Sensitive Parenting Is Sensible Parenting

Are you battling with a bawling baby? Is ‘sleep’ a sensitive subject? Does feeding involve fuss and fighting? If so, you need to take a step back, do some introspection, and think about the relevance of the advice you’ve been following – even if it is from someone you think you can trust!

Have you been told that you’ll be spoiling your child and they will be forever dependent on you if you hold them when they are crying, or co-sleep until they are ready to move to their own space? We’re here to tell you that these ‘predictions’ are simply not true! There is increasing research to prove that attachment parenting is beneficial to babies and families. Any health or parenting professional who tells you differently, has not updated their expertise.

What is attachment parenting?

Attachment parenting focuses on tuning in to your baby’s cues, and responding to them with sensitivity. This style of parenting aims to develop a close relationship of trust Baby and parents through empathy and close physical contact.

It is a myth that babies can be taught to self-soothe. Leaving a baby to cry invariably backfires and leaves parents unhappy too. Similarly, forcing a rigid sleep routine on babies, or separating them from parents at a time when they need physical closeness, cannot be achieved without being harsh, and seldom helps families.

What is slow parenting?

Slow parenting aims to allow children to explore and discover the world at their own pace. It means being sensitive to your child’s needs, as expressed by them.

If feeding means fighting your little one to eat, it’s time to discard the directions of others, and let your baby tell you what she needs. After all, she is the boss of her own body. She knows how much food she needs, and as long as you stick to healthy options, you can’t go wrong.

Raising babies and children is not easy. It takes courage, patience, humour and hard work. But the good news is that even when you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, you most often do!

For many, the idea of throwing the ‘rules’ away and trusting both your and your child’s intuition is a scary one. But the truth is that it is not only it possible and better, it is also easier than you may think.

The benefits of what we call ‘sensitive parenting’ are numerous. If the research supports it, if it resonates with your heart and allows for easier parenting, why follow rigid rules that are not only harmful but are difficult to implement?