The theme for 2008 is "Giving Our Children Presence," which is quite appropriate with the holidays coming up!!
We are using this approach to parenting in our home and encourage everyone else to do so, too. A secure attachment between children and parents is SO very important!
Find out more about AP Month here!
What is Attachment Parenting? Find out more about that here:
AskDrSears.com
Attachment Parenting International
Here are just a few things we do in our home to help Aiden form a secure bond with us...
- Co-sleeping No, not IN our bed. But he sleeps right next to our bed, in the same room. That way, we can respond to him right away when he wakes and is hungry. He is learning that we attend to his needs, and having him close by ensures we can do that quickly.
- Baby-wearing
- Breastfeeding (on demand) exclusively
- Responding immediately to Aiden's cries Infants do not cry for no reason - there is something they need. It is their way to communicate. We are teaching Aiden that we are there for him and he can expect us to help him. We do not let him "cry it out."
- Giving ourselves and our marriage time, too. It's difficult to be an effective parent if you neglect yourself or your relationship with your partner. So we carve out time for that. It's hard, and time to ourselves is hard to come by, but it's important.
- Early bonding Not only immediately after birth (thankfully I was able to hold Aiden minutes after he was born via c-section as opposed to a couple hours with Camden), but also at home. Ryan was able to take 6 weeks leave from work, which was great for him and Aiden to bond!
- And many other things..... This is how we approach parenting our children every day.
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