Suzanne's Attachment Parenting Website

What is attachment parenting? Well, I suppose it depends who you talk to. It means many different things to different people. For me, it means a certain way of raising and interacting with your children that puts them first and foremost in your life. Attachment parenting means respecting a child for who they are...loving them, responding them, and nurturing them. It includes making every effort to ensure a gentle birth, including delivering as natural as possible (i.e.: no drugs, no surgery, and no unnecessary interventions). This benefits the mother as well. It also includes breastfeeding the baby from birth to whenever the child wants to wean, no circumcision (for either sex), co-sleeping with your baby, feeding on-demand and responding promptly to your babies cries, holding and carrying your child as much as possible (slings come in handy for this purpose).

Too many babies spend their hours in infant swings, infant carriers, infant child seats, infant walkers/exersaucers, cribs, playpens, etc. While some of these devices may be necessary (car seats for safely, for example), many are overused and the child suffers from lack of contact and nurturing as a result. I have to admit I am guilty of this. The more children I have had, the less and less "equipment" I needed. My first three children used nearly all of these items. As I grew more aware about attachment parenting, I realized that we didn't need all of that stuff. My fourth and fifth children have never slept in cribs or spent time in a playpen. My fourth child did have a swing but not my fifth. They both had exersaucers but with our next baby, we will not use one. Why? Because a babies' body is not designed to support itself in an upright position. If it were, a baby would be able to stand and/or walk. They could be harm done to the hips or legs of a baby from the unnecessary and unnatural strain. Maybe a limited time spent using one might not cause any harm but I don't see the need to use one any longer. I think a baby does best on a blanket on the floor...able to develop his and her own physical developments as they were meant to.

Me holding my daughter Kimberly when she was 5 months old in a Maya Wrap sling (www.mayawrap.com). I think this is the best way to carry children. The variety of carrying positions and ease of nursing are a huge plus.

I've noticed without this fancy equipment, I hold my children longer and more often. Do I ever get sick of it? I have to say sometimes I do but all I need to remember is that my children are growing every day and one day, I will look back and yearn for these moments. I love to hold my children. I feel almost detached from my first, second and third babies...not only because of the overuse of baby equipment but also because I didn't breastfeed them. My two youngest children are closer to me than the others have ever been. As my parenting values have changed, I have been able to make more informed decisions as I learn more about issues that affect my children. My two youngest children are breastfed and they both co-sleep with my husband and I in our family bed. None of my other three children were given the same. There is a difference.