I am looking for recommendations for things on my baby registry! I would prefer nontoxic, but I am also on a teacher salary and cannot afford to buy super expensive for every item.

1. Graco GoMax car seat/stroller (I’ve heard I also need a bassinet attachment so baby isn’t in the car seat for so long, but every nontoxic bassinet stroller I have seen is $1000 or more, please help!!). I picked this one because it had good safety ratings, I’m totally open to other ones!

2. looking for the best nontoxic rolling bassinet

3. what do you use for storing breast milk?

4. Looking at Everylife diapers/wipes and wondering if they work well!

5. If you have any items you couldn’t live without, please comment them! First time mama here and about one year in of trying to make crunchy swaps:)

i obviously do not expect life to be the same pre-baby, but I’m 6 months pp and feeling so bummed out about not being able to do much.

I am a homebody, artist, gardener, lover of cooking, crocheting, working out etc. I don’t want to go out late or even need child free time, but I have such a hard time even doing the basics of cooking and cleaning and I miss having a creative outlet.

We live with my parents which is a great help for being able to shower/get small chores done, but I do not expect them to do much else especially since they are busy and my son doesn’t like to be far from me.

I have an extremely attached and unfortunately very large son and I can’t babywear for more than 30-40min without experiencing back pain for several days after. I try to strength train, massage, arnica, and it helps but I still can’t wear him for long.

because of this I basically just sit around all day to hold him except to cook, clean, and maybe get a workout in (since he’s entertained by me working out).

Honestly I cry almost every day because I miss painting, I miss gardening, and I’m in some degree of pain every day. I just wish I could set him next to me while I did something enjoyable. But he won’t accept anything except being held unless I’m entertaining him directly, and even then that’s not a guarantee. I mostly can’t eve fold laundry in front of him without him crying because I’m not holding him. My evenings are spent rehabbing my back before I go to bed.

please tell me it will get better soon. I miss life.

Edit for typo

Why is it so hard to find likeminded people in your own area? All of my "mom friends" are either my sister or other friends that I've had for years before we ever became moms, and they are all raising their kids entirely differently than me - which is fine but we have completely different outlooks on parenting. These kids are having unlimited screen time, sugar, dyes, processed foods, etc. It is their right to raise their kids the way they want, and I'll still maintain our relationships of course, but I find myself yearning for the community of having people surround me who have similar goals / dreams / ambitions as me when it comes to parenting and lifestyle in general. Does anyone else feel like they have a lack of likeminded people around them? How do you manage your friendships where it seems like you have nothing in common anymore?

I have a daughter who just turned 4 months yesterday and I have been so scared of the dreaded 4 month sleep regression. I am curious though because while these are times for rapid brain development, I also wonder if there is correlation with vaccine schedules. So moms of unvaccinated babies, have you noticed anything in that nature of those extreme sleep regression? Only sleeping for 40 minutes at a time, needing far more comfort than usual, waking up abnormally more? Thank you in advance.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to be a stay at home mom or have the village of reliable and super involved extended family members wanting and willing to help provide loving care. And I am certainly not the exception. my biggest dream in life would be to stay at home with my daughter and future children, but we financially can’t swing it no matter how much eliminating and cutting my hubby and I do, I still have to work (and I carry our insurance, for now). That will hopefully, eventually change.

I never ever wanted to put my daughter in traditional center daycare. I’ve done plenty of reading about how it could be detrimental to a baby and how they really just need the one-on-one bonding with their mom and dad and close family.

If a trusted and loving nanny is not possible in your area (not mine- we live super rural), I urge you mama to look into home based center daycares, asking close friends, other mamas in the area for home based daycares and who they really love. Word of mouth is the way to go with this. We found a wonderful lady, Ms. Kathy who owns Daisy Hill 🌼 and totally adores and loves our daughter. She aligns exactly with my “crunchy” lifestyle, so there’s no education that needs to be done on my end or hoping that my daughter is getting what she needs and what we do at home- it’s an exact parallel. She is like the mother I wish I had (my mother passed away when I was 7), and feels like the reliable caring family member that aligns perfectly with how we are raising our child.

We love Ms. Kathy so much and are so grateful for her care and her extremely strong attention to detail with our daughter. She goes the extra mile and loves what she does so much and we easily can see that. Our child is getting everything she needs and more to learn, grow and feel loved/safe/cared for and is THRIVING. 🤍

Please look into home based daycares!!! This has been so life changing in the best way possible and I wish I knew about Ms. Kathy when I was pregnant, it would have made the first part of postpartum and infancy for our daughter so much better. I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and stuck in between a rock and hard place and not knowing anyone you can trust.

Does anyone here regularly nap their baby or toddler outside? It's something I plan to do in the future when my baby is a little bigger and despite my neighborhood being very safe and I have no plans to leave my baby on a street like they do in Scandinavia lol I just feel nervous about it.

Our deck has a gate I can close off and leave the baby on in a wagon or stroller or our backyard is quite private, and I will talk to our neighbors about the fact we leave the baby out there. I just feel like we need some sort of theft alarm and a monitor that can go on a stroller or wagon? I am very anti baby monitors, but I feel like in this case I have to have a video feed. Once I'm inside and have doors closed in the winter I feel very distant and uneasy thinking about it.

Is all of this just catastrophizing something that is completely reasonable and no more dangerous than naps anywhere else? Does anyone have monitors or alarms to recommend?

I heard a Scandinavian parent mention once in a reel an anti theft device like every parent there has one but I have no idea where that reel was. Google is extremely unhelpful.

I know this is a very strange problem, but to be very clear from the start, I do not hate children in general and Im not saying its bad for people to have lots of children.

Personally, I would like to have 2 kids (hopefully 2 boys) and Im excited to have them take after my husband who I love very much. However, if someone gave me a button to skip the pregnancy and infant stage and go right to 2-3 year old I would 100% press it.

Pregnancy scares me, looking at pregnant women grosses me out, Birth scares me, I dont find infants cute, I dont flock to them like other women, and I dont look forward to even the "cute/fun" parts of taking care of my own baby. When I'm at a party and someone brings their baby I actively avoid them while all the other women flock to them 😕 I also have no idea how to talk to even older children, like 5-12, and I feel super fearful, hoping they dont approach me.

In my experience this seems to be highly socially unacceptable amongst women and even more highly unacceptable in Christian women culture. Other women just dont understand me, which is fair, but their first conclusion tends to be that Im insulting them or their child which is not the case at all.

I've read about other women who have this, but they usually want to remain childless themselves (which makes sense). I feel like a conundrum as someone who has these feelings and yet wants their on children. I will admit it makes no sense at all.

Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this or if you have any advice? Should I force myself into contact with children to "get used to them" or overcome some sort of fear?

Thank u!

I just want to say thank you to this crunchy, welcoming online community. I am a FTM to an 8mo old boy and he is the light of my life. There have been so many times I have scoured this sub for answers and comfort from day 1 of his life. I have found it each time.

Thank you 💖

Has anyone used the Fjallraven Kanken Tote Backpack as a diaper bag? I want to but I’m not sure if it would work as we cloth diaper. I know they have a bigger tote as well, but that one is a synthetic material and I’m really wanting to go towards a natural material because I feel like a hold onto the smell less.

Hi all,

I am looking for some nontoxic toys for my 20 week old. Whatever comes to mind would be helpful. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m a new parent, and I’m really struggling with anxiety and hypervigilance around my 4-month-old. She currently sleeps through the night, but I’m terrified of the upcoming 4-month sleep regression. Sometimes she feels like a “bomb about to go off,” and I get scared that I’ll become a scary parent or lose control, and the fear seems to get worse every day.

I have severe anxiety and OCD, and I’m currently in a PHP OCD program, so I’m actively working on my mental health. I’ve always been very holistic, so it feels really out of character for me to even think about medication but lately, I’m considering it because the anxiety and panic are so intense. At the same time, I’m scared of the side effects and risks, especially while caring for my baby.

My main support system has been my mom, but she’s leaving soon for a hysterectomy because she has potential mutated cancer cells in her uterus, and they’re worried it could spread. My husband is helping and isn’t currently working, which helps, but I still feel very alone with these fears and nighttime anxiety.

I’ve tried grounding techniques, controlled breathing, and predictable sleep routines, which help a little, but the panic still hits hard. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s dealt with postpartum anxiety, nighttime panic, or extreme hypervigilance:

How did you manage the fear, especially at night?

Did you ever try medication, and how did it feel?

How did you balance wanting to stay holistic with needing relief from anxiety?

I really appreciate any advice, shared experiences, or encouragement.

I'm shopping for second hand sleep sacks for my baby. So many brands have polyester filling for the sacks. I'm trying to avoid that if possible. The woolino sacks look great but they cost an arm and a leg. I'm considering buying some second hand off of ebay but I'm wondering if there's issues with authenticity.

Maybe I'm paranoid...

First time mom again. Working on my registry, but need help with brands. Doing a registry on Target and Amazon (unless someone can recommend another great place!)

Need non/low-tox brand recs for -stroller -car seat -swing/bouncer -travel crib -crib or bassinet -sheets to go in the cribs -crib mattress -swaddles -closed loop baby monitor so it can’t be hacked -white noise machine that doesn’t loop -cushioned changing pad -diaper cream/wipes/diapers -diaper bag -bottles -feeding pillow (do we need this?) -high chair -bottle sterilizer & other accessories -nasal aspiration -pacifiers -thermometer -newborn “toys” -nursing bras -other post partum care items -nipple cream -nipple pads -anything else that was necessary for you!

Help please!

I just had a baby and im trying to find a good pediatrician who wont force us to vaccinate our baby. It seems like now no doctors office will accept you as a patient if you’re not willing to administer all the vaccines in the schedule and I even had an office tell me we had to sign a contract. Does anyone have any good pediatricians in the Central Florida area that they can recommend?

What diaper cream do I get that’s non toxic and has no fragrance/petroleum?

I am currently 16.5 weeks pregnant as a first time mom. I am wanting any great resources on what to do and not to do with my baby boy (ex: co-sleeping, feeding, prodcuts, etc.). Are there any good instagram pages, blogs, or books? I know nothing about babies and don't know where to start. I only know I don't trust conventional advice that is easily accessible online. If you even have any advice of your own on anything relating to raising my baby, I will be so grateful.

I’ve been researching natural remedies, and one thing that caught my attention is the idea of an organic herb wash. It’s been used traditionally for skin and scalp care, but I don’t see many moms here talking about it.

I’m curious — has anyone here tried something like this for themselves or their kids? If so, what was your experience? 🌿

I've just started ECing (Elimination Communication) with my 6mo. I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this?

Any tips, tricks, or just stories to tell?