Attachment Parenting

Attachment parenting is a specific parenting philosophy, initially articulated by parenting author Dr. William Sears. The philosophy has grown in popularity and has proponents worldwide.

This parenting style draws from attachment theory within developmental psychology, a theory that suggests that strong attachment between parents and offspring is a biological necessity. Attachment parenting maintains that certain key parenting behaviors encourage or assure strong attachment, resulting in children with increased confidence and sensitivity. These behaviors include breastfeeding on demand, co-sleeping, immediate skin-to-skin contact between mothers and infants in the moments following birth, and the avoidance of strollers in favor of carrying babies and toddlers.

Attachment parenting (often shortened to AP by both proponents and detractors), was initially made popular by Dr. Sears and his wife, Martha Sears, who is a registered nurse. They maintain that they did not invent this parenting style, but rather borrow from both indigenous cultures and parents' own instincts. Using almost exclusively anecdotal evidence, the couple maintains that in addition to fostering strong attachment, the behaviors of attachment parenting also result in children who are smarter and healthier, as well as easier to discipline, more empathetic, and less materialistic. While Dr. Sears generally provides disclaimers throughout his writing, suggesting that no aspect of attachment parenting is mandatory, he writes forcefully in favor of a commitment to all of the following core components.

Parents must ensure that immediate contact is made between mother and infant in the moments postdelivery. In order to encourage this, and to encourage lucidity of both mother and child, medical interventions in childbirth are generally discouraged unless absolutely necessary, and parents are strongly urged to empower themselves in pregnancy in order to ensure that all early components of attachment parenting are supported.

Attachment parenting philosophy views crying on the part of babies and young children as a critical cue of discomfort and/or displeasure and maintain that total responsiveness is required. To this end, attachment parents do not allow their children to sleep train (following the parenting philosophy of Dr. Richard Ferber) by crying for extended periods of time.