However - I've still just been unsure if the timing is right. AND, I was talking with a friend of mine over lunch the other day who has two little girls - and has been a follower of "Attachment Parenting" since day 1.
I never really knew the definition of Attachment Parenting - but knew the basic concept. However - it's a whole movement based on the teachings of Dr. Sears (actually two of them as it's a husband and his wife, a RN). They wrote the acclaimed "The Baby Book" which takes you through the basics of everything from pregnancy through age two. However - there are separate books based on just Attachment Parenting and Nighttime Parenting which go into these concepts more extensively. (To be fair there are a bunch more books by them including Breastfeeding books, Birth books, Successful Child books, etc)... These are just the two I want! :)
"Is it OK to sleep with your newborn baby? How old is too old for breastfeeding? These questions and more are answered in this latest addition to the Sears Parenting Library. Attachment Parenting encourages early, strong, and sustained attention to the new baby's needs and this book outlines the steps that will create the most lasting bonds between parents and their children. Practical and inspirational, this book, the heart of the Sears' parenting creed, is a necessity for every new parents' bookshelf."
"Parenting is a full-time, twenty-four-hour-a-day job. Nighttime Parenting was written to make that job easier and to help the whole family--mother, father, baby--sleep better. It helps parents understand why babies sleep differently than adults, offers solutions to nighttime problems, and even describes how certain styles of nighttime parenting can aid in child spacing and lower the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)."These books are kind of "hippie" in their teachings - - but that's TOTALLY ME. Hello? Have we met?? And, Dain's not the hugest fan of letting D sleep in our bed along with us - but keeping him in the room a little longer is what I think is right for us right now - since he's not really sleeping through the night or even close! I'm borrowing my sisters pack and play and we'll see how that goes for awhile...
Deal with it.
6 comments:
"Nighttime parenting can aid in child spacing".
Had to giggle at that one, Marie. :)
Rachel's brother and sister-in-law did the attachment parenting with their youngest child (their 5th). She's a stay at home mom so thus the opportunity for the constant attachment (she home-schools the other ones). Rachel said the Dr's theory (based on research?) is this: kids whose parents were constantly attached to them physically for the first year of life are more confident and more independent later in life.
My parents let us "cry it out" I'm pretty sure... When we were hungry, too bad. "Be quiet" and "get out" were as common as "go to your room" in my childhood.
In other cultures (like some tribal cultures), women carry their infants at all times or have them strapped to their body while they work.
Just some things that came to mind :)
I have to say I am a bit biased. Joey slept with me for a LOOOOONG time and I LOVED it. He just recently started sleeping in his own bed through the night, and doesn't even do that 100% of the time. He was just so snuggy and sweet and I loved waking up to him patting my face and saying "I awake Mommy." I also slept better when he was in bed with me. Still do, actually. I think it had a huge affect on us bonding and just loved having him in the bed with me. Do what you think is best, but I'm just telling you that even if you don't do it all the time, i would highly recommend at least sleeping with him a few times. It's so fun. And you can only do it for so long, and only one time in their life. Although the way my son is "mommified" he will be crawling into bed with me into his junior high days.
Steph, I seriously doubt we went hungry when we were infants. Yeah, when we were older we weren't allowed to just eat whatever whenever (note the "allowed"...this wasn't necessarily the case), but I think that's fairly normal. "Crying it out" was reserved for Evan when he was mad about whatever.
And in case anyone wants my two cents, I don't get how having someone constantly doting on you leads to independence. Of course, I'm about 4 months into this parenting thing, so what do I know except for the fact that my side of the bed shrinks a little every night the boy winds up in bed.
It sounds to me llike you Meyer's actually received a lot of the attachment parenting concepts after I talked to your mom about it.
Anywho - Dain needs to read the book...
One more comment on this post - I put Joey in a pack and play in my room when he got too big for his bassinet. He didn't sleep in the bed with me all the time until he was 1, when I got separated/divorced. The pack and play worked great. It gave him more room to move around, but still allowed him to be right next to the bed. Joey is 3 and he still wakes up in the night and comes to my room, where he stands creepily at the edge of the bed saying "moooooommmmyyyy. i lay down with you?" Don't rush getting him out of your room. He'll just end up back in there anyway. Especially if you're breastfeeding.
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