Soap Making, Oils and Recipes
Have you ever wondered why a baby naturally wants you to hold them?
This article by Sarahockwell-smith.com shares (her views) on why a baby just wants to be held in the first few months of life. I don’t know about you but I just wanted to hold my baby for the first few months too, without any reason.
They are so cute and little and then they grow up fast and before you know it kissing and hugging them in public is forbidden in case a school friend sees them.
When someone in the house starts sniffling, you just know it’s going to make the rounds. That’s when I reach for this homemade herbal vapor rub—our family’s go-to chest balm for easing congestion, coughs, and that heavy-headed sick feeling.
Made with gentle yet powerful essential oils, this balm works just like the classic Vicks rub (but without the synthetic stuff). It’s safe, effective, and smells like a eucalyptus grove with a hint of grandma’s medicine chest—in the best possible way!
Whether you’re treating a toddler’s sniffles or trying to head off a man cold, this DIY vapor rub will be your winter wellness MVP.
Base:
Essential Oil Blend (for adults):
Optional for kids under 5:
Replace eucalyptus and peppermint with fir needle and cedarwood atlas, and halve the total essential oil amount.
I live in Australia and quite a few years back the decision was made in ICU wards for premature or seriously ill babies that they should have as much skin contact as was possible. Even babies full of tubes and the paraphernalia to keep them well, was lifted out of the humidicribs (previously seen as a great inconvenience to the medical staff) and the baby placed inside the mothers clothes for as many hours as possible. Lo and behold these babies progressed more and healed faster than the babies who (for various reasons) couldn’t receive this contact. It amazes me that in the western world it seems that everything is a competition as to how fast you can distance yourself from your baby, so they become more independent. I think there’s more than enough time for that. I kept my daughter with me as much as I could, and in those days, we didn’t have all these soft carriers that you can strap your baby to your body. I was actually told that I was spoiling her. The touch of my daughter, the smell of her and the contact I had with her is something I will always remember as one of the most special times in my life. Human beings can actually become traumatised by lack of touch, no matter how old they are. That’s the way we’re made
Peta,
You are correct, the first days of skin to skin contact is something I will never forget…. Oh the memories.