When you move past purees and on to the world of finger foods or toddler food it’s really not that much different than adult food, except toddlers are, for the most part, picky and unable to tell you exactly what they want. Not to mention, they are messy. They are very, very messy.  And since you’re not the one wielding the spoon anymore, it makes for quite a lovely scene at the table. I will confess that I only allow my son to eat particularly messy meals, like spaghetti, on bath nights.

Toddler food threw me for a loop. I went from being the Betty Crocker of making breast milk and purees, right back to realizing that I kind of suck at cooking. It was pretty easy to get sucked into the trap known as the “Frozen Bag of Chicken Nuggets.”  It was easy to get stuck in quite a few traps, actually. Before I knew it, my once wholesomely, naturally fed son, was now living off of hot dogs, processed chicken nuggets, Goldfish crackers, and the occasional quesadilla. I will say he maintained his love for a lot of fruits and vegetables, though, which I mainly got from a frozen bag or a can. Continue reading »

I’m not Julia Child. My cooking doesn’t even compare to a frozen Sara Lee. The vast majority of what I cook is heated in the microwave. But, let me tell you, I am a rock star, domestic goddess when it comes to making baby food.

I exclusively breastfed my son for the first six months of his life, and there was something particularly empowering about knowing I was solely responsible for making his food. I wanted to continue that on through his first foods experience. Despite my initial hesitations and apprehensions, making baby food is a cinch. And don’t be fooled into thinking you need expensive or fancy equipment to do it, either. Continue reading »

I’m just going to say this now. To those of you who are unfamiliar with the world of cloth diapering it can be very overwhelming and confusing in the beginning. There are all sorts of abbreviations and acronyms and there is no one right way to do it. Every family finds their own system that works for them eventually, but getting started can feel like learning a new language.

These are the basic types of cloth diapers:

Prefolds- those big squares of fabric most of us think of when we think cloth diapers. They can be folded in a variety of ways, and they need a cover to go over them.

Fitteds- these look like, and go on and off very similarly to a disposable diaper (some fastened by Velcro, some by snaps), but they are made of cloth and also need a separate cover to go over them. Often they are made of hemp, cotton or bamboo velour. Continue reading »

I was introduced to modern cloth diapering early in my pregnancy. I don’t recall exactly how, but one night I stumbled upon a website with a laundry list of links to online stores who sold the cutest little poop collectors I’d ever seen. Yes, admittedly my love for cloth diapers originally grew from their cuteness factor.

Regardless of what initially drew me to them, I quickly learned all about how easy these modern versions were, how different they were from the cloth origami our parents had to fuss with, how we didn’t have to deal with treacherous diaper pins anymore. I learned how there was no need for a nasty pail full of water and filthy diapers sitting around, and how it wasn’t even necessary to dunk them in the toilet before washing them. All of my preconceived notions about cloth diapers dissipated after one night, a glass of wine, and a long, informative date with Google. Continue reading »

We didn’t set out to be “these” people.  Three years ago my husband and I were living a blissful urban lifestyle. Shopping was our favorite pastime.  We loved driving around in our brand new SUV with a V8 Hemi engine, which is auto-jargon for “This is really excessive unless you plan on hauling livestock or U-Hauls every day.” Yeah, yeah, we’d heard about living simply and going green. We swore we would try it eventually, but our apartment complex didn’t offer recycling pick up, so we’d have to put it off until we moved.

Two and a half years ago we learned I was pregnant with our first child. Two and a half years ago our paradigm shifted. Our world grew beyond just the two of us. My body became an incubator that I was solely responsible for maintaining and keeping in the best working order possible. As trite and cliché as it sounds, it wasn’t about “us” anymore. Everything from the food I ate to the chemicals I was exposed to became increasingly important to us, and continue to be now that our son has entered the world. Continue reading »

Barbara is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, media trainer, medical blogger, speaker, founder and editor-in-chief of Healthin30.com.

As the Internet grows, the problem of finding excellent resources isn’t as much of an issue as sorting through all the options to figure out which ones are the best. Here’s a list of my top picks:

General Health Information

• cdc.gov
• fda.gov
• clevelandclinic.org
• mayoclinic.org

Healthcare Empowerment

• The Society for Participatory Medicine
• e-Patient.net
• TheHealthCareBlog.com

Empowered Health Tools

• Consent to Treat a Minor Form 
• Medical Information Card
• Microsoft Health Vault
• Google Health
• Keas.com

My Personal Favorites

• HealthIn30.com
• I also love DrGreene.com, too!

What are your favorite resources?

Thanks for joining me this week on this blog. I hope you’ve gained some insight into ways you can be a more empowered health consumer. I look forward to seeing you at HealthIn30.com.

Barbara is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, media trainer, medical blogger, speaker, founder and editor-in-chief of Healthin30.com.

Medical History & Medication Form

Don’t leave home without your list of medications and current medical history & medication form.

Understanding your medications and keeping track of them is critical.  It’s a great idea to have these listed on your personal medical history form that you carry with you at all times.  Just in case you end up in the ER or are directly admitted to the hospital, you will be asked multiple times by multiple staff for a list of your medications, past hospitalizations, if you have any allergies and emergency contact numbers. Continue reading »

Barbara is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, media trainer, medical blogger, speaker, founder and editor-in-chief of Healthin30.com.

Before you go to an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare professional, write down any questions you may have.  Ask questions about your diagnosis, medications, tests, and follow-ups.  Be in charge and know what’s going on.  Ask for a copy of your test results. Continue reading »

Barbara is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, media trainer, medical blogger, speaker, founder and editor-in-chief of Healthin30.com.

Don’t believe everything you read or hear without questioning it.  Listen to a health report with ears wide open and don’t be afraid to question it.  When searching for health information on the web, check out sites such as cdc.gov, fda.gov, clevelandclinic.org, and mayoclinic.org, but don’t stop there.  There are some other great sites that are not so well known, and offer exceptional information.

“Always read an article with a critical eye. Does what the author say make sense?  Check the facts and get the facts from more than one source”, says Kevin Soden, MD, medical journalist and author. Continue reading »

Barbara is an award-winning journalist, media broadcaster, media trainer, medical blogger, speaker, founder and editor-in-chief of Healthin30.com.

Being an empowered health consumer is becoming more and more important. Empowered health consumers know how to take charge of their health and are proactive in their care. Whether they’re surfing the web for health information, visiting their doctor or health care professional, or a patient in the hospital; empowered health consumers know how to question and communicate.

Becoming an empowered health consumer is important for Moms because they are often responsible for championing healthcare for their children, their parents, their mate, and of course, for themselves. Continue reading »