- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Attachment Parenting
kellmo
member
Attachment Parenting?
kellmo
member
What exactly is attachment parenting?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Attachment Parenting?
I am new to this idea but will share the basics...btw, it's NMS.
It's an attentive way of parenting that is used to create an emotional closeness through physical closeness. Parents stay close to baby at all times. It was invented by a pediatrician and uses what are called the "Baby Bs" which are are bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, bedsharing and boundary building.
Babywearing refers to parents who literally wear their child in a sling or carrier as much as possible, even around the house, and bedsharing refers to families who share their beds with baby (some until so many months, some for many years).
I am the 99%.
Umm, it wasn't really "invented" by a pediatrician, it's actually a very old & natural style of parenting. But Dr. Sears is the pediatrician that made it popular.
The link for the B's is here:
https://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T130300.asp
Not everyone follows every B - like you may not BF or your baby may not like to be worn or co-sleeping isn't your thing. It's more about being baby led & listening to your LOs cues.
https://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t130100.asp
This link has a ton of great information if you're looking to learn more about AP. Dr. Sears is the AP guru.
HTH!
Why are you here then?
:
Yeah, you can't really invent something that just naturally exists!
Before I started reading these forums, I didn't know the term "attachment parenting," but I wandered in here and saw all the ladies talking about principles I have always wanted to stick to.
blog! thescenery.net
Me too! I don't do everything 100%, but I do find that what I do naturally is pretty AP style.
Ditto both of you. I had a really bad taste in my mouth about what I thought AP was until I looked into it further. Then I realized it's a natural baby led parenting that my husband and I have done since we had our first son.
Yeah, just for the past several years, in thinking about children in the near future, so many of my goals fit under the AP umbrella without me even realizing it. Our youngest niece is a couple years old now and I remember I was carrying her around when she was just a couple weeks old; I mentioned it was a lot exercise but I loved it, and my MIL told me I should just put her down because she needs to learn how to be on her own. I just kind of brushed it off and kept her with me because it just didn't feel right to put her down and let her scream when she was so content being carried. Holding her just felt right.
I was also told to just lay her in her crib at night to let her CIO for a bit, and while I technically did while I was watching her, it was SO awkward for me. I couldn't stand it so I just got her out and held her. Of course, this is just a few hours a few times with a child who is not mine, but my main thought with both scenarios was "why on earth would I do that? Isn't that borderline neglect? Babies should be with us!" The idea of putting a baby in a bedroom and either chilling downstairs or going to sleep in a different room has always just made me feel uneasy. We plan on staying in our one bedroom apartment for at least a few years, which not only lets us keep the future kiddo in with us, but also saves us a lot of money since we don't be paying for a 2 bedroom!
I'm worried about how receptive family would be to the concept, but then again, not only will it not be their child, but we live far too far away for it to have much of an impact!
blog! thescenery.net
Sorry, you need to read a little more. It's nothing of the sort.
AP is respecting your children, that's pretty much it. So it means you make allowances for their immaturity and accommodate it as much as possible, whether it's acknowledging that most newborns like to be held a lot (and allowing those that don't like to be held to not be held, even if you desperately want a cuddle), to redirecting a toddler instead of smacking them, not leaving a newborn to cry alone in a crib because you don't want to get up in the night.