Attachment parenting: Balance is key

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• Grand Forks parents discuss attachment parenting, how it works for them
• 8 principles of attachment parenting

While attachment parenting may be beneficial for some children and their families, it’s not for everyone, said Dr. Madaram Kondal, a child psychiatrist at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, in an email to the Herald.

For example, co-sleeping, one of the practices encouraged in attachment parenting, could be questionable.

If not followed correctly, co-sleeping could pose a threat of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, said Kondal who also practices adult and general psychiatry.

Parents who co-sleep with children may have difficulty achieving balance in their lives, he said. They may lose personal time that is necessary for balance.

He cautioned that parents should be careful that “baby wearing” does not compromise the infant’s need to explore.

When meting out discipline, parents should take a balanced approach between nurturing versus firm rules, he said. Unless that balance is achieved, attachment parenting “can lead to defiant children, especially in teen years.”

If followed in a balanced way, attachment parenting has good, worthwhile benefits, he said, such as parent-child bonding, emotional attachment and discipline that is not punitive.

Each parent has to determine whether or not attachment parenting is a good fit and should seek a professional opinion if it’s difficult to decide, he said.

It is part of the culture in this country to explore new ways of parenting, he said.

He credits “good Internet coverage” for contributing to the increasing popularity of this particular approach to parenting.

Reach Knudson at (701) 780-1107; (800) 477-6572, ext. 107; or send email to pknudson@gfherald.com.

Tags: attachment parenting, gf and egf, accent, parenting, family, updates