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Are You a Crunchy Cloth-Diapering Mom?

Lately I've been thinking about you. Yes, that's right. YOU. All of you cloth-diapering moms who who have "liked" Thirsties on
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Facebook and have often commented on my blogs. Ok, ok, I know I am not being PC and I really should be asking "Are you are crunchy cloth-diapering parent?"  I don't want to leave dads out, but since I am pretty sure most of you are indeed moms, I'll take the risk. Now, when I ask if you are a crunchy mom, I don't mean "Do you wear long skirts, layered-tanks tops, have unshaven legs and wear Birkenstocks?" (But if you do, that's cool!) What I am really wondering is this: Are cloth-diapering families more likely to recycle, to garden, to eat organic and local, to walk or ride bikes instead of driving? Are they more likely to compost and garden, to make home-made baby food, to co-sleep, to breastfeed, to wear their babies? Or are cloth-diapering moms just as diverse as disposable-diapering families? So what I'd like is this--I'd love to hear how you compare to the stereo-typical Crunchy Cloth-Diapering Mom and if you are the polar opposite, I want to hear that too! There is no judgement here--we all have parent and diapering in common--but it's fun to hear our differences once in a while too. I'll go first.
  • Well, first of all, I do shave my legs--though many a time, I've gotten out of the shower and discovered that I shaved the same leg twice because I was interrupted by a child. No one ever interrupts my husband while he is shaving. Hmmmmm.....strange.
  • I don't own Birkenstocks but I used to in college...now I wear flip flops all summer and my Dansko clogs all winter (I think those are kind of crunchy).
  • I rarely wear make-up because I never go anywhere very exciting and I certainly don't have an extra five minutes in the morning to put any on--but honestly, I probably should. These days I am lucky if I leave the house with a bra on.
  • I am an avid recycler. I cringe when I see plastic or glass in the trash. It weighs too heavily on my conscience. In fact, we were recently out of state and  went to a game a huge sports arena. I was horrified by the fact that every single bottle, can and cup was thrown in the trash. Boulder is big on recycling and it's become a bit of an obsession with me.
  • We do have a small garden, we do NOT compost (I am not crunchy enough to tolerate the sugar ants it attracted even though I had in a sealed container!).
  • I have co-slept with all three of my children for varying amounts of time. Cooper is finally in his own room which is wonderful because I couldn't stand the crooked neck from nursing all night any longer!
  • My husband does ride his bike to work when he can, but I have to admit, I am all about the car these days. I just can't get anywhere with all three any other way.
  • I do NOT make my own baby food. Again, it's the time thing--or at least that's my excuse--but I have nursed all three for a minimum of 16 months.
  • We eat organic and local when we can--but it is pricey and I have to take that into account.
All in all, I think maybe I am about Half-Crunchy.  What about you? Remember, no judgements here. Our differences can unite us if we are tolerant of others!
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54 comments

  • We used to recycle, trying to get the DH back into it! lol
    We just move to a new home, so no garden either. I love to garden and raise my own farm animals. In the next few years we will be back into it.
    I shave legs once a month, maybe. I just dont have the time!!
    We co sleep and breast feed. I am also attempting baby led weaning.
    Not big on organic, but I try to buy local if it fits into our budget.
    We live very rural, so walking and bike riding isnt much of an option here. But I do walk 2 miles with the baby almost every day!
    Ive never been big on wearing make up, I do for special occasions tho.

    Amanda on
  • I guess I would consider myself semi-crunchy. I was planning on making baby food since my youngest is almost 6 months old, but someone loaned me a book on Baby Led Weaning, where purees are not used so I will give that a try. Currently she is exclusively breastfed. I also nursed my older child for a year. We started a vegetable garden this spring and my husband is going to make me a clothesline so I dry our cloth diapers outside on sunny days. I have been cloth diapering since my youngest was about 3 months old. I also recently started using cloth wipes.

    I have a pair of Kombu sandals that I absolutely love and wear all the time. They are very comfortable for running errands and taking the kids out to the park. We also recycle and it sometimes irks me when my husband throws am empty sauce jar in the trash so I end up having to take it out and rinse it for recycling.

    Jasmine on
  • I don’t think I am even semi-crunchy! LOL We CDed and will CD our next baby (if I can ever conceive!) primarily because it is cheaper. I wanted to make my own baby food with dd (when she was a baby) but just couldn’t find the time btwn work and taking care of her. We do co-sleep and I don’t see that changing anytime soon – both dh and I like having her close to us. I nursed her until she was 10 months and I was pregnant 2-3 months before I was supposed to be and had to stop on my OB’s recommendation (dd was a c-section). We sadly lost that baby girl at 30 wks. My oldest was nursed until he was 13-14 months and he weened himself. I nursed because it was easier and better for my babies. I just started getting into the long skirts and dresses (you wouldn’t have caught me in one 2 years ago…or any dress/skirt for that matter) but because I discovered they are comfortable and they cover up my ugly legs. LOL what are Birkenstocks?!?!?! LOL

    Amanda Alvarado on
  • Wishing to be a bit more crunchy.
    We have a garden, never use pesticide (had to sprinkle talcum powder on plants to repel deer one year.)
    We compost & have the fruit flies to prove it ;)
    Recycle and cringe when I see people throwing away cans & glass.
    Am phobic about microwaving plastic.
    Buy organic baby food until she’s old enough to eat what we’re eating, just blended up.
    Cloth diapering and nursing.
    But we drive everywhere because we pretty much live in the country. My car is a v6
    I can’t afford Birkenstocks, definitely shave legs :D
    The only co-sleeping I’ve done is having the bassinet by the bed for the first 3.5 months.
    I rarely can afford to buy organic, but I try to buy local as much as possible.

    Kendra Seagraves on
  • I am crunchy and proud of it.

    I do shave my legs but not as often as I should.
    I don’t own Birkenstocks, if I’m home I’m barefoot, in the yard I have a pair of junkers and for out and about I’ve got pink Nike running shoes.
    I almost never wear make-up. And when I do it’s Covergirl NatureLux mascara and Burt’s Bees tinted chapstick.
    A normal outfit for me is a pair of yoga pants & a nursing tank with my hair pulled back.
    I nurse constantly. My 3 month old boy is a little piglet.
    I am the lady with the overflowing recycling can & half empty small trash can.
    I love my garden. I built our compost container. My chickens love to pick through it for “goodies.”
    I co-slept with all three of my babies. My girls (2 & 4) are in their own room now but still end up in my bed at least twice a week each. My boy is 3 months old so he’ll be in the bed at least until he sleeps through the night.
    I am a huge intactivist.
    We have only 1 car & my hubby works 45 minutes away so I get to walk my big girl to school, rain or shine. Other than that I don’t really leave the house much.
    I make my own baby food but I mostly just feed them whatever I’m eating after using my immersion blender on it.
    We eat mostly organic food. I’m on extremely limited diet right now (no dairy, no gluten, no soy, no nuts, no shellfish) to try and figure out what is going on with my little one. His intestine are not happy. So organic fruits & veggies are my best friends! We buy from our local farmers market when we can.
    I wear my boy all the time. My hubby rolls his eyes at me when I’m on the toilet with the baby in my Moby but I just like having him close to me. I’ve never heard anyone say “I wish I’d held them less” when they are grown.

    Kristie on

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