Question by *Eric’s Wife* \m/^_^\m/: Am I the only mom in the world who doesn’t go ‘Organic’ or follow baby trends?
So it seems I am an old-fashioned thinker or something. I read What to expect along with a lot of other baby books, magazines, and internet sites, and frankly- I don’t follow the trend. I use a crib bumper, I don’t do baby wear. I tried to breastfeed but it didn’t work out, so I use formula. I don’t buy organic ANYTHING (unless it’s on sale and cheaper than what I usually would get- but that has yet to happen). I use disposable diapers, and i do a host of other things that would probably make most mommies cringe- like not wash a brand new outfit before putting it on baby!
I have 4 cousins that have babies, and they do everything by the book… Everything from buying all the ‘right’ baby essentials, to making homemade baby food. Cloth diapering, organic clothes, wipes, food… for petes sake, one of them posted an article about how Johnson & johnson products are unsafe and contain formeldyhide! *sigh*
So ranting aside.. is there anyone.. ANYONE who is like me and loves and takes care of their children, uses common sense, but doesn’t follow the trends or the hype?
Please tell me I’m not alone!
I guess I should explain.. it’s not that I am against anything per se, it’s just i have chosen wheat I think works best for my family, and most of the time, what I think is best isn’t what the ‘experts’ believe is best. Oh well.. to each his own. i just can’t stand getting repremanded for my choices when they are just that- CHOICES!
PS- Yes, I do research on things when something comes into question, but usually (such as in the J&J thing) I blow if off as media hype.
I guess I should explain.. it’s not that I am against anything per se, it’s just i have chosen what I think works best for my family, and most of the time, what I think is best isn’t what the ‘experts’ believe is best. Oh well.. to each his own. i just can’t stand getting repremanded for my choices when they are just that- CHOICES! *** Why am I explaining myself anyways hahaha***
PS- Yes, I do research on things when something comes into question, but usually (such as in the J&J thing) I blow if off as media hype.
♥Riyen’s Mom: no, I don’t think I am at all better than anyone! In fact, quite the opposite, I feel like I am somehow lost in the mix because i don’t always understand the new ‘rules’ to parenting. To me, some things just don’t make sense. And if it doesn’t make sense, I don’t do it until it does. Why is it any mom who disagrees with me on here says something to put me down? I have never said anything bad about anyone or anything.
Best answer:
Answer by Alyssa’s Mommy
Amen!! I don’t buy organic anything, I use disposable diapers, I formula feed and I use Johnson and Johnson! I am pretty uptight about certain things, but I don’t think I have become a “trendy”mom. Not that it’s a bad thing at all to buy organic, cloth diaper, etc…it’s just not my thing. My daughter is happy, healthy and most of all loved by me and her dad and that’s really all that matters:)
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
OK this question is just annoying. I use disposable diapers and am not crazy type A mom. However I do make my own organic baby food. Not only because it is good for baby (because you can buy organic baby food at the store) BUT also because it is a MILLION times cheaper than even the most generic store brand. I also wash clothes before my children wear them but that is just because who knows WHO touched them etc. before I bought them. eew I do read things about all kinds of baby products and take them into consideration, but I’m not at all a hard core germaphobe or worrier or whatever. Everyone is different.
Add: I also breast feed. BUT again, not only because it is best for my baby, but it’s FREE and I don’t have to spend $27 a can every few days.
i think you are more mainstream in regards to how *most* mothers parent their new babies. this new “hype” or various “trends” are actually not the majority, it just seems that way because more and more mamas are changing their ways. and imo it has nothing to do with trying to be trendy, it is all about making conscious decisions for our babies. now that more information is available with the internet and parenting forums, really important and wonderful information is making its way to new parents, who share it with others.
all i can say is, don’t just assume anything when it comes to the care of your baby. people are starting to realize that the “experts” often have ulterior motives, and just because something is marketed for babies doesn’t mean it’s actually safe for babies
information is freedom!
i’m not trying to put your mothering down, but i really think you should consider what all the “hype” is about – people are passionate about this stuff for a reason~
ME! the only thing on your list i do do is wash all the clothes before i let my kids wear them, but i do that for myself too,to kinda loosen them up. to me new clothes a stiff, especially jeans. I personally dont have time to make homemade baby food, or the extra laundry that cloth diapers would create. anything organic is way too expensive. i breastfed both my kids for 2 weeks and quit. they got the antibodies they needed and i didnt have to alter my diet for a year. I’ve alwasy used johnson and johnson. i have a husband, a 2yo, a 4mo, and a third baby on the way. my mom never used wny of that on me and i’m still alive and well. now bring on the TD!!!
I don’t throw much effort into organic or “green” at all. The idea makes me roll my eyes.
I used disposable diapers, buy fresh produce but it’s not necessarily organic, and I buy regular clothing, not organic.
I mean if you want to live that way go for it, it’s just not for me at all!
If breastfeeding doesn’t work what are you suppose to do? Let you child starve because the only alternative is evil formula? Recent food recalls have proven that organic is not always safer or healthier than plain ol’ Gerber food. I LOVE Johnson’s bath products. However, I also like Aveeno because it seems to be more moisturizing for extremely dry and red skin. Do what works for you!!!!
While I do breastfeed, I also co-sleep and do all sorts of other things I know for a fact a lot of mothers don’t agree with. I’ve never been a “by the book” type of person…I do like to do a lot of research but there is conflicting information out there about damn near everything, so I take it all with a grain of salt and rely mostly on my own common sense and judgement.
I have family members who are like your cousins…”dependent” is how I think of them because they can’t seem to make a decision for themselves. They either take the words of their own mothers as law, or rely completely on pediatricians and books.
I use my common sense but there are times when i have a question and i ask. But i do wash every new outfit for my daughter ewww.. you never know who touch that certain outfit or if the store is that clean or it could have fallen in the floor..
And i use disposable diapers, i breastfed for four months then i gave her formula.
No i don’t follow every rule of the book or else i won’t learn.
No we don’t eat all organic but we do try to eat healthy. And i think its best to make home made food cuz you know what is actually going into your baby food etc!!
I breastfed as long as I could, which for me, was about 6 weeks. My son has been on formula most of his life, until the last two months, which he’s been on milk. I tried the homemade babyfood thing, buying jars was easier. I do NOT even want to think about using cloth diapers, although, that one I somewhat agree with just for the sake of the environment.
Either way, you’re not wrong for doing this, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I know a 40 year old woman with a 2 year old who does EVERYTHING by the “book” as far as a trendy (I call them elitist) mom goes. But you know what else? She also gives her daughter Benedryl REGULARLY to “calm her down.”
So…no one’s perfect.
My daughter is now 21 months but, i am with you. Disposable diapers, formula (mainly due to milk allergy & lack of Breast milk) She has always had a crib bumper and a small stuffed animal in her crib. She part time co sleeps, I hold her all she wants, She had real table food around 9 months and never went back, We let her eat fries at McDonald’s every few weeks. We let her watch Elmo and Mickey mouse on tv. I am enjoying BEING a mom, not reading about how to be a DIFFERENT mom.
Here I am. I do buy organic grapes because of the pesticide, but nothing else. Organic is a gimmick. I went to Lowes and they had organic dirt for sale. How much of a gimmick is that? How about the organic cow manure beside it. Most of the time organic is a ploy to make the stupid who spend too much feel smarter.
It’s kinda like cliques in high school.
I do not follow trends or books, or do everything by the book. But I am the opposite of you. We all do what makes sense to US and what feels right to US and what comes naturally to US. For me, I choose to use cloth diapers most of the time (use disposable at night and when traveling), I use all-natural skin and bath care on my children, they eat healthy, they get outside all the time, they rarely watch TV (my one year old never does), I avoid J&J products and LÓreal products because they are toxic, I breastfeed, I don’t let me babies CIO, we don’t eat organic food (occasionally), I wash my baby’s (and my own) clothes before they wear them, I made my own babyfood most of the time, I feed my baby one bottle of formula a day in addition to breastfeeding, my 3 year old goes to daycare two days a week, my one year old will be going to daycare full time in September, i use a crib bumper and blankets, I baby wear, etc. etc.
So yes, I love to take care of my children, I use common sense, I follow no trends and read no books and listen to my own instincts and ignore hype. But I do things very differently from you.
EDIT – BTW, there is no single “book” about parenting. There are millions of books full of conflicting information. Even experts can’t agree. Some experts advocate sleep training, others don’t. Some advocate CIO, others don’t. Some advocate co-sleeping, others don’t. Etc. etc.
Just because someone parents differently from you, does that mean they follow “the book” but you don’t? I guess it depends on which book you read.
FURTHER EDIT – babywearing, cloth diapers, cosleeping, etc. are by no means “fads” or hype. Those things are how the rest of the world parents their children well into their preschool years and how things were done for millions of years before industrialization. Women in 3rd world countries do not have access to formula or disposable diapers. And they carry their children/babies everywhere, and sleep with them.
No u are not the only one. Although I do hear and listen to the reason behind some of these new “trends” i do not follow them all.
I did breastfeed my son but I recetnly stopped b/c now that I am back at work it was to hard to pump. I do use crib bumper pads but my son hardly sleeps in there as I let him sleep with us in the bed on my chest. I use Johnson & Johnson …etc…..
I think it’s important to listen to the reasoning behind these trends and then make your own decision based on the facts and your own gut feeling!!
Keep doing what your doing if it works for u and baby
I think that you are like a majority of most mothers. I don’t know anyone who cloth diapers, does organic clothes, wipes and food. I would LOVE to be able to do all of that but it gets more pricey to go organic.
I breastfeed and I’ve made cloth diapers for my son, but never had the time to keep up with them, they were much better on his bum because he had sensitive skin. As for making your own food, it is like a gillion times cheaper, same with making your own wipes.
I don’t really get annoyed with how people raise their kids as long as they aren’t trying to tell me I’m doing a bad job.
If I read something about formaldehyde in my child’s soap I WOULD STOP using it…why would I keep that up? I don’t know, I just think this rant is a little annoying because you’re acting like you’re better than they are or like you are or something.
I don’t disagree with how you raise your child at all, I think you should re read how you say things, you sound like you are being judgmental with all of your ‘for petes sakes’ and *sighs*. That’s why people have an attitude with you, not because of the way you chose to parent, your attitude says you think you’re better than your cousins whether you feel that way or not!
Yay, I thought I was the only one.
I don’t buy organic, except when it is cheaper (rare but has happened), I make my own baby food, not because it is better, but because it is cheaper and I’m already cooking, I weaned my daughter at 17 weeks, because I though she was ready and I use disposables, because I don’t want to wash dirty nappies when I can just throw them away.
Common sense always rules in my house! I read books, listen to advise then follow my heart (usually doing what I shouldn’t lol) and my daughter is happy and healthy, so I can’t be doing a bad job.
Edit: and I tried breast feeding and hated it – formula works just fine.
I’m all about … “Whatever works, works.”
I used formula for both my kids, they wore hand-me-downs, they wear their jammies all day if we don’t go anywhere, I tried making homemade baby food – took too long – so they ate jarred foods, they both LOVED their walker (walkers are highly frowned upon), I use the Cry it out method, I taught them if they pick their nose, they totally have to eat it, they drink kool-aid and eat cookies and you know what, they are the most perfectly behaved kids you will ever meet and have much respect for life and other people.
If it’s convenient, than we do it. And I have to say is, I am an amazing mother! Just because we don’t “fancy” everything does not mean we don’t kiss their boo-boos, wipe their butt, pull boogers from their nose, wipe their tears when they are sad or provide a loving home with food and warm clothes, as any mother would. We are just as loving and nurturing as any other mom who buys organic and uses cloth diapers!!
I love my parenting style and I’m proud to say that I do not follow the trend.
You do what’s best for you and what works for you and that’s the most important thing.
I’m 29 weeks along and already I know I’m not doing all of what you mentioned–it’s not always practical and can be costly and really I don’t want to. I think most mothers are like you though and “experts” have a tendency to be self-serving and are trying to promote their own agendas. I think that we’ve been inundated with too much information and a lot of it is conflicting and instead of using common sense or what works, many mothers follow what they read.
I know a few months ago, a movie called Babies came out that followed mothers and their children (all the same age) from different countriest to illustrate the differences and similarities in mothering and child-rearing across cultures. What came out of it was a realization that mothers in America are the most stressed, overly paranoid mothers in the world because we too easily buy into what we read and the newest recommendations hence moms insisting everything be organic and looking down on those that don’t make their own food and even down to enrolling kids WAY too young in classes. I think mothers today need to learn how to let their kids be kids and I find a lot of these trends go against that.
Continue doing what you’re doing if it works–our moms did it too and we turned out fine.
“I read What to expect along with a lot of other baby books, magazines, and internet sites… I use a crib bumper, I don’t do baby wear. I tried to breastfeed but it didn’t work out, so I use formula. I don’t buy organic… I use disposable diapers”
I am hard-pressed to imagine a _more_ mainstream description of a 2010 American mother.
I also use bumper pads (well not anymore because she can get herself up now so I know she’ll use them to climb out lol.
I don’t buy organic, I made her baby food but she also go some jarred food and I breastfeed but I had to supplement with formula the first 8 weeks of her life, and then my milk really came in and she weaned herself off of the bottle.
I just do what I feel is right for my daughter and I am in the mind frame of she can eat dirt, just don’t complain to me when it taste bad lol
But I figure to each their own
I don’t consider myself a “trend follower”. I don’t see how going as natural as possible can be a “trend” when it’s something that’s been done for centuries. Homemade baby food? Cloth diapers? Goodness, no!
I breastfed. I don’t see breastfeeding as “trend” by any means. Can you explain this? Also, any food I give my daughter has been grown on my own property, as people did generations ago. I wouldn’t consider it “organic”…it’s better than organic. It was grown in my backyard. And it tastes 100% better than anything in any grocery store. This is not something I decided to do one day…I grew up on a farm, so it’s a way of life for me. It’s not a trend.
I’m not trying to attack you or anything, you’re certainly welcome to your own opinions. But your opinions really have me confused. To me, the only trends that exist are the ones that big corporations have convinced us that we can’t live without, like disposable diapers, over-processed baby foods, and ridiculous additives to the wash that you so fervently defend. Where was Johnson’s baby wash 200 years ago? Nowhere. What did parents use to bath their babies? Natural products? You bet. Yet these same natural products are now considered following a trend of some sort.
So to me, the only “trends” are the trends of formula, disposable diapers, and anything else made by a big, faceless corporation, which were all completely absent 100+ years ago.
I’m kind of like you. I formula feed, I use bumpers, I use disposable diapers, I do baby wear but only to a certain extent, I don’t wash all things before my daughter wears them and I do not waste money on organic foods. Why? because its what works for me.
I was/am a breastfeeding co sleeping baby wearing mommy of a 14 month old. I didn’t wash her clothes before she wore them. Never made baby food because opening a jar… so much easier!!! I buy organic when it’s convenient or available within means. I won’t go out of my way to get it tho. I use J&J products. Disposable diapers because cloth is a hassel! That kinda stuff.
Now with my next one that I’m 8 weeks prego with, co sleeping will not be viable. Breastfeeding as long as I can… which may only be 3-6 months… washing the clothing before use (because of what others mentioned), still not going to make baby food or use cloth diapers, getting a few more organic things just because I wanna, using Baby Magic or aveeno for this one.
Chaning slightly, but just doing what works and is convenient…
I have a crib with a bumper but we co-sleep cause that’s how it worked out. I baby wear often cause a lot of the time it’s easier to not have to maneuver the stroller around in stores and such. If he is sick he won’t stay in the stroller anyways. I breastfeed b/c it’s free, better for baby and I enjoy it. I buy whatever at the grocery store organic or not, but I don’t buy stuff with tons of preservatives cause, ewww. I mostly make my own baby food. It only takes me about 2 hours a month for a month of food. I use cloth diapers b/c they are cheaper in the long run, just as easy as disposables, I have enough that I only do 1 extra laundry load a week. i do use disposables at night b/c they last longer. They are also a million times better for the environment, very important, we have to spend the rest of our lives living here. I try to wash new clothes but it doesn’t always happen. I don’t use Johnson & Johnson products or others that contain chemicals.
I wouldn’t call you an old-fashioned thinker b/c things like cloth diapers, natural soaps, baby wearing, organic food etc were around before all the conveniences they have now. Such as disposable diapers.
You are free to make your own choices and I don’t judge. I also love and take care of my son
I’d never be an “organic mom”. I see no point in it. I’ve seen babies raised both way and the only difference is the organic baby usually costs more.
I am exactly the same. I tried to breastfeed, it didn’t work out so I switched to formula. I don’t buy organic unless it is cheaper than what I would normally buy and I use disposable nappies. I have nothing against mothers who exclusively breastfeed, only eat organic and use organic products and who use cloth nappies. They have their way of doing things, I have mine. What does annoy me is when people think they are better mothers for it. I’m not saying that all of them look down on those who don’t do things the same way, but SOME of them do.
Personally I don’t get the the whole cloth diapering thing and yes, I have tried it. I found it to be nothing more than a waste of time, but that’s just ME. Every family has different things that work for them. All that matters is that the children are fed and that they live in a safe, happy and loving environment.