Finally Attacking Attachment Parenting

HEY READERS! Thanks for joining me again to talk about all things BABY. If there's something you'd like me talk talk about or think I should talk about please feel free to leave a comment! I love to hear from you guys.

So today I'm starting out with a quick little attachment parenting rant, as promised. I'd like to say right off the bat that I do differentiate between baby-wearing and attachment parenting. Baby-wearing (wearing a baby in a sling or something close to the body) is used in attachment parenting but not everyone who baby-wears is an attachment theory loon. I am also by no means an attachment parenting expert. If it's something you're interested in, please do your own research. I could stomach looking up only so much! This article was very interesting to me and basically summed up how I feel about attachment theory. Attachment theory says to be "sensitive" to your baby's needs. What they really mean is to cater to every need and cry, regardless of how minor. And to even try and prevent crying by providing for the child before they need something. It promotes co-sleeping and advocates for babies to constantly be held. All the time. Not a second alone. Here's an awesome quote from the article

"...attachment parenting hinges on the presumption that if, through perpetual satisfaction of their every desire, we prevent our babies from crying -- and indeed, perpetual satisfaction of their every desire is the only way to prevent a baby from crying -- they will grow to become well-adjusted" 

But how can they adjust when EVERYTHING is constantly provided? Does the real world work like this? Maybe for the rich, but certainly not for the rest of us. It is vital that babies start to learn to be patient and self-soothe. These characteristics will help them to grow into confident children who are not constantly turning to a parent to provide for them. Obviously to a lesser extent some of their ideas make sense. If you know your baby will be hungry in 20min because they always are at that time then of course you can go start making some food/getting ready to feed/whatever. But the idea is that a child should never want for anything, which I think is an incredibly privileged, white, rich, naive way of raising a child. We all need independence and it's stunting to a child's development to not be given a chance to foster that independence. Life is full of disappointments and small disappointments, such as being set down so Mommy can poop in peace, is one I am happy to let my child realize early in the game.