First meeting, coming up!

Thursday, March 17

6:00pm

@ the MS Breastfeeding Clinic in Madison

Topics to be discussed:

~What is Attachment?

~What is Attachment Parenting?

~How did we get here? (The history of AP and our own journies to AP)

~AP Principle #1: Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting: The importance of parenting "on purpose"

Some of the upcoming topics to be discussed:

~Feeding with Love and Respect: How breastfeeding (or bottle "nursing") on cue creates healthy eating habits for life (p.s. Can you over-feed a breastfeeding baby?)

~Responding with Sensitivity & Using Nurturing Touch: How practicing these two principles make for a happy traveler and easy transitions from car to bed when asleep

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Labeling, Praise, and Expectations-- The natural human response and how this information applies to parenting

~Using Nurturing Touch: Saving $$ on baby gear "essentials" while increasing attachment

~Responding with Sensitivity: "Self-Soothing"-- Is this really the goal?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Can this principle be reconciled with Christianity or are the two mutually exclusive? Can a person practicing AP be a Christian and vice versa? Where is the disconnect, and how can we bridge the divide?

~"Everything changes when you have a baby": Whether you are a new parent or changing your approach to parenting, AP is a lifestyle change; how have you made the adjustment and how is it currently going?

~Permissive parenting, over-indulgence, and AP: What is the difference? Is AP "child-centered" or is it the opposite?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Do as I say, not as I do? Total obedience? What is the goal here? What is the significance of Modeling?

~"Control issues": From eating to sleeping to pottying to discipline...who is in control? And who should be?

~Freedom: How has AP set you free? How can we use AP principles to give and receive more freedom?

~Joy: How has AP contributed to your joy and to the joy of your children and your spouse?

~Practicing Positive Discipline: Creative solutions to avoid punitive punishments

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Breastfeeding beyond one year

~Practicing Safe Sleep: The benefits of co-sleeping

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Getting the right start

~Practicing Safe Sleep: "Musical Beds"-- Figuring out what works best for your family and keeping the flame alive between you and your spouse

~Healing the regret: We have all made what we perceive to be parenting "mistakes"; How can we forgive ourselves and begin healing/helping our child heal? Is repeating parenting mistakes with subsequent children, in order to be fair to the older child, a good idea?

~Feeding with Love and Respect: Weaning-- whether from the breast, the bottle, the pacifier, the fingers, etc-- What is the gentlest way to go about it?

~Using Nurturing Touch: The Art of Babywearing

~Finding Balance and Boundaries: Remembering to take time to care for yourself and avoiding parent "burn-out"

~Finding Balance and Boundaries: Is it okay to say "No"?

.........And Many More to come!

This group is open to anyone and everyone who is curious about AP, but the discussion will mostly be specifically geared toward those already practicing the principles of Attachment Parenting. Welcome! Come one, come all, and let's start talking about quite possibly the most important issues of our lives--how we love and nurture our children!