I’ve seen this term floating around on a few different mommy blogger social media pages; the Crunchy Mom. Now, before taking any interest in anything baby related (because let’s be real, if you don’t have a baby you probably don’t give a rats ass about baby related content) I had no idea this term even existed.
I feel ashamed to say that I had to look up the term…and to save you the hassle of figuring out what the heck a Crunchy Mom is, I’ve done the work for you!
So, what’s a Crunchy Mom???
A Crunchy Mom is a mother who believes in and practices living 100% naturally, for example: using cloth diapers instead of disposables. They believe in eating Organic, they do not believe in vaccinating, they believe that there are a few products that could be considered holy grail (coconut oil!) They exclusively breastfeed (there’s no other option.) And they believe in a completely natural childbirth… just to name a few things.
Well, that seems a bit extreme doesn’t it?
But there’s more…
There’s a Scrunchy Mom (I kid you not.)
A Scrunchy Mom is a middle-ground between a Crunchy Mom and a Silky Mom (who came up with these terms?) A Scrunchy Mom has beliefs that fall in between each category; like cloth diapering over disposables but still understands that vaccines are important. A Scrunchy Mom may know that eating Organic isn’t always possible and that pain medication is 100% okay during childbirth (or not, it’s your choice!) Basically, a Scrunchy Mom wants to live more naturally but not to the extreme.
And then there’s…
The Silky Mom
A Silky Mom uses disposable diapers, does not breastfeed, never feeds organic, believes in vaccines and doesn’t have any particular interest in living more naturally. A Silky Mom takes advantage of our scientific advancements and modern conveniences.
So where do I fall?
Let’s be honest, the Crunchy Mom is a crazy extreme. I’m 100% on board with living a more sustainable lifestyle but would never even think of refusing to vaccinate my children (there’s a reason we don’t die of the plague anymore… or at least as frequently.) But I do believe that breastfeeding is the most important form of food for a child and unless dire circumstances required it, I would never think of feeding my baby formula.
Therefore it’s safe to say that I’m a scrunchy mom…
I think it’s important to note that there’s nothing wrong with the way that anyone chooses to raise their children. I completely understand that we all have different beliefs, backgrounds and circumstances; I hold nothing against someone who uses disposable diapers for convenience or decides to feed their child with formula because it’s their choice.
