how to prevent asthma in your children

There is no doubt about it. Breastfeed your baby… for as long as possible.

That is the number one thing a woman can do to give her child the healthiest start to an asthma-free life. This post will have strong opinions about this issue… read at your own risk.

I have had moderate-to-severe asthma and allergies my whole life... every day, since I was a small child.

None of my 3 children have asthma or allergies at all. They are 4, 9 and 11 years old. I can’t remember the last time any of them had to see a doctor for sickness (just one broken arm).

How did I do this? How did I not pass asthma and allergies onto my children?

My list on how to prevent asthma in your children.

1. Breastfeed. Dedicate yourself to breastfeeding your children for as long as possible. Make sure your baby gets your first milk, your colostrum. (This is crucial to your baby's health and for the rest of their life!) Your baby needs to nurse as soon as possible after birth. I breastfed 3 children for on average 4 years each. I even tandem-nursed my first two for a year and a half. My children never touched formula, cow’s milk or juice. They are astonishingly healthy. In fact, they never even used a bottle. I tried pumping, but my kids just did not want to drink from a bottle. (This was not the easiest life, but I would not change a thing in hindsight.)
   
   
2. Get support from your husband, family and friends to breastfeed. No one made me feel uncomfortable about my choice to be an endurance nurser. I did this specifically to increase my children’s chances of living without allergies, asthma, earaches and all the other sicknesses I frequently had as a child.
   
   
3. Delay solid foods as long as you can. Wait until after 6 months to SLOWLY introduce food into your child’s diet.
   
   
4. Prepare homemade baby food using organic vegetables, fruits and grains. My children very rarely ate food from a jar. Do not feed your children processed foods. They are worthless and detrimental to their health and to the planet.
   
   
5. Reduce or eliminate dairy, wheat, and corn. Dairy, wheat, and corn products are in everything! Prepare a variety of whole foods and don’t get caught up in the bread/pasta/cereal routine. My kids drank a variety of milks when they got older (almond, oat, rice) and ate many different kinds of whole grains. I can tell by my children’s BEHAVIOR when they are eating too much wheat.
   
   
6. Remove chemicals from your home. I have been cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, and pure essential oils for years. Please read my article called Does the Media Cause Asthma? for more information on the toxic chemicals found in everybody’s household.
   
   
7. Take care of yourself during pregnancy. Make sure you are eating right and staying healthy yourself. My midwife, Mary Ann Baul at Womancare Midwifery in Flagstaff  provided excellent nutritional advise that kept me and my babies healthy.
   
   
8. No Day Care. My husband and I agreed before we started having children to raise our own children. What a concept! We worked opposite shifts, lived modestly, and had a small network of family and friends to watch our children on the rare occasion my husband and I went out on a date. This helped reduce infections and exposure to toxic chemicals found in cleaners and disinfectants.

There it is in all its glory… 8 of the decisions I made as a mother to MAKE SURE my children did not get asthma. It worked.

How about you? What are you doing to keep your children healthy and asthma-free?

Did you know that when you buy my Need 2 Breathe Naturally e-book, you get a Special Bonus Report: “Top 20 Things You Can Do To Prevent Asthma in Your Children”? It is only available as a bonus for a limited time. Get your copy today. It is guaranteed.