The Lazy Person's Guide to Gentle Parenting

Wow, great thread.

I agree...most of this isn't laziness. When I feel lazy, I ditch the cloth for sposies, and pull out the jar food and let DH put DD to bed!

It takes a lot of mummy energy to Gentle Parent. Most people don't do these things because our society has trained us to have more personal space and be 'independent' from a young age. Gentle Parenting requires patience, persistance and loads of time spent with the baby. That's why it actually isn't that easy for a lot of people...and why we created alternatives (like CIO etc) in an attempt to help mums and bubs be more independent of each other (which also serves the capitalist society we live in, as mums can then re-enter the workforce).

I feel privileged to be able to practice gentle parenting with DD, and I certanly don't feel lazy doing it!

I've got another one for you....

*When you've made something for bubs that *probably should* be mashed since she's been sucking on it for a good while and nothing is going in...don't mess around with all that blender bollocks....

get out your garlic press and give it a squeeze!

Easy to do small batches and much easier to clean than a whole dizzy-whizzy outfit!

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Save laundry...eat in the nude (DD not me)

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:rofl: Sure its just DD. Beckoes!! ;) I have an image of you all having a lovely dinner party in the nuddy!!

Oh I almost forgot. Don't move DD into her own room bc I really couldn't be bothered having to actually use my legs in the night.

I am not sure if this is classified as lazy gentle parenting but after I have fed georgia her BLS I then get the dog in to pick up the larger pieces that have fallen to the floor :redface:

That's just CLEVER!! Salad! :clap: Whoever says BLS is less messy is LYING!

*Winter goes off to find me a dog...*

OMG yes I tried one of the "fruit gels" back when we first started solids. We were out longer than expected, so bought one. Jazz almost spat it back in my face. I tried it, and BLERK! We went and bought a banana instead. Can't believe I didn't do it first, but I thought the gel would be like a 'treat', what a joke!

anna - so true, its really not laziness at all. I often say I fell proud of my strength to be a gentle parent, because it DOES take strength to breastfeed for so long, to put up with the crap from ignorant people, to allow your child to learn and feed themselves rather than spoonfeeding them. It's actually scary to allow them to do BLS. Sometimes I feel on nervous breakdown when I watched her work out she needs to chew, or how to use a spoon herself LOL. It's hard to do baby-wearing and co-sleeping as you really do lose your own space. We're STRONG in that we parent in ways nature intended. Many people just can't let go of their 'rules' and 'stereotypes' and turn away from this image of a parent who can 'have it all' work, social life, and the perfect children....
We should DEFINITELY be proud of ourselves ;)
At the same time, I love to say... NAH I'm way too lazy to bottlefeed ;) WAY too lazy to be up and down ALL NIGHT trying to resettle. And way way WAY too lazy to blend-mash-pulverise food :lol: The looks on their faces.

I agree, most of this isnt laziness but us being smart, enviro savvy ect..

I dont pick food up off the floor, we have TWO dogs who can do that!

When either boy wakes they come in with us, regardless of time. I cant be bothered trying to resettle for hours when they will fall straight back to sleep in with us! I do have a rule that they start off in their own bed though.... and this is always the case with Brendan and most of the time for Tristan.

My kids go to sleep when they are tired because I cant be bothered fighting them.
My kids also eat whenever they are hungry, a clock does not run this house!

Another thing I do is accept peoples offers! Brendan spends at least one night a month with the IL's ... he has SID and is hyperactive along with a few other things which can make him somewhat difficult to handle sometimes. He loves going and I love the break! Plus my house is clean for the whole time he's gone LOL.

We eat a LOT of roast vegies because it's so much easier to cook than doing vegies on a stove. I roast a lot of things actually, because its easier LOL.

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When either boy wakes they come in with us, regardless of time. I cant be bothered trying to resettle for hours when they will fall straight back to sleep in with us! I do have a rule that they start off in their own bed though.....

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I do this too Sally, start DD off in her own bed. I also move her back to her own bed after she falls asleep / resettles in ours if I DH & I are tired and want more space in the bed. Seems like the best of both worlds to me...

I also like your advice to accept all offers of help! I think sometimes we don't give people jobs and they genuinely want to help but don't know how.

so.......after setting up a lovely nursey for ds1, painting the walls, buying the matching linen......and NEVER having him actually sleep in there, ds2 doesn't even have a bedroom! just rolled his cot into my bedroom and didn't bother wasting time painting walls.

SNAP Ginger - add sewing the curtains, making art for the walls and you & I have the same picture!

I took DD in there today to get something (its a big messy storage room for all baby crapolla that doesn't have a real home) and she was amazed! It was a whole new room she didn't know existed!:shakehead:

:rofl: I've just walked into the lounge room and DH has DD in her high chair and has the robot vacuum cleaner scuttling around the floor & DD is MESMERISED! He is pottering around making himself a coffee...

Need a babysitter & want the vacuuming done? Follow DH's lead! :rofl:

Oh yeah, should have added that as the ultimate in lazy parenting gadgets....a robot vacuum cleaner...:redface:

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Need a babysitter & want the vacuuming done? Follow DH's lead!

Oh yeah, should have added that as the ultimate in lazy parenting gadgets....a robot vacuum cleaner...

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OMG Winter so true..... I love love love LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE our robot vacuum cleaner!!!

The Bear finally cracked and got us one when we moved to a new house - I have never loved a gadget so much! Every home should have one!

lol... I love it. I was lazy before coming a parent though... I did have a room for their things, but bassinet was always going to be in with us. I didnt make any effort to co-ordinate things, paint walls or anything LMAO...

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OMG Winter so true..... I love love love LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE our robot vacuum cleaner!!!
I have never loved a gadget so much! Every home should have one!

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My mum has one, my sister has one & we have one we've called Gonzales casuse he zips around. It like living in the Jetsons! :cheer:

OMG I have been dreaming of a gadget that vacuums for you.. what do these vacuum robots cost? Would you recommend the brand you have?

Now that I've got DS2 I can *not* get time to vacuum (he's either awake and in arms, or asleep in which case the vacuum is too noisy). The house is a mess half the time, but my pet peeve is an unvacuumed floor.. it would be SO great to get my hands on one of these!!

Skeet it's called an IRobot Roomba..... I think hubby picked ours up on ebay (new though). Ours was $599 for the top spec, but apparently you can get others cheaper.
Do it! You'll never regret it.... there's nothing better than going out and coming home to a vacuumed house!

Do they work on wood floors or just carpet?