It might be hard for modern parents to imagine that there was a time when parenting was just done, without having to read a shelf of books, having a list of sites bookmarked and online groups to ask questions. Those days when this wasn’t the case were also the day, it would seem, that families lived with multiple generations and so we learned how to parent, literally at our grandmother’s knees. I supposed there have always been those who “spared the rod,” and those who did not, but beyond that there were not well-developed parenting philosophies. One such parenting philosophy that has received a lot of attention in recent decades is attachment parenting.

Attachment Parenting

This philosophy, made very well known by Dr. Sears,  holds that a child’s well-being increases when they have, according to Wikipedia, “maximal maternal empathy and responsiveness…and continuous bodily closeness and touch.”

How is it done?

Dr. Sears tells us that this is done by soothing your child, no matter their age, as soon as they cry.  You don’t leave them to cry it out to develop what is know as self-soothing techniques. You also hold them as much as you can. You carry them in a baby sling, or baby carriers like a Baby Börn that holds you baby against your body, instead of putting them in a stroller or baby carriage.

In our next blog, we will look at the intended, and perhaps unintended,  outcomes of using Attachment Parenting are. Until then, feel free to call our office and make an appointment to visit our facility.