I cloth diaper and love it. I breasted for 20 months and miss it.
Unfortunately, many of my peers assume this means I am a "crunchy" mom, like them. I don't know exactly what all in entailed in being "crunchy", but I have gathered that they like things as natural as possible, generally are anti-vaccine, and are very passionate about their views.
Some honesty. When we were pregnant with Jackson I looked into cloth diapering. Yes, the savings sounded nice. Yes, less diaper rash sounded more comfortable for me and baby. Yes, it made sense that I wear cotton underpants- so should my infant. But what it came down to for me... They are so adorable! I love the summer when my toddler can run around in his diaper and a tshirt! Overall- the cloth diapers don't cause diaper rashes, but he does get irritated if I don't use lotion on his bottom after every change. This rarely happens when he is in disposables. The extra laundry isn't that taxing and is kinda enjoyable. The snaps are great since he has learned how to pull off disposables. The cloth do hold in poo better, but make it harder to smell... Which can be nice, but also means Jack sits in poo a little longer sometimes. I still plan to use cloth when new baby is born, but again, more of a style thing. So, does that make me "crunchy"?
Yes, I breastfed past 1 year. I always planned to breastfeed since that seems the most natural thing to do. Plus, formula is expensive! It is true, the bonding with your child while nursing is incredible. So difficult to explain. We have just fully weaned this week and I miss nursing Jackson horribly. He still snuggles with me when he used to nurse, but I miss our contact. I know I will never have that again and it makes me feel such a loss. I planned to breastfeed until two years, but new baby has dried up my milk supply (literally no pain or engorgement when we weaned) and I didn't want Jack to be jealous when new baby arrives and begins to nurse. While I do support breastfeeding in public, I do not see why women do not want to use covers. There are so many cute ones available and this makes others around you feel less awkward. While I don't mind others nursing around me, that does not mean I want to see boobies. If you are able to discretely nurse where you have to stare just to confirm nursing is happening, great! More power to you! But so many people feel it is their right to just whip our a full boob and then latch the baby. This is unnecessary and distasteful, in my opinion. I don't want to see that, I don't want my husband to see that, and when Jack is older I don't want him to see it. It is unfortunate that boobs are so sexualized in our culture, but you still live in this culture. Whipping out your boobs won't bring us back to a simpler time.
Also, so many breastfeeding moms feel themselves superior to other moms who use formula. You don't know that person's story. You don't know why they are using formula. Maybe it is just for convenience or maybe the mom is going through medical treatment so she cannot safely breastfeed her child (such a chemo therapy). Either way, when did it become your place to judge that mother and her choices? You (and I) may not understand then or agree with them, but we parent our children and she parents hers. Arguing over formul vs. breastfeeding is so trivial compared to important parenting issues, like abuse. I was formula fed (adopted) and I think I have lived in above average health and (I say this as modestly as possible) I think I have fairly high intelligence. So obviously formula fed babies can amount to something in their lives.
Vaccinations. I won't go into detail with this, but I do vaccinate my child. Do I plan to give him every vaccine offered by the office? No. Do I research the vaccines by reputable medical sources and not just Joe-mom's personal blog who has no medical experience? Yes. Do I ask my father, a successful dr. His opinion? Yes. In the end, I chose to vaccinate my child. I haven't found any studies that have confirmed that vaccines cause greater illnesses in the general population. When I get a cold I imagine how much more miserable other diseases would be to contract, like the measles. So I chose to vaccinate my son.
Many "crunchy" moms I encounter have a long list of ingredients in foods or products often given to babies. These moms feel like these ingredients shouldn't be in our bodies. I don't know about all that, but I figure I'll feed my child the same things we eat and use the same products for his skin/hygiene as we do (the infant versions of course) and he'll be none the worse the wear for it.
There are other more specific instances where I do not fit the "crunchy" mom mold, but these are the main areas of irritation to me. Just be aware that sometimes people don't share your beliefs when it comes to parenting and maybe they think you're just as crazy as you think they are. I am part of a few Facebook groups that meet my interests, but I am debating leaving because I don't want to see full boob nursing pictures and don't want to see all the non-scientific or non well-researched articles on why vaccines cause autism everyday on my newsfeed. But, in these groups, to disagree (or to ask for no pictures) is to ask for backlash and reprimands.
So no, I do not think I am a "crunchy" mom, even though some of my choices are "crunchy". I wish all the moms out there would just cut the others some slack. Believe what you will, offer insight when asked, and hold yor peace otherwise.
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