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Getting Attached to Attachment Parenting

What Does It Mean, How Does It Work and Is It Right for You?

By Mark Stackpole

Another plus, Taylor says, is that mothers can benefit from being able to nurse without having to get out of bed. "Generally, the formula is extended breastfeeding of a year or more," Taylor says. "The World Health Organization recommends two years, by the way. [It also involves] co-sleeping for at least the first year or two, and using a sling or other device to carry the baby on your body rather than using a stroller."

Taylor feels very strongly that attachment parenting gives parents the freedom to raise their children as they see fit. "My basic belief is 'what feels right' should guide every parent," he says. "If it feels right to teach your baby to be desensitized at night and sleep in her own room, that's what you should do. If it, on the other hand, feels awful to teach your newborn that you aren't there when they cry, when they really need you, well, then, attachment parenting is probably a good direction to consider."

While not everyone will agree with Taylor's approach to bedtime rituals, many do only consider (and judge) the methods involved in attachment parenting rather than examining it in terms of its core philosophies. "There are behaviors that many parents who practice attachment parenting tend to use in some form or another, but it really isn't about the behaviors as it is about the attitude," says Pam Stone of Weare, N.H.

As the mother of a young daughter and the managing direcor of Attachment Parenting International, Stone has both a personal and a professional leadership role in the world of attachment parenting. "It is about forming and nurturing strong connections between parents and their children," she says. "It is about treating our children with respect and dignity, and modeling our interactions with them the way we would like for them to interact with others."

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
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  About Co-sleeping
• Something to Sling About: Why Baby Carriers Are a Great Tool for New Moms
• Talk about it!

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