1. Let Your Baby Lead Breastfeeding
Parents who practice the standards of attachment parenting believe in breastfeeding and child-led weaning. Children nurse on demand infants, which ensures the bond between mother and child. There is a belief that children know when they're hungry, and when they need the comfort of nursing. They are free from any sort of nursing schedule or routine in attachment parenting. They eat when they want to eat, sometimes even using mom as a pacifier. Children often nurse into the toddler years, weaning themselves when they're ready.
2. Bring the Baby Into Bed
Attachment parenting supporters suggest that there are countless benefits to bringing your baby into bed with you at night. Access to the breast encourages a strong nursing relationship, and the incident of SIDS may decrease when a child is in bed with healthy parents who are not intoxicated or overly exhausted. The chance that a baby suddenly stops breathing reduces if a parent is sleeping nearby. Parents tend to get more sleep when their infant is in bed with them, which allows for better parenting during the waking hours of the day. There are special bassinets that hook to the side of an adult bed for those who want the benefits of co-sleeping without the risks of suffocation that exist when an infant shares a bed with much larger adults.
3. Wear Your Baby
Wearing your baby on your body is an age-old practice that many people prefer today. The act of wearing your child rather than setting them down encourages bonding and stimulates the security and warmth of the womb. Attachment parenting says that babies not only like to be held, but also need it in order to thrive. Wearing your baby in a sling frees your hands to do simple tasks while the baby rests peacefully next to your body.
4. Offer Gentle Discipline
Several people who practice attachment parenting believe in gentle discipline. This is an approach to discipline based on positive reinforcement while being firm, yet still gentle. Distractions and natural consequences replace hitting and yelling. Attachment parenting followers use time outs, but as a literal break from a situation rather than a punishment. Gentle discipline encourages communication between child and parent, rather than a relationship of control and power.
5. Practice Natural Living
Those who practice attachment parenting tend to live a more natural lifestyle, choosing natural products whenever possible. Cloth diapering is popular among attachment parenting parents, as the natural nature of cloth diapers reduces waste and saves money. Many parents make their own baby food using whole, organic foods. To protect children from harmful toxins, use natural cleaning products like baking soda and white vinegar.
