Before I had Emma, I thought there was no way that I would be one of those hippie, natural parenting (also known as attachment parenting) mommas. Those moms were just weird. Then, after having Emma, I become more and more interested in the idea of natural parenting. I did lots of research and my husband and I gradually made some changes in our parenting style. It is so interesting in how your ideas of parenting before you have a child and your ideas of parenting after you have a child are completely different (most of the time). My husband and I are truly embracing the natural style of parenting now and know it is best for us and our daughter (though it may not be best for all parents/children).
While I had many struggles with breastfeeding in the beginning (mastitis, thrush, low milk supply, etc.), I would not change it for the world. I greatly enjoyed breastfeeding Emma until she self-weaned at 11 months. We cloth diaper (and LOVE it). We "wear" our child (and will wear our new baby). I made Emma's baby food. We love natural toys. We co-sleep. I could go on and on. Though we do many things the "natural way", we in no way are crazy anal about being natural. I in no way had a natural birth--got lots of drugs and a c-section. We eat many processed foods. My daughter knows to ask for "fries" when we go through the McDonald's drive thru. Really, none of the details matter. What matters is that you and your family find out what works for you. I am glad that we have found what works for us! :)
And just for fun, here are some of my favorite natural parenting links:
www.mothering.com (Mothering Magazine)
http://www.novanatural.com/ (Nova Natural Toys & Crafts)
http://www.kiwimagonline.com/ (Kiwi Magazine)
Episode 179: When it’s Time to Press Pause
3 weeks ago