Food in the Nude

The reason I’m so excited, is that Michelle, the brains, heart, and passion behind Food in the Nude is a breath of fresh air in the wellness industry. - Michelle has a food science degree and is  a classically trained chef. When you meet her in person, her bubbly personality and energy would have you believe that she is MUCH younger than her experience affords, but Michelle has 18 years food industry experience.

As I know many of you are experiencing the challenges of introducing your children to a healthier lifestyle and perhaps battling with food intolerances and allergies, you can probably relate to some of what inspired Michelle’s journey;

Though well qualified, Michelle draws much of her knowledge from her own personal journey after healing herself from chronic health issues such as digestive troubles , adult acne, chronic fatigue, depression and low blood sugar.

After spending into the $1000′s on finding some answers to her health problems, Michelle discovered some simple changes to the way she ate could give her the vitality, energy, and health that she deserved.

She’s  passionate about inspiring others to eat and live well, Michelle has appeared on Australia’s channel 7′s today tonight and magazine publications such as good health magazine.

Now I could go on and on about Michelle, extolling her her virtues and telling you what a lovely, exuberantly, bubbly woman she is – and how I gravitate to how passionate she is about nutrition, and raising her lovely child to eat a diet that doesn’t just fill his tummy but nourishes his body and soul….

But you’ve really got to experience it for yourself

I’m really excited to share with you Michelle’s new eBook for a few reasons:

• Firstly, as a mom myself, I’m always after simple, practical ways to help my children eat well.
• I’m always on the run, with a business and three youngsters, so I find myself skipping breakfast, and not looking after my own nutrition. Michelle has busted all of my excuses!
• This guide is full of delicious, healthy recipes, that don’t require an expensive juicer – just a good blender. Anyone can get started right away.

So, Michelle and I have put together a special offer for Natural Parenting Tips readers – a special package on her new eBook:

 How To Look And Feel Fabulous Using Green Smoothies!

Green Smoothies are the number one ‘must do’ for looking and feeling vibrant!

These delicious and power packed drinks can help you:

• lose weight
• detox your body
• improve your energy
• assist in healing and preventing disease
• and more!

This Green Smoothies Recipes E-book contains 36 yummy and EASY recipes!  All you need is a blender and you’ll be loving your way to looking and feeling fabulous in no time!

And we’ll also include, the Baby Book of Weaning!

My guide shows you:

• How to develop healthy eating habits
• Why you don’t need expensive baby food recipe books
• How much you should feed your baby
• At what age your baby is ready to wean
• How to avoid expensive and unhealthy baby foods
• Possible allergens to watch out for
• The healthy foods your baby can eat
• How to avoid choking, what to do
• Research from the world health organisation and other medical studies

As a Natural Parenting Tips reader, you can purchase both the Baby Book of Weaning, and How To Make Freakin’ Awesome Green Smoothies for only $19.95

For only $19.95

Here are a few notes from some of Michelle’s past clients.

“I’ve lost a couple of kilo’s drinking green smoothies everyday! Probably because I am not snacking on junk, but the amazing thing is I havent even felt like it, which pretty good as there are always chocolates around at work!” Rochelle

“Originally i was very skeptical drinking green smoothies, but was pleasantly surprised to find them very enjoyable! I was even more amazed to find my energy increasing! They leave me feeling really fresh and awake!” Kate, Queensland

“Since drinking green smoothies everyday i have noticed my moods and energy have improved, much to my husbands delight!” Sarah, Mandurah

Children grow physically and mentally. While the physical part is fairly easy (more food), the emotional and mental component can be tricky, requiring more thought and patience while they develop their emotional intelligence.

1. Handling New Situations

When your child comes into a new situation they may not have much to go on when it comes to handling it. If they haven’t effectively handled their situation in the past, it is unlikely they will now how to handle it now. You will most likely know this situation very well. Your child hasn’t received something they want and are now shouting and screaming over getting it.

Handling It

You need to teach them how to handle the situation by either showing them how they can get what they want (which many times isn’t actually what they are asking for), that they will get it later or that they can get something else that they will be equally satisfied with.

Lead by example and talk to them. It might take a few or even what may seem 100 times to help them learn how to handle their frustration appropriately but over time it does work.

I never said this part was going to be easy it does take time. There are also physiological and biological reasons why they surface their emotions without much foresight or process and express information the way they do. The brain is incredibly complex and it is constantly evolving as your child is growing activating and expanding during different steps along the way. This one you will just have to wait until they grow older.

2. Attention

Whether its new siblings or you have just been busy recently everyone wants attention in some form. A child needs love and you are one of its major sources. As such in order to get it they can act out so they can at least spend a little more time with you, negative or positive.

Handling It

Simply put, spend more time with your children. No amount of distractions is going to stop this one for long. Go on a walk, play with them, be present. They are only kids for such a short time.

3. Communication

As children grow so does their vocabulary. However it isn’t always as up to date as the emotions they experience. It is bound to happen where a situation has occurred and they don’t know how to communicate it properly. This is when you get a child acting out that you think is unnecessary or you are unsure why.

Handling It

This is where talking really helps. Talk with them about their emotions and the situation. Teach them new words or ways to express themselves. Show them what you do when it happens to you.

4. Independence

We tell our kids what to do from the moment they are born. We do it to teach them how to handle themselves, to keep out of harms way and to do what we or society expects them to do. As adults we don’t like be told what to do and as your child grows from a baby to teenager to adult, neither do they. As they experience the same situation again and again they will become confident they can do it themselves. They will attempt to assert their independence at various times as they feel they are capable of handling more situations on their own.

Handling It

Tell them the reason they need to do something, how you would handle a situation then ask them what they would do. If they are doing it for a reason and not just because they have been told, they will be doing things for themselves but from your guidance. We need to guide our children not tell them what to do. They are some things you can let them do so they can experience the consequences, others that you have to logically tell them why they can never do it if it is a life or death situation.

5. Food Sources / Additives

As I have seen in my middle child time and time again, that certain foods, especially with additives cause him to be more emotional than normal. Additives have a huge effect on behaviour and many studies have proven it.

Handling It

Go back in time and stop them from eating it. If you don’t have access to a time machine, you will want to cut back to a raw food, fresh fruit and vegetable snacks for as long as possible. Your child’s body will have to process out all of these additives but by ensuring no more are going in, they will process them quicker and maybe even more effectively if the body has nutritious food that helps support liver, kidney and other body functions. You will also find out that they sleep better at night.

6. Excess Energy

Sometimes they have just had too much high energy foods or their body just needs to get out and do something.

Handling It

Easy, get physical. If it is hard to get physical, a mentally stimulating game may also help. Your brain uses a large amount of glucose and activating it further will cause it to increase even further burning off that excess energy.

7. You’re The One Acting Out

May be it has just been years with kids at home, sleepless nights recently or something stressing you out. Sometimes it just all gets on top of us. For me I know have sometimes been the one acting out. Outbursts when my kids have only just come in asking for something, politely or just making a noise playing. If they are not actually doing anything wrong, step back from what you are doing.

Handling It

Work out what is stressing you out, apologize to your children, talk to them about what happened and then do something about it. No parent is perfect, we all need help every now and then, just be mindful of when you need it and when you need to look after yourself so that you can enjoy, teach and be present for your kids.

If you have any suggestions or information on why or how to handle children acting out in a gentle, positive way please do share in the comments below or on our Facebook or Google+ page.

Teeth are made for biting, and it’s natural that your child is likely to want to test out their new chompers on any surface they can find. The trouble arises when mommy is the teething surface, or worse, other people.

It is very normal for a newly teething infant to test out their teeth on the breast, on fingers, on any surface that makes it’s way into their mouths. However, it’s not exactly pleasant for the “bitee”

Most children will grow out of the “toof testing” phase on their own – however, if you want to gently encourage your child to stop using you as a human chew toy, you can try the following:

How To Stop Biting While Breastfeeding

Understand why your child is biting. Sometimes it’s out of boredom, sometimes it’s out of impatience for let down, sometimes it’s because they’re teething and their gums hurt. Sometimes it’s because they’ve finished, and are just playing at the breast. If you can preempt the situations where your child will bite you, you can mostly avoid the nips.
Biting will generally come as a shock to a mother, and our natural reaction can be to yelp, or jump. Sometimes this is enough to discourage biting.

Some mothers have told me that the fright from Mom yelping was enough to start a “nursing strike” where the baby would refuse to breastfeed. If this does happen to you – persevere gently, patiently, and soothingly with your child, reassuring them with lots of snuggles, and eye contact that mommy loves them very much, and that it’s safe and OK to breastfeed.

While it hurts, try not to get angry, or impatient with your baby. This will only exacerbate the situation.

Say ouch, gently remove the breast, make eye contact and say “Mommy’s aren’t for biting, please feed gently” (or something to that effect)

If your baby is teething, you can offer them a teething toy, try an amber necklace (to wear, not to chew on) offer a cool wet flannel to chew on, or a carrot to gnaw on.

How To Stop A Toddler Biting:

If your toddler is a biter, the situation is a little different. Toddlers may bite for several reasons:

• It feels nice
• To assert control over their environment
• To gain the attention of a parent
• As a means of communicating
• To cause pain

None of the above reasons mean that your child is “naughty” or wrong – however their behavior is clearly something that isn’t socially acceptable.

Strategies that you can try to assist your little one to find better ways to use their teeth are:

1. Verbally explain that biting hurts, and it’s not nice to make people hurt.
2. Give them the attention they are seeking
3. Explain to your little one that you would never let anyone hurt them, and it’s not OK to hurt anyone else.
4. If they’re in a group situation with other children, remove them from the angst, give them a cuddle and verbally explain that they mustn’t bite others.
5. Offer them alternative ways to deal with their frustration and anger, and encourage them to communicate their feelings.
6. IGNORE other parents snide remarks about your “naughty” child. They’re not naughty, they’re normal, and try not to take other people’s remarks on board.

We’d love to hear your gentle strategies for stopping biting – feel free to comment !

Photo Credit: funky fat girl

It is our pleasure to share her powerful, and inspiring creation with you:

Uncovering the Secrets to Natural Birthing Bliss!

I’d like to share a personal story with you that has changed my life and now may change yours!

I was just five months pregnant with our first baby when I was fortunate to have the trip of a lifetime with my husband. It was very humid and misty, and as we approached one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China, in all its glory, the tour guide said something I will never forget:

“There are two ways to climb The Wall— you can either go the hard way or the easy way.” He added, “Only the hard way is not so hard and the easy way is not so easy.”

At that point we were thoroughly confused!

This curious riddle managed to get stuck in my head and as they say, “drove me up the wall!” It really got me thinking many months later about it’s deeper meaning. I started to relate it to the journey into motherhood and life in general. There was so much wisdom there!

For instance, sometimes modern women believe booking themselves into an elective caesarean (“too posh to push” or just plain scared) or taking all the drugs is the easy way out because then they don’t have to feel anything, or can bypass the whole process.

Yet when you look at the big picture, it’s actually not so easy after all. In fact, I would say the opposite: choosing a medical birth is taking the hard road.

My personal journey into motherhood had such a profound impact on me, that it has inspired me to become an advocate of natural and conscious parenting, committed to supporting women to give birth naturally and to overcome their fears about birthing in a world that has become so medicalised and fearful of something so perfectly natural.

In my new book, A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth, you will discover how to overcome your fears and reclaim your birth power. A collection of inspiring birth stories, expert tips and practical tools, this inspirational guide takes you on a powerful journey of discovery and gives you the keys to transforming your birth experience.

Generously sprinkled with inspirational quotes and topped with a compelling afterword by Dr Sarah Buckley, internationally renowned author, this is the ultimate mind -body preparation guide for every woman in bloom!

About the author, Katrina Zaslavsky

As a natural mother, formerly a public health professional, founder of Inspired Wellness and more recently Inspiring Birth Stories, together with a lifelong passion for healthy living, my calling is to awaken people around the world to live a more natural, conscious lifestyle. I am so inspired to walk this path personally and professionally.

Book launch pre-Xmas and available via www.inspiringbirthstories.com.au

Connect with other women and be inspired daily in our empowered community: https://www.facebook.com/InspiringBirthStories

Natural Parenting Tips has a copy of A Woman’s Guide To An Empowered Birth to give away!!

[BINKD_CONTEST_ID=2823]

This is a cheap and cheerful craft that you can do with bits and pieces found around the home.

You will need:

• 1 jar – you can use glass, but if you have little ones, acrylic is better.
• 1 teaspoon of glycerin, or if you can’t locate it – baby oil.
• a hot glue gun
• Bits and pieces to make your snow globe scene
• glitter
• Water

To make your snow globe

1. Take the lid off the jar, and using the hot glue gun, arrange your scene. We used plastic dinosaurs (very Christmassy!!)
2. Fill your jar nearly to the top with water
3. Add the glycerin or baby oil, and then the glitter.
4. rinse your scene under a running tap – this gets rid of any micro-bubbles on the surface of your scene
5. run a layer of glue around the rim of the jar
6. Replace the lid
7. When the glue has dried – admire your snowglobe!!

Today I have the sad task of writing a tribute for one such little person, who left this world too soon.  The reason I’m compelled to write this particular post, is not only because this little one’s story touched my heart, but because of one special woman who worked tirelessly to bring some cheer to a life that had gone without love.

For the sake of this post, I’m going to call the little one “Tommy” and his special carer “Jane” (not their real names)

Tommy was a special needs child, who had lived with Autism and a range of other life challenges. When Jane met him, he was only expected to live for a few more years. Tommy’s parents were far from natural parents, with his mother often abandoning him at his school, forgetting to pick him up, and referring to him in all manner of derogatory names.

Tommy was only 7. And on many days, the only thing it seemed this little boy needed was someone to just love him.

Tommy’s family came from a low socio-economic situation, not leaving them the resources that some parents with special needs children could access. This was something that really devastated Jane.

Jane was an intern in one of her local primary (elementary) schools, working as a Teacher’s Aide. She took special care of Tommy, and often waited back after hours with him when his mother had “forgotten” to pick him up.

Jane paid special attention to Tommy, learning to sign with him, helping him communicate, and just listening to him. Tommy took a special liking to Jane, and a beautiful friendship began to blossom. Jane made Tommy a special book, so that others working after her would know how to assist him, and what his favourite games and activities were.

Knowing that even the smallest contributions would make a big difference to Tommy’s upbringing, Jane rallied local businesses to sponsor Tommy, and managed to raise nearly $3000 to assist with the little boy’s care and education.

But the biggest contribution that Jane made was to simply show Tommy that there were people in the world who loved him, who he could trust. She showed a little boy who had known no love, a little bit of light.

Tommy passed away aged only 7.

As a community of parents who aspire to be the best parents you can be, I ask you to give your children an extra kiss and cuddle tonight. Pray and offer your love to those who don’t have family and mamas and papas to hold them close, and think of a little boy, who touched the lives of not only those who met him, but anyone who heard his story.

To Jane – I know you know who you are, I am incredibly proud to know you, and I’m incredibly touched by your generosity of soul. Love always.

photo credit: Thai Jasmine (Smile..smile…Smile..)

Paul is the proud new papa of a beautiful baby girl and he has a website devoted to real baby product reviews by a REAL dad. You can see Paul’s most recent 

The reality of life with a newborn

It’s amusing how sometimes in life you create these expectations in your head about how things are going to be…only to realize after the fact that reality is vastly different than expectation. This was certainly the case with my wife and I after the birth of our daughter.

Finding out I was going to be a new dad was followed by a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. I was extremely excited and happy…but completely overwhelmed and nervous at the same time. As the pregnancy trucked along, we got caught up in all the preparation (shopping, baby proofing, baby showers, and, of course, the classes and the books). We were so busy that we almost couldn’t wait for our daughter to be born just so we could get back to our normal routine. Or at least to that new routine we envisioned somewhere along the way.

Funny thing about that; nobody mentioned our “expectations” to Maevyn (our daughter)…she had other ideas!

Expectations versus Reality

I am going to lose a little sleep.

I knew we were going to lose a little sleep at night. I knew that babies needed to be fed and changed often and that we would probably be pretty tired for the first couple of weeks. I was mentally prepared for all that. But mentally preparing for something I knew nothing about was about as beneficial as putting ice cream in the microwave to keep it from melting.

I had no idea babies make so many noises when they sleep. I also had no idea I would be SO worried and anxious anytime she made a gurgle or shifted in her crib. I certainly was not prepared for every little noise she made causing my heightened senses to go into overdrive. Sleep as I had known it before she was born was certainly out of the question. I don’t think I “sleep” so much as doze now.

A few months ago I believed I wouldn’t be able to survive on 6 hours of sleep over an extended period of time. Now those 6 hours seems like sleeping in. Expectations definitely didn’t meet reality…but as every new parent has ever done before us, you find a way to make it through.

So much for that regular schedule we used to have.

Even though it didn’t always seem so, life was so easy before the baby came along. You had work and then other activities you could choose to do or not to do. Should I mow the lawn Saturday or Sunday? “Babe, let’s just go out to dinner tonight.” Spur of the moment was not a problem.

Well, those days of spontaneity are gone and even those moments are fewer and farther between. Now, my wife and I even have to “schedule” who gets to take a shower and when. Who knew I would actually have to “plan” on when I ate or when I would go run errands?

My body is my temple that is closed for renovation.

Was I a world class athlete? No. But I like to hit the gym and keep myself in shape. There was a time when I would actually get pretty tense about missing out on a workout session. Oh those days of free time!

It’s not like I can’t go workout, but taking all of that time to myself is something I just don’t want to do right now. Add up the driving time, showering, the post workout meal, and the workout itself; that is a lot of time…time I’m not spending with my little girl (and taking away from any type of break for my wife). Stressing out because I DID take the time to workout is definitely a far cry from my “past life” and certainly not what I expected.

I never knew I could love something so much.

Do I love things? Of course I do. My wife, my family, and my football team are all things I love. Other parents have said you don’t know what love really is until you have a baby. They were right…

I honestly had no idea how much I could love something until I saw her. The feeling I get just holding her when she sleeps or when she smiles at me makes everything else pale in comparison. It’s been 7 weeks now and we still just sit and stare at her when she is sleeping thinking how lucky we are to have a healthy baby girl and just amazed that she is a part of each one of us.

Has having a baby played out how I expected it would be? Certainly not. Is our “new life” with the little one harder than I imagined? For sure. But at the end of the day, is it as rewarding as I imagined? Not even close – having Maevyn is SO much better than I could have possibly imagined. And that makes all the little stresses and changes we’ve gone through seem so small…life is good.

Photo credit: jessicafm

Nicole Lloyd is the creator of Soundbirth - a beautiful program allowing you to connect with your unborn child, and help create a less painful labour and birth environment. Nicole has plethora of beautiful music experience under her belt, and frankly I can’t do it justice here in this bio. Please check out her amazing about us page to discover more about her wonderful vision and journey.

Being pregnant is the perfect time to start creating a connection with your unborn child.  While you are pregnant, you are connected on a physical level through the umbilical cord.  After the birth, the cord is cut creating two separate physical bodies.

Sound is an invisible yet powerful tool which you can use to connect directly with your baby.

This can start when your baby hears your voice while in utero and continue right up until s/he is in your loving arms – without ever experiencing a feeling of separation.  No one can cut the invisible sound cord that you create between you and your baby.

Your voice is the predominant sound your baby hears while they are in utero.

They also hear your heart beating, blood flowing through the placenta and your stomach gurgling.  According to sound researcher, Alfred Tomatis, your baby is aware of this “sonic world” four and a half months prior to birth.

The sounds they prefer, according to Joshua Leeds in his book The Power of Sound, are high-pitched rather than low-pitched.  This makes sense as it is the high-pitch of their mothers’ voices that they are most familiar with while in utero.

To ensure that your baby has a smooth transition from an in utero sonic world to the new outside world you have the opportunity to provide sounds that s/he will be familiar with and in return be comforted by after s/he is born.

The most powerful, natural, simple tool to use is your voice.

Your sounds are their world. The more you talk and sing now, the more likely you will be able to soothe your baby in your arms.

You do not need to be an opera singer!

Your baby wants to hear YOUR voice! If you have issues around singing, now is the time to look at this and choose to set yourself free.  Remind yourself that this is for you and your baby’s, benefit.  Sing in the shower, sing while cooking and cleaning, sing to your favorite songs, sing nursery rhymes, make up tunes “la la la” it really doesn’t matter what you sing, or how you sing…just that you choose to SING!  As Leed says, “… sing to your child…the mother’s sweet, loving voice is the ultimate analgesic for a baby.”

Start being aware from now on that whenever you sing or speak lovingly to your unborn child you are setting yourself and your baby up for a beautifully connected relationship. Know that your familiar voice has the ability to make the transition for your baby, into this new world, smooth and that your voice will be the most nurturing sound tool to calm and soothe your baby after the birth.

This post was contributed by DeAnna Troup is a mother of four kids who loves writing on work life balance on OurFamilyWorld

Having fun while you are a parent can be a tough thing to do. You have to deal with getting up at 2 am to feed your child and then get up at 6 am the next morning to go to work. You have to be home in the afternoon for homework madness.

When do you have time to have fun? You only have 24 hours in the day and you also have to do regular stuff like sleep, eat and shower. Many parents wonder if it is possible to have fun and still be a parent that works or runs a business. You can have fun if you plan your day correctly and use your imagination.

Here are five tips on how to schedule time in your day for fun so you can have a proper work life balance.

1-Find some fun activities that don’t require a lot of time.

You don’t have to do anything fancy to be having fun. Do you like to play cards? Invite some friends over to play cards once a week. Do you like to read? Join a book club. This allows you to meet with other adults and encourages you to do that reading you have been meaning to do.

2- Form a babysitting club with other working parents in your area.

Chances are you are not the only working parent that is trying to find a way to have fun and still be a good parent. Join other groups for parents (just Google play date or mom/dad group) and then see if you can set up some sort of schedule where each of you keeps the other one’s kids for a few hours each week. This way all of you get some time to yourself and you don’t have to spend that much on babysitting.

3- Take advantage of your waiting time to have some time to yourself.

Do you have a long ride on the subway on your way to work? You can use that time to crochet, read a book or work on a puzzle if that is your thing. Since you have to ride to work anyway, you might as well make that time enjoyable.

4- Do something that the whole family can do

Your fun thing does not necessarily have to mean time away from the family. There are lots of activities that the family can do together. Are you struggling to find time to exercise? Gather the family together to go walking in the park.

You could also take the family to a bowling alley. If you are a movie buff, take everyone to the movies.  Got an amusement park nearby? Plan an outing at the amusement park for everyone to scream their heads off.

You can have fun with your family but you have to plan for it. You have to make sure that you don’t take on so much work that you can never spend any time with your family. Use some of the ideas I’ve given you to help you find ways to have fun and still take care of your responsibilities.

Photo credit: rankun76

Kids that enjoy the great outdoors tend to be more active than those who don’t. It’s easier to teach children about respecting the environment and the creatures that live in it if they’re already interested, and activities like hiking will be something the family can still do together as children turn into teenagers. Getting kids to love nature is good for them in more ways than one, so here are five good ways to introduce young children to the outdoor:

1. Have a picnic.

It may sound simple, but spending a lazy Saturday in the woods or on the beach is a very effective way to help your kids associate having fun with being outside. Take along games (just a ball or a Frisbee will do) and some nice food, and relax. It doesn’t matter how young your children are, they can still enjoy being somewhere beautiful.

2. Go wildlife-spotting.

Kids and animals always go well together, and nothing is more exciting than seeing a strange new animal. Do a little research and find out what lives in your state. No matter where you live there will be something interesting nearby- it might be a bald eagle, a deer, or even a bear or an alligator. If you’re lucky enough to live near a place like Yosemite National Park or the Florida Everglades, get down there!

3. Give your child a magnifying glass.

A simple, cheap magnifying glass can let kids (and grown-ups) access a whole new world. Suddenly, everything from the veins on a leaf to a handful of sand can look a whole lot more interesting. For older children, a cheap and simple camera can fulfil the same function and encourage them to look a little closer at the nature around them. Let them take their view-finder to the park or on a gentle hike.

4. Have goals.

Achieving a goal brings a valuable self-esteem boost, and facing a challenge as a family is a terrific bonding experience. Choose a goal suitable for your child’s age- it might be walking up to the top of a local hill, for example- and talk about it well in advance. By demonstrating your own interest you’ll teach the kids that it’s something worth getting excited about.

When you start hiking with children, don’t overdo it. They get tired easily and one bad experience can put them off the whole idea. The trick is to begin with very short distances and work your way up. Take plenty of drinks and high-energy snacks, and make sure the terrain isn’t too steep. Half a mile over rocky, difficult terrain is much harder than two miles on a nice flat path.

5. Make sure your kids learn to swim.

Children who can’t swim miss out on fun summertime activities like swimming at the local pool, and they’ll also be a lot less safe around creeks and rivers and at the beach. Of course, knowing that your kids are comfortable and competent around deep water also gives any parent one less thing to worry about.

Learning to swim is the first step towards enjoying outdoor sports like canoeing, sailing, surfing, and snorkelling. Let them know that as soon as they can swim well, you’ll offer a reward like a day kayaking on a local river or a trip to the coast. That way they’ll see that hard work pays off and learn to love our beautiful waters at the same time.

Photo Credit: Paul Schultz