Attachment parenting : new ideas, old practices

This study examined a sample of practitioners of Attachment Parenting (AP) in the Western culture. Questionnaire data on a sample of mothers (n=275) was gathered to identify the demographics and practices of AP mothers and the use of transitional objects (TOS) by their children. To further assess these practices a smaller sub-sample of this was interviewed (n=15). The mothers primarily breastfed on the infant's cues, practiced extended breastfeeding (mean weaning age was 35.8 months), used little or no childcare, carried children in slings, coslept, and nursed or held their infant during the transition to sleep. Children whose mothers practiced high contact parenting (defined as: breastfeed, feed on cue, cosleep, and feed or hold during the transition to sleep) used traditional TOs much less frequently than children who are not parented in this high contact style. Children who did not use a traditional TO or who were reported to use the mother's breast as a TO were weaned at a much later age than were children who used traditional TOs or a part of the mother's body (i.e hair, ear) as a TO. This is discussed in terms of cultural interpretations and Winnicott's theory of TO use.