By: Denise Henderson 
It is interesting to think of the phases of my life and the different things I needed to figure out on the fly. Single working girl living in the city was a journey mainly focused around finances and accountability. Not my most favorite learning path but important and necessary. Newlywed was a whole new learning around partnership, house work allocation and compromise. Both of these phases were very important parts of my path, richly adding to my bullpen of life experiences. The motherhood phase, specifically the phase with children under the age of 18 months, didn’t really use a lot from my bullpen. I remember being a new parent and feeling like there were so many questions coming at me from all angles, which car seat, which butt paste, which laundry detergent, which cleaning supplies etc. I’m fine with learning on the fly but trying to do that while you are tired is really tough. One day I just looked at my little babies in their car seats and said “ask mommy how to balance a check book; I know the answer to that one!” So this blog is devoted to the best resources I found or created for myself along the way. These “mommy quickies” gave me quick answers to some of my most pressing questions.
Quickie number one helps with baby and family product selection. I love the website Skin Deep. Don’t let the name fool you, it is a great resource for more than just safe cosmetics. On this site they have a baby and mom section that ranks products by ingredient safety. The products with the lowest numbers are the safest. You can also get ingredient safety information about shampoo, toothpaste and sunscreen. It’s a great quick resource.
Quickie number two, clean kitchen wipe down. With twins, I was lo-jacked to my kitchen. I was in a constant state of preparing some sort of meal and then wiping down my kitchen. Here is what I did to make it quick and chemical free. Go to your local grocery store and buy some spray bottles and a gallon of vinegar. In each bottle put half vinegar and half water. You can clean your counter tops, windows, kitchen table and high chair tray with this solution. Make an additional bottle for quick bathroom wipe downs. Quick easy and chemical free.
Quickie number three is all about drug free remedies for your everyday baby issues. I love the book Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch. You can buy this book at Whole Foods Market. It offers drug free remedies for many issues that come up with little ones. It is amazing how much it covers, dry skin, ear infections, constipation and the common cold. Always consult your pediatrician before you give some of these a try.
Finally, quickie number four is a reference for first food introduction.
I scoured many resources, worked with a pediatric nutritionist and pediatric allergist then created my own spreadsheet on how best to get first foods introduced. Download the free Square One Organics Superfood Guide here. Colors and columns set up by age appropriateness for food introduction. This was taped to my refrigerator door. Good luck everyone!
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