“Be the best you can until you know better. The when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou
This is one of my favorite quotes and it goes along with this month’s theme: Freedom to Know!
As an American citizen you have the Freedom to Know! And it is our right to know! But in order to know, you must do research to make an informed decision! I want to share with you some resources that you can utilize while you are making choices for you and your family! These resources are here to help you make an informed decision!
When it comes to our children’s safety, this is something that most of us will not compromise on! I have included the link to the CDC and their recommendations for car seat safety! One of the biggest things I stress is keeping your child rear facing as long as possible! The rear facing position provides optimal protection for a small child’s developing spine because when in a crash the child’s head and neck are pressed back into the seat and remain well protected.
Car Seat Safety and Recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/child_passenger_safety/index.html
The food that we ingest is also something that most of us take pretty seriously. We do not want to be putting ‘junk’ into our bodies. There are so many resources on what is healthy and what is not healthy. I have included the EWG Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. This list shows which produce has the greatest pesticide residue (Dirty Dozen), and which have the least (Clean Fifteen). What you do with this information is up to you, but it has been found that buying organic produce has decreased pesticide residue.
Deciding which products we use for our personal hygiene and the products we use around our home became extremely important to me when I was pregnant with Anna. I knew that what I was using was going to affect baby’s growth and development and so I started to research. Through that research I found a 2 really great resources that allow you to look up products to see what the exact ingredients are and if there are any links to those ingredients and allergies, cancer or developmental issues. One is EWG Healthy Living and the other is Think Dirty Shop Clean. These are both apps that you can download and then have with you while you are out shopping to help you make a more well-informed decision. I would encourage you to take a look at some of the products around your house and then decide how you want to proceed. Remember, once you know better, you can do better!
And the last topic I want you to learn a little more on is what may be put into your child’s body through vaccines. I think that this is one of those times that you need to be fully informed before making the choice to either vaccinate or not to vaccinate your child, as there are risks associated with both choices. One website that give great information is the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC.org). Take a look at it to help you make an informed decision.
When we know that truth, we are able to be make the best decision possible for our families! Doing the research to find the truth does take time but that is our right. Take the time to research and make informed decisions! It will be worth it in the end!