Sharing Sleep with Your Baby

It might surprise you to know that putting your baby in a crib is a cultural idea. Families all over the world consider the best place for an infant to sleep, to be in the parents‘ bed. Co-sleeping with your infant does encourage breast feeding and it may buy you at least a few more hours of sleep. That can be a precious commodity in those early days. Many moms and dads report that they sleep more soundly with their babies in their bed through the night. Furthermore, sleep sharing is more common than you might think. An informal survey … Continue reading

Diaper Free Baby

Parents are now buying training potties for their new babies. Although the idea sounds strange a growing number of parents are practicing EC, elimination communication. Elimination communication focuses on parents recognizing their child’s need to poop and pee. Just as parents recognize when their child is hungry or tired, EC experts agree that parents can recognize bowel signs as well. Instead of using diapers, which EC parents point out helps the environment; they hold their child over a potty when they recognize the signs. Surprisingly many parents have found the method successful. It does require that a parent be more … Continue reading

Adoptive Parents Need To Set Clear Limits From Day One.

When a child is placed in a new home with new parents everyone’s world changes and the whole family faces a period of adjustment. Adoptive parents are happy, excited and ready to work on all the things we have learned will help our children attach and become secure. The child however, may be feeling a variety of mixed emotions and may have left a life with very different expectations and limits for behavior. Typically, there is a period of time where everyone is getting to know each other, children generally have a honeymoon period and adoptive parents should enjoy this … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting-House Rules.

Families fostering or adopting older children are usually well trained with ideas on making transition and family living less stressful for everyone. One very important tool adoptive parents of older children are encouraged to use is some kind of “House Rules” system. It’s helpful for everyone involved to understand what the expectations are from the start. Most families are encouraged to put the rules down in writing, either a poster or a contract depending on the age of the child. House Rules give adoptive parents the chance to let a child know what happens in their Home. In my training, … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting-More Responding

In the last Blog, we discussed the fact that adoptive parents need to Plan on Responding to our child’s needs a bit more conscientiously especially during the first several months after becoming a member of the family. This entry lists some of the ways Adoptive parents might respond to the Arousal-Relaxation Cycle: Become in tune with how the child is feeling physically, pay attention and respond affectionately and attentively when they are sick. Respond quickly when they are hurt and do the whole “boo-boo” kiss routine even for minor injuries. Demonstrate compassion and let your child know that you don’t … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting-Responding

Most parents don’t sit around and plan how they will respond to their child’s needs but when attachment parenting an adopted child planning can really make a big difference. A child we have parented from birth will develop a way of letting us know what they need, and when they are happy or not. A child with only one set of parents from birth has consistent care and knows what to expect from their parents. A child with a strong feeling of safety and security will know and trust us to respond and to be consistent in the way we … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting-Teaching a Life Skill

The majority of attachment parenting techniques used are actually normal and basic things any parent of any child might find positive. Most of the things adoptive parents focus on are the things other parents don’t even have to pay attention to because it is just a given fact. I am your mom and that is that. Adoptive parents have an added worry in the back of our minds, “I hope my child has a healthy attachment?” We may appear to be slightly over concerned and over responsive to our children. Other parents, friends, teachers, and grandparents may suggest we are … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting of Adopted Children.

It’s important as a parent to recognize the developmental milestones and expectations we have for our children. Most parents understand it takes awhile for a newborn baby to learn how to walk and talk so no one is worried when a newborn doesn’t get up and walk. That would be a silly expectation and most people understand that it is not a developmental milestone for a newborn to walk. Most people understand that walking on average happens around the age of one-year-old. The stages of Adoption have certain developmental milestones as well, however most people don’t understand what these milestones … Continue reading

Co-sleeping Makes Me Happy

This is a really silly title for a pretty mushy blog entry. Recently I asked the question, on a local parenting loop I moderate: “What aspect of your parenting style has had the most positive effect on your family?” Although I asked the question, I didn’t immediately have an answer, myself. After much contemplation, I realized that my answer is co-sleeping, the practice of sharing a “family bed” during a child’s infancy to promote healthy attachment and to ease the stress of night waking and simplify breastfeeding. I’ve long been a supporter of co-sleeping although I’ve only recently expanded my … Continue reading

Side Effects of Attachment Disorders (Part 11) Decision-Making

A child who is dealing with an attachment disorder usually has a history of self-parenting. When children think that only their own conclusions are dependable, they stop viewing the advice and teaching of other people as valid or important. Children with attachment disorders may have decided that the only person they can depend on is himself or herself. No one is credible to the child and no one has anything important to offer a them–in his or her thinking. Some children with attachment disorders will decide to make all of their own decisions. Usually it turns out that their decision-making … Continue reading