Child's Play

Dr. Sears, a pediatrician, natural birth advocate and author posted an article on their Facebook page recently talking about how to choose or child's toys. The article is excellent, stating that children's toys should promote visual skills, hand eye coordination, imagination, creativity and social interaction. He says: "The best toys are the ones that stimulate many senses and that give a child the opportunity to make things happen." What toy could you buy to make sure these bases were covered? It may not be as complicated as you might think.

This article reminded me of my kids at play as they were growing up. We had the amazing blessing of being able to live on a ranch for several years of my kids' growing years. They played outside almost constantly. Weather was never usually a factor, unless it was pouring down rain. One of my fondest memories is of them playing Indians. They took an old sheet, painted designs on it and propped it up with long pole like branches. Nearby their camp was an irrigation ditch, in which would flow clear cool water from the nearby mountain streams. Rocks and sticks were their utensils, grass and mud their "food", logs were their "chairs". Imagination was their script.

Though they may have been totally unaware of it, their play was stimulating their senses, fostering their creativity, improving their social interaction. As Dr. Sears says "making things happen". I loved seeing them playing in the outdoor air, the wind in their hair, the sunshine nurturing their brains in their child's play. I could just see their brains growing!

As Dr. Sears suggests, children need stimulation, yes. And, they need to opportunity to be outside, soaking up sun, picking up sticks, rocks, etc. And the opportunity to interact with each other and building social relationships. Do store bought toys do this? Yes, but so does Nature's inventory. Getting out and squishing their feet in turned up dirt from the garden. Picking flowers, using sticks and rocks as utensils. Enjoying the fresh spring sunshine.

And, best of all, it's totally free.

Making it Work

My friend Mary likes to send her husband invoices for all the money she saves him by choosing a natural lifestyle. She sends it as a joke, but partially serious too. Recently, she gave him an invoice for the savings of breastfeeding their two children. On it showed all the money they've saved over the last 4 years. You can read it here.

Tongue in cheek, yes. But I think there is a ring of truth to this.

My husband and I have raised 6 kids. Yes, it was hard at times, but we made a commitment for me to be home with our babies, breastfeed them, teach them and raise them up to young adults. I loved being home with them, and I truly miss those times. I made that commitment, partially because, I knew I couldn't be the mother I needed to be and work outside the home.

So we cut back on some things: for years my kids received hand me downs from friends and relatives. We had a garden, I cloth diapered. I cooked from scratch. We ate a lot of beans. We homeschooled, saving money on school clothes. And, I took in day care kids to help off set expenses. To me it was worth the wait to put off some me things for a while.

I write this to encourage any of you mamas out there. If you truly want to stay home with that new baby, it is possible. No, not always easy, but possible. You have my vote.