Mayim Bialik Defends Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding 3-Year-Old
Actress Mayim Bialik, who started her career at a young age, has written a new book defending the practice of "attachment parenting," which focuses on a holistic upbringing. Dr. William Sears is famous for giving a name to this practice, and Bialik is one of several famous practitioners.
"When we treat our children kindly and expect love and give love, we hopefully are raising children that then expect that and give that to the world around them," Bialik told NewsOK. "It is very consistent with a 'green' style of parenting."
Bialik still breastfeeds her 3-year-old son Fred, and has allowed son Miles to determine his own potty-training schedule. She is not a fan of using diapers but instead advocates for parents to use their senses when it comes to their children's natural instincts.
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"You're basically training your child to use their pants as a bathroom, and two years later we have them turn around and do all sorts of complicated manipulations to get them to unlearn," she writes in her new book on parenting.
"Beyond the Sling" describes the methods used by attachment parents, which does include using a sling to carry a small child. "For me, baby-wearing made me able to go out, kept my hands free, and it kept my baby close."
"Most of our life is really centered around trying to be the parents we want to be," Bialik said. For her family, that includes co-sleeping on a giant mattress on the floor and the elimination of any toys. "Our society's obsession with consumerism, especially in the realm of baby things, baby soaps and baby products ...That's something that my husband and I- partly for frugality and partly for environmental reasons- have really rejected."
In light of Alicia Silverstone's revelation of feeding her son with food chewed by her, Bialik took to blog kveller to offer her support of Silverstone's actions.
"Everyone has a line which, when crossed, makes them perk up their ears. For you, me holding my newborn over a potty may be the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard of. The point is, we all have an idea of what we want to do or what we think is 'normal.'"
"Let's reserve judgment for people who beat their children, sell their daughters into prostitution," Bialik concluded. She and husband Mike Roosevelt have decided to make their own ways in life and parent the way that makes them most comfortable.
