Here is a guide to what is koala parenting style, its principles, advantages, and criticism.
Your life changes once you become a parent. Your most important duty now is to figure out how to fulfill the emotional, mental, and physical needs of your child. You want your child to feel safe and secure. Raising a child is difficult. It requires patience, time, and effort. Are you ready to become a parent? Do you know what is koala parenting style?
What Is Koala Parenting?
It is also called attachment parenting. Koala parenting arises from the notion that parents who practice koala parenting hold their children as frequently as koalas hold theirs. It promotes a close attachment between the parent and the children by focusing on developing the emotional and physical bond between the parent and the child. Koala parents value all aspects of their children’s development equally, including their mental, emotional, and physical growth.
How Did the Koala Parenting Style Arise?
Dr, William Sears first coined the term ‘attachment parenting.’ It denoted a close attachment between the parent and the child in the early years of the child. It teaches a child to be independent and form strong interpersonal relationships when they grow up.
A sense of security is nurtured within the child when they know they can rely on their parent to fulfill their needs.
Principles of Koala Parenting
Birth Bonding
Birth bonding is the process of creating a close bond between a baby and its parents during the early weeks and months of life through skin-to-skin contact.
Breastfeeding
WHO recommends breastfeeding infants for the first six months of life. As long as they continue to breastfeed for at least two years after six months, they should be given safe foods. Koala parents will probably let the baby decide how to wean itself.
Babywearing
Babywearing is the practice of parents wearing their infant in a wrap or carrier resembling a backpack. As a result, there is more frequent contact between the parent and the child, and it is also simpler for parents to carry out routine tasks in a secure manner. According to a study, when you carry babies in soft baby carriers as opposed to portable infant seats are more likely to develop a strong bond with their mothers.
Bedding close to baby
Dr. Sears encourages bed sharing as a way to bond with infants. It helps the family sleep and facilitates nighttime breastfeeding. As always, talk to your child’s pediatrician about a safe sleep schedule for your child. You must note that the AAP advises that “parents sleep in the same room – but not in the same bed as a baby, preferably for at least the first six months.” Koala parents may continue co-sleeping until their child demonstrates readiness for independent sleeping space or until the preschool years.
Belief in the language of the baby’s cry
Koala parents believe in attending to their young’s cries to foster trust day or night. They vehemently oppose “cry it out” and other common sleep-training techniques. Children of toddler and preschool age are also thought to express themselves through outbursts or tantrums. Koala parents respond empathetically and are aware of the emotions that might be driving the undesirable behavior.
Beware of baby trainers
Dr. Sears advises parents to rely on their own knowledge of their child’s needs rather than following strict parenting guidelines. Instead of adhering to a rigid schedule, koala parents are adaptable and take into account their child’s cues for eating and sleeping needs.
Balance
Don’t let taking care of your child distract you from the necessity of taking a break. Mom will be in a better position to give to others once her needs are met.
Advantages Of Koala Parenting
Research has shown that forming a secure bond and fulfilling a child’s emotional needs have many advantages. Children who grow up with a secure attachment style can regulate their emotions better. Children with highly responsive parents experience less stress which positively impacts their brain development. Such children also develop language skills faster than the children who did not grow up with this attachment style. Koala parents use positive reinforcement and soft skills to discipline their children as they begin their schooling.
Breastfeeding also has numerous developmental and medical advantages. Co-sleeping also helps babies deal with stress better. A study demonstrated that babies who slept in the same room as their parents had lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone that results in stress.
Koala parenting also creates an environment that emphasizes mutual giving. Parent and child mutual giving takes place when both parties receive. When parents fulfill the emotional and physical needs of the infant, the child responds by being more obedient. The idea of mutual giving is pervasive in the attachment style, which encourages the sharing of both happiness and sorrow.
It helps both the parent and child develop a positive personality. Parents often indulge with their kids and share their emotions where communication is the key.
Koala parenting also enables parents to comprehend nonverbal communication. Most of the communication occurs nonverbally between a child and the parent during infancy. It ensures the comfort of the child by fulfilling his emotional and intellectual needs. An emotionally and intellectually unfulfilled child becomes is more likely to become clingy and fussy. With attachment parenting, children do not grow up to be clingy.
Criticism Against Koala Parenting
Often people who criticize koala parenting seem to harbor the misunderstanding that is a child-focused strategy that completely disregards the needs of the child.
People argue that an overly protective parenting style makes your child insecure and low on self-worth. They may lack the courage to take chances, try out new things, and deal with the difficulties of life. The child may feel like they cannot measure up to their parent’s expectations due to over-parenting. Maybe the child also resents his parents for not allowing him to make mistakes and live his life.
The child may grow up to be a dependent adult and rely on others from making decisions to carry out everyday tasks.
The close bond between parents and children may make it harder for the child to experiment with new relationships. Other relationships may also suffer because of codependency leading to unhealthy relationships.
The Ending Note
With so many decisions and questions, parenting can be difficult. Many experienced parents are willing to assist you through your journey to parenthood.
One such parenting style that many parents abide by is koala parenting. While it is a good parenting strategy, keep in mind that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Find out what works best for you and your children, and go with it.