (note how confusing the third image is with my two different underline colours) will be found listed on the package insert in your medication cream box, but rarely spoken about in the doctors office. They aren’t there to scare you off entirely, because sometimes we weigh up the pros and cons and decide that, used as little as possible, we still need the help of pharmaceuticals from time to time, but certainly are there to encourage us to stay informed and empowered to get to the root cause. My two favourite alternatives for topical relief of eczema are very good quality lanolin cream or jojoba oil (not supermarket varieties, health food store or pharmacy is a great start)- both contain natural waxes similar to the structure of our own skin waxes and work wonders without the side effects, and with so many healing benefits. Lavender essential oil can also be used safely in most cases, although always just 1-2 drops and always mixed in a carrier oil (try coconut or the jojoba). My mission is for you to feel informed and empowered to look to find the cause of symptoms you see bubbling on the surface. Is eczema an uncomfortable boiling point in your household?

10.01.2022 R E T U R N T O S C H O O L My top three tips for smooth school/daycare mornings: ... SLOW DOWN TO SPEED UP I know right, what the heck lady...you try getting the right shoes on two uniform wearing, tooth brushed, fed children all by 8am. We’ve all seen - Hurry!! Hurry! Put your shoes on, we have to go!, have quite the opposite affect! Not always because our kids can be tortoises with different priorities to us, but actually because the morning hustle can mean kids flick over into fight or flight...an adrenaline surge, perhaps a pain in the tummy, suppressed emotions like anxiety, and often an ending of tears or rage. It doesn’t always take getting up earlier or being more organised to slow your mornings down, it can be as simple as slowing our speech down, speaking our words more slowly, can mummy have your eyes at my eyes please, it’s time to put our shoes on, spoken slowly, at eye level. It’s not always easy, and it’s certainly a practice, but if it helps you and your little ones escape the house minus the adrenaline surge, it will positively shift your whole day! PROTEIN AT BREAKFAST It’s common for children to eat toast, cereal, crumpets and other refined carbohydrates in the morning. However just like the adrenaline surge, when we have a peak in blood sugar early in the morning, we’re more likely to have unstable moods, mid-morning fatigue and struggle to stay focused or sit calmly. Try instead, eggs, oats with whole fat yoghurt or coconut milk with nuts or seeds, left over dinner meats like a drumstick or sausages, using meats/cheese/avocado on toast rather than honey, jam or vegemite spreads, or trying a smoothie that contains nuts, seeds, oats or high fat foods like avocado. MAGNESIUM If there’s any anxiety, struggle with getting sleep the night before, or hyperactivity, then try some Magnesium! Fantastic for all of the above and a great nervous system supporting nutrient. Try magnesium oil rubbed on the soles of the feet before bed and again under socks before heading out the door! You could also speak to a practitioner or your health food store about a supplement form! What are mornings like at your place?

08.01.2022 It’s my 31st Birthday today and I’m so grateful to be here in this community with you all It’s such a beautiful thing to be able to share what you love and have it positively impact the lives of others. You all make that a reality here.... I’d love to hear more about you all, please share with me where you’re from and who your beautiful families are. I know some of you so well, and others I’m still waiting to connect with!

04.01.2022 Every bubba is different, however there are some things we know about the development of your baby’s gut that are really good reasons to delay solids until around 6months and to skip the grains that are often introduced as first foods, cue steering clear of rice cereal and toast. There are so many reasons why I advise skipping the rice cereal, so a few key pointers (you’re welcome to ask questions in the comments for more info):... It’s highly refined and low in nutrition. Arsenic (a known neurotoxin) levels in rice are a concern for babies this age. Generally your babe does not have the pancreatic enzyme concentrations to be able to break down grains at the age of first food introduction, so grains too early can lead to inflammation in the gut. Rice and the form of fortified iron they use in rice cereal are both constipating ingredients. Rice cereal is often fortified with the synthetic form of folate - folic acid, which in this synthetic form, should be avoided for an estimated 50% of the population due to particular genetic mutations (MTHFR), one I discuss in relation to pregnancy supplements often. It’s bland and is often used in replacement of flavour rich first foods (important for preventing fussy eating). Why did they ever tell us to feed it to our babes? - it’s an industry (baby food/cereals that is), there’s to be made. - requirements for iron for babies around 6m start to exceed what baby can receive from exclusively breastfeeding, so it was reasonable to fortify rice cereal (a convenient and fast option) with iron and market from this perspective that EVERY baby should begin on it; Although, it’s a synthetic, cheap form of iron that’s difficult to be absorbed. What can we feed instead (6-8m)? egg yolk (not the whites) bone broth (can mix through purées) root vegetables avocado, blueberries,pears, peaches, apples organic liver (can be grated into vege purées or spread as patè over sticks of food if baby led weaning) mashed sardines, grass fed meats + wild salmon either puréed or in strips to suck juices.

03.01.2022 Mama are you... Feeling overwhelmed with knowing what and how to make sure your child is THRIVING WITH FOOD? Really longing to find new ways to understand and manage all the BIG EMOTIONS and behaviour?... Looking for reprieve with finally getting some more SETTLED SLEEP? And really just wanting to see your little one feel WELL and HEALTHY, with a ROBUST IMMUNE system and support for common ailments? The RHK Fundamentals Program is HERE! Your 21 day empowered parent support program! Week 1 - Making Friends with Food The fundamentals of food Understanding and aiding fussy/picky eating Lunchbox lessons Whole-food recipe guides Week 2 - Managing Big Emotions Navigating little nervous systems Promoting restful sleep Understanding anxiety and anger (why & how) Emotional Freedom Techniques Guide and Flash Cards Week 3 - Snotty Noses, Tummy Bugs & Grazed Knees Little immune systems Reducing severity and frequency of illness Creating your own at home family remedy kit ~~~ $98 for your complete program, all organised for you to keep forever so you can replay and watch again later! Pop into the comments below if you’d like to join or to ask all of your questions! BONUS: Self Care for Mama Workshop for all sign ups in the first 24hrs! Tag a Mama friend who can join alongside you!

03.01.2022 , ’ , ’ . - Let’s release any stigma.... Share your breastfeeding moments (the hard, the beautiful, the exhausted, the most sacred) with us. Release your stories, advice you wish you had and express your feelings below (share a laugh, the good, the bad and the exhausting) in the comments. Also, let me know what questions you might have around feeding? I’ll be doing some more posts through the week and will focus around these for you. Then together let’s be bold and proud to share your breastfeeding/pumping moments in photo capture to your stories/feeds (tag me so I can re-share)! Let’s create a beautiful montage together for World Breastfeeding Week Aug 1-7 When you post your picture, share with us the ONE word you think sums up breastfeeding best for you, release any judgements you have and share your honest truth. Normalise ALL of the experiences. (don’t forget to tag me so I can re-share) #wbw2020 #worldbreastfeedingweek #worldbreastfeedingweek2020 #breastfeedingmama #breastfeedingjourney #breastfeedingtips

02.01.2022 E C Z E M A & D I E T Top trigger foods to avoid: Foods that are high in compounds like amines, salicylates and histamine are often triggers to inflammation in the body and are often culprits in eczema cases.... These include: - dairy - most dried fruits - deli meats - a lot of citrus/fruits (esp. grapes, kiwis, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes). - avocado (a confusing one because it’s high in essential fatty acids which are great for skin, but also very high in amines and salicylates so if you’re little one is sensitive, it might need to go). - chocolate/cacao Other common trigger foods also include: - soy, including soy sauce - eggs - a very, very common and under recognised intolerance in eczema children - gluten - some nuts (specifically almonds and peanuts) Refined sugar should also be reduced or avoided wherever possible to keep inflammation down. many packaged foods children eat that contain high sugar also often contain many additives and preservatives that may be further contributing. Foods to Include: Oats (organic, uncontaminated oats such as ‘Red Mill’ or ‘Honest to Goodness’ brands are perfect!) Fatty fish such as sardines, salmon or trout. Essential fatty acid rich foods such as flaxseeds, walnuts, chia, hemp seeds and coconut. Foods high in antioxidants such as beetroots, red cabbage, purple cauliflower, cherries. Foods high in potassium like bananas and potatoes. Bone broth Buckwheat Up to 20% of children will now experience some kind of eczema during childhood, do you have eczema in your household, and do you think any of these foods might be a trigger?