Are you Crunchy or Just Plain Crazy?

Being "crunchy" can be a good thing. You have made the decision to live a more natural lifestyle for yourself and your child. You try to keep as many chemicals away from your child that are not necessary and try to keep things more simple. It can also be completely and absolutely ridiculous. Have you ever heard of "Elimination Communication?" Oh you haven't?? Look it up. 

This post is just about Crunchy Products. I might do separate posts regarding a crunchy lifestyle with your child, but she is still a bit young. 

As I have stated in previous posts, we are fairly crunchy. I suppose you could say we are Crunch Lite. Diet Crunch. Crunch Zero. We made the decision to be crunchy because I have lots of skin sensitivities and allergies and she could possibly be the same. There was no, "Well I think this will make us better parents than you."

The main difference between a Crunchy parent and a Crazy Crunchy parent is whether or not you are willing to be realistic. A Crunchy Parent knows when convenience beats out being able to tell people that you are completely crunchy. 

There is an episode of South Park called Smug Alert where Kyle's dad buys a Prius and therefor thinks he is better than everybody else He had such a smugness about himself that he would bend over and smell his own farts. This is what Crazy Crunchy parents remind me of. They feel so pious and righteous that they chose this route and you didn't so that makes them better than you. They are what my dad and I like to call "Virtue Sluts." 

Being crunchy doesn't have to take a lot of time or money. It can be simple changes that can really make a difference. Instead of using the cheapest of something, read the ingredients and go with the better quality. Even though Johnson & Johnson is the go to brand for babies, there are many other options out there with more quality ingredients that don't break the bank. 

Johnson and Johnson Bedtime calming lotion:

Water, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-6, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Sodium Citrate, Stearyl Alcohol, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Lotion:

Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf juice extract, Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Aspalathus linearis (organic rooibos) extract, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula)flower extract, Olivoyl hydrolyzed oat protein, Cetearyl alcohol, Glyceryl oleate, Glyceryl stearate, Kosher vegetable glycerin, Vanilla planifolia (organic vanilla) fruit extract, Butyrospermum parkii (organic shea) butter, Citrus sinensis (organic sweet orange), Xanthan gum

Wouldn't you rather put the item on your baby where you can pronounce all of the ingredients? 

We use diapers that are made with fewer chemicals, perfumes, and dyes. We use Earth's Best and Bambo diapers. Bambo was named the greenest disposable and is completely hypoallergenic. These diapers are a little bit more money than regular Huggies or Pampers, but if there is one crunchy item you could spend money on, it would be diapers. 

We wanted to use cloth diapers, but only if I was going to be a stay at home mom. We barely remember to do our own laundry so I don't see washing diapers every 2 days realistic for us. I also couldn't find a daycare around here that allowed cloth diapers

either. Think about it, those diapers are on your babies bottom 24/7 so don't you want to keep as many chemicals away from soaking into your babies skin. Disposable diapers were invented only back in 1948, so what the heck did our grandparents use? Cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are for convenience and are not required to be able to raise a baby. At least that is the way I think about it. Cloth diapers weren't for us, but that didn't mean we weren't going to try and get the next best thing. 

Another item that we wanted to be as crunchy as possible on was our wipes. You are wiping these all over their bodies so we wanted to get something fairly chemical free. We use DermaH20 Water Wipes. They are made in Ireland and they are 99.9% water. Now a very crunchy parent might use cloth wipes with either bottled water or a solution of essential oils. We had planned to use cloth wipes for when she switches to solids and her poo is more firm, but the water wipes are just so great we don't really feel the need. We use the cloth wipes we bought for when we give her a bath. Etsy is a great place to find cloth wipes, if this is a route you want to take. 

A big ticket crunchy item would be diaper cream. Desitin is like a crazy crunchy parent's nightmare. They might run away screaming if you come towards them with it. The reason they respond like this is the Zinc Oxide. The Zinc Oxide is what repels the moisture from your babies bottom therefore keeping diaper rash either at bay or resolving it. Apparently there have been studies stating that some chemicals can soak into the babies skin. It also is very hard to wash off so Crunchy parents that use cloth diapers can't use Zinc Oxide as it makes the diapers non-absorbent. 

We didn't really care about the Zinc oxide so much as just the chemicals in general. We use the Grovia Magic Stick. I mention this in my Newborn Essentials Post and I have to say that everybody that has used it mentions how ingenious it is as a product. Use it every diaper change and she is 4 months old and never had diaper rash. 

Laundry detergent is another area where you can crunchify your life. If you are concerned about allergies or if your baby has sensitive skin this would be an area to focus on. We use a biodegradable and hypoallergenic laundry soap and it actually works really well. We use Charlies Soap for all of her laundry loads. Rockin' Green is also another great laundry detergent specifically made for cloth diapers, but can be used for baby clothes in general. It is a bit more expensive and this is the detergent that a Crazy crunchy parent would say in a smug tone," Oh...you don't use Rockin' Green? That's unfortunate." 

There are also some items that you really can't go partially crunchy on. They are pretty much all or nothing. 

Breastmilk - I might do an entirely separate post on breastmilk, but this is definitely an item that is crunchtastic. I am proud pumper and I will pump until I can pump no more! Formula is not the same and those that say it is are naive. This is probably one of the few items that we are Crazy Crunchy about and don't mind saying it. 

Bottles - All bottles are legally supposed to be BPA free now so unless you want to be crazy crunchy and use like glass or steel bottles, you should be good to go. 

Clothes - Ooooh this is Organic cotton..that means it's better right? Psch I don't know but I do know an organic cotton onesie on Amazon is like $30. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Vaccines - It is entirely your prerogative on whether or not to give your child vaccines and this is quite a controversial crunchy topic. I don't have a dog in this horse race so I don't have much to say about it. All I know is that Jenny McCarthy waged a whole vaccine war using her "autistic" son who she just came out and said was never autistic...

Leave a comment on some of the items that you use that make you crunchy!

Alternatives to Baby Girl Clothing

Tulle and pink and sparkle oh my!
Anybody that knows me knows that you are not likely to see me in anything sparkly, pink, or generally very girly. I tend to gravitate towards a more neutral boring style of clothing.

If sweatshirts and jeans constitute a "style." This isn't a bashing of all those adorable girls that are dressed very girly, but rather just giving my experience with dressing my daughter and some tips if you are the same way. 
I had made the decision early on in my pregnancy that I wanted to dress Inga as my little hipster baby and try to stay away from the Disney characters and overtly girly items. Being as tall as I am, I can't always dress in the styles that I would prefer to wear, simply because they don't fit. I wanted her to look like a little adult or have clothes that could span different outfits and styles. This came as a surprise to many and was answered with scoffs and eye rolls. "But she is a girl! She has to wear pink!" Who says.....?
Some would just choose to ignore me and would instead buy me something super girly and pink just because they thought it was cute. 
"Muhaha now she has to wear pink and sparkles!" 
*sigh* Don't get me wrong. If somebody is going to GIVE me clothing for free from their baby, I will more than likely have her wear it, but why would you buy something for me that is what I already said I don't really want her to wear? Would you buy a clothing item for a friend that you knew they didn't like, but YOU liked to see them in it? Not if you expect them to ever wear it....
I just find black ballet flats with cuffed jeans to be more adorable on a baby/toddler than pink ruffle butt leggings, a tulle skirt, and pink sparkle boots. To each their own. 

I don't see why a baby can't be stylish and cute but not look like a sparkle monster threw up on them. 
Here are some tips if you have the same idea as me regarding dressing your baby.


1. Don't ignore the boys section. For some super girly moms, this may be hard. There are some great neutral finds in the boys section that could look great on your daughter. I have gotten quite a few different  items that are technically boy clothes. Who says that blue, grey, and black are only for boys. I personally love seeing Inga in grey. That is kind of my go-to color for her. It looks great and you are able to give her a pop of another color with fun socks or head band. Here are some great boy finds I recently got. You could get a button shirt that is way too big for her and have her wear it as a shirt dress with some leggings. Just tie a ribbon or head band around the waist for a belt. ADORABLE!


2. Clearance! I have recently discovered the awesomeness of buying clearance for next year. I bought her an adorable pea-coat for $13 for next winter as well as some other sweaters that I just was not willing to pay more than $7 for. I am super cheap in general and will never buy clothing at full price. The nice thing about wanting to dress Inga differently is that most don't share my opinion so a lot of it ends up on clearance. Buying in clearance also ties into my next idea of buying for multiple outfits or repurposing. 

3. Buy for multiple outfits/Repurposing. The button shirt from the boys section is a great example of repurposing. Toddler sized shirts can be adorable dresses for younger babies. The key is to get pieces that can be used in multiple outfits. Most times, baby clothes come in a full outfit with pants and top. And usually they just go with each other. I don't think Disney character ruffle pants go with a plain yellow cardigan. It just leaves you limited. Try to buy simple items and you will see how you are able to use them in many different outfits. I bought solid color leggings and jeggings that she can wear with practically any top no matter the color or design. I bought lots of sweatshirts for her to wear instead of constantly living in footie pajamas because sweatshirts can be dressed up with a pair of jeggings and little fur boots. Footies can't. This is also a great way to save money and keep the wardrobe smaller since you are able to have pieces span multiple outfits. 

4. Pink can be cute and stylish. I know, I know, I said I don't like pink. Let me be a bit more specific. I don't like pink that is accompanied with flowers, hearts, glitter, butterflies galore. Using pink as the focal color can be really adorable, but when it is pink with glitter purple flowers, with a phrase about princesses and lace bottom leggings, it just takes away from how gorgeous your baby is. Everybody should be staring at your daughter's beautiful face, not her spastic outfit. Try a cute pink cardigan with a white onesie and black leggings or jeggings. Maybe a grey sweatshirt and jeans with pink socks. 

5. Headbands can make the outfit. Some of the outfits I have put together for Inga could make it difficult for some to know that she is a girl. Head bands can solve that issue but for crying out loud, she doesn't have to have a head band that makes it look like she has a weird growth on the side of her head. It goes back to what I said before. Everybody should be looking at your gorgeous daughter's face and not the sparkly flower the size of a basketball on her dome. Head wraps are absolutely adorable and beyond stylish. You can pick a cute pattern and have that be the accent in her outfit. She could wear a cute light pink polka dot head wrap with a simple solid colored sweater or cardigan and pants. Here are a couple Etsy sites that have head wraps and bows that I absolutely LOVE! 

Go to Little Winter Shop on Etsy to get head wraps just like the one on this little adorable nugget here! Oh gosh I can't stand it!

Go to AndySachs4 on Etsy for more head wraps. I bought some from here and they are really nice quality!




6. Holidays don't have to mean dresses. If you live in a cold weather state like me in Minnesota, you wonder why people would ever subject their baby to having to wear a dress in the cold. We tried doing a dress on Inga and that damn tutu was all up in her business constantly. I changed her into a cute grey sweater with white stars on it. Perfection. Why spend $20+ on a dress that she will only be able to wear once, and instead get her cute pieces that she can wear all winter? Saves you money and also gives her wardrobe some legs.

What are some of your tips and opinions on dressing little girls? Leave some comments. 

So you want to be a Pinterest Parent?...Nailed it!

You know what I am talking about. Those Pinterest posts regarding babies and nurseries that are just so effin' cute, you can hardly help but wish you could be their child. 
Pinterest can be an amazing place for those pregnant days when you can't stop thinking about babies and you have made the decision that you are going to be the "quirky crafty mom". It can also set a standard that nearly no mother can feasibly meet. I can't even tell you how many hours were used up scrolling through to get the most perfect inspiration picture of how I wanted Inga's bedroom to look. 

Like I said, Pinterest can be a blessing and a curse. It is entirely up to you how dedicated you want to be to become that Pinterest parent you so desperately desired to be in the early months. I took the leap to become that Pinterest Parent initially by purchasing my first chevron fabric. I think that is when you can safely say you are addicted to Pinterest. Do you have chevron in every room? 
But now that she is actually here I shake my head at some of the ideas Pinterest puts in the head of first time mothers. 

Sometimes you get your "Nailed it" moments where you just can't understand why your Christmas picture just won't look like the one you pinned. But then you get moments of sheer gloriousness when you swear that the photos you framed above her crib could be in Better Homes and Gardens. It's that damn awesome. You need to be willing to take the good with the bad and remember that it is ultimately going to be a bedroom for a CHILD. So don't be spending a buttload of money on something that is purely visual or something that will break if you look at it funny. 

For example, one of my projects was to make a mobile for above her bed. I hated the ones from the store because I just couldn't find one that worked for my "vision". I kept seeing these adorable bird mobiles on Etsy and Pinterest and I thought that $350 was a bit steep for some branches and fabric birds. I figured I could make one of those myself with some FREE sticks from outside. Who knew branches were free. I bought some birds from Crafts Direct for $10 and stole some really high test fishing line from my tackle box. It was cake to put together but then I felt like an idiot for about an hour shifting the fishing line a millimeter at a time until it was level. Looking back now 3 months, it is an adorable mobile for her room and it looks great on Pinterest but I still went to Target and got a $10 musical mobile that she actually looks at instead. That and the dog barks every time that "epic" mobile even moves. 

I didn't really have many other projects for her so much as I had designing left to do. The area that I really wanted to get right was the changing table. I knew I wanted the IKEA Hemnes dresser because I am over 6 feet tall and it is the perfect height. It is also the dresser that pretty much every Pinterest changing table picture uses. I also knew I wanted to repurpose a wood crate from our wedding for her room and I thought that using it as a shelf would work great. I found some pins of others using the same crate in bathrooms for towels so I thought it would look pretty cool. And it did! It is great to have out so we don't have to open a drawer to get out a diaper. That crate was definitely a successful Pinterest Nailed it moment!

When the entire room was finished, I was rather pleased with myself. It definitely felt Pinterest worthy at that point. When you have a "vision" of how you want something to look, there is always going to be a time where it doesn't turn out that way. That happens to me a lot. I guess I have delusions of grandeur a bit. Inga's room actually turned out exactly how I wanted it to look. Since the pictures I am posting, I have made a few additions. I have added a cube bookshelf next to her chair for all the baby books I had when I was in school for teaching. 

The door is like a hundred years old and came from the first house from my family when they moved to Minnesota so it has some sentimental value. I also thought it added to the "Shabby Chic" Pinterest requirement. I have noticed that almost every Nursery Pinterest pin has some item that really contributes nothing to the room other than making it look extravagant. But I suppose that is design, right? When she gets older I will probably put some hooks on it for coats. But more than likely it will just become in the way and will have to leave. 
You can also see how pretty, yet pointless that mobile is. 

I bought the ottoman at Wal-mart for $15 and painted it purple with fabric paint. This was a half-ass Pinterest fail as the fabric is now sticky and shiny. But it would require us to sit in that chair in order for me to be annoyed enough with it. 

So ultimately Pinterest can be used as a tool for good and evil. It is good for inspiration and something to help make the pregnancy go by a bit faster. It is also evil for all those times when you know you should be working and you keep saying to yourself, "When I get to the bottom of the page, I will get back to work."......but the bottom never comes. 

Comment on what are some of the Pinterest pins you tried and failed gloriously at and what are some that worked great for you.