Attachment Parenting (sometimes called AP)

(Disclaimer: Not all the opinions found on these web pages are necessarily my own. I am simply trying to present an assortment of information about the various aspects of this style of parenting)

 

"What is attachment parenting?" Here are various descriptions of this style of parenting:

Defined by Attachment Parenting International

Defined by Dr. William Sears using the 7 Baby B's (and a definition of attachment)

Defined by Families for Natural Living

Defined by Amy Scott (sociologist, breastfeeding counselor, independent distributor for DK Family Learning, and owner of Wears The Baby)

Defined by Laurie of the Parent Soup Attachment Parenting Board

Defined by Jan Hunt (The Natural Child Project)

 

"What attachment parenting is not":

Defined by Dr. William Sears

 

General attachment parenting web sites

Attachment Parenting International
 
AskDrSears.com Attachment Parenting Index
 
Kelly's Attachment Parenting
Recommended Books and Books to Avoid, Kelly's Attachment Parenting site
 
StorkNet's Attachment Parenting Cubby
Expert's Corner: Elizabeth Pantley
 
Baby Reference
 
Nuture by Nature Network
 
Dr. Jim Prescott
 
Dr. Jay Gordon
 
The Natural Child Project (Jan Hunt)
 
Tine Thevenin Library
 
Gentle Parenting
 
The Whole Family Attachment Parenting Association
 
The Aware Parenting Institute
 
Parenting Web
 
Attached Mama
 
Nuturing
 
Humanity Infant and Herbal
 
Open Here - Attachment Parenting

Books, authors, magazines (I haven't read all of these yet, but I'm working on it!)

Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears
  • The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two
  • The Attachment Parenting Book : A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby
  • The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know About Nursing Your Child from Birth Through Weaning
  • Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep
Meredith Small, Ph.D.
Our Babies, Ourselves
(Read La Leche League review)
(Read review in Bringing Up Babies, Cornell Magazine Online, July/August 1998)
 
Tine Thevenin
The Family Bed: An Age Old Concept in Child Rearing
 
Jean Liedloff
The Continuum Concept
 
Dr. Linda Folden Palmer
Baby Matters
 
Elizabeth Pantley
The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
 
Katie Granju
Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for you Baby and Young Child
 
Deborah Jackson
Three in a Bed: The Benefits of Sharing Your Bed With Your Baby
 
Isabelle Fox, Ph.D.
Being There: The Benefits of a Stay-At-Home Parent
 
Jay Gordon (and Maria Goodavage)
Good Nights: The Happy Parents' Guide to the Family Bed (And a Peaceful Night's Sleep)
 
Dr. Harvey Karp
The Happiest Baby on the Block
 
Norma Jane Bumgarner
Mothering Your Nursing Toddler
 
Jan Hunt
The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart
 
Katherine A. Dettwyler (editor) and Patricia Stuart-MacAdam (editor)
Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives (Foundations of Human Behavior)
(Read review)

Mothering Magazine

Breastfeeding

La Leche League
LLL of the Peninsula, CA
 
Extended Breastfeeding FactSheet, Kelly's Attachment Parenting
 
Exclusive Breastfeeding, World Health Organization
 
101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child, ProMom
 
NPR story on motherhood
 
Thoughts on Breastfeeding, Katherine Dettwyler, Ph.D.
 
Why Nurse Toddlers?
 
Why Mothers Nurse Their Children into Toddlerhood, Norma Jane Bumgarner
 
Extended Breastfeeding: Is it for you?, babycenter.com
 
Tandem nursing story
 
Doctors Need to Study Up On Breastfeeding, Dr. Dean Edell
 
Mothering Magazine articles:
Not Just for Babies: 10 Good Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler, (Nov/Dec 2000)
From Bashful to Brazen: The Indiscreet Breastfeeding Manifesto, (Nov/Dec 2001)
Have Breasts Will Travel: Nursing Discreetly in Public, (Nov/Dec 2001)
 
Nursing Baby Breastfeeding Information
 
ParentsPlace.com articles:
Extended Breastfeeding: Are there still health benefits?
Breastfeeding: When do children naturally wean?
Breastfeeding: Mom or Baby-Led Weaning?
 

Solid Foods and the BreastFed Baby

Starting Solids With the Breastfed Baby

 
Nutrition for Nursing Toddlers
 
Is Breastfeeding Linked to Tooth Decay?
 
Childhood Caries and Breastfeeding 
 

Co-sleeping (also called "bed sharing", "sleep-sharing", or the "family bed")

Co-Sleeping: Yes, No, Sometimes?, AskDrSears.com

Mothering Magazine articles:

Three in a Bed, Deborah Jackson, (Jan/Feb 2000)
The Family Bed: It's Safe and Here's Why, (Jan/Feb 2000)
A Foot in Your Face, or 10 Other Reasons to Family Bed, (Jan/Feb 2000)
Confessions of a Bed Lizard: The Sheer Pleasure of Lying About, (Jan/Feb 2000)
Sleep with Me: A Trans-cultural Look at the Power--and Protection--of Sharing a Bed (Nov/Dec 1998)
Bedsharing Research in Britain

Responses to the co-sleeping study by the CPSC, co-sponsered by the JPMA (trade organization representing crib and bedding manufacturers):

SIDS, The Family Bed, and the CPSC, Alan Greene MD
Infant Sleep & Death Fact Sheet by Linda Palmer (author Baby Matters)
AskDrSears' response
Attachment Parenting International's response
Is sleeping with my baby safe? Can it reduce the risk of SIDS?, James McKenna, PhD.
Dr. Dean Edell's response on HealthCentral.com
The Family Bed. Can Parents Sleep Safely With Infants? on Good Morning America, ABC, Dr. Bob Sears
Is it safe to sleep with my baby?, Elizabeth Pantley
Not Designed to Sleep Alone, by Dr. Jay Gordon for Mothering Magazine and Safe Cosleeping

When is the right time to put child in his/her own bedroom?, Parenthood.com

Sleeping with Baby on the Early Show, CBS, Jay Gordon

Evolution of a Family Bedder (and email responses)

Baby wearing

Hold Me Close: The Many Advantages of Wearing Your Baby and Babywearing Tips Mothering Magaine (Jul/Aug 2002)
 
The Importance of the In-Arms Phase, Jean Liedloff

Gentle discipline

To Spank or Not To Spank? by Elizabeth Pantley
 
Experts offer tips on gentle discipline for toddlers, CNN article April 25, 2000

Misc. articles

Attachment parenting the older child
 
The Flower Shop (Why You Should Attachment Parent), Dr. Jay Gordon
 
A Delicate Balance, Isabelle Fox
 
An Interview with Dr. Isabelle Fox, Family and Home Network
 
Attachment Parenting? for Babies Community Home Page at Parent Soup
 
Attachment Parenting in a Detached World

Why BabyWise Isn't

Bonding

Achieving better communication through baby signing

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Copyright 2003 Audra D. Lemke
Last revised: 1/3/03.