have raw cake and eat it
Our children are the most wonderful gift and our relationships with them a great privilege. To parents, the sight of their newborn baby is surely the most beautiful thing they have ever seen. Why would we want to leave our tiny baby to sleep alone or cry, put them down as much as we can, feed them refined junk food or be in control so that life can go on as before? Surely we want something different for someone we love so much.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where it is the norm to put our babies in cots, push them around in forward facing buggies, drive them about in car seats, train them to sleep alone, breastfeed for a limited time if at all, shop at junk food laden supermarkets, use rewards and punishments as discipline techniques and fill up our Earth with disposable nappies. These norms are re-inforced by the media, including readily available parenting magazines and websites where most first time pregnant women and new parents look to for advice.
There are alternatives and I wish to share with you the best resources I have found during my parenting journey with my two amazing sons.
I have found breastfeeding to be well worth overcoming the initial challenges and babywearing to be a great alternative to a buggy. Co-sleeping has meant we all get to sleep happily, changing to cloth nappies has been great on the budget and the wheely bin capacity and minimizing car travel has meant we have relaxed together on public transport. Aiming for unconditional parenting rather than traditional discipline has brought great pleasure to our relationships with our children. Sharing fresh, organic food and making our home as eco-friendly as possible will hopefully give our children a healthy start in the world.
The renowned American paediatrician William Sears developed the term 'Attachment Parenting'. He describes the 7 Baby B's of Attachment Parenting - Birth Bonding, Breasfeeding, Babywearing, Bedding Close to Baby, Belief in the Language Value of Your Baby's Cry, Beware of Baby Trainers and Balance. I have found his books of great value in informing my parenting decisions, alongside other great writers, but most of all I believe in parents' intuition - we know our children best.
Useful Reading
Baby Wisdom by Deborah Jackson
The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff
What Mothers Do by Naomi Stadlen
The Attachment Parenting Book by William and Martha Sears
ATTACHMENT PARENTING
