Attachment parenting: Is it Bad?

Time magazine has been getting a lot of attention lately after debuting its most recent issue covering Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician who advocates ‘attachment parenting – a technique that encourages mothers and fathers to fully embrace babies’ dependency needs.  Now I’m not a hypocrite – I do like some of the elements of Dr. Sears’ philosophy. I do believe in breastfeeding.  We can debate about how long a mother should breastfeed for, but I am a huge believer in nourishing your child naturally.  Parental bonding is also especially important for the newborn’s life.  It not only benefits the baby but also the mother.

As an OBGYN, I’ve found that mothers that have the good fortune to be available to bond with their babies have less anxiety and less post-partum depression.