I've Grown Rather Attached To You

Tonight I want to talk about attachment parenting. Is it just an excuse for some parents to keep their children close or is a great way to bond with your child?

I didn't know anything about attachment parenting until I started going to Mommy Group when Lincoln was 3-months-old. At first I learned about co-sleeping and baby wearing. Gabe and I tried co-sleeping with Lincoln a few times when he was a baby, but it never worked for us. None of us would get good sleep and we'd be so tired the next day. Baby wearing, however, I really got into. When I first started going to Mommy Group I saw that many of the moms had the Ergobaby carrier. They all praised it and said what a great help it was in carrying around a baby. I told Gabe about it and that we had to get one, so we did. It was a great help and I loved carrying Lincoln in it everywhere, I still use it now sometimes.

I eventually learned about extended breastfeeding and feeding on demand. When I breastfed Lincoln I followed my mother-in-law's rule of only feeding him every 2-4 hours. She said this is what worked for her and it helps get the child on schedule. If I had been more educated about breastfeeding I think I would have fed on demand. This is where you listen to your child and feed them whenever they are hungry and want to nurse. You don't watch a clock, you watch you child. If we ever have a second child I will for sure do this with them and I know I won't be as nervous or anxious about breastfeeding as I was with Lincoln, since I know what to expect now. I would also do extended breastfeeding the next time around. This is where you breastfeed them past 2 years of age. Obviously this is not their only source of nutrition at this age, but it is still good for them and their developing immune system. I also know that extended breastfeeding causes a lot of controversy in the parenting community. There are some people that don't feel it's right to breastfeed your child after the age of 2 years. They feel that a child of that age should be eating only solids and if they're going to drink milk to drink milk from a cow or a goat or rice milk. Breast milk is a great source of nutrients for a young child and if you want to breastfeed your child until they're 5-years-old (or older in some cases) then that's your choice.

I'd say for the most part Gabe and I do follow most of the beliefs of the natural family living lifestyle which goes along with attachment parenting. We are currently co-sleeping, we don't all sleep in the same bed but we all sleep in the same room which we see as basically co-sleeping. We believe in natural birth and I would do a home birth. We believe that at least one parent should be a stay-at-home, right now that's me but Gabe would really like to be the stay-at-home. It's a parenting style that we enjoy very much and we feel that it's what's best for our child.

I think that attachment parenting is a great way to bond with your child and a wonderful way to raise them. It gives them security and nurturing and helps secure a strong emotional bond between a child and their caregiver(s). I know that if we have the chance to have a second child I will for sure follow the ideals of attachment parenting a lot closer. I've already started to follow them closer as I've educated myself more about it and what attachment parenting exactly entails. I don't think it's an excuse for parents to keep their children close to them, I think it's a way to form a strong emotional bond with your child, to help them feel security, and a wonderful way to nurture them as the grow up.


Blogly Question(s):

How do you feel about attachment parenting? Is it something you follow?