Childrearing
Attachment Parenting Is For Kids Of All Ages
Attachment Parenting is often summed up by the following 7 B’s, as described by everyone’s favorite AP-friendly pediatrician, Dr. Sears:
1. Birth bonding
2. Breastfeeding
3. Babywearing
4. Bedding close to baby
5. Belief in the language value of your baby’s cry
6. Beware of baby trainers
7. Balance
Of these seven, six specifically speak to the needs of babies. Balance is theoretically something that applies to parents no matter the age of your child.
What does AP look like, though, when you no longer have a baby or when your “baby” is no longer a baby? I turn to Attachment Parenting International, the leading official organization of education, resources and support for Attachment Parenting. Their description of AP involves eight main principles:
- Preparing for pregnancy, birth, and parenting
- Feed with Love and Respect
- Respond with Sensitivity
- Use Nurturing Touch
- Ensuring Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally
- Providing Consistent and Loving Care
- Practice Positive Discipline
- Strive for Balance
Of these, only the first could specifically refer to the stage of your life when you have a baby or are about to have one, but I could argue that even when you don’t have a baby, being prepared for the subsequent phases of parenting is still critical. All of the other principles still apply to my life and the life of my sons, even though they are no longer babies. They apply even though I am a working mom, just as all of the principles of AP apply to working parents—as well as stay-at-home parents, despite the obsession with AP as a privileged style of parenting made only for wealthy stay-at-home white women.
Let’s go over how the principles of AP still work in our family.
