The Instinctive Mother

Welcome to The Instinctive Mother, a resource for natural mothers who have adopted or wish to adopt attachment parenting principles, or who have begun their AP journey but wish to learn about other things that they can do.

What is attachment parenting?

Also known as natural parenting or crunchy parenting (it goes by many names), it’s becoming increasingly popular as more and more parents learn it’s the parenting method that is most beneficial for children.

Natural parenting begins with natural pregnancy and birth, and it ends, well, never.

Many natural mothers:

  • research everything that might affect the wellbeing of their children, starting before they even get pregnant
  • don’t get vaccinated (especially during pregnancy)
  • avoid prescription drugs or OTC medicines unless there is no natural alternative (especially during pregnancy)
  • do not indulge in harmful habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol, especially during the first half of pregnancy when the fetal organs are still forming, and partly because both habits are known to cause cancer
  • decline ultrasounds and other pre-natal procedures
  • find a Certified Professional Midwife and plan a homebirth, which is statistically the safest kind of birth
  • strive to develop a strong emotional bond with their children from the moment they are born
  • do not circumcise their sons
  • do not take their children to pediatricians for “well-baby visits”, and find a holistic naturopath (or chiropractor) instead when professional help is required
  • don’t vaccinate their children
  • breastfeed, and don’t wean their children when some arbitrary age is reached, such as one year (the natural range for human children to wean is between two and a half and seven years)
  • use (organic) cotton diapers instead of disposable ones that contain harmful chemicals and which are bad for the environment
  • let their babies sleep with them
  • practise babywearing, which promotes bonding and closeness with your baby, soothes them and helps them sleep better, and, on a more practical note, leaves your hands free to do other things as well as making breastfeeding easier
  • are responsive to all their babies’ needs and do not believe in the practice of letting them “cry it out”
  • do not give their children prescription drugs or OTC medicines unless there is no natural alternative, and the illness is too serious to run its course (most fevers should not be brought down)
  • feed their children wholesome, preferably organic food instead of junk food that is high in sugars and other unhealthy ingredients
  • do not spank their children
  • do everything in their power to protect their children (and the environment) from harmful man-made chemicals and toxins

This is a new site and more content will be added soon to many of the pages about individual topics.