Attachment Parenting - Breastfeeding, Co-sleeping, Baby Wearing and More

Many new parents are trying out attachment parenting. Most people have heard of this and follow this type of parenting without even realizing it. Attachment parenting, or AP parents tend to follow a few similar things. They breastfeed, wear their baby, co-sleep and they generally do not let their babies cry it out. AP parenting is all about following your heart to tend to your child's needs, what works best for the both of you basically. You do not have to do all of the AP type things to be an AP parent. Some AP parents do not co-sleep for their own reasons or they may not breastfeed exclusively.

The ABC's of attachment parenting include: adaptable, affectionate, assured, breastfeeding, baby wearing, belief in baby's cries, caring, communication and confident, among others. Being adaptable is important in any relationship. You need to teach that to a baby. Being affectionate and assured help that baby to better bond with you faster. Breastfeeding is a great bonding experience for you as well as your baby. The benefits are many to both mother and baby. Baby wearing makes for a less fussy child that learns to be more content than a baby that is left in a crib more often than not. You can wear a baby and still do whatever you need to. Slings and baby carriers are easy to find and very affordable to all. Babies communicate through their cries. It is just a matter of time before you can really distinguish between a hungry cry and a sleepy cry. Caring parents make for caring, trusting babies. Communication is key to any relationship and a baby is no different.

There are many benefits to following an AP lifestyle. AP babies appear to be smarter. This is partially due to being in a responsive environment and being held a lot. AP parenting helps the brain to make the right type of connections. AP babies appear to be healthier, mostly due to breastfeeding. When you breastfeed an infant, you are giving that infant your antibodies, thus making it possible for that baby to get less illness than a baby that is solely formula fed. Most AP parents are a little less stressed. AP families tend to have better nutritional values. Many AP moms can tell if that infant is getting sick sooner since they are together so closely all the time. AP families tend to co-sleep. Babies sleep better when sleeping with mom and dad and in turn, mom and dad sleep better and longer stretches of sleep.

Babies that are carried all day long or are used to being worn by their parents cry less and are less fussy all around. A baby spends nine months attached, literally, to the mother so why when we give birth, is it normal to put that baby alone in a big crib. Babies need to feel secure and being held is the best way to make that baby become more secure, faster. Learning security early on makes for more independent children and adults.

Co-sleeping has other advantages as well. Your baby is close by to nurse in the middle of the night if need be. You don' t have to get up and make noise and stumble to find the baby in the crib and move that baby from the sleeping position in order to nurse. Night nursing promotes more milk in the mother as well. The hormones in charge of lactation peek in the middle of the night so that baby is getting more of the nutrient rich milk. Many studies have also shown that co-sleeping may reduce the number of SIDS cases. Mothers that sleep with their babies are a little more in tuned to a baby's breathing.

When you have a baby, you do what you feel is best for you and the baby. For many parents, AP parenting is what is best. It may not work well for everyone. It is not an exact science. You don't really follow a set of rules. You have to go with your instincts and follow your heart for it to really work. Using the theories of AP parenting does not mean that you have to be attached, literally, to your baby twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Other people can take over for you when need be. Not letting that baby cry it out and responding to the baby's cries early enough are important. Holding the baby and showing security and love is the key to succeeding.

There are many resources out there, parenting books, television shows, pediatricians, nurses and family and friends that can help you out. They do not give you a manual when you leave the hospital with that new baby. Maybe they should, but they don't. You have to trust your new parent instincts and ask questions when you feel you need to. The best advice is to just love and protect that baby. Do what you feel is right. Many parents follow the AP parenting philosophies and do not even realize that there is a name for what they are doing. You don't have to follow the book word for word. Enjoy that baby, they grow up so fast!!