Holistic Mom Summer Essentials
If chemical sunscreen and chlorine freaks you out, let's talk about it.
I grew up in Florida, chlorine is part of my bloodstream - I didn’t think twice about it until I fell down the crunchy mom rabbit hole during my first pregnancy. I’ve since crawled out, tripped back in, and now generally fall somewhere between wanting to be aware and informed, and wanting to enjoy life.
I take my kids to an over-chlorinated splash pad AND try to mitigate the exposure as much as possible. Why do I care? Chlorine is drying, displaces iodine in the body, and depletes sulfur, which makes it more difficult for the body to naturally detox (all compounding issues if you’re like myself (and my kids) and have the MTHFR gene, meaning you already struggle to naturally detox).
We use this swim spray before and after, and a bath with magnesium flakes and vitamin c powder helps to replenish the body.
As a pale, Irish girlie, I also have more chemical sunscreen coursing through my bloodstream than I’d like to admit. That’s because I didn’t know the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreen until I found out the fancy, dermatology grade sunscreen I was using was unsafe for pregnancy. Rabbit hole commence.
I now use Primally Pure, as do my kids. Growing up, we always had an aloe plant on hand for burns, and I’ve never tried to grow aloe in my current PNW climate, but I do keep aloe spray on hand (love that it includes lavender too).
These stainless steel snack containers are still going strong in our house (bonus points that they’re cute - our regular stainless steel plates give prison vibes), as are these glass water bottles (love the silicone sleeves to help prevent breaking, very necessary because these things get dropped at least three times a day).
This is an example of crawling out of the crunchy rabbit hole - Last summer, I made almost all of my kid’s snacks from scratch: Applesauce, gummies, you name it. I would cringe at the idea of serving anything premade, and God forbid.. oats. This summer, I’m *more* open to premade snacks that make life on the go easier.. yes, even ones with oats (as long as they’re organic - oats are a frequently glyphosate sprayed crop, so stick to organic if possible). Enter: Made Good. We’ve been loving their organic goodies this summer!
Last but not least - As a SAHM, and soon-ish to be homeschool mom, Summer is still a time for learning (but make it fun), right?! My kids have been LOVING this Math Set, it comes with 9 games and activities (including the cafe set you see above) and three books. Plus we all know Lovevery reigns creme de la creme.
I would love to hear what you use, or avoid (even if it’s sunscreen and oats - I can take the criticism, I promise), as a more holistic mom (or not) this summer.
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I’m also finding the balance. My husband was questioning the chlorine, but we both experienced a ton as kids, and he agreed that the fun for a short period (we are in the Midwest) is worth it. They will be getting bathed soon after though and rinsed immediately if possible- something I did not have done as a kid lol I remember going to bed many nights after pool days because my parents figured the chlorine had cleaned me enough 😅 will be looking into the replenishment tactics you use though!
Oh man, the balance is so hard to find! We love the think baby sunscreen as well as primally pure. I’ve been eyeing the swim spray you posted! Do you feel like it helps?