Confessions of a Not-So-Crunchy Mom

Crunchy mom (n): a mom who practices natural living.

What’s less-than-crunchy? Not mushy. Crunchy-ish? Crispy? Chewy? Ok, now I’m getting hungry. I’m sure there’s a technical term for it, but to keep things simple, I am sometimes crunchy.

I started out pretty crunchy…

Breastfeeding: Well, I didn’t plan to breastfeed, but it somehow worked out. We made it to the one-year mark (yay!) thanks to the help of supplemental formula feeding (double yay!).

Baby-wearing: This kept my sanity. I strapped my son to me so I could have both hands free to throw things in washer/dryer/crockpot, work on grad school homework, and click the “Continue Watching” button while simultaneously shoving chocolate chip cookies in my mouth. Honestly, I loved wearing my baby.

Co-sleeping: Again, we didn’t plan to co-sleep; it just happened (I hope you’re picking up on a trend here). I blame the convenience of not having to walk my little squishy baby all the way to his bedroom each time we finished feeding.

Making homemade, organic baby food: My Baby Bullet was ready to go as soon as it was time for my son to eat solids. I chopped, steamed, and pureed it all — rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, applesauce. I had plans to GROW my own food, but the dead plant on my kitchen counter served as a reminder that I have a not-so-green thumb.

Now, not so much…

A request for a “snuggle cuddle” will stop me dead in my tracks. However, I am not a jungle gym. I do not enjoy being climbed on, up, or over. Sometimes mom needs a don’t-touch-me break which means baby-wearing lasted until he could walk at a reasonable speed.

Having my son co-sleep wasn’t that big of a deal. We were tired, and he was a night owl, so it made sense to get him to sleep as quickly and easily as possible. Now that he’s taller and can somehow take up 90% of the bed, our co-sleeping days are over. Without going into the gory details, I’ll say that he stays in bed with a good bit of kicking and screaming.

Once we moved past the baby food stage, I really thought my son would eat what we ate for dinner. Turns out, he does not care for everything I cook. Full disclosure: my child currently lives on a turkey sandwich and Oreos diet. Ah, how the mighty have fallen.

At the end of the day, do what works best for you.

When I first had my son, it was HARD. Every decision that I make is in his best interest, and sometimes that means it’s a not-so-crunchy way of doing things. Yes, I breastfed and made homemade baby food. I’ve also fed him dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. The phrase “I did what I had to do to survive!!!” comes to mind. So, to all my crunchy moms – hats off to you. I tried, I failed, I’m owning it. To all other moms – solidarity, sisters. We are all doing a pretty awesome job.

Jaime Mackey
Originally from Florida, Jaime has lived in Southern Louisiana for most of her life (so, that makes her a local, right?). She currently resides on the Northshore with her husband and son and teaches high school English. An enneagram 5, you'll most likely find her doing hot yoga solo, on her phone researching a random topic or sitting in the comfort of her home with coffee and a book within an arm's reach.

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