Aromatherapy4Moms

Cold and Flu - 10 Things to Do

There are many different viruses that can contribute to the symptoms that are commonly associated with colds. According to the Higleys, several essential oils that can be used to help combat these symptoms include blue cypress and fir for aches and pains, and eucalyptus, ravensara and peppermint for nasal congestion and respiratory problems. These oils can be diffused or applied to forehead, temples, back of neck and chest, or place 4 drops in 1/2 cup of hot water and place nose and mouth over opening and breathe (Reference Guide for Essential Oils, page 356).

For a sore throat, “Dr. Penoel recommends applying a trace of melaleuca alternifolia to the tip of the tongue and swallowing.  This works best when done immediately upon noticing a sore throat. Repeat every minute until the throat feels better. Then apply it behind the ears and down under the jaw line. After repeating this a few times (every 5-10 minutes), massage a couple drops on the back of the neck to relieve any blockage.” (Reference Guide for Essential Oils, page 356).

My daughter was complaining of a sore throat. I put a drop of lavendula angustifolia in a glass of water and had her gargle. She rated her sore throat at a (4) out of a scale of 0 no pain to 10 very painful. She gargled three times with the lavender water. She left to run her errands. She called me ten minutes later [saying] that her sore throat was gone.
—Barbara Lemke, Wisconsin

Lavender & Bergamot combined in distilled water: I learned about this combination in the herbology course as a preventative to combat flu and cold during their ‘season’. It worked and smelled good too.
—Maria, California

Oregano [is] great when I feel the first sign of a cold or flu. One drop in a glass of water, and it prevents anything from taking hold. The taste is not good though!
—Suzanne, California

I use Thieves for colds, flu and if I feel like I am coming down with something. I also put a drop in water and gargle. My 5 year old granddaughter also will gargle with this.
—Barbara Lemke, Wisconsin

If I start to feel a cold or sore throat coming on I put a drop [of Thieves] under my tongue every 4 hours and I don’t get sick. I use it for disinfectant in the kitchen.
—Leler Murphy, Tennessee

Thieves works well when getting a cold. One time in particular when starting with a stuffed up nose and sore throat, a couple drops of Thieves dropped directly in the mouth which was immediately felt as the oil moved right to the sore spot in the throat. The Thieves oil brought on a tingling feeling there and within a half hour the throat felt perfectly fine. It’s important to catch symptoms immediately for fast and lasting relief.
—Karen Thomas, Pennsylvania

To get the highest quality therapeutic-grade essential oils mentioned above click here.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, the online resource with articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms.

Expect the best from your child. If you expect the best behavior and performance you’re your child, it’s often what you will get. Children pick up on our beliefs about them, form a self-concept that matches that belief, and perform accordingly. If we expect them to be lazy, they’ll be lazy, which will confirm our expectations for them, and the cycle toward failure is started.

If, on the other hand, we expect our kids to be successful, productive, creative, and responsible and honestly believe it to be true, then our children can’t help but rise to the occasion and confirm our best opinions of them with their positive actions. So expect nothing but the best from your children and watch them fulfill your expectations.

Praise your child often when they perform a good deed or accomplish a new task. Set simple, clear and consistent rules so your child knows exactly what is expected and the consequences of misbehaving or breaking the rules. Maintain a consistent daily routine for your child as much as possible, and make sure your child gets lots of physical activity and time to play and socialize with their friends. Encourage your child to learn how to make appropriate choices, and encourage your child to do things for themselves. Allow your child to talk about strong feelings, which will help them work through their anger and frustration.

Above all, be a positive role model for your child, as their strongest educator is your example. Take care of yourself, and expect the best from yourself. Make appropriate choices and be firm yet fair when disciplining your child. Make sure to spend lots of quality time with your child, and encourage them to become involved in activities that foster cooperation and a sense of accomplishment. If you have great expectations of your child, you’ll be greatly pleased in the end.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, the online resource with articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms.

Traveling by air is usually stressful but when you have to travel during the holidays it usually means taking along family members and that can add extra stress. Reduce air travel stress by planning ahead and using these airline tips for a happy and stress free airplane ride.

There are a few things to keep in mind when traveling by air with kids in tow. The first is that airline food is tasteless, plain and unappealing to most adults and certainly kids will find it equally disgusting. You can bring plastic containers or baggies filled with your child’s favorite treats and meals such as fruits, veggie sticks, toddler finger foods, cheerios and such that will appeal to their young taste buds and keep them happily munching. Remember to bring along wipes to clean sticky fingers.

Unlike a car ride, where you can pull off at rest stops, a plane is a long endless ride for youngsters. To help pass the time, you can pack in your carry-on baggage some simple toys to amuse them. Pack crayons and coloring books, stuffed animals, dolls and action figures. You can also bring along Music CDs with headphones.

Flight discomforts:

Babies will need a pacifier or bottle to suck on during times when the cabin pressure is likely to bother them like during takeoff and touchdown.

If possible, schedule the flight during nap times or bedtime so that your child will be less disturbed by these minor discomforts.

Pack your essential oils of peppermint (flight sickness), lemon (to refresh the air you breathe), and lavender (to calm your and your kids’ nerves).

Plan ahead:

Check with your airline to see what carry–on baggage is appropriate for youngsters. Ask if it is all right to bring a booster seat so that your child can see out the window (ask for a window seat for your child over five).

Arrive at least an hour early for domestic flights and two hours early for international flights.

Be flexible when it comes to flights as changing departure days be even so much as one day might give you a cheaper rate or an emptier plane (who likes a crowded flight).

If flying internationally check for passport requirements and vaccination requirements. This Website has useful passport information:

travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Security wait times may slow you down so check before you leave home to find out if your flight has any wait times established. You can check wait times at:

waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html

You may have better flights using surburban airports than big city airports because they are less congested.

Ship packages instead of using baggage to avoid overweight fees and long check-in lines. You can try using Greyhound’s PackageXpress:

shipgreyhound.com

You may also want to check out Virtual Bellhop at:

virtualbellhop.com

Security agents may open wrapped Christmas gifts so do not wrap presents until you get to your destination.

If you are bringing food aboard, make sure they are in see-through containers, or factory-sealed food.

During 2006 Southwest and US Airways had the best ON TIME records so part of keeping the stress level down during the holidays is to book your flight with the right airlines for your destination. Usually expect more holiday delays than any other time of the year because of the increased amount of air travelers.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours - aroma-essence.com, Nature’s Most Trusted Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils Store.

Your child’s self esteem is their mental foundation. A self-assured child is confident, secure, happy, well-adjusted and successful. They can solve problems that come their way, and it thrives under a loving parent’s nurturing care.

What are some good ways to built self esteem in your child?

Most importantly, accept your child for who they are, and help them do the same. Teach your child that nobody is perfect, and that everyone makes mistakes. Show them how to learn and grow from their mistakes, and let them know that you also make mistakes.

Children with high self esteem are able to take lessons from mistakes and apply them down the road. A child with low self esteem become frustrated and resort to self-depreciating behavior, such as calling themselves ’stupid’ and vowing to ‘never try that again.’

Help your child discover their abilities and talents, and encourage outlets for them to build on and improve them. Praise a child not only for improvements in abilities and skills, but also for the traits they naturally possess.

Encourage your child to make positive choices. Open an honest dialog with our child and discuss the possibilities with them. Children who learn skills for making positive choices when they are younger are well-prepared for the tougher choices they have to make when they are older.

Ensure that you spend lots of quality time with your child, at least once a week. Whether you are shooting baskets or going out to grab a hamburger, take time to talk and keep in touch. If you find it difficult to squeeze in quality time during a hectic week, take the time to talk about things during the drive to school or while they are helping you put the groceries away.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, the online resource with articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms.

Is your little one about to outgrow his or her Graco® convertible car seat? It’s time to buy a Graco® youth booster car seat and the Graco® Ultra CarGo™ youth booster car seat is a great choice. Children older than a year and 27″ to 43″ and between 20 and 40 lbs will rest comfortably in the seat in a 5-point harness. Then, when you’re child is not so little - - between 35″ and 54′ and between 30 and 100 lbs - the harness may be removed and the Ultra CarGo™ becomes a belt positioning booster which you can use in combination with your car’s belt/lap shoulder best system to restrain your child. During the harness days, you’ll appreciate the front adjust harness system which simplifies getting your child in and out of the seat. And while you’ll love all the conveniences of this seat, your child is sure to enjoy his or her own cup holder and mesh pocket for storing all kinds of kid gear.

Graco Ultra CarGo Youth Booster Seat

For little ones that are growing quickly, the Graco Ultra CarGo Youth Booster Seat is a convenient and versatile car seat that grows with the child. The seat is designed with a removable harness which helps transform the car seat into a belt-positioning booster seat. The Ultra CarGo Youth Booster allows the child to use the vehicle’s combination lap/shoulder adult seat belt. This will make the child feel like a big kid, yet still provide them with the safety and security that they require. Complete with the new energy absorbing foam liner and mattress-style comfort padding, the Graco Ultra CarGo Youth Booster Seat provides the ultimate in comfort and safety. The five-point harness keeps baby sound and secure with a snug fit. The one-pull adjustment makes life easier for the parent. The Ultra CarGo Youth Booster has a removable head support and a highback seat that supports the child’s back and head. Two recline positions offer added comfort. The Ultra Car Go by Graco is the ultimate in booster seats.

It’s probably no secret that children who have involved parents are more happy, healthy, and well-adjusted and excel at their educational and extracurricular pursuits.  It can increase their cognitive development, keeps them motivated, strengthens the parent-child relationship, and has a direct positive influence on their overall academic achievement.  In turn, it can also help parents achieve a positive outlook on their parenting, increase their own self confidence and self esteem, and will most likely feel more satisfied with their child’s educational experience at school.

But where do you get involved?   With today’s busy schedules between home, work, and school, it may feel that the average family has very little quality time to offer.  However, different options and levels of commitment are available to fit every parent’s availability, and with some careful planning and dedication, you can make it a positive experience for both yourself and your child.

First of all, discover what your child is most passionate about.  Maybe you’ve thought about volunteering for the school bake sale to raise money, but your child is actually more actively involved in her local Girl Scouts troop.   If that’s the case, then get together with the other Girl Scout parents and see what you can contribute to help the troop.  Maybe you could organize a bake sale to benefit their next summer outing. 

It’s also important to consider what skills, talents and abilities you can bring to the table.  Maybe your child’s school is in desperate need of your help organizing a fundraiser, but your skills in sewing and designing might better serve the school if you were to help in making the costumes for the school play.  Remember, you want this to be a positive experience for both of you, and if your child senses that you’re not happy with what you’ve chosen to become involved in, then they likely will not be happy as well. 

But the bottom line is get involved and stay involved.  Children of involved parents are less likely to get into mischief, have emotional problems, or have problems in school.  You benefit by connecting with and staying connected to your child.  It’s a win-win situation for you both.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, the online resource with articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms.

Recent studies suggest that low-income parents tend to endorse much harsher discipline, partially because they hold stronger beliefs about the value of spanking and experience higher levels of stress.

However, parents who work in high-stress jobs or are stay-at-home parents who are feeling frustrated or isolated are also at risk.  It’s imperative that parents recognize their tendency to punish a child too severely and take the needed steps to make sure the punishment is appropriate for their child’s age, temperament and maturity level. 

The study’s finding showed that parents from lower income levels or work high pressure jobs are more stressed, and they react more emotionally to their child’s behavior, and thus use harsher discipline. A parent in this situation may benefit from outside assistance and learning about alternative disciplinary strategies that are more appropriate and less harsh. 

It’s also important for a parent to realize that children thrive on praise.  Parents in such a situation may always jump to discipline but fail to praise their child for their good deeds, behaviors and traits.  Children instinctively want to please their parents and make them proud.  By encouraging positive behavior, the parent will most likely discourage the behavior that has driven them in the past to punish too harshly.

In order to encourage positive behavior deserving of praise, parents might want to consider giving their child a task they know they’re able to accomplish, and praise their efforts along the way.  Parents need to also consistently praise their children for the positive traits they possess.

Their child might be good at math in school, helpful to their little brother or sister, or is good at drawing pictures.  Praise these good traits and the child is likely to respond by acting appropriately and behaving positively in order to gain more praise.

In the end, it’s important to remember that a child is just that - a child.  A parent should make a concerted effort to make sure the discipline is appropriate and take care of themselves physically, mentally and emotionally so they can optimally provide for their child’s physical and emotional well-being.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, mom’s online resource for aromatherapy articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms.

Aromatherapy products are booming. But have you seen scented toys lately? Toy manufacturers have discovered the lucrative aromatherapy trend and are busy to bring fragrant toys into your home. Which mom does not want to comfort her baby with nature’s fresh and soothing scents, and give her child the best start into life!

You can get Baby’s First Scented Baby Doll, which gently gives off  the fragrance of soothing lavender and vanilla. Get a fluffy bear or lamb scented with orange or chamomile. Or toss your  little darling the Mandarin Bliss Play Cube. The fragrance surely make kids and their parents happy … or does it? Read on. 

Favorite scents used by the toy industry are lavender, vanilla and chamomile. Lavender aids in soothing children before  bedtime. Chamomile relaxes. And grapefruit uplifts the senses of babies while playing with their scented toys. But now scents were also discovered as a welcome aid to enhance baby’s intelligence! Scents are known to enhance the learning  rate. 

Dr. Alan Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation of Chicago says: “Using scent in toys makes the ultimate sense because the maximum speed and capacity for learning occurs in the first 18 months of a  child’s life.”

Since fragrance goes right to the memory center of the brain, Dr. Hirsch believes that scents enhance the  child’s learning capability. In fact, scents increase the child’s speed of leaning by 17%. Fragrance activates a part of the  brain that is otherwise inactive. Floral-scented toys are meant to stimulate infants during play. 

While the world is rallying to get the aroma-scented toys for the kids and for the home, toys like scented apples and zebras, and anything in between, and household articles like toilet refresher, room sprays, scented cleaning supplies, scented candles and cheap perfumes … the world seems to be completely unaware of the danger of these ‘aromatherapy’ products that are all but therapeutic aids. 

If one well-known company alone uses already twice as much essential oil of lavender as is produced in the entire world …  where do you think are these so-called “essential oils” coming from? Producing pure rose oil is very costly and requires  about 5,000 pound of rose petals to produce 1 pound of rose oil. The same high cost production ratio holds true for any true therapeutic-grade essential oil. 

To produce essential oils is very costly. Do you think manufacturers of lavender baby shampoo, lavender-scented creams and soothing lavender baby toys could make any profit using pure essential oils? And how would they want to make these volatile floral scents ‘long-lasting’? Think again!

Sadly, most “pure” oils, often called “100% natural” or even “therapeutic-grade”, are cut with synthetic linalyl acetate to improve the fragrance; and propylene glycol, DEP, or DOP (solvents that have no smell and increase the volume … all  known carcinogens). And why even use essential oils from plants when you can have them manufactured synthetically at a fraction of the cost.

Do you want to know what your baby is breathing in? What your baby is nibbling at?

Fortunately you are among the few who know how to help yourself and your family. You do not have to leave it up to toy manufacturers to make your baby “happy” - if the child is lucky enough not to react to the chemical-ladden scented stuff with rashes and allergies in the first place …

You take things in your own hands:

• You know where to  buy the purest, finest, therapeutic-grade essential oils.
• You select a precious scent from a wide variety of available essential oils to set the mood, support the immune system, and boost the learning ability of your child.
• You buy toys, or better yet, make your beanie babies, pillows, wash cloth animals, etc., yourself, then scent them with the appropriate pure flower essence of your choosing.
• There is no need to chemically treat the scented toy for a long-lasting smell. Just put a drop of essential oil on the toy for a fresh scent.
• While you use essential oils on your baby toys, you know that the toys are at the same time disinfected.
• And when baby bites on the toy, you can rest assured that your baby does not ingest poisonous chemicals tarned under the convenient and commercially exploited label ‘aromatherapy’.
   

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aroma-essence.com, Nature’s Most Trusted Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils Store. You may redistribute this article freely with the resource and all active links intact.

Children learn to imitate at a very young age.  It’s how they learn to behave, care for themselves, develop new skills, and communicate with others. From their earliest moments they watch you closely and pattern their own behavior and beliefs after yours. Your examples become permanent images, which will shape their attitudes and actions for the rest of their life.

It’s important to be responsible, consistent and loving with your child.  This also holds true for the relationship you have with your spouse, your parents, and other family members and friends that are also a part of your child’s life.  Own up to mistakes when you make them, and communicate open and honestly with all family members. 

It’s also important to take good care of yourself.  When we’re focusing on what’s best for our child it’s easy to neglect our own needs.  Your child and your family are counting on you physically and emotionally, so it’s imperative that you teach your child by example that taking care of yourself helps you to take care of them and the rest of your family.  This shows your child that not only do you love them and the rest of the family, but you love yourself as well.  This is an important step in teaching your child about self esteem. 

This may involve getting a sitter and treating yourself out to dinner and a movie, or doing another favorite activity on your own.  This teaches your child that you are not only their parent, but your own person with your interests and needs, and also gives them a chance to show you how well they can do without you with them for a while.

It’s also important to nurture your relationship with your spouse.  Let your child see you communicate in a positive and healthy manner with one another, and show love and affection for one another so your child can begin to learn early on what a healthy marriage should be like. 

You’ll soon see your child patterning many of his behaviors after your own.  So make sure that what you say and do around your child will help build a strong sense of security and self esteem.

Resource: Maria Schasteen is editor of aromatherapy4moms.com, your trusted online resource for articles, tips and recipes from moms for moms. You may distribute this article freely with resource and active links intact.