Debate swirls over attachment parenting

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Stepping into the world of parenting can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to deciding on the best way to raise a child. One philosophy out there is becoming a trend, but it’s been around for decades: attachment parenting.

Some parents in the Indianapolis area embrace the philosophy.

It’s my basic view of attachment parenting: you respond and you treat them as individuals from day one,” said Stacey Urick, a mom of two: 5-year-old Cooper and 2-year-old Lucy.

When Urick became a mom, she did what most new moms do. She searched the Internet.

“I researched a bunch of things and … found Dr. Sears on books who talked about different things to try with your baby,” she said.

She came upon attachment parenting. The idea has been around since the 1950s, but pediatrician Dr. Bill Sears has been a recent advocate. It is based on seven principles, but the main ideas are co-sleeping, which is the family sharing a bed, breastfeeding and baby wearing, which is using a sling to carry a baby around at all times.

You can find more information about Sears' theories and advice on his website.

“I breastfeed Lucy still,” Urick said. “Cooper was weaned 3 years, 4 months.”

The Urick family shares a bed with Lucy and stopped sleeping in the same bed with Cooper a year ago. While her kids continue to grow, she still uses a carrier for her 2-year-old.

“Treating them as if they have a voice - because they do. Even at birth they're crying. Obviously they can't tell you what they want, but they're crying for a reason,” she said.

It’s all about listening to their needs the best way she knows how.

“For me attachment parenting isn't extreme, it isn't harder. It shouldn't be trendy. It’s innate. It’s our goal, is to raise confident, healthy, happy babies,” she said.

The ultimate goal, according to Attachment Parenting International "is to raise children into adults with a highly developed capacity for empathy and connection."

You can find out more at the organization's website.