All commercial household cleaning products have the potential to negatively impact on the health of your child (and yourself, for that matter).  They are poisonous if swallowed, leach toxins into air and are inhaled (affecting the lungs).  Surface toxins are handled and absorbed by the skin, all of which results in a toxic load against which your child has not yet developed adequate defences.

There are many easy (and very cheap) ways to make up your own cleaning products and they usually require only a few ingredients.  Below is a list of different recipes that will leave your house clean, fresh and safe!

All-purpose cleaner can be made from a vinegar-and-salt mixture or from 4 tablespoons bicarbonate soda dissolved in 1litre warm water.

Drain cleaner - Pour 1/2 a cup of bicarbonate soda down the drain, add 1/2 cup white vinegar, and cover.  Do not use this method after trying a commercial drain opener – the vinegar can react with the drain opener to create dangerous fumes.

Disinfectant and Toilet Cleaner – Mix 1/2 cup borax and some lemon juice with about 3,5 litres hot water.   Alternatively pour 1 cup borax into the toilet bowl and leave overnight.  The next morning scrub and flush.

Washing Powder - use a cup or bicarb per load in place of detergent.  To brighten clothes add one cup of vinegar OR half a cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle.  A quarter of a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle will completely remove detergent from clothes (DO NOT use vinegar if you are using bleach – the resulting fumes are hazardous).

Fabric Softener - add ½ to ¾ of a cup of bicarbonate soda to the wash.

Furniture polish – 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts vegetable oil.

Floor cleaner can be made by adding a few drops of vinegar to the cleaning water. For vinyl or linoleum, add a capful of baby oil to the water to preserve and polish. For tiles, use 1 cup white vinegar in 1 litre of water and rinse with clear water.

Deodorise carpets by sprinkling bicarbonate soda on carpets ½-hour before vacuuming.

Window and glass cleaner can be made by mixing vinegar-and-water solution or lemon-juice-and-water. Wipe with newspaper.

Air fresheners – Open windows, simmer lemons, vanilla pods or cinnamon sticks in water, use flower essence oils, or use fresh flowers.  Install a ceiling fan or an extractor fan. Sprinkle ½-cup borax in the bottom of rubbish bins to stop mould and bacteria growth, which can cause bad smells.

Oven cleaner or pot scourer can be made by sprinkling bicarbonate soda and dry table salt on moist surface and scrubbing with steel wool or a damp sponge.

Bath and tile cleaner can be as easy as rubbing in bicarbonate soda with a damp sponge and rinsing, or wiping with vinegar first followed with bicarb as a scouring powder.

For more information, or to book a consultation, call Tanya on 041-5811679 or email her on tanya@thehappybaby.co.za

International author and SHAPE advisory board member, Tanya Wyatt’s work is not mainstream – it centres on optimal hormonal balance and true organ health through the use of traditional nutritional and lifestyle practices. Her driving passion is child health and her work covers issues such as restless sleeping, short attention span, eating problems, skin conditions, optimal brain and nervous system development, immune dysfunction, constipation, toxicity prevention and general health promotion. She is also a mom.

Speech and language development

If any of these questions ring a bell for you, you are invited to attend a talk on Speech and Language Development, presented by Janet Whitehouse, a Speech and Language Therapist who is currently practicing at Yvonne Gooding Speech-Language Therapists in Lorraine. The talk will be on Wednesday 4th of August from 19:30 – 21:00 at the Toddlers Workshop, 39 Brewer Rd, Summerstrand. The cost is R50 per person and bookings can be made through mailing Lynette at lynettevw@gmail.com or phoning her, after hours, at 0837933320. Seats are limited and bookings are essential.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2010-08-04
End Time: 21:00

Does your child throw tantrums? Kick, scream, hit, pinch, push and punch? Are you struggling to manage your child’s behaviour? Unsure how to discipline appropriately? Differences between mom and dad’s views?

In our world it is very important for our children to develop socially and to form friendships.  To do this children need to develop social skills: being able to listen to others, to share, care, and learn to communicate in a positive manner. Their behaviour toolbox will need to include: manners, respect, and the ability to learn self control.

This workshop will provide parents with a toolkit that will shape their child’s behaviour in a constructive way – without crushing their spirit.

Presenters: Ilze Biggs (Counselling Psychologist) and Samantha Rump (Counselling Psychologist)

Date: 25^th May 2010

Time: 19:00 for 19:30

Venue: Toddlers Workshop, 39 Brewer Rd Summerstrand

Cost:  R50 per person

Booking is essential and can be done by phoning Lynette at 0837933320 after hours.

While children are on the go and playing physically they develop the necessary skills they need for further learning.  Children develop in so many areas when they are active and it is our responsibility as a parents or caregivers to provide these opportunities for development. We simply cannot be passive!  Here are some examples of what happens when your children play physically:

• Establishing dominance and laterality: the preference most humans show for one side of their body over the other. Examples include right-handedness or left-footedness;
• developing spatial awareness:  far, near, under, over, inside, outside, between, behind;
• developing balancing skills;
• creating body awareness;
• exercising timing, motor planning and co-ordination;
• releasing the body of excess energy, tension and frustration.

Not being active enough can lead to various problems:

• emotional problems, e.g. anger or depression;
• poor fine motor skills, e.g. having difficulty cutting, writing, threading and doing jigsaw puzzles;
• poor spatial skills which might include the reversal of letters and numbers when reading or writing;
• poor performance in sequencing activities such as reading and spelling, and
• problems with mathematics

Given the ages of the children attending Toddlers Workshop, few have the ability to actually play ball games like soccer, cricket, rugby, hockey etc.  However, we want to make a difference to our children’s development by creating more opportunities to be physically active.  Therefore, we will have a brand new theme for the second term:  Let’s move!  We will play with bean bags, bigger balls, smaller balls, balloons, a parachute and hula hoops. Even our creative activities will be physical!  So, come prepared!  Dress comfortably and make sure you have lots of energy!  Together, we can make a difference.

Stop before you switch on the television!  Here are some fun, physical activities that you can do with your child instead:

• Get out your empty cardboard boxes and create an exciting maze.  Use coffee tables, sheets, etc.
• Collect all your empty Styrofoam containers, spread them all over, switch on some lovely rhythmical music and start stamping the Styrofoam.  Clean up by tearing the last bits and throwing them into the dust bin.
• Play a game of hide and seek.  Toddlers usually use the same hiding place.  Do not let that put you off.  Be enthusiastic! They love the anticipation.
• Involve Dad and play a nice game of wrestling on the carpet.
• Close the doors leading to the passage and play Catch and Throw in your own passage.
• Play according to your child’s ability and forget about rules.  Have fun.

You will surely have a thrilled and tired toddler to put to bed.  As a bonus you might just have a little more energy for your own bedtime gymnastics!  Let’s get rolling.  Life is too short to waste one moment.

Please help me collect the following and bring them along on your visits to Toddlers Workshop:  empty cardboard boxes e.g. cereal, tea, pills, etc., excess Styrofoam containers, the inners of your paper towels rolls, and your egg box containers.  I will appreciate that and promise that we will have lots of fun.