Attachment Parenting

Attachment Parenting is a rather new way for parents to bond with their babies.
It's an overall method of nurturing that's credited with giving babies the proper start they need.

Attachment Parenting incorporates seven basic principles:

1. Birth Bonding
It's only natural that, following several weeks after birth, a mother and a baby
feel the need to stay close to one another. This birth bonding period helps nurture the healthy, biological attachment between mother and baby. The baby has needs that only its mother can fill. By filling these needs, the mother forms a strong attachment to her baby.

When a medical condition keeps a mother and her baby apart right after birth, the birth bonding experience can't, of course, be started right away. But it's never too late to begin, once the two can be together.

2. Breastfeeding
Breastmilk that a mother gives her baby is full of natural nutrients that can't be reproduced in a laboratory. It's healthier than store-bought formulas and more complete in nutrition than cow's milk.

Breastfeeding is an important part of Attachment Parenting because it helps strengthen the bond between mother and baby. Not only that, but breastfeeding
makes a mother's body produce two hormones, prolactin and oxytocin. Oxytocin has been shown to cause contractions in the uterus. These contractions help prevent
hemorrhaging after a baby is born. The contractions also help the uterus return to its normal status.

3. Babywearing
While you've probably never heard of the term "Babywearing", it plays an essential part in Attachment Parenting. Carrying or holding a baby is a key ingredient in furthering the bond between mother and child. Babies tend to be less fussy when they are held. Therefore, because they're not crying, they occupy their time by observing their environment. Also, because a baby is physically closer to its mother, Babywearing fosters familiarity.

4. Bedding Close To Baby
Nighttime is the scariest part of the day for babies and toddlers alike. Therefore, it's not a time for a mother to distance herself from her child. Bedding close to baby helps the little one feel secure. This feeling of security
helps alleviate a baby's fears of the nighttime hours. Instead of crying and fussing, a baby can sleep peacefully.

5. The Language of A Baby's Cry
Crying is the only way a baby has to communicate with its mother. When its crying is ignored, a baby often feels helpless and abandoned. Part of Attachment Parenting is listening to your baby's cry to figure out what it is they need. When a baby cries, and the mother responds to its needs, this cause-and-effect builds valuable communication and a sense of trust between the two.
6. Learn From Your Baby...
instead of from "experts" who claim that Attachment Parenting is nothing more than coddling. A baby needs its natural bonds with its mother in order to maintain its health.

7. Balance
Attachment Parenting can take time away from a baby's mother. It can also take time away from the father and the rest of the family. Therefore, in order to maintain good relationships all the way around, there must be a sense of balance when it comes to time spent with each family member.

These seven basic principles are an outline on how Attachment Parenting works. They aren't hard, steadfast rules that are meant to be adhered to every minute of the day. They only give the mother of a baby guidance on how she can form a stronger bond with her baby.