Tonight, I've got so many thoughts bouncing around in my head and I'm feeling very much like I need to dust off my soapbox on several topics. It's hard to focus on ONE topic, but I'm going to do my best to do so.
The first installment of my "I'm Weird" series, I'm going to focus on Breastfeeding.
Of course we all know that Breast is Best. It's what mankind has been doing since the beginning of time. If it wasn't "best", we would have died off a LONG time ago. I understand that some women and some babies have difficulties getting started and maintaining a successful nursing relationship. What I have a problem with is the mom who doesn't even TRY. The woman who doesn't want to breastfeed because it will restrict their social life. The woman who doesn't breastfeed because their partner thinks her breasts are "his toys". As a mother, the health of your child comes first. PERIOD!
Craz-E and I had a hard time getting started. We were separated for a good 6 hours after he was born while he was in the NICU due to the trauma of his birth. Then the annoying midwives at the hospital were anything BUT helpful when he was brought back to me. So it was about 12 hours before we even had a first attempt at breastfeeding. But we stuck it out. I had terrific support from the community midwives and eventually we figured it out. I could have very easily given up several times in that first week. But I refused to give up, give in or throw in the towel. I knew once we got the hang of it, breastfeeding was going to be the best option for my child. He was jaundice, I called him my Little Yellow Monkey. Even before I started doing all my "crunchy" research, something in my new Mommy Brain told me that everything would be fine once he got the hang of the natural way to eat.
Yes, breastfeeding made it so that I couldn't leave my baby with a babysitter for more then a few hours at a time. But honestly, I didn't really WANT to leave my first child with anyone for the first year of his life. Hub and I had a few dates without him, but for the most part we accepted that our new roll was that of Mom and Dad. There would be plenty of time in our lives to be Husband and Wife, this first year of Craz-E's life was important and we could never go back and do it again.
The reason I felt the need for my soapbox tonight on this subject is the concept of Feeding On Demand verses Parent Directed Feeding.
I had an experience this weekend that knotted my stomach and had me worrying for hours afterwards. I discovered a new first-time mom (and dad) who had their 3 month old baby on a feeding schedule. She nurses every 4-6 hours - 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm and then not again until midnight and then the schedule repeats. The baby is TINY - under 5th percentile!
All I could think was they were starving this poor tiny baby. When she would cry or fuss, they'd stick a paci in her mouth. I only saw her for a couple hours (between scheduled feedings) and she was sleeping through most of the time but towards the end of her visit, she did start to fuss. The reports I got from those who've spent more time with them is that the baby cries and fusses all the time. Well of course she does! She's HUNGRY!
The idea behind Feeding On Demand is to respond to your babies basic needs when they need it. By putting a new baby on a feeding schedule, you're telling that baby "It doesn't matter what you think you need. I'm the adult and I know better." But that's kind of ridiculous. Would you expect that your husband would know when you are hungry better then you would? Of course not. It's your stomach and your body. You eat when your body says it's getting low on resources. So by putting a baby on a schedule, you're teaching that child that what they feel doesn't matter.
And really, how can you think that a baby, who's whole purpose in life at this point is to GROW, would get all they need to eat in 4-5 "meals" a day? As adults, we tend to eat at least 4-5 times a day - breakfast, morning snack/coffee break, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and sometimes dessert. And we're not trying to grow! We also drink throughtout the day. But a baby on a schedule is expected to only eat/drink 5 times? What about during growth spurts when they need extra calories? On a schedule, you don't know to provide the extra feedings for them to get those extra calories.
If you want a "professional opinion" with more eloquently stated facts and information, Peaceful Parenting has a very nice article.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Cloth Diapers Vs. Disposables - Persuasive Speech
Okay, so this was my "script" for my persuasive speech tonight. As you read, try to picture me standing at the front of a classroom of college kids in their early twenties.
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First of all, I’m no hippy eco-friendly, go-green, environmentalist; I’m just a frugal mom who loves to stay home with my kids. I have 2 kids in diapers, Craz-E is 3 and PrincesS is 4 ½ months.
Now, basic common sense tells us that re-using cloth diapers is better than disposables in an environmental aspect. Buy It – Use It – Toss It verse Buy It – Use It – Wash It – Use It Again. But some people need more than just common sense; they want FACTS.
So let me throw some facts at you.
We’ve been using cloth on PrincesS for about 2 months now. And I just managed to get Craz-E back into cloth part time this week.
I have a diaper-changing-station setup so all disposables go in a separate trash bin from the rest of the household trash. Prior to the switch, I was sending my husband out to the dumpster with a full kitchen trash bag of diapers 2 to 3 times a week. Now with just Craz-E in disposables part time, we are down to approximately 1 kitchen bag a week.
The instructions for disposables diapers actually say to dump solid waste into the toilet and flush it away, but most parents aren't aware of that. It’s not written on the packaging anymore. This means that human fecal matter is going into our landfills where it can leach into groundwater and possibly spread disease. And technically, it’s is illegal to put human waste into the landfills. With cloth diapers, you flush the solid waste and it goes into the sewage system where it’s treated with all other household waste.
Washing diapers every 4-5 days, I increased my laundry by approximately one load per week. One argument against cloth tries to say that cleaning cloth diapers uses more energy and contributes to the load on sanitary sewer systems and potential water pollution. This view really makes no sense if you think about it. The amount of water used per week to wash cloth diapers at home is about the same amount consumed by an adult flushing the toilet four or five times daily for a week.
Cloth is Economical
I did use cloth diapers with Craz-E for over a year and a half. We went with disposables when we moved because we took a week to drive cross country and quite frankly, we needed the ultra convenience of being able to just throw the used diapers away. Unfortunately, after the move, we just stuck with it for about 9 months.
We spent approximately $150 when we started cloth with Craz-E. So the initial cost of the diapers we purchased almost 2.5 years ago was recouped in 3 months and we diapered Craz-E for free for over half of his life. In fact, PrincesS is using his diapers now so we are actually diapering her for free too.
Cloth is Healthful
I’ve brought a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper for you to compare. The first thing you’ll notice is that the disposable is much thinner then the cloth. You’ll also notice how much softer the cloth diaper is.
The biggest claim of disposable diapers these days is how dry they keep your baby. That gel-like stuff pulls the moisture away and turns it into a jelly. I’m sure you’ve seen a kid walking around with the diaper sagging down to their knees. That sag is all that jelly stuff expanding as it gets wet. That chemical-laden jelly is against the most intimate part of your baby's body, and since most parents wait until the diaper is full to change it, it's there for HOURS. Pampers came out with a new product and says “It is 2x Drier and 20% Thinner, so your baby can play on.” They actually are promoting that you can let your baby sit in their diaper LONGER because they will not feel that they are wet.
Cloth diapers are made of cotton, hemp or bamboo. All of these materials are very absorbent but don’t swell and sag when wet. Some styles include a layer of material that will keep some of the moisture away from the skin but they still feel dampness.
While keeping them drier seems like a good idea, it can actually make your life HARDER in the long run. If you think about how YOU feel when you’re wearing wet clothes, what’s the first thing you want to do? You want to get out of those wet clothes. If you dump a cup of water on your pants, you get wet and you learn not to dump water on your pants. Same concept for kids and potty training. They pee in their diaper, they feel wet, they are uncomfortable, they learn that if they don’t pee in their diaper they don’t feel uncomfortable. If you put a chemical in the diaper that makes it so they don’t feel wet and they don’t feel uncomfortable, how are they supposed to come to the conclusion that peeing in the diaper is uncomfortable. In fact, it’s more of a reward for them. They don’t have to stop playing when they have to pee! So by using disposable diapers, you’re actually prolonging the time that you have to diaper your kids. Children who use cloth tend to potty train approximately 6 months sooner than those who use disposables.
Cloth is Comfortable
Do you wear paper or plastic clothing? You would never even consider wearing paper underwear. It’s just not comfortable. So why would you think putting paper and plastic on a baby would be comfortable? Just because a baby can’t tell you they are uncomfortable, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to have the same comforts as adults. As you can feel from the cloth diaper being passed around, cloth is soft and cushy.
Cloth is Easy
Hard to believe, but THIS is the cloth diaper system our grandparents used;
a flat piece of cloth and a couple big safety pins. No wonder someone came up with the disposable diaper! Today’s cloth diapers are so different. The style being passed around is known as a Pocket diaper. It goes on pretty much like a disposable. There are also styles that look just like a disposable with Velcro tabs. Once they are put together, even Dad and Grandma can put them on!
Cloth is CUTE!
Once you start using cloth, it is so easy to become addicted! I can actually blow a couple hours looking at different diaper styles and cover patterns, searching for a killer deal from someone who is selling off their diapers now that their kids are potty trained. Luckily, I tend to have good self-control and stop myself from actually BUYING the things I find. There are so many different styles, fabrics, designs, and embellishments. My mother has called me a “diaper snob” but honestly, in the summer, seeing a baby in a cute patterned cover is so much nicer than seeing a baby in a paper, saggy mess.
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First of all, I’m no hippy eco-friendly, go-green, environmentalist; I’m just a frugal mom who loves to stay home with my kids. I have 2 kids in diapers, Craz-E is 3 and PrincesS is 4 ½ months.
Now, basic common sense tells us that re-using cloth diapers is better than disposables in an environmental aspect. Buy It – Use It – Toss It verse Buy It – Use It – Wash It – Use It Again. But some people need more than just common sense; they want FACTS.
So let me throw some facts at you.
Disposable diapers generate 60 times more solid waste and use 20 times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp than cloth diapers.3 Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks, and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby every year.
It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing.
The untreated waste placed in landfills by dirty disposable diapers is also a possible danger to contaminating ground water.Cloth is Environmentally Responsible
We’ve been using cloth on PrincesS for about 2 months now. And I just managed to get Craz-E back into cloth part time this week.
I have a diaper-changing-station setup so all disposables go in a separate trash bin from the rest of the household trash. Prior to the switch, I was sending my husband out to the dumpster with a full kitchen trash bag of diapers 2 to 3 times a week. Now with just Craz-E in disposables part time, we are down to approximately 1 kitchen bag a week.
The instructions for disposables diapers actually say to dump solid waste into the toilet and flush it away, but most parents aren't aware of that. It’s not written on the packaging anymore. This means that human fecal matter is going into our landfills where it can leach into groundwater and possibly spread disease. And technically, it’s is illegal to put human waste into the landfills. With cloth diapers, you flush the solid waste and it goes into the sewage system where it’s treated with all other household waste.
Washing diapers every 4-5 days, I increased my laundry by approximately one load per week. One argument against cloth tries to say that cleaning cloth diapers uses more energy and contributes to the load on sanitary sewer systems and potential water pollution. This view really makes no sense if you think about it. The amount of water used per week to wash cloth diapers at home is about the same amount consumed by an adult flushing the toilet four or five times daily for a week.
Cloth is Economical
Most parents go through 6 to 8 thousand diapers per child, from birth to about age three. If we take an average of what those diapers cost, that equates to between 2000 and 3000 dollars per baby.Before PrincesS was born, I was spending $20 every 2 weeks just for Craz-E. That works out to over $500 a year. That would end up being over $1000 a year for both kids that we literally just throw away!
I did use cloth diapers with Craz-E for over a year and a half. We went with disposables when we moved because we took a week to drive cross country and quite frankly, we needed the ultra convenience of being able to just throw the used diapers away. Unfortunately, after the move, we just stuck with it for about 9 months.
We spent approximately $150 when we started cloth with Craz-E. So the initial cost of the diapers we purchased almost 2.5 years ago was recouped in 3 months and we diapered Craz-E for free for over half of his life. In fact, PrincesS is using his diapers now so we are actually diapering her for free too.
Cloth is Healthful
Disposable diapers contain many chemicals considered harmful to humans.
Dioxin, a toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process, is listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as a carcinogen. It is banned in most countries, but not in the United States.
Tributyl-tin - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
Sodium Polyacrylate - a type of super absorbent polymer, which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. This is the chemical that allows disposable diapers to absorb so much liquid.The emissions from ONE disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in rats.
I’ve brought a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper for you to compare. The first thing you’ll notice is that the disposable is much thinner then the cloth. You’ll also notice how much softer the cloth diaper is.
The biggest claim of disposable diapers these days is how dry they keep your baby. That gel-like stuff pulls the moisture away and turns it into a jelly. I’m sure you’ve seen a kid walking around with the diaper sagging down to their knees. That sag is all that jelly stuff expanding as it gets wet. That chemical-laden jelly is against the most intimate part of your baby's body, and since most parents wait until the diaper is full to change it, it's there for HOURS. Pampers came out with a new product and says “It is 2x Drier and 20% Thinner, so your baby can play on.” They actually are promoting that you can let your baby sit in their diaper LONGER because they will not feel that they are wet.
Cloth diapers are made of cotton, hemp or bamboo. All of these materials are very absorbent but don’t swell and sag when wet. Some styles include a layer of material that will keep some of the moisture away from the skin but they still feel dampness.
While keeping them drier seems like a good idea, it can actually make your life HARDER in the long run. If you think about how YOU feel when you’re wearing wet clothes, what’s the first thing you want to do? You want to get out of those wet clothes. If you dump a cup of water on your pants, you get wet and you learn not to dump water on your pants. Same concept for kids and potty training. They pee in their diaper, they feel wet, they are uncomfortable, they learn that if they don’t pee in their diaper they don’t feel uncomfortable. If you put a chemical in the diaper that makes it so they don’t feel wet and they don’t feel uncomfortable, how are they supposed to come to the conclusion that peeing in the diaper is uncomfortable. In fact, it’s more of a reward for them. They don’t have to stop playing when they have to pee! So by using disposable diapers, you’re actually prolonging the time that you have to diaper your kids. Children who use cloth tend to potty train approximately 6 months sooner than those who use disposables.
Cloth is Comfortable
Do you wear paper or plastic clothing? You would never even consider wearing paper underwear. It’s just not comfortable. So why would you think putting paper and plastic on a baby would be comfortable? Just because a baby can’t tell you they are uncomfortable, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to have the same comforts as adults. As you can feel from the cloth diaper being passed around, cloth is soft and cushy.
Cloth is Easy
Hard to believe, but THIS is the cloth diaper system our grandparents used;
Cloth is CUTE!
Once you start using cloth, it is so easy to become addicted! I can actually blow a couple hours looking at different diaper styles and cover patterns, searching for a killer deal from someone who is selling off their diapers now that their kids are potty trained. Luckily, I tend to have good self-control and stop myself from actually BUYING the things I find. There are so many different styles, fabrics, designs, and embellishments. My mother has called me a “diaper snob” but honestly, in the summer, seeing a baby in a cute patterned cover is so much nicer than seeing a baby in a paper, saggy mess.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Moby Comment of the Day
As PrincesS is happily observing the surroundings and starting to look sleepy.
Mainstream thinking at its best. *sigh*
"Don't you have a stroller?"
(She was sleeping soundly 10mins later and slept thru the entire laundry wash-dry-fold cycle.)Mainstream thinking at its best. *sigh*
Monday, November 22, 2010
What happened to penmanship and basic math?
I can't believe it, but Craz-E will be 3 years old in 7wks! Where did my little baby go?
So, with him turning 3, I've found myself starting to look at preschools and school districts. I never understood the importance of checking the school district when looking for a place to live. Now I do!
I was talking with some other moms a few weeks ago and one of them said that they know of a student in 6th grade who can't do simple math without a calculator and can't write on paper with a pencil. The school just doesn't teach penmanship or basic math. They put children in front of computers at age 6 - first grade!
I remember HATING penmanship lessons - the writing sentences over and over and over. I always gripped my pencil too tight and all thru school I had a dent on the side of my finger where the pencil sat. And it kind of bothers me to realize that I no longer have that dent because I hardly ever write anything on paper anymore.
But regardless of whether or not I actually DO write on paper, the simple fact of the matter is that I know HOW to do so.
And math! Oh how I hated math in elementary school! For me it was a form of torture. Unlike most of my peers, I just couldn't memorize the tables we were given. I eventually taught myself (with tremendous help from my mom) little tricks to get thru the tests and actually still use the tricks as an adult. I was so over-the-moon happy when I got to Junior High and we could use calculators. Once I had a calculator in hand, I actually started to enjoy math.
But it appears that schools are giving children calculators in elementary school. They no longer have to learn basic math.
What happens when these kids have to write a check? Or fill out paperwork for a job? Are we that dependent on computers and technology these days that we honestly think that it will eventually eliminate the need for pen and paper entirely?
So, with him turning 3, I've found myself starting to look at preschools and school districts. I never understood the importance of checking the school district when looking for a place to live. Now I do!
I was talking with some other moms a few weeks ago and one of them said that they know of a student in 6th grade who can't do simple math without a calculator and can't write on paper with a pencil. The school just doesn't teach penmanship or basic math. They put children in front of computers at age 6 - first grade!
I remember HATING penmanship lessons - the writing sentences over and over and over. I always gripped my pencil too tight and all thru school I had a dent on the side of my finger where the pencil sat. And it kind of bothers me to realize that I no longer have that dent because I hardly ever write anything on paper anymore.
But regardless of whether or not I actually DO write on paper, the simple fact of the matter is that I know HOW to do so.
And math! Oh how I hated math in elementary school! For me it was a form of torture. Unlike most of my peers, I just couldn't memorize the tables we were given. I eventually taught myself (with tremendous help from my mom) little tricks to get thru the tests and actually still use the tricks as an adult. I was so over-the-moon happy when I got to Junior High and we could use calculators. Once I had a calculator in hand, I actually started to enjoy math.
But it appears that schools are giving children calculators in elementary school. They no longer have to learn basic math.
What happens when these kids have to write a check? Or fill out paperwork for a job? Are we that dependent on computers and technology these days that we honestly think that it will eventually eliminate the need for pen and paper entirely?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Things that make me "weird"
Recently, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was being judged by a "mainstreamer" because of an opinion I voiced. It really bothered me that my OPINION, that was clearly labeled as just that, was grounds for someone else to comment on with their opinion in a way that made me feel like the way I do things is "wrong".
So here I am making a list of the things I do that some may see as "weird" or "wrong" as well as a few things that I feel very strongly about.
Please don't comment to tell me I'm "damaging" my children. I am a researcher by nature. Before I had children, I looked things up to learn new stuff for FUN. Now that I have little lives that I am responsible for shaping, I do more research. I have not made any decision about how I'm raising my children lightly. There is a lot of research and thought behind everything.
Please do not take anything in this series as a personal attack on your choices. Everyone is allowed to have their own choices and beliefs. If nothing else, please use this post as a way to open your mind to other possibilities.
This first post is just my list / index. In the coming days (or more likely weeks or months) I'll post my detailed explanations and edit here to link to each one.
First, the things I feel very strongly about.
defend discuss my points.
So here I am making a list of the things I do that some may see as "weird" or "wrong" as well as a few things that I feel very strongly about.
Please don't comment to tell me I'm "damaging" my children. I am a researcher by nature. Before I had children, I looked things up to learn new stuff for FUN. Now that I have little lives that I am responsible for shaping, I do more research. I have not made any decision about how I'm raising my children lightly. There is a lot of research and thought behind everything.
Please do not take anything in this series as a personal attack on your choices. Everyone is allowed to have their own choices and beliefs. If nothing else, please use this post as a way to open your mind to other possibilities.
This first post is just my list / index. In the coming days (or more likely weeks or months) I'll post my detailed explanations and edit here to link to each one.
First, the things I feel very strongly about.
- Circumcision
- Car Seat Safety / Extended Rear Facing
- Cry It Out (CIO) / Sleep Training / Controlled Crying
- Breastfeeding
- Cloth Diapers
- Babywearing
- Selective and Delayed Vaccinations
- Baby-Led Weaning / Feeding
- Co-Sleeping
- Medications (Tylenol, etc) / Chemicals
- Potty Training
- Spanking / Physical Punishment
- Getting Dirty / Germs
- Natural Childbirth
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Crunch - Explained
So I've been thinking lately about my "crunchy-ness" and WHY I'm crunchy in the areas that I am. There are really good reasons behind the way I do things. Really! There is! But I think there's also an underlying secret reason too. Let me explain....
Extended Breastfeeding
I breastfed Craz-E until he was 22months old and plan on going as long as PrincesS wants to.
Good Reason - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months of life and should continue to breastfeed for a year and for as long as is mutually desired by the mother and baby.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! Who wants to deal with sterilizing, mixing formula, toting around bottles and stressing over how much the baby is eating, waking up in the middle of the night to prep a bottle for midnight feeding!? With breastfeeding, its pre-mixed, no bottles necessary. We can run out the door and not worry if I've got a bottle packed in case we're out longer then expected.
Co-Sleeping
Craz-E has never spent more then 20 minutes in a crib in his life. PrincesS only sleeps in the Pack-N-Play for naps and at night until I go to bed as a safety measure after I caught Craz-E "playing" and he had piled all the bed pillows on her. But at night, they are both cuddled up with Mum and Dad in the Family Bed.
Good Reason - Dr Sears reports several findings on Co-Sleeping research that basically boils down to babies are happier and healthier when they are in a sleep-sharing environment, especially for the first year.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! Craz-E was an accidental co-sleeper. I couldn't get up fast enough when he was born to get to him in the bassinet due to a damaged tailbone during child-birth. So I just brought him into bed with us to make night-parenting easier. Of course, he was a fussy, high-needs baby and I ended up in the glider most nights anyhow. But once he got past the colic, co-sleeping was still easier then hearing him cry. But really, with breastfeeding and co-sleeping, I didn't actually have to wake up in the middle of the night. I got more sleep cause I wasn't having to physically get out of bed.
Baby-Led Weaning/Feeding
Craz-E started with a soft banana when he was about 5 months. I just put it on his tray and let him chase it around. He cornered it and kinda chewed on it for a few minutes. He very much enjoyed it! But I never did the spoon-feeding cereal or jars of pureed food.
Good Reason - It's natural and allows babies to grow into confident, skilled and happy eaters.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! I detested the idea of sitting in front of a highchair and shoveling purees into my baby's face just to scrape it off his chin and stick it back in his mouth. It made me frustrated just thinking about it. You see it on TV - mom or dad is spoon-feeding baby, baby flings pureed peas and it splats mom or dad in the face. That was just NOT my idea of "cute dinner-time activities. With BLW, I was free to eat my dinner in peace while Craz-E happily played with whatever I gave him from my plate. I didn't worry about what he was ingesting cause he was still breastfeeding and getting all the nutrients he needed from that. BLW was just EASIER!
Of course, there are a few areas of my "crunch" that seem to be contra-indicative of my Laziness.
Cloth Diapering involves extra laundry and just throwing away a disposable would be way easier. But for all the other benefits, a few extra loads of laundry are worth it to me.
Baby-Wearing is a work-out, carrying around an ever-increasing weight on my chest or back. I could use a stroller exclusively and it would be a lot less work. But having PrincesS safely strapped to my chest just kinda makes sense. I still use the stroller but mostly so if I have to chase after Craz-E I don't have worry about dropping PrincesS.
So there you go. My family sees me as "weird" for some of my parenting choices. But when it comes down to it, it's just cause I'm LAZY. ;-)
Extended Breastfeeding
I breastfed Craz-E until he was 22months old and plan on going as long as PrincesS wants to.
Good Reason - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months of life and should continue to breastfeed for a year and for as long as is mutually desired by the mother and baby.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! Who wants to deal with sterilizing, mixing formula, toting around bottles and stressing over how much the baby is eating, waking up in the middle of the night to prep a bottle for midnight feeding!? With breastfeeding, its pre-mixed, no bottles necessary. We can run out the door and not worry if I've got a bottle packed in case we're out longer then expected.
Co-Sleeping
Craz-E has never spent more then 20 minutes in a crib in his life. PrincesS only sleeps in the Pack-N-Play for naps and at night until I go to bed as a safety measure after I caught Craz-E "playing" and he had piled all the bed pillows on her. But at night, they are both cuddled up with Mum and Dad in the Family Bed.
Good Reason - Dr Sears reports several findings on Co-Sleeping research that basically boils down to babies are happier and healthier when they are in a sleep-sharing environment, especially for the first year.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! Craz-E was an accidental co-sleeper. I couldn't get up fast enough when he was born to get to him in the bassinet due to a damaged tailbone during child-birth. So I just brought him into bed with us to make night-parenting easier. Of course, he was a fussy, high-needs baby and I ended up in the glider most nights anyhow. But once he got past the colic, co-sleeping was still easier then hearing him cry. But really, with breastfeeding and co-sleeping, I didn't actually have to wake up in the middle of the night. I got more sleep cause I wasn't having to physically get out of bed.
Baby-Led Weaning/Feeding
Craz-E started with a soft banana when he was about 5 months. I just put it on his tray and let him chase it around. He cornered it and kinda chewed on it for a few minutes. He very much enjoyed it! But I never did the spoon-feeding cereal or jars of pureed food.
Good Reason - It's natural and allows babies to grow into confident, skilled and happy eaters.
Secret Reason - I'm LAZY! I detested the idea of sitting in front of a highchair and shoveling purees into my baby's face just to scrape it off his chin and stick it back in his mouth. It made me frustrated just thinking about it. You see it on TV - mom or dad is spoon-feeding baby, baby flings pureed peas and it splats mom or dad in the face. That was just NOT my idea of "cute dinner-time activities. With BLW, I was free to eat my dinner in peace while Craz-E happily played with whatever I gave him from my plate. I didn't worry about what he was ingesting cause he was still breastfeeding and getting all the nutrients he needed from that. BLW was just EASIER!
Of course, there are a few areas of my "crunch" that seem to be contra-indicative of my Laziness.
Cloth Diapering involves extra laundry and just throwing away a disposable would be way easier. But for all the other benefits, a few extra loads of laundry are worth it to me.
Baby-Wearing is a work-out, carrying around an ever-increasing weight on my chest or back. I could use a stroller exclusively and it would be a lot less work. But having PrincesS safely strapped to my chest just kinda makes sense. I still use the stroller but mostly so if I have to chase after Craz-E I don't have worry about dropping PrincesS.
So there you go. My family sees me as "weird" for some of my parenting choices. But when it comes down to it, it's just cause I'm LAZY. ;-)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Welcome!
This is my first blog and, even tho it's a school assignment, I'm pretty excited to be starting it. For now this will be just for school purposes but I'm hoping once I'm no longer REQUIRED to post, that I will continue to do so on my own.
I guess I would start with a little about who I am.....
I am a 33yo stay-at-home-mom to two beautiful children, Craz-E is just shy of 3yo and PrincesS was born in July of this year. I have been married to a wonderful man who drives me nuts for almost 4yrs. My life has been a series of crazy moments and even crazier decisions since we got together. If nothing else, we'll have a bunch of exciting stories to tell our grandchildren one day. Maybe I'll post those here soon.
As I said, I'm a stay-at-home mom right now. I left the work-force in 2007 when I moved to England and became a house-wife while expecting Craz-E. Prior to that, I worked as a "Warranty Coordinator" for a swimming pool construction company in Phoenix, AZ. I loved my job and sometimes miss it even tho it was incredibly stressful.
I plan on staying home to raise my children until the youngest is in school. At this point, it will be another 5 years before I return to the work-force full time.
I realized this year that I was coming up on the 10-year limit on how long you can be absent from taking classes before you lose your credits towards your degree. So even tho I knew I'd have my plate pretty full with having a new baby and a toddler in the throws of the Terrible Twos, I decided I was to close to finishing my degree to let it all get lost. So after almost 10 years out of the classroom, I re-enrolled.
So that's a little about Me. I hope you will stick around to follow along as I complete my first semester back to college and hopefully beyond.
I guess I would start with a little about who I am.....
I am a 33yo stay-at-home-mom to two beautiful children, Craz-E is just shy of 3yo and PrincesS was born in July of this year. I have been married to a wonderful man who drives me nuts for almost 4yrs. My life has been a series of crazy moments and even crazier decisions since we got together. If nothing else, we'll have a bunch of exciting stories to tell our grandchildren one day. Maybe I'll post those here soon.
As I said, I'm a stay-at-home mom right now. I left the work-force in 2007 when I moved to England and became a house-wife while expecting Craz-E. Prior to that, I worked as a "Warranty Coordinator" for a swimming pool construction company in Phoenix, AZ. I loved my job and sometimes miss it even tho it was incredibly stressful.
I plan on staying home to raise my children until the youngest is in school. At this point, it will be another 5 years before I return to the work-force full time.
I realized this year that I was coming up on the 10-year limit on how long you can be absent from taking classes before you lose your credits towards your degree. So even tho I knew I'd have my plate pretty full with having a new baby and a toddler in the throws of the Terrible Twos, I decided I was to close to finishing my degree to let it all get lost. So after almost 10 years out of the classroom, I re-enrolled.
So that's a little about Me. I hope you will stick around to follow along as I complete my first semester back to college and hopefully beyond.
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