Dirty Secrets of a Green & Natural Mama (and Why I’m Not Afraid to Share Them!)

• Tweet

• Tweet

Welcome to the “I’m a Natural Parent – BUT…” Carnival

This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. During this carnival our participants have focused on the many different forms and shapes Natural Parenting can take in our community.

***

When Shannon from The Artful Mama came up with the idea to host a carnival called “I’m a Natural Parent… BUT…”, my fellow Natural Parents Network volunteers and I responded with great enthusiasm. There is something so appealing about sharing what you consider to be your dirty, little parenting secrets and yet still having the opportunity to be validated by others.

There is not one among us that can claim to be a perfect parent, but what we can proudly claim ownership of is being a perfect parent for our own families. In my definition of being perfect for our own particular family, a mama is aware, informed, loving, respectful, and filled with the best intentions, BUT she also makes choices or takes shortcuts which keep her from being too stressed and allow her to have the time and the presence of mind to actually ENJOY her family rather than just take care of them.

Here are a few (not all!) of my dirty, little parenting secrets. I proudly call myself a Green & Natural Mama because I prioritize utilizing natural parenting philosophies, and I make real efforts every day to live greenly and to protect my family and our world from toxins and chemicals, but as you’ll see from my secrets below, what may seem like “real efforts” to me may seem like nothing at all compared to what some mamas accomplish. Other mamas may see my efforts as too much effort. Either way, I focus on the positive choices and changes that I have made in my family’s life because every little step counts when you are caring for a family, and while I think we should all always be aspiring to be better, greener, and more aware, that doesn’t mean we can’t take pride in the baby steps we have taken to enhancing our families lives!

1. We use cloth diapers, BUT Baby has never worn a cloth diaper overnight.

I love cloth diapering – the cute factor, the green factor, and the health impact, but Baby has had major sleep challenges throughout his 20 months of life, and we have made the choice to only respond with gentle and sensitive tactics to help him sleep as much as possible (Read: We don’t get a lot of sleep), so there has never been a point where I’ve felt comfortable adding one more nighttime challenge into the mix for us. We need all the sleep we can get, and taking the time to figure out which cloth diaper would work best overnight has never made it on to my priority list.

2. We have transitioned to cloth wipes, BUT we don’t use them all the time.

Baby’s dirty diapers are far from containing… we’ll call it solids only… and I just don’t want to use the cloth wipes on his… um, very explosive gifts to us… so we use Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes for dirty diapers, and while cloth wipes come with us when we’re on the go for nose wiping, I use the Seventh Generation wipes for on-the-go diaper changes too.

3. We do a ton of co-sleeping, BUT we don’t do it for the whole night and we don’t do it all the time.

Baby’s sleep patterns and needs change so consistently, that there is no one size fits all approach to providing him (and us) with the best possible night’s sleep. Sometimes co-sleeping is the clear answer, and sometimes, it seems like the worst approach to helping Baby because he has had many stages where he throws parties in the middle of the night. During this particular stage, Dada and I are what we call “too exciting” for Baby. He practically raises the roof of our house when he is in bed with us during these times.

I could go on and on with more of my parenting secrets, but I think I’ll save them for future blog posts since you probably get the idea by now.

Cheers to all of us mamas who are simply doing the best we can!

I’d love to hear your dirty, little parenting secrets in the comments section below!

***

This carnival was created by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. We recognize that “natural parenting” means different things to different families, and we are dedicated to providing a safe place for all families, regardless of where they are in their parenting journeys.

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• My kid is a technophile — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction hasn’t turned in her natural parenting card yet, even though her son prefers electronic toys
• I’m a Natural Parent, but…I use medicine! — Adrienne at Mommying My Way admits that while she hesitates to do so, sometimes she does give her son some medicine when his symptoms get really bad.
• I’m Only Half Planning a Natural Birth — Shannon at The Artful Mama discloses how she is planning her semi-natural hospital birth and still dares to call herself a Natural Parent.
• Why we aren’t rear facing — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes talks about her decision to turn her one-year-old daughter’s carseat around, and how the argument always given for extended rear facing makes her feel.
• Musings of an Almost Crunchy Momma — Valerie at Momma in Progress re-examines her list of natural parenting litmus tests.
• Natural Parenting Does Not Equal Perfect Parenting — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama admits to several not-so-natural parenting and lifestyle practices.
• 10 Reasons to Revoke My Natural Parent Card — Laura at WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door discusses why some of her less-than-crunchy practices are better for her family.
• I’m a Natural Parent – BUT… MacNCheese is Awesome. — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy reveals her penchant for some far from healthy eating, cheap food recipes.
• Crunchy on the Inside — Wolfmother at Fabulous Mama Chronicles muses about how the stereotype of a natural parent does not do justice to the very dynamic group that this parenting philosophy attracts.
• My Reality — Megan from The Other Baby Book confesses a few things about her parenting.
• I’m Crunchy But… — Christy at Mommy Outnumbered shares confessions on all of her “non” crunchy ways.
• I’m A Natural Parent, But…it took me awhile — It took Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling awhile before fully understanding and appreciating Natural Parenting.
• I Am Not a Perfect Natural Parent — Momma Jorje shares her dirty little secrets as a mostly natural parent.
• Crunchy, But Not Crunchier Than Thou — Instead of comparing yourself to others, Dionna at Code Name: Mama encourages you to give yourself permission to be as crunchy as you can for right now.
• I’m a natural parent but…I love bedtimes — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle would never let her children cry-it-out, but she has a selection of other methods to encourage early bedtimes.
• I’m a Natural Parent – BUT… — Lani at Boobie Time Blog believes that following the principles of Natural Parenting doesn’t mean you fit a stereotypical mold of societal view.
• Confessions of a Low Supply Mom — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children confesses her insecurities about being a low supply mom.
• I’m a natural parent, but. . . — Not eating her placenta is just one of the ways Ashley at Mama Raw falls short at being a natural parent.
• I’m a Natural Parent But…I have a Few Confessions — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment strives to be a Natural Mama, but wait, she has a few confessions!

• I’m a Natural Parent BUT — Carrie at LoveNotesMama confesses her gratitude for disposable diapers.
• Intestinal Dissection — Melissa from White Noise talks about how imperfection can be beautiful when it is buffered with love.
• How much sugar is too much? — Tat at Mum in Search shares how her no-sugar policy evolved into a balancing act, with the balance point not where she’d like to see it.
• I’m a Natural Parent, but. . . — Amyables at Toddler In Tow talks about three of her parenting habits that are not super “natural.”
• Minus Ten Crunchy Points — Joella at Fine and Fair discusses how some of her parenting choices seen as “too crunchy” by those she knows in real life could get her kicked out of the crunchy mom clubs online.
• The Natural Parent “Model” — Kym at Our Crazy Corner of the World talks about her love for not-so-natural cosmetics and beauty products.
• Nice to meet you. — Eileen at Love & Greens talks about how being a natural mama means something different to her every day.
• natural parent blog carnival — Ashley at Daisy Pedals touches on several natural parenting topics; from cloth diapers to cleaning with natural cleaners.
• I’m a natural parent, but you’d be surprised — Lauren at Hobo Mama confesses to liking diet soda and TV and having lost all her reusable shopping bags.
• I’m a Natural Parent, but…. I don’t shop local — Luschka at Diary of a First Child confesses one of her greatest ‘natural’ failures – she doesn’t shop local and support her community, despite wishing she could.
• Who You Callin’ Natural? (a Carnival of Natural Parenting Contribution) — A bit of premise exposition, some tongue-in-cheek filler, and a photographic list of all the ways Embrita Blogging cheats at being natural.
• Dirty Secrets of a Green & Natural Mama (and Why I’m Not Afraid to Share Them!) — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares her definition of what it means to be a perfect mama as well as a few of her dirty little secrets.
• Green Mommy Guilt — Jen at Jen and Joey Green talks about how being a perfect Green Mom is overrated.
• Life Coping Devices — Amy at Anktangle discusses two (“non-AP”) coping strategies her family has used for getting through difficult times with her son: the pacifier and the stroller.
• We use disposable diapers. There. I said it. — The mama at Our Muddy Boots shares a bed, nurses her 4 year old, is vegetarian, and is committed to homeschooling; but Pampers adorn her child’s bottom. Ugh!
• Committed to Cloth, but… — Sheila at A Living Family affirms her love of cloth diapering, despite the draw of disposables.
• Natural Parenting as a Doorway to Deep Truths — Amy from Peace for Parents guest posts at Natural Parents Network and shares how for her “natural parenting” is much less about a definition and much more an avenue to explore truths of life.
• Chicken No-nos — Jessica at Pace Family Place strives to live naturally but feeds her oldest son some not-so natural things

Tagged as: Cloth Diapering, Green Living, Growing Greener, Natural Parenting, organic, Parenthood