A holistic mama's day-bag
Hey, all you holistic parents out there! What's in your bag? When you've got a busy day, on-the-go between school, dance, and swimming lessons, a mom/dad had better be prepared! I've definitely had some dreadful moments of "oh snap, I forgot to pack a snack" aaand... queue the meltdown! (Insert crying emoji here.)
In a world of convenience and excessively packaged, processed foods, it's refreshing to know you can do your part to reduce waste by preparing ahead of time with eco-friendly containers and reusable bags. Don't get me wrong, I love hitting up our local health food store for those healthy on-the-go snacks (hello Co-op, right across the street from my daughter's dance studio) but I always feel better to have packed my own food in advance. Think seeds, nuts, and dried fruit, or make your own trail mix - pictured above I have gou ji berries and sunflower seeds. Water is also a must-have. Carrying a reusable water bottle is a no-brainer for anybody.
I also tend to have on hand at all times, a tin of Rescue Remedy Pastilles. In the event that said meltdown occurs, I have never seen Rescue Remedy fail at resolving the situation. It definitely helps that my daughters like the taste of the pastilles! The spray or tincture is also effective but not as popular taste-wise. Either way, it's a quick fix, in a pinch, helper-outer for those times of distress when you're two minutes too late on the snack scene. Or for any kind of meltdown, really. Thank you Rescue Remedy!
Here comes the TCM-lover in me; I'm a huge advocate for the Little Dragon Medicinals tinctures. They all taste great while delivering
Chinese herbs (that can often taste bad). It's a lovely little line of herbals with options for everything from boosting immunity, to helping with sleep. When one of my kids shows any early signs of sneezing, coughing, or other cold symptoms I just administer them a few droppers-full of Aachoo and Firewall, multiple times throughout the day and watch the magic happen.
If you're a germ-a-phobe like my husband but washing hands is unavailable in times of need, Dr. Bronner's makes a lavender hand sanitizer that's free of GMO alcohol and petrochemicals. Little hands can be curious and like to touch everything they see! I'll give a little spritz on my daughter's hands after we've been to the grocery store, restaurants, or anywhere that has a high traffic kid zone with toys that have been handled abundantly. It's an easy solution when you're on the go and doing your best to avoid microbes and viruses.
Essential oils are so popular right now, and with good reason! I've recently been diffusing eucalyptus at night and it helps tremendously with any coughing or congestion that my kids
have while they sleep. I also love Communion Botanicals proprietary blend called "Boreal" and have it diffusing in our home throughout the day. When we're out and about, I'll drop a little on my hands and rub them together creating a personal space with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Plus it just smells sooo good, like we are in a beautiful coniferous forest! (In fact, the entire product line of Communion Botanicals is so beautiful.) Another favourite essential oil of mine is Tangerine. This, or bitter orange (or really anything in the orange family) can help with stomach aches by diluting with a carrier oil and gently massaging around the navel. Very important to dilute(!) with children because they're so sensitive and the oils are very concentrated. In TCM, tangerine peel is used in herbal medicine to aid in digestion and the acu-points around the navel are great to massage in a clockwise motion for anyone who has stomach aches. I've tried this on myself and it's amazing! Combine with a pro-biotic and carry on.
Lip balm. Especially during winter months when the wind and cold create dry, chapped lips - lip balm is a must! I love Grdn co's beautiful and effective pot of lip treatment. Hands-down, this is the best lip balm ever. My oldest daughter is extremely sensitive to mint or anything remotely tingly or spicy, and the Grdn lip treatment is neither, while remaining very reliable for high quality ingredients and a lavish texture. I also find it's great for other areas of the face and body that need hydrating, which can be a lot in the winter!
I always have Weleda hand lotion for hydrating as well, and as an option for a carrier lotion for my essential oils. I also adore the calendula line they make for babies and resort to their diaper cream any time a rash appears (which isn't often because I swear it's also preventative). I find pretty much all the Weleda products to be safe and effective while providing a pampering, luxurious vibe.
Not shown - diapers, wipes, homeopathic teething gel, crayons, books, changes of clothes. These items are also on full rotation in my day-bag. Did I miss anything?
Here's the list! My reusable shopping bag is by Dans le sac - an eco-friendly company out of Quebec that has some beautiful conscious products. Check them out here!
1.) Rescue Remedy
3.) Dr. Bronner's
5.) S'well bottles
6.) Onyx containers
7.) Grdn co
8.) Weleda