The Attachment Parenting Book

A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Child

By: William Sears MD, Martha Sears RN

Narrated by: Jim Denison

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

America's foremost baby and childcare experts, William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, explain the benefits - to both you and your child - of connecting with your baby early.

Might you and your baby both sleep better if you shared a bed? How old is too old for breastfeeding? What is a father's role in nurturing a newborn? How does early attachment foster a child's eventual independence? Dr. Bill and Martha Sears - the doctor-and-nurse, husband-and-wife team who coined the term "attachment parenting" - answer these and many more questions in this practical, inspiring guide. Attachment parenting is a style of parenting that encourages a strong early attachment and advocates parental responsiveness to babies' dependency needs.

The Attachment Parenting Book clearly explains the seven "Baby Bs" that form the basis of this popular parenting style:

• Bonding
• Breastfeeding
• Babywearing
• Belief in the language value of baby's cry
• Bedding close to baby
• Balance
• Beware of baby trainers

Here's all the information you need to achieve your most important goals as a new parent: to know your child, to help your child feel right, and to enjoy parenting.

©2001 William Sears and Martha Sears (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wish I had this book when I was pregnant

It is like a cheat sheet for the parent that doesn’t know what kind of help to ask for. Many things my husband and I instinctively do but it’s great to have the supporting arguments that we are doing the best thing for our child. I even encouraged all my mommy friends to listen or read this book

Very helpful and reassuring

This book is a great resource for anyone interested in gentle, respectful parenting that works. I recommend reading before baby arrives if possible!

Overall, wonderful.

As a parent who already practices “attachment parenting” (although I didn’t know that’s what it was called), I found this book very affirming of my choices. Dr Sears and his family get a fair amount of criticism for advocating this way of bringing up children because of how hard it is on mothers— and it is. What I appreciate about this book is the way Dr and Mrs Sears entreat fathers to take on tasks— more than perhaps they traditionally have in our culture— that involve them much more in baby care, hands-on parenting, and housework. What I found off-putting was the otherwise superb narrator’s unusual pronunciations: “parents’” as “parentses’,” “larynx” as “lar-nix.” I hate to be petty, but these errors diluted the authority that a book written by a doctor and nurse couple should convey.

Well read & well written

I appreciated the narration; good flow and the vibe was fine.
The organization of chapters made it easy to navigate topics. It was well rounded and I feel I understand much more about attachment parenting now. I will pursue more publications by this author.

A must read for all expecting parents

This amazing book features well presented information that will prepare any first time parents with a comprehensive foundation of how to care for their children in ways that are scientifically proven to set them up for a healthy and successful life.

Must read for new moms and dads ❤️

This book is amazing. It is easy to read, encouraging, positive and practical. I wish I had read this book sooner but am so glad I found it. This would be the perfect book to read when pregnant.

So much wisdom.

I will be recommending this to all my new mom friends.

Unscientific, somewhat sexist

Some of the advice in this book was good, but there is little real evidence for anything in the book. The author has some sexist views about women's roles, as well as offhand comments about what women like that are basically just gender stereotypes (e.g., "make sure you do things you like sometimes, like get a manicure").

Condescending more than enlightening

Interested in the idea over all but this is more preaching rather than informative. The Narration choice does not help. I'll be finding other books that don't sound like it's giving me permission to call myself a mom IF I follow it.

cannot listen to it

the amount of times this person says attachment parenting is driving me crazy and I have just heard a bit of the book! also, many things he's saying don't make sense to me

There are better parenting books

If you’re reading up on parenting books, you’ll learn nothing new in this one and but you’ll get plenty of sweeping generalizations. Sweet Sleep by La Leche League is by far and away better, which is referenced in this book. Btw, this is written from the dad’s perspective. He says “baby” throughout the book without any real differentiation in age. There are obviously different developmental appropriate practices when it comes to feeding/sleeping with a 5 week old versus a 10 month, for example. Again, it’s all very general when it comes to his theory developed out of his experience of raising 8 kids.