How alternative is your alternative parenting? - Page 2

[saturnine25]

I don't consider myself to be super alternative, but the fact that I am still nursing a two-year old wierds a lot of people out around here. Also, the whole co-sleeping issue. The fact that dd doesn't have a bed in her room is "wierd." Our organic diet raises a few eyebrows, but not many. Believe it or not, the thing that REALLY made everyone think I was a freak was my homemade baby food. Family members are still talking about it......:

[Daffodil]

Originally posted by Leonor
Daffodil, you're very relaxed with accidents. I only tried once outside and he peed in a shop and I freaked out. No wonder you're so sucessful

The most stress-free way to do it, I think, is to have the baby wear diapers (while still doing EC) until you get to the point where you're so confident you know when they're going to need to pee that going diaperless doesn't even feel like a big deal. (Of course, no matter how confident you are, you're still going to get surprised sometimes; that's when being relaxed comes in handy )

[Daffodil]

Believe it or not, the thing that REALLY made everyone think I was a freak was my homemade baby food. Family members are still talking about it......:

Hey, maybe I'm more alternative than I thought. My dd has never had jarred baby food. It seems silly to buy that stuff when you can just take something you have on hand and mash it up with a fork. I did buy her a couple boxes of those baby rice and oat cereals, but we never used much of it.

[LunaMom]

I don't think of myself as so alternative either, but the things I do (or have done) that make me stand out from the majority of moms I meet are:

1) I nursed for 15 months (self-weaned)

2) Junk food and sweets are not a regular part of my DD's diet

3) She watches no commercial television, and is unfamiliar with a lot of kids' pop culture

4) I buy mostly organic, whole foods and skip the whole middle of the supermarket!

5) I don't use punishment (other than a couple of slips here and there).

[somemama]

Nursing my toddler and keeping him intact.

[Heavenly]

Hmmm... well we are incredibly alternative compared to pretty much everyone I know but compared to some of the people on here we aren't.

Alterative:
DD will self-wean (she is 16 months - DS didn't nurse)
No vaccinations or well baby visits
mostly homeopathic medicine (I do use advil for the kids from time to time and Elijah has been on antibiotics twice due to an ear infection that lasted 2 months).
Homeschool (not unschool)
mostly healthy diet, not alot of sugar.
babywearing (not naked)
talk to our kids a lot, I can't believe so many people don't.
cloth diaper.
gentle discipline.

those are just the basics but like I said compared to everyone I know we are majorly alternative. Our not alternative things are:

We do use medicine sometimes.
We do use time-outs.
We are fairly strict in our discipline (not spanking).
Our kids do watch tv (only carefully selected children's programs. the tv is on about 2 hours a day here (we don't watch tv in the evenings).
I have no problem with character clothes and I don't even know what they're made of!
We won't be unschooling.

that's all i can think of for now.

[Heavenly]

Oops I forgot on the alternative(in our area) side we never do CIO. On the mainstream side we don't co-sleep, never have and don't want to. our children each have their own room and our daughter sleeps in a crib.

[polka hop]

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