Alicia Silverstone's 7 Wackiest Pieces of Mom Advice

Is Alicia Silverstone soon to be as widely derided as Jenny McCarthy? Her new book, The Kind Mama, offers up some controversial advice for mothers—including Silverstone's idea that the "one-size-fits-all, shoot-'em-up schedule" of childhood vaccinations has caused some parents to bemoan the fact that "their child was 'never the same' after receiving a vaccine." But that's not all. More of Silverstone's ideas, from the AP, Huffington Post, Daily Beast, and New York Daily News:

• Don't use tampons: "Your chichi is the most absorbent part of your body. Unfortunately, feminine-care manufacturers aren’t required to tell you what’s in their products, which means that no one’s talking about the potential pesticide residues from non-organic cotton and the ‘fragrances’ containing hormone-upsetting, fertility-knocking phthalates that are snuggling up to your hoo-ha."
• Go vegan: Silverstone suggests a diet free of animal products can cure fertility problems, lower your risk of a miscarriage, help guard against postpartum depression, and improve babies' nutrition via breastfeeding. (She also suggests processed sugars contribute to postpartum depression.)

• Ditch the diapers: "Infants who are left in their diapers all day get out of tune with their bodies ... because they get used to walking around in a toilet, by the time you want to take that diaper away, it can be pretty difficult for a small child to relearn how to pay attention to this need and do something about it ... so step away from the Pampers," which, she says, are backed by "pseudoscience." Instead, she suggests you use "elimination communication" to potty-train your baby.
• For crying out loud, share a bed with your baby: I mean, would you really want to leave him in a crib, AKA "a barred-in box completely alone"?
• And for that matter, stay in that bed with baby for a long time after birth: Silverstone's "lying-in period" lasted 10 days.
• Remember, Silverstone also recommends feeding your baby mouth-to-mouth.

(More Alicia Silverstone stories.)