How We Parent Our Little Man

The baby industry offers an abundance of information.  There are books and blogs, magazines and medical journals, and then every person you come in contact with has advice or opions for raising your children.

We were fortunate not to become innundated or overwhelemed.  There are a few books that we skimmed.  Trusted friends who we consulted. But all in all, at the end of the day, we trusted our gut.  At first, I was fearful of sharing the ways we weren't following the letter of the law, afraid of judgement.  Overtime, I have gained the confidence to stand firm on the decision we have made for our family.  So it is with this new found confidence that I share how we parent.

We attachment parent, but don't.

When Behr wants to sleep in our bed, he does.

But I am not always a snuggler.  I make no promises.

We are just as happy when Behr sleeps in his crib.

When I am cranky, Behr gets the cold shoulder, and I am okay with that. 

We do not let him cry it out.  It never worked.  Within a few minutes, Behr would be crying so hard he would stop breathing.

We rock Behr to sleep, and so does our daycare.  They are great.

I make Behr's food with organic produce from our farm share.

And we feed him store bought food for the convenience, because sometimes you need convenience.

I give him whole food often, like the apple slices above.  This worries many people, but Behr is a great eater and knows how to take small "bites."

Behr nurses.  Drinks bottles.  And occasionally has formula.  It is a mixed bag.

We started with cloth diapers.

And now we use disposables.  It makes more sense for our life right now.

We do not punish yet, because we cannot keep a straight face.

But we are teaching "gentle," because baby claws can hurt!

We encourage Behr with laughter when he spits and sprays his food.

This might come back to haunt us, but we are enjoying living in the moment.

We are not trying to teach Behr to crawl.  If he wants to, he will.

I am content with my little immobile baby, but encourage him to stand, because that makes him happy.

We do not have a schedule.

"They" say that scheduled help babies learn, adapt, and cope.  

Behr is doing just fine witha  flexible feeding schedule and bed time.

I am sure there are more things that we do and don't do.  Some habbits that might make you cringe.  But at the end of the day, we parent in a way that is best for our family.

What are some of the things that work for you and your family?

I am linking up to Small Style.  Behr's plaid shirt is from Carter's and I love how he looks like a Little Man!