Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way

I received my order fairly quickly and seems to be in good condition! Overall satisfied with my purchase!

I loved this book!Confession: I knew nothing about Attachment Parenting before about a month ago. I heard Mayim talk on Doctor Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio for about 10 minutes and was hooked. I came home, ordered the book and started reading. Soon after I ordered the book, I heard about the TIME Magazine cover "Are You Mom Enough?" and all the controversy surrounding that and I read more about AP. I'm hooked.Mayim wrote a wonderful book. It's very easy to read and follow. I think it's just as much like a memoir as it is an introduction to AP. There was some research pieces thrown in because Mayim understands research (which I appreciate) but also just as many anecdotal suggestions from her own personal experiences. Also, I really loved the Resources section at the back of the book - it's not just a listing of books she used/mentioned, but has a little sentence about the book from Mayim.I do not have children yet, but I do work with 0-3-year-olds through home visits - so I have a lot experience with young children. I've shared a lot of the same child rearing ideas over the years - natural birth, breast feeding, use of slings/carriers, cloth diapers (had never heard of EC!), less stuff (especially less stuff with batteries!!), and even less pressure and punishment, but I never had a name for all of my feelings/opinions. I love that I found AP through this book!Mayim's style of writing is first person as if you're sitting down to coffee with your best friend; very personable and honest. I laughed out loud a few times at some of the things the wrote. I'm going to have my husband read this book (he will) and maybe even get copies for my mother and mother-in-law when we become pregnant so they can understand a little better about where we're coming from with our parenting ideas.I recommend this book to anyone who is new to AP and/or looking for a different way of parenting than what has become "normal" to everyone else.Side note - I am a speech-language pathologist who currently works exclusively with 0-3-year-olds. Mayim's boys were late talkers and she chose not to have them evaluated or in any kind of "speech program." That is perfectly fine with me. 80%-90% of my caseload are probably simply "late talkers" who just need a boost and/or monitoring to make sure they continue to develop their speech skills. However, it's that other 10%-20% who have more going on with their development that is hindering their speech. That's why early intervention was developed, to catch the children who have developmental delays and need intervention. With all of that said, Mayim's "Baby Doesn't Need Pressure" chapter talks about not pressuring your child to be part of the "normal" curve. I respect that her mother-in-law, husband, and especially her pediatrician were supportive about the developmental "lateness" of her sons' speech development. I also respect the idea of knowing your child well enough to not compare them to others and letting them develop at their own pace. However, if you feel that your child is not where they should be with any part of their development, and/or if your pediatrician thinks that intervention is needed, please do it. It won't hurt anyone to see if there are delays and generally early intervention is a free program.

Mayim Bialik has proved her talent once again by writing some of the best non-fiction I've read recently. Her style is clear and fun and she clearly understands where the reader might be and meets him/her there. She starts by accepting that most of us will skip right to the chapter on diaper-free baby rearing. She's right. Though I did read all of it, the temptation to skip to the answer to "How in the world does that work?" was strong.I'm not a new parent. I'm not even a new grandparent anymore. But my baby experience is recent enough and my degree in psychology makes me curious enough to want to see what's new in the baby biz. The book does not disappoint. While the concepts aren't entirely novel (co-sleeping as an "attachment parenting" device has been around for at least a decade, for instance), Bialik does a nice job of explaining what she sees as the benefits of each step. And she merrily recounts the problems as well. She got an extra star just for that. She admits that feces on one's clothing may not be acceptable to everyone and that there are possible gradations of effort that might result in less-perfect results. It was good that she acknowledged those wrinkles, because had she not, she would have thrown her book into the heap of others by authors who pontificate without touching on the realities of this lifestyle choice.And it truly is that. If you go Full-Bore Attachment Parenting, your goal is to be 100% engaged with your baby (from birth through at least toddlerhood) to the exclusion of most other activities. The result may well be the best-behaved and most well-adjusted of adults. That remains to be seen. We'll have to wait for hers to grow up to find out as I don't know many new parents willing to rip up carpeting and avoid most social situations for the duration. She has the science and the willingness to put it to the test in her own personal laboratory, and the book is interesting enough to warrant reading.

A very easy to read book that explains the key principles of attachment parenting. I wish I had read this when I was pregnant, it would have saved me from second guessing my parental intuition for the last six months. I won’t follow all the principles laid out in this book but it was an excellent read and had changed my outlook on what parenting should be about. Everyone should read this book. Can not recommend more highly!

It's great to read about an mum sharing her way of parenting, you might not agree with it all but also you might pick up some things that are new to you and you like the sound of. My book has been passed around a few mummy friends and no one is yet to say they thought it was bad, everyone has felt drawn to different aspects of her style. I really enjoyed it!

A very interesting read by an attachment parenting babywearing breastfeeding celebrity mum. To me it seemed more advice and instruction than autobiographical, although both were in there. Mayim blanik came across to me as intelligent caring opinionated and honest. Im glad i read this book.

Many things that she mentions in the book I had been doing intuitively since I became a mum 6 years ago but with this book has given me the background information on why it is correct and valid to do what I do. It has also encouraged me to do better.

Easy to read book about attachment parenting. Great for beginners. Covers feeding, elimination communication, working mums, relationships with friends/ partners etc.