in FitPregnancy. The issue is in October/November of 2004 so it's a little old. Anyone read it? Here's what it says....
Is attachment parenting good for families?
YES: William Sears, M.D.
1. Attachment parenting (AP) helps caregivers provide three things that encourage babies to thrive: breastfeeding, physical closeness and appropriate responses to the cuse of the infant. AP is a parenting style that helps babies grow optimally emotionally, physically, and intellectually.
2. Long-term follow-up of AP children shows that they are smarter, more compassionate, healthier and better behaved. They also are more trusting, independent and comfortable with healthy intimacy. The quality that shines in AP children is empathy. These are connected kids who care.
3. Look at AP as the best long-terminvestment you can make in your child. Like any investment, if you put a lot in early on you'll get more out later. In my practice, I have tracked AP children for nearly 20 years. Many AP parents of teens will relate, " We are cashing in on our investments." Of course, no parenting style should be practiced to the extreme. AP can lead to a mother's burnout unless the father shares both daytime and nighttime care of the infant.
NO: Michel Cohen, M.D.
1. Attachment parenting is centered on the immediate response to the baby's cries. There's no question that a young infant's cries often indicate hunger or a need for closeness and that should be tended to. But no matter how loving a parent you are, your new baby will cry somteimes simply because she needs to blow off steam. Attempting to suppress that crying at all costs worsens the problem by denying the newborn the opportunity to develop a self-soothing mechanism.
2. There is no science demonstrating the effectiveness of AP. Proponents have defended it's success with analogies to tribal societies. But in these models, where families are extended, there always is an extra hand to help tend the baby and lighten the mother's load, as opposed to out current society's two-parent structure.
3. I have encountered many parents who followed the AP philosophy and ended up feeling guilt and frustration. Ultimately, the obsession with preventing an infant's crying will make the whole family anxious and unhappy.
Is attachment parenting good for families?
YES: William Sears, M.D.
1. Attachment parenting (AP) helps caregivers provide three things that encourage babies to thrive: breastfeeding, physical closeness and appropriate responses to the cuse of the infant. AP is a parenting style that helps babies grow optimally emotionally, physically, and intellectually.
2. Long-term follow-up of AP children shows that they are smarter, more compassionate, healthier and better behaved. They also are more trusting, independent and comfortable with healthy intimacy. The quality that shines in AP children is empathy. These are connected kids who care.
3. Look at AP as the best long-terminvestment you can make in your child. Like any investment, if you put a lot in early on you'll get more out later. In my practice, I have tracked AP children for nearly 20 years. Many AP parents of teens will relate, " We are cashing in on our investments." Of course, no parenting style should be practiced to the extreme. AP can lead to a mother's burnout unless the father shares both daytime and nighttime care of the infant.
NO: Michel Cohen, M.D.
1. Attachment parenting is centered on the immediate response to the baby's cries. There's no question that a young infant's cries often indicate hunger or a need for closeness and that should be tended to. But no matter how loving a parent you are, your new baby will cry somteimes simply because she needs to blow off steam. Attempting to suppress that crying at all costs worsens the problem by denying the newborn the opportunity to develop a self-soothing mechanism.
2. There is no science demonstrating the effectiveness of AP. Proponents have defended it's success with analogies to tribal societies. But in these models, where families are extended, there always is an extra hand to help tend the baby and lighten the mother's load, as opposed to out current society's two-parent structure.
3. I have encountered many parents who followed the AP philosophy and ended up feeling guilt and frustration. Ultimately, the obsession with preventing an infant's crying will make the whole family anxious and unhappy.
still believe what I believe 
