Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care: Volume 2 in the Bestselling Green This! Series

Since so many women commented on the breastfeeding, I had to share our experience. When I was pregnant with my first son, I loaded up several carts at BabiesRus with all that I thought I needed for my baby. We moved into a big beautiful brand new house and I tried to eat what I thought was healthy. I decided to parent with an attachment parenting approach and breast feed of course! Well my son struggled to breastfeed but I stuck with it and even stayed in bed for 5 weeks until we got it down! I was bleeding, and in pain but I was so proud to do what was best for my baby. Well fast forward and my son developed Autism. No it wasn't soley from breastfeeding. It was a combo of the toxic environment we lived in (new house off-gassing, shiny new plastic baby gear and toys, along with vaccines. However, what set the stage for the autism was my overly toxic body. Parasites and toxins transferred to my son in uetero and continued through my breast milk. Baby number two came before my son's autism, so she was in the same environment and I still had no clue about toxins. We only vaccinated her to 3 months when we discovered my son's autism. I cleaned up and "greened" our home and we switched to an organic all natural unprocessed Specific Carbohydrate Diet. My daughter was developing fine until I started drinking a tea, I bought at a salon because it tasted so good, unaware it was a detox tea. I was still breastfeeding my daughter and within 1 week she lost speech and started regressing into autism. 1 year later with a biomedical approach, special diets, detoxing, antivirals and homeopathy, both of my children recovered from Autism! We want to have another baby, but I am currently detoxing my body, eating an organic vegan diet and preparing my body so that I CAN breastfeed my next child without fear of passing on toxins or parasites. A common argument is that our bodies naturally detoxify themselves. Well that used to be true but damage to our immune system from vaccines along with an overly toxic environment has brought us to a place where our bodies are not able to handle the burdens placed on it. We now have to be proactive in cleaning up our environment, diet and products we use. I absolutely agree with Deidre and any mother who has healed their Autistic children using a biomedical approach will tell you the same! Breastfeeding is best, if your body is in a healthy state, but if it is toxic you will pass those toxins on to your baby.

This is a fabulous book. Easy to read. Great for parents with kids of all ages and for people considering having children or those that care for children. I highly recommend it. It is one of those books you have to buy because you will reference it so often. Great to buy and share with others also!

What a breath of fresh air! If you're like me, you're always trying to raise your child well, but never really sure you're doing everything you can. In many ways, this book is a light down that dark path of parenting, as it's filled with ideas on how to give your kids a safe and healthy life. Even if you are not pregnant yet, there's worthy advice. For example, one early chapter points out that any woman planning to have kids should avoid flu shots containing thimerosal. My daughter is 14, so I was especially interested in the chapter about teenagers. It opened my eyes to the potentially toxic ingredients in cosmetics and other personal care products -- carcinogens like formaldehyde and diethanolamine, and neurotoxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury. I learned that it makes little sense for me to make sure she takes an organic apple in her lunch every day if I'm ignoring the toxic body spray she mists on herself every morning. The book is divided into two sections, with a resource guide at the end: One: The Wake-Up Call 1. A letter to parents 2. The role of the environment in our children's health Two: From Utero to University 3. Preparing for pregnancy 4. Eating right for two 5. Pregnancy and birth 6. Developing your baby's palate 7. Infancy and early childhood 8. "Green" pediatrics 9. Off to school 10. Adolescence and beyond 11. Beyond the home: Community activism and outreach

This book should be in every school, doctor's office, daycare center and home. Look at American kids today. Sick sick sick. Asthma, ear infections, food allergies, environmental allergies, ADHD, seizures, mental illness, autism, learning disabilities. Our kids are bearing the brunt of our toxic world. Deirdre explains what's going on and offers solutions in an easy to ready book. In a world where parents are determined to raise the next LeBron or Tiger, enrolling their kids in class after class to get a leg up on the competition and sacrificing left and right to make sure their kids have the best of everything, what good is all of that if the child is not well? Parents have the power to make their kids lives' safer. Deirdre helps you to learn how. This is a perfect baby shower gift, Mother's day or Father's day gift, end of year teacher gift. Even a copy for Grandma and Grandpa who may still have a bottle of rat poison next to the lead paint cans in the garage..... It's never too late to learn!

Growing Up Green, by Deirdre Imus, is a well-researched and comprehensive book on how to make your child's world eco-friendly to keep them healthy. Imus presents to problem in the introduction: "The World Health Organization estimates that we could prevent more than 80 percent of all chronic illnesses by improving our lifestyles in simple ways, like working to reduce our exposure to environmental pollutants and eating a healthier diet. Eighty percent! So why aren't we doing more to protect our children?" In chapter two, Imus addresses the role of the environment in children's health. Specifically, she writes about the health issues caused by pollution including learning disabilities, headaches, hyperactivity, asthma, allergies, obesity, diabetes, autism, pediatric cancer and more. "Prevention is the best cure," Imus says. With prevention is the best cure in mind, the remaining chapters focus on way to keep your kids healthy, beginning with preparation for pregnancy. This chapter includes information on greening your home by replacing toxic chemicals with safe products. She also discusses green building and specific green tips for the nursery. The following chapter shows the expectant mother how to eat healthy for two. Next, Imus describes how to develop a healthy eating "palate" for your baby, which includes organic and healthy food. Imus writes about all green aspects of your child's life, including safe toys and personal care products. One of my favorite tips was to use apple cider vinegar in the bath, as it boosts mood and is relaxing for children. Add bubbles to the vinegar in the bath and you get amazing and fun foam! The chapter on pediatrics was excellent and covers vaccinations, antibiotic overload, natural homeopathic cures and more. Imus even includes a section on getting the schools to go green. Finally, the book includes a list of basic foods for your kitchen, healthy breakfast recipes and easy recipes, recommended reading and resources. The book is health insurance for your kids. By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.