Book Review

Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child
by Katie Allison Granju
Review by Doh Driver

Amongst folks who tend towards natural living, the Attachment Parenting (AP) style is both enticing and familiar. This book by Katie Allison Granju offers a clearly-written, compassionate introduction to the parenting techniques that collectively define Attachment Parenting. Mrs. Granju doesn't write with the overstated passion that some might expect, given the tendency for mainstream American parents (Rosie O'Donnell, to name one) to label AP as "wack-o" and "loony." Instead, the author makes the case for this instinctive parenting style with a steady, measured tone that will appeal to new parents that are more accustomed to Western or conventional parenting techniques. She also helps parents come to terms with the way they were parented, or the way they parented their older children, if those ways are in conflict with Attachment Parenting. For parents and grandparents who find AP methods extreme, she gives gentle reassurances as well as supporting studies and resources.

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From pregnancy to sustained breastfeeding, all stages of early childhood parenting are discussed. Issues such as night parenting, baby wearing, and working parents are treated with respect to both baby and parents. The author dispels myths associated with family beds, breastfeeding, baby carrying, and child-led independence. She doesn't enforce a "checklist" of AP criteria, but she does explain the basis of Attachment Parenting, and she provides compelling cases for the particular parenting choices that are common to AP practitioners. Her advice is easy to take, too; when I talk to women about breastfeeding, I often quoted her suggestion, "plan to breastfeed, instead of planning to try to breastfeed." Mrs. Granju doesn't badger the reader into accepting her point of view, rather, she offers insightful ways to re-think the issue at hand, whether the issue is the circumcision decision, sustained breastfeeding, or alternative birth options.

At the end of each topic a list of resources points the reader toward more information or support, including books, periodicals, organizations, and websites. However, as is the nature of the internet, some of the websites and e-mail addresses are outdated, so a bit of research may be required. Other useful items in this book are lists of items you might (or might not) want or need as an Attachment Parent, a section on "Doctor Shopping," and safety tips for baby wearing and co-sleeping.

This book makes a great new-parent gift or baby shower present. I recommend it for grandparents, too, if they're stuck in a more conventional parenting mode. But don't just give it away! Although I am committed to Attachment Parenting, I have found myself returning to this book for references or resources, or to remind myself why I've chosen the AP path, which is at times difficult, but is at all times incredibly rewarding.

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Doh Driver is the full-time single parent of Griffin, her 3-year-old healthy, breastfeeding, joyous little vegan. She is also a part-time yoga instructor in Florida, and became completely vegan as of New Year's Day, after 12 years of saying, as a vegetarian, she could never be vegan. By making peaceful and compassionate choices in her life, she hopes to provide her son with a model of mindful, gentle living.

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