Are you a natural parent? Am I a WHAT?!

 

 

Are you a natural parent? Am I a WHAT?!
I am a mother of 3 children and each child I have, I alter what I do by just a bit. As I learn more from the internet with researching and what not, I realize more and more what has been shoved down my throat and what really has medical backing. When I was talking about changes I was planning on making with my next child (I was pregnant then and decided not to find out gender), I was told "oh, you are one of those natural parents ... good luck." What in the world?! Isn't EVERY mom a natural mom? I couldn't figure out what they were talking about at all. So I googled natural parenting and found out they are parents who do the following:
~ baby wear
~ cloth diaper
~ delay vaccinations or don't vaccinate at all
~ either exclusively breast feed or feed only breast milk
~ don't circumcise
~ home school
~ co-sleep
~ have the car seat face backwards until age 2
~ make their own baby food
Wow, well I guess I am a natural parent. I don't want to overwhelm in one post so I plan on breaking each of these topics down. I will talk about the pros and cons. I am a firm believer, however, that no matter WHAT you do with your child, as long as you do what works best for you is best for your child. :) I am no where near perfect and struggle in many areas. I will talk about those struggles and hopefully with more information, you can make a more informed decision with your child. My 8 yr old daughter wore disposable diapers, was formula fed, was vaccinated, went to public school (until now), slept in her own crib, had the car seat turn around at a year, and ate baby food. My 6 yr old son wore disposables, was breastfed until 5months and then formula fed, was vaccinated, went to public school (until now), slept in his own crib after 4 months, had the car seat turned around at a year and ate food I made. My 3 month old daughter, however ... she is in cloth diapers, is breast fed, is vaccinated, will be home schooled, co-sleeps AND sleeps in a crib, will not have the car seat turned around until 2 years, and will be eating food I make for her. Every one of my children are precious to me and I don't regret ANYTHING at all. I do love the fact that I am more informed now and decisions down the road will be done with much thought and prayer behind them.

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~ My name is Heather and I am a mom of 3 children. I am a full time stay at home mom, but I like to call myself a chef, an accountant, a secretary, a maid, a chauffer, and a teacher. I am the world to my children and they are the world to me. I am far from perfect but striving to be what the Lord wants from me.