Attachment parenting principles entail a style of child-rearing intended to strengthen the emotional bond between parent and child. Proponents of this parenting technique believe parents should be sensitive, consistent, and affectionate in their interactions with their children. These behaviors are essential to successful parenting because they build trust in the parent-child relationship, which is crucial for healthy childhood development.
Attachment parenting principles also call for parents to know their children’s developmental needs to provide them with emotional support and appropriate caregiving attention.
Parents should take care of and protect their children while being aware of their physical, emotional, and mental limitations. They should also communicate openly with their children and take an active role in their lives. Based upon these principles, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends responsive parenting as the best way to develop a healthy relationship with your child.
The attachment parenting principles include;
- Preparing for pregnancy, birth and parenting
- Maintaining breastfeeding
- Responding to hunger and satiety cues
- Responsive but not over-involved parenting
- Encouraging interactions with siblings and community members, especially parents of other children of all ages
- Keeping child-rearing time sacred time for parent and child
- Loving discipline/approaches to discipline that support attachment as opposed to submission or punishment
The first principle is about preparing for pregnancy, birth and parenting. This principle suggests that parents should offer support through encouragement and constructive feedback and hear from others’ experiences concerning birth, pregnancy and parenting.
Maintaining breastfeeding entails offering support and encouragement to the mother during breastfeeding. The baby, who is hungry and has a high demand for milk, needs the mother’s attention at the breast. The mother must take good care of herself throughout this period and be attentive to her baby.
Responding to hunger and satiety cues means that parents should respond to their children requesting food at the appropriate times and giving them substances they need when they are hungry. It also suggests that parents should speak to their children in a non-threatening manner.
Responsive but not over-involved parenting is about supporting a child’s self-determination in their style of child development and parenting. Parents should not expect their children to act as they act and should allow them to make their own choices on how they want to be parented by the parents.
Encouraging interactions with siblings and community members, especially parents of other children of all ages, is about encouraging the family to interact with each other. Therefore this means that the family should work together for them to create a stronger family bond.
Keeping child-rearing time sacred for parents and child means that parents should give their full attention to the child at all times. Parents are discouraged from using electronic devices such as cell phones and other communication devices when spending time with their children.
Approaches to discipline that support attachment instead of submission or punishment is about parents engaging in good discipline.
