Some random thoughts after reading and article and the comments that followed

I am fascinated by all the "advice" out there when it comes to babies and children. I'm sure there is someone (maybe many) who have done studies on the people who give and who use the advice. People get extremely judgemental when someone does things differently when it comes to raising children.

Example: Breastfeeding vs. Bottle feeding. Huge debates there. Those who are able to breastfeed exclusively sure look down their noses at those who either can't or choose not to. I ran into it with Bear too. I was rather amused since the gal had no idea who I was or what our situation was and yet she looked at our small supply of emergency formula with such disdain. She was still breastfeeding her two or three year old along with her 6 month old. More power to her, but that wasn't gonna happen for me. And on a bit of a side note, I don't want teeth near me in such personal places. Especially when they involve a hungry mouth. Now, that isn't to say that if that was our only option for keeping the kid fed I wouldn't do it. Of course I would. But, I have other options this day and age.

Another example: Cloth vs. disposable diapers. More controversy here. Cloth is great. Albeit disgusting to clean after the kid starts eating regular food. Strictly breast fed kid, no problem. Disposable sure are convenient though. Gotta say we used a mix with leaning heavier on disposable. Maybe if I were a stay-at-home mom that liked laundry and/or used a diaper service cloth might have been more of a choice. Besides, it sure is nice to get rid of the nasty diaper when you are travelling. Carry the nasty thing with you? Ugh. Especially if you are travelling for any length of time with out access to a washer.

Example: Slings vs. Strollers. I like both. The sling worked well when Bear was a little guy, not so well once he got bigger. He's been 30 pounds since just over a year old. While it would be much more convenient to use a sling, my back says use the stroller. Especially when he starts to wiggle. I know lots of sling advocates would say get a better sling etc. I used several styles depending on age and weight. They all had advantages and disadvantages, just like a stroller. Our other problem we ran into... They just don't make slings, carriers, or backpacks, that fit a man the size of my husband. Well, it might fit him, but not with the Bear in there too. Things get too tight and uncomfortable for both of them.
I've heard plenty of criticism on both ends for these. I'd love to see some of these tiny sling women with their tiny babies carry my bear of a child around without complaint from either one of them.

And lastly: Crib vs. Co-sleep. Completely "to each their own" here. I say, kid's choice. Bear never did like sleeping with us. None of us slept well. Didn't like the cradle either. But, when we laid him in his crib he would zonk out. Now, this is unless we were travelling. In strange places he liked (still does) to cuddle in bed with us. So, while travelling we co-sleep, usually, and at home he's in his crib. I'm sure every kid is different. I kinda wanted to co-sleep since I wouldn't have to actually get up to nurse. No such luck.


I guess the whole point to all of this is that every person should be able to get to choose their own method of raising their own children. True not everyone is a good parent. That still doesn't mean that if a parent has the basics covered in some form or another, isn't hurting the kid, and the child seems healthy and happy, then who are we to judge?