When you're pregnant, you'll likely do a lot of research about everything. If you're familiar with a lot of the mommy communities, especially if you have any kind of food intolerance or allergies and are familiar with that circle, you have likely run across terms like "crunchy" or "scrunchy." What exactly do those terms mean? If it's a lifestyle you're interested in, how do you become one?

"Crunchy" is the term used to describe the most natural choices in parenting- breastfeeding, growing veggies, making baby food instead of buying, cloth diapering etc.

"Silky" is the polar opposite- formula feeding, medicated birth, disposable diapering and everything else modern.

"Scrunchy" is a mix of silky and crunchy- so basically, everyone is one of the above or in this category. If you're in this category, how can you make the shift and enter the realm of crunchy?

Cloth diapering is one of the recommended ways of cutting back on expenses related to having a baby. It's what they always did before disposable diapers were made and a lot of people swear by it for potty training. It's generally cheaper- you only need the upfront diapers and pins, and then you wash and reuse them. It's great if you have a washer and dryer but if you're renting and having to take your laundry elsewhere, they do make handheld washers and you can hang them up to dry.

There are plenty of blogs, magazines, and resources out there to help even urban apartment dwellers grow veggies, herbs and other things at home and in containers. If you live in a small town home or apartment, you may not have the yard to grow everything- that's where farmer's markets come in and if both of those aren't possible, organic will be your next best option. Remember, grass-fed meats are best as well for this lifestyle and limit (or take out) the highly processed foods.

Once you give birth, a lot of people in this lifestyle choose a natural home birth- if you can't have a baby at home, nixing the pain meds is a must.

Disclaimer: we will never advocate for skipping out on vaccines, but we will mention that it's part of this lifestyle. We will never tell someone not to vaccinate their child unless there is a medical reason to skip and if a child has an infection, antibiotics are a necessary evil- at times. Regardless, another key factor is going the natural remedy route before rushing to the doctor for medications. Holistic and homeopathic remedies are favored- the child has colic? Natural remedy. Has trouble sleeping? Cutting teeth? Natural remedies are tried first.

Another aspect of crunchy parenting is that these moms believe in breastfeeding longer than the recommended 6 months- until baby weens him/herself. If you can't breastfeed, pumping would be an option that would have you walking the line of scrunchy- but not everyone can breastfeed.

There is no way of parenting that is best, it's all up to different people who lead different lifestyles but if you think it's for you, there is nothing wrong with researching it.

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