Dear Doulas,
My family and I seem to be fighting a lot of sickness this late winter, especially our 14 month old, regardless of all of the holistic supplement taking, clean food eating, kombucha drinking, outdoor therapy playing we incorporate into our lives. My husband and I seem to be asking the “do we need to take him to the doctor” question a lot. We love our son’s doctor and make sure to take him in or at least call for advice when we feel it’s necessary but sometimes it’s just a hassle and becomes expensive- especially when you get there and realize you’re doing everything you can (thanks to all those online blogs and forums you spent all night reading) and there’s nothing seriously wrong with him and you just gotta ride it out. So my question is this- do you know of or recommend any credible online parenting/mom blogs to find basic reliable information if you, we’ll just say, suddenly need to figure out how to naturally drain mucus from your baby’s nose or if toddlers have night terrors, before making another trip or phone call to the doctor?
This is a great question that we receive often here at Homegrown! Cultivating confidence in being able to discern between caring for your child at home from more serious ailments which need a doctor’s attention is a much needed skill for parents. We all want our children to feel vital and well while simultaneously limiting unnecessary and potentially expensive trips to the doctors.
A lot of parents are committed to finding natural ways to support our children in healing and there is plenty you can do (outside of what the doctor recommends) to ease your parenting worries and help your sick toddler feel better. But how do we stay out of the Google rabbit hole and where do we go for good evidence based advice and recommendations?
Here are two of our favorite online resources at Homegrown that are evidence based and help you with valuable skills and resources to take care of a sick baby or toddler while also giving you the tools to know when it is time to take them to the doctor.
Aviva Romm, MD has bridged the best of traditional medicine with good science for over three decades. A midwife, herbalist, and Yale-trained MD, Board Certified in Family Medicine with Obstetrics, Dr. Romm’s website focuses on many facets of human health, but also has a wealth of knowledge on children’s health in relationship to stress, diet, and environmental toxins. Her book, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children
Another fantastic resource for new parents is the Ask Dr. Sears website and books. He is an American pediatrician and the author or co-author of more than 30 parenting and children’s health books. His website is a wealth of high quality, evidence based information that can be extremely helpful when navigating health and wellness with children.
We hope this helps and do let us know what your favorite online resources for children’s health by emailing us at info@homegrownbabies.com.
