Workshop - Herbal Baby Care

On the weekend we held another workshop here. I had received an email from an expectant mama in Stratford who wondered if I could put together a special workshop on natural baby care for her and some friends. I love getting requests like this, as it gave me the motivation to put together a comprehensive 2 hour workshop on making herbal baby care products, as well as natural remedies for the post-partum mama. These are products I focus on with Homestead Herbals anyway, and during my herbal studies I have always been most interested in mom & baby care, so it's an area of passion and care for me. I always love to pass this knowledge on, especially in a down-to-earth setting in our cozy kitchen (where we held this workshop), as it feels like an age-old way for women to share useful healing knowledge with each other.

During the workshop we made a diaper salve, discussed remedies for herbal baths, teas for children, baby dusting powders, infant massage - as well as post-partum teas, mama healing bath salts & herbs, and herbs to use to increase or decrease milk production for nursing.

Here are a few quick recipes:

Baby Diaper Salve
3 cups olive oil, in which 6 oz calendula petals have been infused
(solar infusion 4-6 weeks, or in crock pot on lowest setting for 12 hours)
3 oz shaved pure beeswax (or more)
3 oz cocoa butter (or more)
4 tsp vit E oil
1/4 tsp each pure essential oils lavender and chamomile (at time of bottling)

Simple more milk tip (for nursing mama):
Soak 1 tsp organic fenugreek seeds in 1 cup pure filtered water overnight
In the morning, eat the sprouted seeds and drink the water
Results in a few hours!

Thanks to the wonderful group of women who participated! I felt privileged to meet them, and made new friendships with lovely mamas in Stratford, a mama who lives on a farm near Hamilton and operates Underground Organics (growing veggies, herbs and gorgeous cut-flowers), a mama who is opening a natural Waldorf-inspired online children's toy shop called The Aurora Forest, and several women who work at the local Extraordinary Baby Shoppe. It's nice to see these women meeting each other and making connections with their business ventures, sharing their experiences as mothers, and taking home useful knowledge for natural healthful care of their families.

Links:
The Aurora Forest
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kitchener-ON/The-Aurora-Forest/278417659208?v=wall

Extraordinary Baby Shoppe
www.extraordinarybabyshoppe.com

Underground Organics
http://undergroundorganics.net