AP and being pro-vax...
I post on a LOT of message boards. Mainstream mommy boards, diaper boards, babywearing boards... I am a super fast reader, and a fast typer. I don't post a lot on all these boards, but I do post some on a lot. I have a signature line on most of them, and usually I say something like... "babywearing, home birthing, AP, pro-vax mama." I throw the pro-vax in there because I feel like a lot of people think that once you get into the AP/NFL side of things, being pro-vax is not even an option. I want people to know that it IS.
I saw someone very mainstream post that they let their children cry it out, they "container-ize" their kids (I never heard that term before but apparently it refers to heavy use of baby gear like swings and bouncer seats), and by God they vaccinate their kids too!
I found this statement so dismaying because there are some clear differences here. There is actual research which shows the damage that can be done by letting babies cry it out. And there is an entire body of medical research which support the safety of vaccination. It bothers me that people would think automatically that CIO = pro-vax and co-sleeping = anti-vax. As if the world is so easy to delineate.
I hope I can at least make people think and realize that some things DO definitely go together... like breastfeeding and co-sleeping, which oh so naturally flow together(but don't *have* to go together)... and some things don't necessarily, like homebirth and vaccination status. You *can* pick and choose what is best for your family and I hope people can do so based on reality and research vs. perception and prejudice.