What is a Crunchy Mom? – Are you a Crunchy Mom? Take the Test!
Written by Louise McCamily
4th August 2023
Are you a crunchy mom? What about a silky or scrunchy mom?
You may have heard this new lingo floating around on the internet. If you want to get clued in on these terms, we’ve got you!
It all sounds confusing, but don’t worry! With this article, you will understand each of these different terms in no time.
Let’s get into the article, “what is a crunchy mum”?
In this article:
- What is a Crunchy Mom?
- How do you know if you are a crunchy mom?
- What is a Silky Mom?
- What is a Scrunchy Mom?
What is a Crunchy Mom?
You may have heard the terms “crunchy”, “granola”, “green” and “hippy”.
Whatever you want to call it, each of these terms of synonymous with “crunchy moms”.
But, what is a crunchy mom, exactly?
A crunchy mom is a mom who is health, environment, and socially conscious. They take a more holistic approach to raising their child, and life in general- avoiding the use of plastic products and pre-packaged baby food.
Crunchy mom makes their own food for their babies, sticks to environmentally friendly products and make all of their choices in the best interest of A) Their baby’s health and B) The environment.
Some of you may liken the term “crunchy mom” to “granola mom”- and you are not that far off.
“Granola” is old slang (shoutout to the OGs who know this slang) for someone who saves trees (sometimes fondly called tree huggers), loves the outdoors, recycles, and, as the name describes, makes their own granola.
Crunchy moms and granola moms share many of the same ideals.
It’s easy to write off crunchy moms as health nuts, however, many of their approaches do carry mental health, physical health and environmental benefits, and it is admirable how unapologetically they stick to their beliefs.
How do you know if you are a crunchy mom?
A crunchy mom chooses unmedicated natural birth, toys and products that are plastic and technology-free, eat organic foods and opt for environmentally-friendly cloth diapers, instead of disposable diapers.
A crunchy mom practices natural parenting, practise extended breast feeding and use baby led weaning to introduce solid foods at a later age.
To help you decide if you are the ultimate crunchy mom, we have created a test for you to find out your crunchiness score.
The Crunchy Mom Test
For each of the following questions, add 1 point to your score if it applies to you.
- Do you exclusively breast feed? This means you do not use plastic baby bottles at all, for at least a year after your baby’s birth.
- Do you co-sleep with your baby? This means you sleep next to, or close by, your baby.
- Do you follow an organic diet? This includes, but is not limited to, making your own baby food.
- Do you baby wear? For many moms, baby wearing can be the difference between tackling that pile of laundry or those dishes, or not. If you are someone who baby wears a lot, this is considered a “crunchy mom” trait.
- Do you opt for natural home births with no medication? Crunchy moms love everything natural, and this includes childbirth too!
- Is your house-hold plastic free? Plastics are a no-go for crunchy moms. They are very eco-conscious and only choose products that are best for the environment.
- Do you use cloth diapers for your baby rather than disposable diapers? One-use plastics are a definite no for crunchy moms and this includes disposable diapers. Cloth diapers are much better for the environment and widely used by crunchy moms.
- Are you avoiding vaccinating your children? Or delaying vaccination? Since crunchy moms prefer the all-natural approach, vaccinations are often avoided or delayed. They opt for holistic approaches instead, such as herbal remedies.
- Do you choose essential oils, supplements and diet changes over medical treatment? In the past, we survived without medications. Crunchy moms believe that natural remedies will prove to be more beneficial in the long run.
- Do you, or will you be, home schooling over public schooling? You do not need to be a crunchy mom to understand that the current methods used in public schools are outdated. Crunchy moms prefer to teach their children from home, and include other beneficial lessons such as cooking.
- Absolutely love coconut oil and use it for many purposes. This includes treating wounds to minor ailments, such as coughs and using it as conditioner.
So, how did you score?
- If you scored 8-11, then you are the ultimate crunchy mama!
- If you scored between 3-7 then are you likely to be a scrunchy mom.
- Finally, if you scored between 0-2, then you are a silky mom!
But silky mom? Scrunchy mom? What are those? Read on to find out!
What is a Silky Mom?
When you think of silk, what words come to mind?
For us, the main word is “luxary”. In a way, that is what a silky mom is all about!
Silky moms are the polar opposite to crunchy moms.
Silky moms embrace all that the modern-age has to offer, including technology, such as iPads, medication, vaccinations, one-use plastics and public schools.
Like crunchy moms, silky moms priortise their children’s health, but with the use of medication and vaccinations, as opposed to natural, holistic approaches. Silky moms keep up to date with vaccinations and give their children the medication that is recommended by their doctors, whom they trust.
In this busy world, silky moms have no shame in embracing modern conveniences, such as iPads to keep their kids entertained and fast foods to keep kids fed, to help make parenting life a little easier.
Now, we have heard about the two extremes: crunchy moms and silky moms, but is there an inbetween?
Welcome the scrunchy mom to the stage.
What is a Scrunchy Mom?
Scrunchy moms are part silky and part crunchy. Who said you had to pick a side?
Every scrunchy mom scrunchies a little differently.
For example, some scrunchy moms may vaccinate their babies and use disposable diapers, but they may also exclusively breastfeed and only make natural foods.
Another scrunchy mom may be strongly in favour of naturally giving birth at home and baby-wearing, but also believe in modern medicine.
A scrunchy mom may want to be a natural mama, and make all of their own organic food naturally, home-school, and avoid using technology, but also, to avoid burnout, use conveniences occasionally, such as television and fast food. And that is perfectly okay!
Conclusion
Phew, that clears up all of that new lingo!
Whether you are crunchy, silky or scrunchy, regardless of your parenting style, or the parenting styles of your mom friends, all moms should be applauded. Being a mama can be hard but it is so rewarding.
Just keep doing you, in a way that you believe is best for your babies.
A happy and healthy baby is all that matters.
Louise is a valuable contributor to our blog, with many years of experience in the parenting niche. She specialises in crafting well-researched articles on fertility, pregnancy, and baby care, often collaborating with experts. With a solid background in baby name research and guidance, she is dedicated to providing trustworthy and insightful content, making her an essential resource for parents navigating their journey.
