Attachment Parenting Rules

Attachment parenting is a buzz that everyone has heard recently. Probably, it is taking responsibility and protecting your children, never leaving them aside. Attachment parenting is having a better connection with your child that brings you a better feeling as a mother.

Dr. Bill coined the attachment parenting phrase in the early 1950s. Following Bill, it’s about giving maximum care to your youngster, besides understanding her or his needs. Ainsworth and Bowlby developed the attachment parenting theory in 1958, where there are various types of relationships that a mother can have with a youngster. The care is given to a child since birth impacts a child’s life.

Gordon Neufeld developed means based on attachment parenting theory in 2004. The approach excels in the physical connection given to toddlers and babies by a mother. In addition, the approach aims at having an emotional attachment to children of all ages. The means of attachment parenting, include several principles, and according to Sears, the rules are based on the biological needs of a child.

Birth Bonding

According to William Sears, there is a belief exists that a newborn is always in a quiet and alert state immediately after birth. The infant is accessible for bonding.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding accommodates the attachment of the mother-child and triggers the oxytocin release in a mother. Also, it supports an emotional bonding with the infant, noted ten days after giving birth. In addition, breastfeeding a child helps the mother to perceive the moods and needs of a child. Since the half-cycle period of the hormones that promote bonding, oxytocin and prolactin are short, Bill recommends mothers to frequently breastfeed their infants, at least eight to twelve times a day. According to sears, the best hours to breastfeed is between 1 am-6 am.

Baby wearing

According to Sears, a mother is advised to wear the baby during the day, for many hours as possible. This practice brings joy to the infant besides allowing the mother to involve the infant in her daily activities, thus keeping track of the infant. In addition, working mothers are advised to wear the infant for four to five hours every night to make good for their absence in the daytime. Also, baby wearing is beneficial for the language acquisition of a child because the infant experiences more of the mother’s conversation.

Co-sleeping

According to William Sears, mothers should sleep next to their infants. The co-sleeping principle is the nighttime equivalent of baby wearing. According to Sears’s opinion, apart from nighttime breastfeeding, the child and mother have the best sleep when sleeping together. Co-sleeping mothers breastfeed about 3 times every night than the mothers who have separate beds with their babies. The important factor in a baby getting good sleep is the emotional accessibility of the mother and not physical closeness.

In conclusion, attachment parenting principles forms a strong bond between a mother and a child. The attachment can flourish and grow as your child grows from a baby to an adult. Attachment parenting focus on building a healthy bond between a child and a parent.