Breastfeeding: A toddler’s health and happiness counts too.

A few years ago I discovered a cheap product for toddlers that is not known by everyone. Opening up the packaging to give a toddler a taste, as I discovered first hand, was the answer for many little challenges I had with my toddler during the day – even those challenges that impacted on other people.

Like most other mums, I knew only a handful of people who knew about this product. We gave each offer knowing smiles when we saw each other opening up the packaging.

This remarkable product has been available for toddlers for a while but I think it has missed out on marketing because there really isn’t enough money in it – it just doesn’t generate high profits $$ for retailers.

Why is it not well known by everyone? Well you know what society is like with any products that are used for parenting. There’s judgement, ‘I never used that and my kids were just fine,’ questions about the safety, ‘is it natural? Is it organic?’, the price and commitment to using it frequently, and the packaging, which might not suit everyone’s tastes. Then another reason we don’t all know about it, or know about it but don’t use it, is because it is easily substituted with other like products that are quite acceptable for toddlers. There’s also the social norm and what people have learned from their parents, teachers and peers, to feed their toddlers. For some it’s a matter of what it is physically possible to feed their toddler, depending on what the child already has a taste for, or physical/medical/logistical/financial reasons.

So, this amazing product has many features and benefits – strangely it’s not all written on the packaging, perhaps it should be.

A small dose can do the following for a toddler:

– soothe a sore throat
– satisfy thirst
– soothe pain on gums from teething
– pain relief from ear-ache
– relief from high temperature and fever
– pain relief for cuts and abrasions, bruises and burns (it can even be used to cure conjunctivitis)

The manufacturer made it taste sweet so the toddler loves to drink it, of course. Human nature is to be attracted to sweet, all manufacturers of medicine know this.

Cleverly, the manufacturer added to the mixture a hormone-stimulant especially for toddlers to help them feel happy, as well as to feel calm, relaxed and even sleepy. Clinical research showed the powerful effects for putting children to sleep within 10 minutes of a drink of this stuff! That’s without any sleep training, tears, scheduling or behavioral patterning. No stress to the parent or child whatsoever!! A parent’s dream, really.

Then to make it even better, the manufacturer packed it full of vitamins and every other possible natural mechanism to prevent free radical damage within the body that is brought about by viral and subsequently developed-bacterial infections – starting with colds/flu prevention – to other serious diseases and even to cancer prevention. These mechanisms also help to create a more stable and active brain in the child, so in later life they can contribute both intelligent and creative ideas to their society. Wow!!

Further studies proved how useful (from a social/emotional/cognitive developmental view) it is to regularly give the toddler a small sip, because it gives the toddler a necessary time-out, or opportunity to draw away from the challenging learning social environment, to calm down and feel emotionally secure and safe. It teaches children to give themselves a break instead of fighting or warring with others (a good skill to learn for life if we want a peaceful world!) and to even enjoy a meditative experience, which resets the flight-and-fight response (the relax response) to reduce stress (the number one killer in the world) and to also improve brain activity – thus improving every cell in the body IMMEDIATELY.

I was told by a scientist that the association the toddler makes between the packaging and the resulting effects (pain-relief, emotional security, calming down or sleepiness) is nothing short of a scientific miracle, considering the child is so young. It can stop a tantrum or tears quicker than you can click your fingers, which in my opinion is something everyone in the public can benefit from – I’m pretty sure that people have preferred to see me calm down and soothe my toddler with this small drink then to see us struggle with tiredness in public … Just from the smiles they give me.

I suppose a toddler pointing at this special package is no different to a sick child pointing at a bottle of medicine – they know it works, it is encouraged by the educated parent as a problem-solver, and it tastes amazing too.

I heard that after extensive market research and testing, the manufacturer decided to shape the mouth-piece to be flexible and soft, and to feature its own sealing mechanism so it can’t spill the liquid. (Clever, because it can sometimes take a lot of effort and special operating processes to produce it). This mouth-piece material can even withstand chewing and bites from teething toddlers. It really is a very remarkable design. Actually the design copied a dummy (or rather, the designers of the dummy copied this design).

The design of the product fits in with a mother’s needs, too. The mother can easily carry it around without worrying about it reaching an expiry date. If she is tired and wants to rest, or even sleep, the toddler can still access this product through the safe packaging. There’s no risk of overdose or choking, at any age, don’t worry. And the toddler will not put on weight, be malnourished or have concerning cholesterol or diabetes levels as they might from over-consumption of other sweet products.

It’s just like the mother’s body was created to use this product, actually, because when a baby is just new and light, it’s easy to nurse a newborn baby across the chest on top of the tummy bulge left over from pregnancy while feeding the baby this product, and as the child grows and the bulge wanes away, the toddler can lie beside the mum fitting snugly into the hourglass shape of her body… the child is soothed into peaceful rest and the mum gets a much-needed rest as well.

This is the most bizarre scientific fact about this product of all… the mere act of feeding a toddler this product will also benefit the mother (and others around her). This is how:

– the hormones stimulated while feeding the toddler help a mother get relief from stress, reducing anxiety, and to even fall asleep for daytime naps (which are recommended around the world)
– making the effort to source this product helps prevent cancer or hormonal imbalances on the mother
– it helps the mother and father with contraception and our society with population control – without operations, medication or other chemical-based drug interventions that are increasingly bring known to contribute to hormonal diseases and cancers (… also put $$ in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and hospitals)
– it’s like a happy pill for parents, because in addition to seeing the child become happier, the mum literally gets a flush of endorphins and a total regenerative energy boost through the whole body, which helps spread good vibes everywhere.

So here I am, telling you all about this product, and I bet mums everywhere are going to start asking me where they can buy it? It might not be available to everyone due to their personal circumstances, and unfortunately some mums desperately want it and it’s not available to them.

Is it derived from plants? No. Is it produced in a lab? No.

It is the safest, most natural remedy created within a mum’s own body. It is normal, and it is perfect. It doesn’t have to be used all the time. Mum’s can return to work and still keep it.

Breastfeeding is a gift from our maker and it is our right to accept this incredible gift.

This week, world Breastfeeding awareness week, there has been a fair deal of of cyber bullying surrounding Breastfeeding older babies and toddlers. I wonder if these people know how Breastfeeding can serve them, as a member of society? If every person can embrace seeing this beautiful process between mother and child just once every now and then, it will serve the world good. We will raise a healthier generation and improve the health of this current generation. It is important.

Happy Breastfeeding Week to all toddlers every where – drink up, you deserve to be healthy and happy within your mothers’ arms, you gorgeous little angels.

For any mothers who want to extend their Breastfeeding into the toddler years, but are struggling physically, emotionally or socially (peer pressure), please make sure to talk to someone, including me, about your feelings. Peer pressure surrounding Breastfeeding my toddler contributed to my post-natal anxiety and together we can switch this off with small steps at a time.

I learned how to rise above parenting peer-pressure and stand strong and healthy. I know how every mum can do this naturally. I passionately believe in this cause and have built this blog for this reason. “Everything is energy and energy can be transformed”. And breastfeeding a toddler is beautiful energy to be sustained and appreciated for now, for ever.

Day by day we aim to repair our bodies and have trust, faith and optimism for the future. You can join me as I walk to wellness in the private facebook group Joanna Haley Homestead (Journey to Wellness)

Joanna Haley, Author