Anyone else practice Attachment Parenting?

[Samantha675]

You are a great mum im sure...

What is attachment parenting exactly?

The essence of Attachment Parenting is about forming and nurturing strong connections between parents and their children. Attachment Parenting challenges us as parents to treat our children with kindness, respect and dignity, and to model in our interactions with them the way we'd like them to interact with others.

API's Eight Principles of Parenting
Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting
Become emotionally and physically prepared for pregnancy and birth. Research available options for healthcare providers and birthing environments, and become informed about routine newborn care. Continuously educate yourself about developmental stages of childhood, setting realistic expectations and remaining flexible


Feed with Love and Respect
Breastfeeding is the optimal way to satisfy an infant's nutritional and emotional needs. "Bottle Nursing" adapts breastfeeding behaviors to bottle-feeding to help initiate a secure attachment. Follow the feeding cues for both infants and children, encouraging them to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. Offer healthy food choices and model healthy eating behavior.

Respond with Sensitivity
Build the foundation of trust and empathy beginning in infancy. Tune in to what your child is communicating to you, then respond consistently and appropriately. Babies cannot be expected to self-soothe, they need calm, loving, empathetic parents to help them learn to regulate their emotions. Respond sensitively to a child who is hurting or expressing strong emotion, and share in their joy.

Use Nurturing Touch
Touch meets a baby's needs for physical contact, affection, security, stimulation, and movement. Skin-to-skin contact is especially effective, such as during breastfeeding, bathing, or massage. Carrying or babywearing also meets this need while on the go. Hugs, snuggling, back rubs, massage, and physical play help meet this need in older children.

Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally
Babies and children have needs at night just as they do during the day; from hunger, loneliness, and fear, to feeling too hot or too cold. They rely on parents to soothe them and help them regulate their intense emotions. Sleep training techniques can have detrimental physiological and psychological effects. Safe co-sleeping has benefits to both babies and parents.

Provide Consistent and Loving Care
Babies and young children have an intense need for the physical presence of a consistent, loving, responsive caregiver: ideally a parent. If it becomes necessary, choose an alternate caregiver who has formed a bond with the child and who cares for him in a way that strengthens the attachment relationship. Keep schedules flexible, and minimize stress and fear during short separations.

Practice Positive Discipline
Positive discipline helps a child develop a conscience guided by his own internal discipline and compassion for others. Discipline that is empathetic, loving, and respectful strengthens the connection between parent and child. Rather than reacting to behavior, discover the needs leading to the behavior. Communicate and craft solutions together while keeping everyone's dignity intact.

Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life
It is easier to be emotionally responsive when you feel in balance. Create a support network, set realistic goals, put people before things, and don't be afraid to say "no". Recognize individual needs within the family and meet them to the greatest extent possible without compromising your physical and emotional health. Be creative, have fun with parenting, and take time to care for yourself.

 

[mommyof3co]

I'd never heard of it but the end result is you feeling better about yourself



..........
Little off topic but mommyof3co your obsessed with this sears guy!?

Lol no, I don't follow everything he recommends or anything. I just know of some of his articles that have alot of really good information...he is a big advocate of AP so he has alot of informative articles for those who were asking what it was, also the solids thing he has alot of info so I've posted that a few times, and I think I did for cry it out from him because being big with AP he is not "for" that so there is some info on there about the harm it can cause. But I do like to post research or something, especially when I go against the majority, that it isn't my opinion but a fact, of course there are 2 sides to everything but when I ask for advice I do like to hear both sides so if I have the info I will post it

 

[hsollis]

Hmmm, a lot of the AP listed above sounds like common sense to me and stuff parents have been doing for generations already.

I think you are doing well to find the support you need and talk it out. Hopefully, as he gets older he'll start sleeping through the night and worse case you can also check with your doctor as well. Does he nap okay during the day?

My LO actually does sleep through the night normally BUT she doesn't actually do to bed on a normal night until later usually somewhere between 21:30-23:30 AND she does not take long naps during the day only a few short naps (less than 30 minutes). Once in a while she'll take a longer nap but it tends to be short ones. She usually wakes between 6-9 in the morning.

Though once in a while, she does something completely different as well...

So, I think you're doing well and adjusting as you need to and finding the support you need which will help!!

 

[Wobbles]

I'd never heard of it but the end result is you feeling better about yourself



..........
Little off topic but mommyof3co your obsessed with this sears guy!?

Lol no, I don't follow everything he recommends or anything. I just know of some of his articles that have alot of really good information...he is a big advocate of AP so he has alot of informative articles for those who were asking what it was, also the solids thing he has alot of info so I've posted that a few times, and I think I did for cry it out from him because being big with AP he is not "for" that so there is some info on there about the harm it can cause. But I do like to post research or something, especially when I go against the majority, that it isn't my opinion but a fact, of course there are 2 sides to everything but when I ask for advice I do like to hear both sides so if I have the info I will post it

It was late when I posted - tired by 5pm now lol so I should have put a in there. Just noticed is all

 

[Samantha675]

. Does he nap okay during the day?

He naps beautifully during the day. He will take 2 naps during the day totalling 3 hours in all.

 

[missjess]

We've been doing it and I think Josh and us benefits a lot from it. xx

ps: we don't co-sleep here though. Sometimes Josh will come in bed with us in the morning to have an extra 1-2hours of sleep then we all have breakfast in bed together and we have family time xx

 

[ryder]

Thanks... tbh I do most of that except for co-sleeping and bf... Although if she has been really upset i've brought her into bed a couple times... Shes just usually happy going to sleep in her crib.

 

[missjess]

Thanks... tbh I do most of that except for co-sleeping and bf... Although if she has been really upset i've brought her into bed a couple times... Shes just usually happy going to sleep in her crib.

Josh is happier in his crib too.. I feel more secure because he climbs and crawls... I'm scared he'll throw himself off our bed while we sleep.

 

[ryder]

lol... that would be my worry too... she doesnt seem to mind her bed... if she needs cuddles she gets them.

 

[JennTheMomma]

You're doing great! We also do mostly AP or common sense parenting. We no longer co-sleep but co-nap, and I couldn't breastfeed despite my efforts.

 

[Margerle]

Well I practice AP

I am shelled a lot of the time, but everyone says I have the happiest baby they've ever seen.

You are an AWESOME momma... you do what's in your heart and that's the right way.

 

[Holldoll]

I do AP except the baby wearing. I'm still not recovered from her birth and can't hold her for longer than about 10 minutes at a time while I'm standing. Bella is a horrible sleeper and most of the time will only sleep about 30 minutes at a time. She sleeps about 8 hours at night but wakes up about 3:30-4:00 and is up about every hour after that.

I feel like you do most of the time, Sam. I often wonder why I chose to disrupt my life with a baby. I love her so much and I wouldn't trade it, but it's HARD being a parent!!

 

[ColtonsMom]

I do AP by cosleeping, but besides him being held almost all day, thats it. lol.
and Colton still isn't sleeping through, still wakes 2-3 times.. if that makes you feel any better!

 

[KarenLV]

Great to read this thread. I follow Dr. Sears Attachment Parenting. I think most babies have sleep issues anyways. We put too much stress on ourselves to have perfect babies.I dont want to follow cry-it-out either and so far,so good.I co-sleep,wear him in a sling,I breastfeed. I wont be homeschooling him though!LOL! I also get comments from people saying that he is a remarkably happy baby. Makes my heart warm when I hear that.