I guess I'm a "crunchy" Momma. I breastfeed. We babywear. We sometimes co-sleep. We're not pushing solids. And we cloth diaper. For the most part, we've gotten positive feedback on our parenting styles, and we're really happy with how things have been working for us. But lately, we've had some underhanded comments. And my mom friends have indicated it could be because our parenting methods seem to be an affront to the way our friends and family have done things.
Let me be clear: as long as your child is fed, clothed, and happy (when possible, because let's face it, no one is happy 100% of the time), YOU ARE A GOOD PARENT. We are only exploring and finding what works for us. We're also really frugal, so sometimes we are doing things just to save a little money (home ownership, raising a baby, and trying to acquire our professional licensing are really expensive!).
So I breastfeed, because I've been lucky enough to be able to. And I love it. I won't hide it, because it's not shameful. Am I anti-formula? No. I'm not letting her have it because we don't NEED it right now. That could change, my supply could tank. And if we have to, that's what we'll do. Formula is wonderful for women who can't or don't want to breastfeed. To me, it's the difference between mom's choice for dinner and dad's. Both parents want a happy, healthy baby, they just fed a different meal.
We babywear (yes, Hubs does too). Because hey, I can carry more than Hugbug this way. And she gets to enjoy the world. And because, for me, it's SO much more comfortable than the carrying a baby lean so there's a ledge for her because I have nearly no hips. I'm not against strollers, and there are days I pop her in the stroller and off we go. But when we're in and out of the subway in the city? Or at the grocery store needing to push a cart and have her NOT grabbing everything in sight? Or just around the house and she wants that extra loving? Into the wrap! Who has ever regretted a moment holding their child anyway?
We co-sleep. Carefully. Safely. And only when it's the only way the three of us will get the sleep we all need to make it through the next day. And when she's not in our bed, she's in our room- because our research has shown a reduced risk of SIDS when infants share the same room as their caregivers. She'll be in her own room soon enough. We're lucky to have a pretty good sleeper. She doesn't fidget loudly or snore, so she's not effecting our sleep when she's in our room. Everyone is sleeping, which is the point!
We're not pushing solids, because our research shows she's not ready. Also, Hugbug has shown us she's not ready. Everything goes in her mouth these days, except food. She wants to take it from us, hold it, play with it, but not eat it. And that's ok. Because she'll get there. No need to rush, you know?
And we cloth diaper. Hybrid style. We use gdiapers, because for $150 we are using the same diapers over and over, and it's saving us $50/month MINIMUM. Is it a bit more work? Yes. Is it sometimes gross? Yes. But hey, I'd have to change that diaper and wash my hands anyway, so to me, it's no big deal. And for Hugbug, it's helped with rash prevention. We had disposables in the beginning and some brands have really bothered her. With the cloth, she hasn't had another rash, or a grand master freakout when she fills a diaper mid-commute. But if you're not into that, that's cool. I'm not so green, you must be sustainable and offsetting your carbon that I'm going to jump down your throat for using a disposable diaper. Heck, some days she has disposable inserts in her gdiaper!
All in all, we're happy and Hugbug is happy. And isn't that the goal? To have a happy family? That's all I've ever wanted. So whether you breastfeed or formula feed, babywear or use a stroller, share a room or not, jump on solids or take it slow, cloth diaper or use disposables, GOOD FOR YOU. Just because we don't do things the same way doesn't mean I think you're doing it wrong. I don't know your baby like you do. You know what works for your baby, your schedule, your lifestyle, your baby. You are parenting. And that's awesome.
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