Attachment Parenting

This topic has been on my mind quite a lot recently as I strive to be the best mother I can be while raising a capable, compassionate, and respectful child. I stumbled on Attachment Parenting quite by accident. I volunteered for an infant massage class this past summer in response to an email request to parents. Little Bug and I ended up in the living room of Barbara Nicholson, co-founder of API, discussing theories and techniques to develop strong parent-child bonds, especially through nurturing touch (massage). She showed me how to really take the time to connect with Little Bug, get to know her, and be a more responsive parent. Little Bug rolled over for the first time in the warm, relaxed atmosphere in Miss Barbara's living room. At the time, I had no idea she was an AP guru. I just knew she was compassionate and knowledgeable and loved babies!

We recently moved to a new city in which there is not an Attachment Parenting (AP) support group and suddenly it became very important for me to start reading all I could find on the subject and begin the process to become a support group facilitator. My goal is to have a support group in place by the end of the year.

You may be familiar with attachment theory and how it applies to parenting, thus called attachment parenting. I wanted to take some time to impart some basic info on AP and its principles.

The following principles are taken from Attached at the Heart by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker (co-founders of Attachment Parenting International):

1. Prepare yourself for pregnancy, birth, and parenting
2. Feed with love and respect
3. Respond with sensitivity
4. Use nurturing touch
5. Ensure safe sleep-physically and emotionally
6. Provide consistant, loving care
7. Practice positive discipline
8. Strive for balance in your personal and family life

I want to take a look at each one of these principles and how we are experiencing them as a family. I hope you find the next collection of posts informative and maybe even inspirational.

If you want to get a jump start on learning about AP, take a minute to look at API's website. 
You can also go ahead and order your copy of Attached at the Heart.