Natural Health Hacks for The Whole Family

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natural health hacksDisclaimer: This is not medical advice. These are just some ways to try to keep your family healthy during the winter months.

When my twins were born 5 weeks premature many fears overtook my mind. Spending 21 days in the NICU taught me so much about dealing with premature babies. I learned what and who to avoid and to wash my hands more than I have ever washed before. Along with all the knowledge came the fear of taking my babies out into the world of germs, snotty noses, stranger sneezes, coughs, and random unwanted grocery store patrons oogling at my “ooooh are they twins?”

My twins are three years old now and when I tell people we have never had to visit our pediatrician besides well checks, I get looks of shock. I myself am pretty stunned at how we have gotten so lucky.

Some say it’s because I stay at home and the kids aren’t at daycare daily. But I don’t shelter my kiddos from the world of germs. They visit the gym daycare routinely, my husband loves to take them to the mall play place (my literal anxiety nightmare), and they still lick the handle on the grocery cart when I’m grabbing something from the shelf. Somehow we still stay healthy!

How we stay healthy

After we had made it through our first year with twins illness free, we started really paying attention to the products we were using. We use a lot of preventative natural remedies to stay healthy and avoid the doctor’s office. I swear by a certain regimen that we have used to keep our immune systems in top shape. 

5 Natural Health Habits

These daily habits are the key to our family’s health. We have researched and chosen our very favorite remedies that are tastebud friendly for the kiddos and super immune-boosting for the whole family! 

1. Elderberry Syrup 

I have done a lot of research into Elderberry Syrups and the different ways they are made and manufactured. We use an Elderberry Syrup that is free of honey, unnatural preservatives, gelatin, and added sugars. The twins take 1/2 tsp daily and my husband and I take 1 tsp to boost our immune systems. If we get a runny nose, have been around sneezing and coughing, or start feeling run down we up our dose to fend off the sniffles.

2. Pre/Probiotics 

Did you know close to 70% of our immune system is met in the gut? If the bacteria in your gut is out of wack it can take a huge toll on not only your immune system but your mental health, skin, allergies, and all over wellbeing. We started using a pre/probiotic to combat constipation, but we continue to see more benefits. From lessened symptoms of eczema to less anxiety for mom. Our entire family takes the same pre/probiotic melt daily. The twins take 1/2 of the melt and my husband and I take a full melt. The ones we have chosen are flavored with natural huckleberry and have no added sugars or unnecessary chemicals or fillers.

3. Quality Multi-Vitamins 

Okay, I’ve got to be honest here, I am not a vegetable pusher. I have struggled with eating veggies my whole life and it shows in my lunch and dinner cooking skills. This is a goal of mine for 2020!

We have recently been loving adding lots of greens to our morning smoothies. My twins are 3 and becoming pickier and pickier and downright defiant when it comes to when and what they’ll eat! Cue a great quality multi-vitamin. It puts my mom guilt at ease knowing they are getting ALL of the vitamins and nutrients their little bodies and minds need to grow and thrive.

One thing I was very picky about was what type of vitamin they were taking. I did a lot of research and found some not so great things about gummy vitamins, how they are made and what is actually used (mostly sugar) to get those vitamins in! Again, we chose a chewable melt form that is proven to contain the vitamins it actually says it has, without anything that is unessential to my kiddos nutrition!

4. Hand Washing 

This is a lesson from the NICU I will never forget. Being consistent about washing our hands is huge! We have made it a routine to wash our hands as soon as we get home from the play place, the grocery store, the gym daycare, everywhere. The kids think it is so fun to scrub with our (natural, non-toxic) foaming hand soap. This is a skill they will use for life! We also have lots of “back up” blankies and stuffed animals so we can rotate them into the wash frequently.

5. Routine 

People ask how I survived infant and now toddler twins and my answer is always ROUTINE. We have a solid routine when it comes to morning, noon, and especially bedtime.

Kids do best with routine and knowing what’s coming next makes it easier on all of us. Our bodies thrive on routine and consistency. The last part of our day is like clockwork. We have dinner at 6:15 followed by bath time and then straight into the bedtime routine.

We use a few tools at bedtime that help everyone wind down. After bath, the twins get a natural eucalyptus and lavender essential oil chest rub that helps calm them down. The smell immediately associates their little brains with bedtime (we use this at nap time too). On especially hard nights we implement 1/4mg of natural liquid melatonin to help boost their natural melatonin production. 9 times out of 10 the twins are fast asleep by 7:30ish. We haven’t figured out how to adjust their internal clocks from going off at 6:15 every morning, so no tips there!

We definitely don’t have it all together, but these are the natural health habits that work for us. I’m sure we are never out of the woods of catching a bug but I truly feel blessed by our health. I love being able to share what I have learned with all my fellow mothers struggling to get through the after holiday sickness!

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samanthabachus
Samantha is an Iowa native who retreated to the mountains of Colorado for a few years. After meeting and marrying her husband they decided to move to Des Moines to be closer to family. She is surviving twin motherhood and living to laugh about it. She has a passion for helping other mothers detoxify their homes and support them through the toughest trials of motherhood. You can find her exploring nature with her kiddos as much as possible and leading other women with authenticity and encouragement

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