Elijah Parenting

Ever since we started telling people that we were expecting I have been overwhelmed with advice and strategies for raising my child. It seems like there are always two extremes and you are expected to choose one side or the other and follow it completely. Friends, family, doctors, everyone is asking me questions like "Are you using attachment parenting or baby wise?". My answer from now on is I am using a new strategy, it is called "Elijah Parenting!"

Like most things in life I am always in the middle ground. I hear both sides, I respect both sides, I merge pieces of each together to fit me. Elijah eats 100% breast milk, but I'm okay with Caleb and grandparents feeding him a bottle every now and then, I pump and get a break, they get to help out and bond with him. I do not co-sleep, when I have tried to even nap with him both Momma and baby do not rest well, but we love baby wearing! We use cloth diapers probably 90% of the time and love them, but I will admit that when I am lazy and get the diapers in the wash a little later than planned we use disposable.

I am not writing this to say that everyone else is wrong and that I have figured out parenting in my short 10 weeks of experience, what I am saying is that no one strategy is perfect. During the past 10 weeks I have learned that I have to put everything that I had planned aside, look at my little miracle, and do what is right for him. I also realize that what works for him will not necessarily work for future children, or in all honesty it may not even work tomorrow; but what I do know is that I will be trying my best to raise a healthy, happy, wonderful little boy!