S/O NB and AP: Do you consider yourself 'SILKY' or "CRUNCHY" (non-clicky POLL)
yeshuahamasshiah
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What is silky? Silky means that you formula feed or plan to, use a hospital or plan to, prefer an OB rather than a MW, use strollers, baby sleeps in different room, buy Gerber foods or other store brand baby foods, fully vaccinate your kids, daycare, etc.
What is crunchy? Crunchy means that you plan to BF or already do it, plan on a home-birth or had one, baby wear, co-sleep, maybe drive a hybrid, make your own baby food, eats organic/grow your own, delayed/do not vaccinate etc, home-school, etc.
I know that probably most people fall in between the two and to some it may even seem like a competition. IMO each parent (hopefully) has read/educated themselves enough on each topic and chosen what they would consider the best for the kids and their family.
So where do you fall?? Feel free to add more if I missed any!
Re: S/O NB and AP: Do you consider yourself 'SILKY' or "CRUNCHY" (non-clicky POLL)
I'd say I am pretty crunchy/granolay except for the fact that with DS since we adopted, we had to FF after we ran out of donor BM.
We also circ'ed him (I am a cashew).
Last but not least I drive a Dodge RAM (I would love nothing more than a small cute little Prius but we cannot afford to purchase a brand new vehicle and even used they are far out of our budget).... so I guess I am pretty silky in those arenas!
I think I'm a moderate. I don't do things to be "crunchy" or "silky," I just make decisions based on what makes sense for individual issues.
I drive a Scion xD, so it's compact, but not a hybrid (my DH is a car nut and says based on the manufacturing needs of a hybrid your carbon footprint when purchasing one tends to be higher than a regular car). I am using a birth center and plan to BF. I will not be likely to make my own baby food. I will vaccinate on a delayed schedule. If we ever have a boy I won't circumcise. Baby will sleep in our room in a PnP. I do like slings better than strollers. I rarely buy organic, but I do try to buy local and use locally based services. My pets eat commercially prepared food.
ETA: I will also not home school. I believe children should be exposed to the real world and not overly sheltered. My experience with home schooled children is that they are overly sheltered. That may not be the case with all, but it is with those I know.
I'm more on the crunchy side. I'm still breast feeding DS once or twice a day and will let him wean when he's ready. I see a MW and birthed (and will be birthing) at a birth center. I wore DS for a while (he's almost 30lbs and I'm preggo) but we still used our stroller once in a while, and he loves sitting in the shopping cart while we grocery shop. I will also wear this next baby so I can keep my hands free for DS, and because I like wearing them:). I wish so much that I drove a hybrid, but I'm in a Dodge Neon, and Jeep Wrangler right now. I make most of DS's food, but I do buy some Morning Star Farms veggie patties, and chikn patties for him (I was making broccoli carrot chicken nuggets myself until first tri hit me). Although we skipped the erithromycin eye ointment and delayed the first round of Hep B, we have otherwise vaccinated on schedule.
Edit: oh yeah, DS slept in bed with me for six months then was moved into his own room and has been STTN since. And we did not circ.
I breastfeed for about 15-16 months, co-slept with first two (this baby can't stand being in bed with us...crazy!), have natural births at a hospital with doula and midwives, think not vaccinating is a crime, baby wear but love my fancy strollers, use disposable diapers, make my own baby food but am not afraid to take the older kids through the McDonald's drive through in my SUV, eat organic when it is on sale, try to stay open minded but remain fairly convinced that homeschoolers are batty, and do not circumcise.
So basically I am a study in contrasts. But, I think like all moms I do what works for me and my family. If everyone was the same the world would be pretty boring wouldn't it?
AGREE 101%
Oh, good lord. More labels.
Solidly in the middle.
Silky: I have no issues supplementing if we have to. I have an OB and am delivering in a hospital. Depending on how that goes I'll stay or switch to a midwife for the next kid. He'll be in his room. I'm not making baby food. We'll fully vaccinate. One of the family vehicles is a CR-V. We're using disposables.
Crunchy: We're planning to breastfeed. Not circumcising. I'd rather have my hands free, so we'll probably use the Ergo in public rather than a stroller. The other family vehicle is a Civic hybrid. I love my organic veggie garden. We'll home school if that's what works best for the kid. No daycare.
Totally agree, it's the "batty" ones that make the world so interesting (I was homeschooled;P)!
I'm smack in the middle!
I homebirthed (even though I am an OB nurse in a hospital), did NOT circ, delayed vaxing, attempted baby-wearing, still breastfeeding a 2 year old (not one drop of formula given) and like to buy organic sometimes.
But, I drive an SUV, I used sposies (tried G-diapers and that didn't go over well), will not homeschool, I work PT so my kid goes to daycare PT, only co-slept for 2 months, bought baby food (well, sometimes I made it), wore my baby some but he had colic so bad that as soon as he grew out of it, he was on the floor or in a stroller playing because I was EXHAUSTED from holding a screaming, crying, inconsolable child for about 3-4 months non-stop!!!
Given the definitions here, I'm somewhere between crunchy and ridiculous.
We do have two cars, but our "guzzler" is a 32mpg 10 year old Celica that I bought used, and our main car is a Prius. We do eat meat, but it's local and we know not only where it comes from but what goes into it, and we eat organic for the dirty dozen or when there's less than a dollar difference in price. We're planning on BFing, eventually making our own baby food, wearing Bugbear, delaying vaxing, and DH is would really like to be a SAHD who home schools once Bugbear is old enough to be in 1st grade and I'm out of school and working.
That said, there are a lot of things I'd like to change. We don't grow our own food, we've gone two years without composting, we weren't able to use public trans when we lived in the boonies, and I can't find a way to make delicious bacon without using paper towels. I'd also love to rehab the condo that we own with energy star windows and fixtures, but that's simply never gonna happen. We do what we can, but there's always room for improvement.
Mother's Day, 2011
per this definition, i'm mostly crunchy.
we BF, planned a homebirth, baby wear a lot (not so much at home), co-slept (but only until it was no longer convenient for me), do not drive a hybrid, but we are conscious of where/how we drive, make our own baby food, eat some organic, delayed vax, will not homeschool and our kids will go to daycare.
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I don't like labels.
Let's see, that's a tough one because I do a lot of both. I wanted to BF but couldn't so I FF but I plan to BF #2. I used a hospital with #1 but I want to do a home birth or at least a birth center with #2, I prefer a midwife, I use a stroller and babywear, DS sleeps in his own room now but sometimes we'll bedshare in extreme circumstances or while we're on vacation and we bedshared exclusively for the first four months of his life, I buy organic baby food, I fully vaccinate with the exception of the flu shot, DS goes to daycare, I don't drive a hybrid and don't plan on homeschooling.
I guess I'm pretty 50/50.
Matthew Kevin
7/31/83-7/20/11
Met 1/8/00
Engaged 4/21/06
Married 9/29/07
Two beautiful legacies: Noah Matthew (2 yrs) and Chloe Marcella (8 mos)
Day Three
Let's see. I gave birth in a hospital w/ an OB, I BF and I make my own baby food.
DS slept in our room in a bassinet until he was too big for it, now he sleeps in his crib in his room which is right next to ours.
I have a Subaru Impreza which isn't hybrid, but they manufacture with zero waste. I don't buy organic on a regular basis. Occasionally I do. I try to buy as much local products as I can.
Oh and I do both, wear and use a stroller. Depends on what I'm doing. It's so hot around here that I can't wear him much during the summer because we'd both die. So I mostly wear him around the house while I'm cleaning.
We also vaccinate on schedule (except Hep B we delayed a while). I think it's wrong not to vaccinate your children. And DS was circ'd.
I don't really like labels, but I am in the middle of these.
I will BF unless medically impossible. I plan to baby wear as much as possible, but I have a horrible back and maybe she won't like it, so I am getting a stroller. She will be in our room for a couple of months and then move to the crib in her room across the hall from ours. I prefer a hospital with my OB, however my OB is totally on board with my natural birth plans and my hospital is awesome in that regards. They provide squatting bars, birthing balls and wonderful tubs. They go by whatever is ok with your doc, and my OB and I are on the same page. We will be making some of her baby foods. We are going to cloth diaper. We are declining the Hep B at the hospital, but will otherwise vaccinate on schedule. She will absolutely not be home schooled.
All of my best laid plans on parenting when I've never been a parent could go to sh!t though.
I don't consider myself crunchy at all (I work in finance, live in an affluent suburb, etc.) But I have to admit I make some pretty crunchy choices, although some not-so-crunchy.
-Planning a home birth
-Planning to cloth diaper
-Planning to breastfeed, but will need to use bottles when I back to work
-Plan to baby wear and also use a stroller
-Eat a lot of organics, but not all
-Not planning to circ
-Will vax but likely on some sort of delayed schedule
-Definitely not home-schooling
Since I live in Berkeley, we seem pretty yuppie to the Berkeley crowd (i.e. we wear suits to work, I wear make up, we eat meat - albeit free range, I only do yoga 2x a week - not every day, etc. :0), but I think, to the rest of the country, we'd probably seem very crunchy!
Since I posted earlier about Attachment Parenting, I think that probably covers a lot about what we're planning!
So yes, for most the items you mentioned, we are definitely crunchy! BFing, home birthing, bed sharing, baby wearing, one car using, bike riding, organic food buying, community garden composting, delayed vaccination... We're deciding about the hybrid right now, since my two-door car probably won't cut it with a car seat!
I'm not sure if I'll actually make my own baby food because there are a lot of people who do that around here and I can just get it from them! And we're definitely not home schooling, as I am planning on working again. While I love the idea of being a SAHM, I am going back to grad school next fall, so that will be difficult!
I fall into both categories. I partially BF my first DD, but also had to use formula, but I fully BF my second DD (still nursing actually).
I used a hospital with an OB (med-free) for my first DD, and a birth center and midwife for my second DD.
I both baby wear and use strollers depending on the what I'm doing and what is more convenient.
My babies have both slept in their own rooms once they were three months old (and generally did not co-sleep, my first was impossible to sleep in the same bed as because she would absolutely not sleep if I was laying next to her, my second I co-sleep with occasionally).
I made almost all of their baby food, just using a jar (organic) here and there for things I didn't/couldn't make (apricots, prunes, etc).
I fully vaccinate my kids.
We cloth diaper, but disposable diaper at night time.
I work full time so my kids do go to daycare, but it is an in-home, not a center.
I drive a mini-van. We also have an SUV and a tiny Cavalier.
I doubt very many people fall completel into one category or another. Generally I'm more crunchy than most of the other moms I know.
I think I'm mostly crunchy.
Crunchy: We buy the dirty dozen organically or at the farmers market and buy our meat at a local organic meat store. We plan to bf, baby wear, co-sleep but not bed share, make our own baby food, and do an alt vaccination schedule. I have a mw but we are birthing in a hospital. I'm going to be a sahm and we will home school. I don't eat hfc, artificial sweeteners or drink milk. My DH is an intactivist so no circ for us.
We are home schooling. Think I'm crazy if you want but I live in TX (home state of the shitty public school) and DH and I can give our son a better education at home. I freely admit the only reason this is possible is because DH is a university prof and is only gone a couple hours a day to work. I wouldn't attempt it by myself.
Silky: I'm using disposable diapers. We have a honda civic and ford zx2. We have a stroller and will use it when LO gets too heavy or its too hot to baby wear. We don't grow anything but herbs and we don't compost either. I'll probably buy some organic baby foods.
For the snobbish New England area that I live in, I'm probably considered radically crunchy, but really fall in between.
Crunchy: Natural birth for one. Plan on BF, Birth Center, midwives, make my own baby food, cloth diaper, (we're putting up a CLOTHESLINE!), eat organic when we can find it. I bought an Ergo that I will use, but don't want to wrap because of my back. So as long as that works, I'll BW. Co sleeping for awhile if I can actually sleep w/ the baby in the room, but no bed share.
Silky: Vaccinate on schedule, drive an Altima and a Subaru, don't compost, have yet to successfully grow anything other than the 6 beans I've picked off my deck garden.
Actually, now that I read this, I guess I AM pretty crunchy!
I'll be soggy with you. I'm planning on doing the same, plus I buy a lot of organic food and products.
I never heard the term "silky" before... the only silkies I know are a fancy breed of chickens.
I think I'm in a camp that could be called conservative crunchy. I'm pro military and pro-life. I send trail mix to our troops... I eat meat... and hunt...I spend a lot of time outdoors. I drive a horse... but have a big honkin' diesel dually to haul his hay... we homeschool. My husband is BIG into recycling... because he works in a steel mill that uses recycled metals to make their product.
Once again, I must register my dismay that non-vaccinating is lumped in with BFing and homebirthing. Talk about a disconnect.
Anyway...I am of course a hybrid, like everyone. Examples:
- Natural birth in a hospital with a midwife
- breastfeeding but formula supplementing because I work and gave up pumping a long time ago.
- make baby food, but always have jars on hand for those lazy nights
- use a stroller mostly but babywear occasionally
- baby still in our room, but in crib
- And we fully vaccinate on schedule. It annoys the piss out of me that delaying or refusing has become just another trendy/crunchy choice.
Anyway...I am of course a hybrid, like everyone. Examples:
- Prefer Natural birth in a hospital with a midwife, but I'm high risk and there are no hospital MW around here. SO i'm with my OB practice, and was induced with #1 due to Pre-e. I'll see how the next delivery goes and may/may not get an epi again.
- breastfeed DS till 19 months and he never had a drop of formula, but I think i won't kill myself to pump so much next time. Definately plan on bf#2.
- Never made baby food- we used organic jarred- no time. Will probably do same with next kid.
- use a stroller mostly but babywear occasionally. I plan to do a lot more bw with our next kiddo.
- DS co-slept for about a year, but now sleeps in his crib in his room
-I have a Honda Pilot.
- We use disposable diapers.
- I work FT, DS goes to daycare FT and I would not homeschool even if I was a SAHM.
And THIS- And we fully vaccinate on schedule. It annoys the piss out of me that delaying or refusing has become just another trendy/crunchy choice.
- We still bedshare. DH & I enjoy it & don't plan on moving Ari for at least a few more months. We'll prob do another mattress in our room for a few months after that.
- I used an OB last time & ended up with a c/s. I really regret the decision to not switch to a midwife earlier in the game with my last pregnancy, although I may have ended up with a c/s anyway. Next time I'll try for a VBAC.
- Both DH & I BW a good bit. Ari enjoys it still - always has.
- Ari has never had baby food. We have done BLW from the start.
- I'm still BFing & will till Ari is @ least 2. See siggy - he's the food allergy poster child & can't have regular milk. I didn't really care to do cows milk anyway as dairy allergies run in the family & I think cows milk is kinda gross.
-I don't drive a hybrid. I bought a 5 year old BMW 3 series 2 years ago for a steal. It gets 22 city/30 hwy. I WAH so I don't drive much anyway. I did a calculator online to see if a new hybrid or used good mileage vehicle was better for environmental impact before I purchased.
- Ari is fully vaxed (except flu shot) but we did a delayed schedule. Some vax's carry ingredients he's allergic to (like flu shot & MMR) so we'll have to delay, skip, or give at the allergist office. Our pedi rec'd breaking some up b/c we have a history of severe reactions in my family - I had seizures from the old DTP vax for example. I may not have done an alt schedule otherwise, but maybe so.
- We eat almost exclusively organic. We do farmers markets or use the CSA to save $$. We still eat meat but only 2-4 times a month, & we buy from a local free range farm.
- As a family of 4 we produce 1-2 kitchen size bags of trash per week. Everything that can be recycled or composted is.
- I won't homeschool, but we are looking into Montessori as an option.
- We circ'd. I'm Jewish but not very observant. I regret it now.
- We CD.
So I'm fairly crunchy, but the fact that I had a c/s & we circ'd may get me kicked out of the crunchy club.
You tell me because I don't want to label myself...
I tried to BF--had to supplement and then went back to work--
at a public school where I teach, so I won't be homeschooling.
I babywore--even made 2 of my own MTs. But now he prefers to be pulled in his wagon or sitting in the stroller. Also, he is too heavy for me to carry around.
I cloth diaper and made my own babyfood.
I vax'd except for flu--don't know why this makes you crunchy or not--has nothing to do one way or the other.
We eat organic when we can--DS eats almost all organic.
I drive a Rav4 and DH drives a BMW.
I think labeling is a waste of time. People do what they need/want to do for their family...it doesn't make them crunchy or silky or soggy...
Well, I have had a birth with every intervention possible, but for this one I am going for a VBAC with a midwife in a birth center.
I formula fed my first son because BF didn't work out, but this baby WILL be breastfed.
My first son slept in our room with us for the first five months of his life (in his PnP) and the only reason we moved him into his crib in his room so early is because he surpassed the weight limit for that thing on top. We will likely do something similar with this baby, perhaps even bedshare.
We vaccinate on schedule.
We circumcised our first son but will hopefully not circumcise this baby.
I am a SAHM.
We have two cars, both are Toyota Corollas.
We cloth diaper. We have a clothesline.
I made my son's baby food and never bought a jar of store-bought baby food.
I would be lost without my Ergo - and the stroller.
I am not sure what we will do about schooling. Unschooling interests me a great deal, but I am only in the beginning stages of researching our options.
We buy organic and/or local when we can. We go to the farmer's market, the health food store, or CSA. We also shop at the regular supermarket too. It really depends on how much money we have.
We have a small garden that hasn't yielded anything so far.
We recycle and try to live simply.
Not sure what category I fall into, but I have this theory that we end up being the moms our kids need us to be.
Well I guess I'm far more crunchy: I'll be EBF, we'll be UC homebirthing, using a Moby wrap, plan to co-sleep, will be buying the new Nissan Leaf (all electric) May of next year, will be making our baby food, grow our own fruits and veggies, plan to delay vax/ skip some, I now plan to home school, and day care is never going to happen... I will admit, that we do also have a stroller though
ETA: We also will be using all cloth diapers and will not circ.
i'm the "crunchiest" of all my friends, but not nearly as crunchy as a lot of people i've met :-)
We are planning a med-free birth with a mw/doula/hypnobirthing but in a hospital (its actually a birth center within the hospital).... I plan to EBF for at least the first year, probably longer. i will baby-wear and will exclusively CD.
I plan to make my own baby food but mostly i plan to do BLW. i'll be going back to work after 12 weeks but only 3days a week. so we'll be using an in-home child care provider.
we won't be circ'ing, and will probably do a delayed vax schedule (but will give most if not all vaccines).
we'll co-sleep (with an ARCS) until LO is STTN.
we' dont have cable TV.
i tried to have my own garden but its just too dang hot here in FL most of the year to be outside working in the garden./ I do still have my compost pile and i compost scraps when i remember to bring them outside, but my garden is now non-existant. im hoping to start it back up next year....
that being said, i currently drive a Mazda 3 hatchback, but i REALLY want to get a crossover (Toyota Venza) because my car is already feeling too small (i'm a pampered chef consultant so i always have my big "kit" in the trunk and it takes up most of my storage space)....
oh and i'm secretly hoping someone buys us our BJ city mini stroller , and i
my coach diaper bag :-)