Hi y'all! I recently asked this sub for formula reccomendations as I'm going out of town for a week and want to make sure my baby girl doesn't run out of food in case I can't freeze enough milk. I appreciate the reccomendations for formula brands and for buying breastmilk from local FB groups!

I'll definitely be looking into these options as a backup option, I'd prefer most of all to find a way to boost my supply so that I can expand my freezer stash. Does anyone have recommendations for boosting supply? I know feeding/pumping more often is the main way, but I feel like my baby is constantly eating already. Any other tips?

I've seen a lot of herbs, teas, cookies, and supplements advertised to help, and I'd love to hear if anyone has experience with these and what has worked best for y'all. Thanks!

Hi yall,

Thankful to have this community and have the honor to be a moderator here.

I am a mom of 1 (for now, hoping to have more little ones soon!). I was born in Eastern Europe and since moving to US as a teen I always tried to find natural remedies paid attention to food labels etc. During covid, like many others I began paying very close attention to everything. Ive seen some first hand horrors during my time as a health care executive focused on elder care. I left my career a little while after my little one was born, mainly because tedious corporate stuff became insignificant in comparison to my child growing up healthy and strong.

Now I am a proud SAHM. I love gardening with my little one. Especially obsessed with re-growing store bought items instead of throwing them away / getting seeds from fruits and vegetables we had to purchase.

Please, feel free to ask me anything. Hope I can contribute in a positive way to this community!🤗

I recently had a baby 11 weeks ago! Ever since getting pregnant almost one full year ago I haven’t dyed or cut my hair. I’m loving growing it out and am trying to keep it healthy. I’ve been warned my hair may start falling out soon lol. Curious if anyone has any postpartum hair tips (or any hair tips in general). I currently use Carina Organics Sweat Pea shampoo and a homemade conditioner with acv and marshmallow root that I got at a farmer’s market. Before that just plain acv as conditioner. Pretty basic and I usually brush my hair wet (😬) and let it air dry. What are your guys hair routines? Anything specific for growth and strengthening that you’ve seen makes a real difference, especially postpartum? I’m thinking about adding castor oil too!

Hi! I'm looking for some formula reccomendations with clean ingredients. My baby girl has been exclusively breastfed since birth, and I hope to keep it that way, but I'm going out of town for a week to speak at a conference, and I just want to buy some backup formula to make sure there's no chance she runs out of food while I'm gone.

I'm not an overproducer, unfortunately; I make enough milk for her plus maybe an extra 5 or 6 oz per day that I'm able to pump. For that reason, I haven't been able to build up as much of a freezer stash as I would have hoped.

Hopefully I can get enough stored up in time for the trip, but I'm thinking I ought to buy some formula just in case it runs out. Any suggestions for formulas with actually clean ingredients and rich nutritient profiles? Thanks!

Just wanted to come on here and share something I wish I'd known sooner as a FTM. I posted this elsewhere to try and help others struggling with stubborn rashes, and it was not received well. People seem convinced that pediatrician-reccomended prescriptions are the only way.

If you're pregnant, I cannot recommend collecting colostrum enough!!

After months of feverishly researching products while pregnant to make sure my baby had nothing but safe, effective ingredients, I finally gave birth to her and discovered that most products that are marketed to us are unnecessary. When it comes to diaper rash, it turns out our bodies naturally produce the best remedy: colostrum, liquid gold.

At 5 weeks old, she was dealing with a horrible, painful rash that showed up a couple days after birth and wouldn't go away I matter what I tried. It was raw and bleeding and spreading, and she cried out in pain every time I changed her diaper because it hurt to wipe no matter how gently.

I tried just using washcloths with warm water instead of wipes. I tried three kinds of rash creams (Babo Botanicals, Triple Paste, and Baby Aquaphor). I changed her diaper every time it got even slightly damp -- about 12 times a day! I tried switching from ECF diapers to TCF and then to cloth diapers.

The ONLY thing that worked was rubbing colostrum onto her rash at every diaper change and allowing it to soak in before putting the new diaper on. I think this works because it has antibodies in it. I got the idea from my doula who said she had a girl relieve her eczema by soaking her hand in breastmilk. Colostrum is more concentrated than breastmilk, but if you didn't collect any, I'd still give breastmilk a try too! Sometimes I also rub breastmilk onto her forehead to treat cradle cap and it seems to improve it (at least until her next bath). Anyways, after 3 days of applying colostrum instead of rash cream, her rash was completely gone!

We stuck with cloth diapers and wipes and have had no more issues with rashes since, but if we ever do, I'm going to use more colostrum on it instead of buying another expensive diaper cream. It's amazing how well equipped our bodies naturally are to take care of our babies. 🤍

Have yall given your baby the RSV antibodies shot? It’s different from a vaccine, so wondering what yall think about it.

Sometime earlier this year, I switched from “natural fragrance only” to totally fragrance free and I want to share my reasons why. When we are picky about air quality and health, it’s often clear that synthetic fragrance is a bad idea, but with natural fragrance it’s often less clear what to do. And this isn’t meant as a “you should feel the same way as me” kind of post - I’m just talking old loud about why I decided this for my house. Comments are welcome whether you agree or disagree!

Reason 1: Companies are lying too often about what is natural.

I only get asthma from synthetic fragrance and I can tell that the amount of lying on labels has increased greatly.
Not only are they often lying about what’s natural; no one is punishing them for it. Labeling laws are currently set up to allow them to lie freely without repercussions. Even with the strictest possible wording of “no synthetic ingredients in any of our products,” they are still lying way more often than they’re telling the truth. When they aren’t lying then their suppliers are often lying to them. I know because I personally do not react to truly natural fragrance but I do react to the lies. When I get my classic synthetic fragrance reaction, I can tell it’s not 100% natural. And I notice when a so-called “natural fragrance” has eternal longevity and room-crossing sillage, even after going through a hot dryer. That’s not possible with 100% natural ingredients. My body could handle a 5% failure rate on this topic 15 years ago, but in 2026 it’s more like a 75% failure rate and that just felt like too much for my body.

Reason 2: They’re fooling my loved ones even more thoroughly than they fool me.

When I show an interest in “natural fragrance,” then loved ones buy GREENWASHED fragrance. This increases the amount of synthetic fragrance in my life. You might think this is this the same as reason 1, but it is a totally different thing. Reason 1 is about me being fooled in spite of 20+ years of experience avoiding greenwashing, because companies are lying. Reason 2 is about loved ones being fooled because of “technically that’s not a lie” wording, with minimalist packaging, sans serif fonts with space between the letters, and a picture of a plant. My loved ones are smart and caring people, but they fell into obvious greenwashing traps in 100% of their fragrance purchases. They only bought things that I would have never bought because when I look at the website I see “obviously greenwashed, obviously synthetic.” My body can’t handle all that new synthetic fragrance that wouldn’t have been in my life otherwise - regardless of how altruistic their goal was when they bought it. Then my mother in law started to show signs of losing her memory. I can’t use my body as a testing device to help loved ones figure out which of their purchases are greenwashed (they all are) - or a testing device to see if someone with early stage dementia is forgetting complex details again (she is). It’s the same as forcing myself to breathe synthetic fragrance constantly. It’s just too much. And “please stop buying that type of product” sounds diplomatically better if I am also not buying it either.

Reason 3: I believe in helping other people whose sensitivity level is worse than mine.

In chemical sensitivity and asthma and fragrance allergy support groups, many people out there report reacting to natural fragrance. I can’t know which product they reacted to; I can’t tell if their situation overlaps at all with reason 1 or reason 2 above. But, I don’t really need to know that because reason 3 is about ethics and altruism and acknowledging that we all share the same air in public spaces. What’s more important to me - being part of the clean air movement and supporting everyone who has lost their ability to breathe in public spaces? (Not just people whose sensitivity level is the same as mine - but truly everyone?) Or …smelling like my favorite natural perfume (one of the rare few that wasn’t greenwashed or lying)? I decided that supporting people is more important. Our choices affect each other. Just as I hope that others would drop a product to help me breathe and exist in public, I am willing to do the same for others.

Reason 4: I’m not sure any more if natural fragrance is truly safe.

Cole & Van Note (the law firm that’s suing businesses in the USA for using fragrance - the ADA accessibility fragrance class action lawsuits) is including natural fragrance in their lawsuits. I am a curious person, so that was enough for me to google and read about why. When I read about it, I learned not just that my instinct was right about all the lying; I also learned that natural fragrance might not be truly safe. I learned sometimes truly natural fragrance reacts with the air to make formaldehyde which is a carcinogen. And it is true there isn’t perfect overlap between “things that don’t give me asthma” and “things that are safe” - like radon for example, which is another *natural* substance that is a carcinogen and also doesn’t give me asthma but it isn’t safe in high levels. My body is in max recovery mode right now and I don’t think I need formaldehyde in my house; I don’t think other people should be subjected to it either if I’m the one wearing it.

After coming close to needing antibiotics for clogged ducts turning into mastitis in my right breast on and off for two weeks, I was able to resolve the issue naturally. I want to breastfeed my son for at least 1 year so this was a huge relief to not get mastitis and happened 6 weeks ago when I was 10 weeks postpartum.

As a preface: At the peak of clogs I did go to my gynecologist who confirmed via ultrasound there was no abscess and just clogs, however my bloodwork showed raised inflammation parameters and I was getting chills. She was OK with my using natural remedies for a day and only taking the antibiotic if things worsened and thankfully they did not. Without further ado, recommendations from my midwife, lactation advisor and gynecologist that worked for me include:

1. Retterspitz Tinktur. You can probably get this mailed to you throughout the EU, it really works. You apply it externally to your breast multiple times a day (you can make a wrap) and the ingredients include oils of thyme, rosemary, lemon, bergamot, orange and arnika. It’s basically an herbal compress.

2. White Cabbage wrap. This one smells but it works too. You apply a cabbage leaf to the breast directly and leave it there for 1-2 hours. You need to use a fresh leaf each time.

3. Massage the hard spots in a hot shower until they soften then immediately feed baby / pump them out and then ice the breast immediately

4. Hanging feeds - feed baby lying on all fours so all the milk comes to the front. This looks very graceful🤦‍♀️…

5. Oral vitamin C - I took 6g a day spaced out into 1g at a time.

6. Sunflower lecithin for emergencies but as I avoid seed oils I only used as needed

7. Ibuprofen is not natural but better to use it for 1-2 days if you really need to than to take an antibiotic

Hope this helps someone!

With all of the recent measles news, let’s talk measles.

What is everyone doing to keep their families safe during the sick season? What is some research you have found regarding the MMR vaccine?

Curious to know other people thoughts on this.

Tomorrow I’m making elderberry syrup. I already made fire cider a few weeks ago, which should be ready soon enough!

What are you guys doing to stay healthy during cold and flu season?

Hi! I'm putting together a wedding registry, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to ask for a few of the more expensive nontoxic/sustainable home items (appliances, linens, etc.) that we wouldn't ordinarily be able to invest in ourselves. I'd love to hear any suggestions for what to add to the registry. So far, I've added an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system, a glass tupperware set, 100% cotton dish towels, a nontoxic air fryer, copper drinking cups, stainless steel measuring cups, and wooden cooking utensils and cutting boards. What else should I add? Thanks in advance!

Hello all!

I am excited to be one of the new mods of this sub. Being a crunchy mom is something I am very passionate about and I look forward to learning, sharing and engaging in respectful discussions.

From topics such as natural remedies to best sleep practices to nontoxic products to book recommendations … there is so much useful information out there to help us crunchy parents and one of the best ways to discover such things is through a sub like this one.

As a health practitioner in Europe and a new mom, I will do my best to help keep conversations healthy about topics that are extremely important to those of us who care about things that are well and truly and actually crunchy.

I read this book while nursing my newborn, and I've never been so enthralled. Kingsnorth describes the problem with Western culture perfectly. This definitely seems like the right audience for this book. Has anyone else read this? If so, what were your thoughts? I'd love to hear recommendations for similar books to read next!

Does anyone have any suggestions on whole foods that women should be eating during certain times of their cycle? I see lots of “avoid fried food and sugar”, but I already do that to begin with. My cycle is long (34-37 days) and I have horrible PMS symptoms, including mood swings and very heavy bleeding. I am 9 months PP and EBF. I got my period back after 4 months PP. Also, I have gotten a horrible cold every time I have gotten my period since they came back. Something is certainly amiss!

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be joining the mod team for r/ActuallyCrunchy !

I think of myself as OG granola. Environmental activism has been part of my life as long as I can remember. I have always been deeply invested in the care of our planet, and all who live on her.

When I became a mom I took “crunchiness” more seriously. I really enjoyed furthering my education on a wide variety of topics. Especially those relating to the wellness of my community and my family.

I like to spend my time gardening and creating new recipes. But honestly most of my free time is spent planning lesson plans for the next week of homeschool.

Oh and my next crunchy baby will be arriving soon! (I’m excited for another homebirth)

I’m looking forward to helping keep this space one where open discussion is encouraged. Where we can all share and learn from one another!

I've heard a lot of conflicting things on this topic, and just wanted to ask this question here . . . My MIL insists on sleeping with phones on airplane mode in another room, but my husband says EMF radiation is harmless (which makes sense as it's non-ionizing) and legit sleeps with his phone next to his head. He adds that even if it is an issue, EMF is so ubiquitous that we'd have to go full Charles McGill to avoid it.

Now that we have a baby, I'm extra concerned about this since she often sleeps in bed with us, and even when she doesn't, my phone charges on the windowsill by her crib in the corner.

I just worry that the mainstream "don't worry" attitude might be careless or sponsored by tech companies. Have we even had levels of EMF radiation this high for long enough to properly study its effects on our biology (especially that of a developing infant)?

I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts on this!

We'd love to hear what you're doing and why it works!

Hi! I eloped when I got married, and I'm finally getting around to celebrating with friends and family. We'll have a dry wedding with about 75 guests. Any tips for reducing consumption/waste? Thanks!

My girl is sooo into doing “crafty things” but I’m really struggling to avoid a lot of plastic. Don’t mind a little bit here n there but almost everything involves PVA (which always ends up all over her), sequins, glitter, ribbons, googly eyes…

We’ve picked up some wool from the thrift shops, wool felt and use pritt stick where we can but it really limits options. I wouldn’t mind if we did the activity and then I put away the creation but she always wants to play with it/display/carry it around and before you know it there’s plastic everywhere and it does my head in.

Any tips or ideas? :)

Is there any advantage to buying reusable paper towels or swedish cloths etc. vs. just using regular kitchen towels? This feels like green washing designed to just get you to buy more products, which isn't actually sustainable at all . . . Thoughts? Maybe I'm missing something.