Where are my crunchy granola moms?

[epcotprincess]

Can I ask about alternate/delayed vaccination schedules? How are you crunchy mommas choosing to vaccinate?

My little one is only 6 weeks old and we have already chosen to delay his Hep B vaccinations (because I'm not convinced vaccinating for something he has no risk of catching at birth is a good idea, and it even seems to go against the WHO guidelines on Hep B vax), but his 2 month vaccinations are coming up in a couple weeks and I'm starting to research just exactly how I feel about all that. I think I will do all the recommended vaccinations then, but I'm curious how other moms are choosing to vaccinate at this stage.

I totally think you should work with a pediatrician that values your input as a parent, and hopefully you have someone like that. Since there is so much conflicting information on vaccines, you really have to decide what you are comfortable with as a parent.

For us, I believe 6 vaccinations were scheduled at 2 months, and I spread those out over 3 office visits, so she got 2 at each over the course of the 2 months until her next checkup. So about every 2 1/2 weeks we would go in for a simple injection appointment done by nurses, and she only got 2 vaccines during those appointments. So she's "on time", it's just spread out a little more.

Some people say that what we're doing is only helping us because it makes us feel better, and that might be true, but I really didn't want to see my dd get so many injections at once without an opportunity for her body to process the ingredients. It's just the way we look at it. It's so individual, and no one can tell you what's right or wrong with your choice. Hopefully you have a great pedi who is willing to offer suggestions and meet your own personal needs. GL!

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

Fairly crunchy mom here (you can see that I'm a hippy smilie in my siggy). I co-sleep with my two-year-old (although I hate it now), breastfeed her (although I wish she would just self-ween already), and wore her till just a few months ago when she started to like her stroller (and my back is thanking me). Wait a minute, sounds like I'm starting to lean to the other side But really, I love attachment parenting and do whatever I can for the environment. Lucky for me, that seems to be the norm where I live, so I've never been called crunchy. In fact, people have been shocked that we don't eat all organic and use g-diapers rather than straight-up cloth!

 

[allgoodgifts]

I'm semi-crunchy, too, I suppose. Three unmedicated births, all in the hospital, but with a midwifery practice associated with the hospital. I love my midwife! She let my husband deliver our last baby. I am fortunate to have had good labors - all pretty quick and straightforward. I don't envy those of you with 24-hour (or more!) labors.

I did a "Birthing from Within" course before my first - the lady who wrote the book is from my area - and it was great. even my husband who is not very into the "airy fairy" stuff found it thought-provoking.

I still remember about three weeks into life with my firstborn suddenly deciding to throw out all the books and co-sleep with him, and life became SO MUCH BETTER after that. I co-slept with my second and third from the beginning.

I breastfed, and I'm still breastfeeding my 18-month-old, though she's much less interested in it now, and nurses mainly for comfort.

I do use disposable diapers, though. I live in the desert Southwest, and we justify the impact by reasoning that we have a lot more land than water out here, so it might be better to throw out the diapers than wash them repeatedly. But I know that's just a justification. In truth, we just never went with cloth diapers.

I love my Ergo, and I loved my Ellaroo when my daughter was small. I use the Ergo more, now, though. I have even carried my older boys in it!

We vaccinate, but we do spread them out.

We have a Prius! ... and a minivan. =)

 

[Dopeygirl]

Ergo mamas--Did you hear that the owner just sold 84% of the company for $91 MILLION?! Not even the entire company!

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/09/hawaii-mother-and-creator-of-ergo-baby.html

 

[superme80]

I am pretty crunch. I consider myself a crunchy traditional parent. I had a c-section after about 30 hours of labor. We extended breast feeding and he is still rear facing. All the meat I buy is from the local butcher and we get about 90% of our fruits and veggies from the local farmer's market. We eat about 75% organic. We do not vax and he is not circumcised. So all in all we are pretty crunchy.

 

[rodeo65]

Pretty soggy with some crunchy attributes. First DS was a 25 hr non medicated labour until emerg-C was required. DD was VBAC with meds.

BF both until they self weaned - DS @ 9 months (he was a big boy and once he'd had food he wanted FOOD, also is ADHD and really didn't want to be still that long - he was pulling up and cruising then walked that same month and he just wanted to go, go, go), DD took her time and weaned at about a year.

Used a sling but not exclusively.

Made my own baby food. I'm so disappointed that DS is so picky now. If it could be cooked and blended, he ate it, but now the boy doesn't know a nugget or pizza he doesn't like. We make our own though, more often than prepared. We buy organic and local in season.

Didn't co-sleep but did allow both in whenever they needed it. Both have pretty much dropped it now at almost 8 & 9 but I do still occasionally get a snuggle.

No circumcision for DS.

Used disp not cloth. I don't home school but would if we found it necessary for any reason. They love their school, and we do too - independant and very progressive. We vaccinate but did do a spaced start. They have electronics but limited use.

I do not judge any of my more crunchy friends and family members, could care less how other families choose to run their lives and families, however I am often judged and criticized by them. THAT makes me nuttier and flakier than any practices I have. Why is it that there are some moms that are not satisfied unless I do EVERYHING they are doing and want to tell me at length why I am ruining my children's lives because we didn't co-sleep or because we choose to vaccinate?

 

[rszdtrvl]

Partially crunch, LOL.

I did have a homebirth with a midwife for my son. It was a wonderful experience and if we had decided to have another child I would do it exactly the same.

And I currently make my own laundry soap (that counts towards crunchy, right??).

 

[mrsltg]

Can I ask about alternate/delayed vaccination schedules? How are you crunchy mommas choosing to vaccinate?

My little one is only 6 weeks old and we have already chosen to delay his Hep B vaccinations (because I'm not convinced vaccinating for something he has no risk of catching at birth is a good idea, and it even seems to go against the WHO guidelines on Hep B vax), but his 2 month vaccinations are coming up in a couple weeks and I'm starting to research just exactly how I feel about all that. I think I will do all the recommended vaccinations then, but I'm curious how other moms are choosing to vaccinate at this stage.

I just chose one vaccine at a time. I went on the recommendation of my mother, an ER nurse, on which diseases were most plausible and most dangerous. From there I vaccinated ONE disease at a time, over a period of multiple weeks spaced between. I am not a fan of vaccinating for six or seven things at a time. If the baby has a reaction, you don't know which vaccine caused it. My middle dd was vaccinated in August for chicken pox (catch 22, she goes to private school so I can't exempt her because they can say, 'you can't come here'). It is now a combo and she had a massive reaction. We don't know which medication caused the reaction so now she gets no more. PERIOD. It's a tough line to walk. Go with your gut. Good luck!

 

[~Kristina~]

Ah, I guess that's me too! 2 unmedicated hospital births, 2 homebirths, cosleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing, delay/select vax, cloth diapering, organic, doula and student midwife.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

.

 

[Dopeygirl]

I found Dr. Sears when my DD was a few months old because she wasn't like other babies. After learning about 'high needs' children, I started searching the internet and joined a community of AP moms who are mainly crunchy.

That's how I found AP too! I had heard the term before but didn't know what it meant. When I discovered Dr. Sears & high needs babies, I discovered we were already doing it, I just didn't know we were doing that term.

 

[AmyBWV99]

Semi here as well, gearing up for my 3rd C-section. Homebirthing #1 either of us could have died and for #2 we scheduled the safest route, tho he rushed things sooner than we planned.

But we try to eat as locally as possible until winter when it becomes impossible, I've BF each kidlet, but have supplemented formula for medical reasons with #1, use spoises, baby wear until too heavy, co-sleep for 12-18 months, we vaccinate on our peds schedule.

So somewhere on the fence I guess.

 

[Vickilynn42]

Another crunchy mom here, although I didn't become crunchy till long after my kids were in school. Now I wish I could have done so many things differently when my kids were smaller. Trying to make up for it now! I even make our own deodorant.

 

[kayrosek]

Semi crunchy mom here. I was a breast feeding, co-sleeping, baby wearing mom to all three of my kids. My youngest was born naturally with a midwife (wish I would have gone that route with my older two but I was young and scared and the first in my family to consider going natural by choice, even two pregnancies later I still fought with my family about the idea of midwife.) When they were younger I vaccinated because I thought I was supposed to but I did spread them out. Now we pretty much selectively vaccinate. Made most of my own baby food. Shop at farmers markets and at grocers in a nearby Amish/Mennonte community every chance we get. Almost always have a paper free kitchen (lots of health problems in our family so sometimes I do what's easiest.) We homeschool two out of three of our children (one has major learning disabilities that I think are currently better addressed at his school), and have regular electronic free times.

 

[crazy4cloth]

Another crunchy mom here, although I didn't become crunchy till long after my kids were in school. Now I wish I could have done so many things differently when my kids were smaller. Trying to make up for it now! I even make our own deodorant.

How do you make it??

 

[Vickilynn42]

How do you make it??

Here is the recipe I use. It may take a few days for your body to acclimate to it, but after that it works very well!



http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/homemade-all-natural-deodorant.html

 

[locolala]

I am mostly soggy but somewhat crunchy. I prefer grass fed beef that I get from a farm in VA, and get my chicken from the same farm. I breastfeed my DD, and will until she's ready to wean or 18 months.. whichever comes first. That being said, I had a necessary C/S, and if anyone tells me it wasn't needed I will slap them. My heartrate dropped to a level that they couldn't detect it anymore. As soon as they got DD out, it went back up. I do vaccinate, not on a delayed schedule. We use disposable diapers because my washer doesn't get hot enough and DH firmly vetoed cloth anyhow. DD sleeps in her own bed because DH didn't feel comfortable with her in the bed. I'm not about to kick my husband out of his own bed, so into her crib she went.

 

[hsmamato2]

I too am semi-crunchy...wear the label proudly!

 

[humboldthny]

Oh....count me in!! We don't look 'crunchy' but we certainly are! I guess we're more like stealth hippies
- Had a mid-wife and a natural birth at a birth center
- breast fed
- made my own baby food
- planned on cloth diapering but was foiled by nasty diaper rash
- wore my baby (so did dh!)
- buy local/organic when we can (like the pp we also buy grass fed beef from a local farm)
- wash my face using the OCM (look it up...it works great! http://simplemom.net/oil-cleansing-method/ )
- considering going shampoo-less and making my own deodorant and detergent
- hoping to convince our HOA to let me raise some laying hens
- started canning this year
- have a paperless kitchen
- reduce, recycle, reuse! (was printed on all the travel mugs at my college!)

If you know anything about being really 'crunchy' you'll understand my screen name!

 

[SassyLassy]

Joining the ranks of semi-crunchy!!!

-Breastfed both my babies
-natural birth
-babywearing for both me and DH (love that Moby)
-Co sleep
-made the kids baby food until solids
-which then they eat an almost all organic diet
-starting signing for both at 3 months
-also reduce/recycle

in the next year
-will be doing my own composting
-making a garden
-canning
-start making own home cleaners and personal products

I get odd looks, especially when signing or when wearing the Moby. I loved it and explaining why I am doing these things and how it benefits the kids!