One year in the attachment parenting style ( and motherhood) has been a wild ride.
Although, it’s one I look back on with pure gratitude.
Gratitude for my body that carried a child, birthed ,& nourished her a whole 12 months ( and counting!)
From things like:
- Gaining confidence breast-feeding anywhere & anytime ( baby carrier, parks, trams, restaurants!)
- Giving up the moses basket for co-sleeping
- Ditching the pram for a carrier 90% of the time
It finally feels like the hazy post par-tum fog has lifted to unveil a beautifully in sync mother and daughter dynamic.
And TBH I didn’t even know attachment parenting ( or natural, conscious, gentle, etc.) was even a thing.
In particular, I ignored parenting philosophies, milestone charts, and google like the plague. I just found them to be a bit overwhelming and too generalized for my early post partum mind.
I just did what worked for us which starting to fit into the attachment ( natural) parenting category!
Now as I continue to discover more on this beautiful philosophy, I thought I’d share 3 lessons I’ve gained one year later.
WHAT IS AN ATTACHMENT PARENTING STYLE?
Attachment parenting differs from many conventional parenting beliefs by rejecting the notion that we can :
- Spoil a baby
- Teach them to self soothe ( often by using varying cry it out methods)
- Coerce them to do as please through behavioral techniques such as rewards and punishments.
Instead it advocates for :
- Nurtured touch (baby wearing, co-sleeping,co-bathing, any skin to skin contact)
- Responsive care (nursing / feeding on demand, soothing even at night time)
- Trading in traditional discpline practices for a more positive evidence based approach
- Understanding their child temperament and adjusting to meet those own unique needs
1. ATTACHMENT PARENTING STYLE gives us the best relationship
My baby is a sweet and (very) sensitive soul.
Although, believe me there have been plenty of times at 2:00am where sleep training seemed like a wonderful idea.
But I’m so glad I didn’t.
Now almost a toddler, she is growing into her most vibrant and curious self!
I believe this is attributed to meeting her whatever phase she’s at with acceptance, attunement, and respect for her unique essence or temperament.
2. People won’t always understand & that’s okay
I’ve been blessed by an extremely supportive family, but for those who may not get it I’ve learned to simply just shut up, nod, and smile.
Why?
Because people wont always understand. And that’s okay!
You can’t make everyone happy.
Despite others opinions, I’m guiding my baby in in a way that calls me to slow down, detach from others opinions, and get in in tune with my inner knowing.
3. It allows me to trust myself (& grow a backbone!)
Attachment parenting allows me to dance at the beat of my own drum.
To slow down, tune out all the extra noise, and truly listen to my intuition, what my heart is telling me.
As a people pleaser, this can be hard for the fear being rejected and talked about by others.
Yet as you start to see the resilience, creativity,and independence in your child that everything else is just- extra noise.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
How was your attachment parenting journey been? What do you love the most?Let me know below!