Koala Parenting – what you need to Know
After Kim Kardashian shared her fondness for koala parenting, the parenting style began gaining traction in the parenthood world.
The term “Koala Parenting” is derived from the fact that a koala baby, known as joey, cling to their mothers and are carried around in their pouches for several months. This parenting style encourages parents to create a safe and secure environment for their children and to be emotionally available and responsive to their needs. There are other theories on how to explain different parenting styles, such as the four parenting styles.
Koala Parenting is based on the principles of attachment theory, which suggests that children who develop a secure attachment to their parents are more likely to have positive social and emotional outcomes. This attachment is formed through consistent and responsive caregiving, which helps children feel safe, loved, and supported.
Koala Parenting encourages parents to be responsive to their children’s needs, provide them with a nurturing and secure environment, and be emotionally available to them. This involves being attuned to their children’s cues, showing affection and warmth, and providing a sense of stability and predictability.
7 Key Principles of Koala Parenting
- Birth bonding, which consists of forming a strong bond between a baby and their parents by close skin-to-skin contact from their first weeks and months
- Breastfeeding for as long as possible and without restriction
- Babywearing, which involves parents carrying their baby in a wrap. Close contact between the parent and the child also makes it easier for parents to complete daily tasks in a safe way. This can be a good way to form a secure attachment to your baby, at least one study has shown this.
- Bedding close to baby, better known as co-sleeping. Co-sleeping is another way of forming a stronger bond with your baby, but it’s been a controversial topic over the years.
- Belief in the language of the baby’s cry. Rather than using the “cry it out” method, attachment parenting believes that a baby’s cry is a form of communication expressing a need, rather than considering the cries a form of manipulation and ignoring them.
- Beware of “baby trainers”, or experts who recommend schedules without knowing your baby.
- Balance, which involves meeting the parents’ needs adequately as well as the baby’s needs.
Some key aspects of Koala Parenting include:
Responding to children’s needs:
Koala Parenting emphasizes the importance of responding to children’s needs promptly and consistently. This involves providing comfort and reassurance when children are upset or distressed, and being available to them when they need support.
Providing a secure environment:
Koala Parenting encourages parents to create a safe and secure environment for their children. This involves setting boundaries and limits, providing structure and routine, and creating a warm and nurturing home environment.
Being emotionally available:
Koala Parenting emphasizes the importance of being emotionally available to children. This involves being present and engaged with children, showing warmth and affection, and providing opportunities for positive interactions and bonding.
Encouraging independence:
While Koala Parenting emphasizes the importance of attachment and closeness, it also recognizes the importance of fostering children’s independence. This involves giving children age-appropriate responsibilities and opportunities to make choices and develop their own skills and abilities.
Benefits of Koala Parenting
Research has shown that attachment parenting could lead to the improvement of language skills, emotional regulation, and the ability to manage stress later in life. Breastfeeding, one of the principles of attachment parenting, is proven to have many medical and developmental benefits. Studies have linked co-sleeping with reduced stress reactions in babies, such as lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in infants who slept in the same room as their parents.
Disadvantages of Koala Parenting
Implementing some of the principles of attachment parenting could be physically and emotionally demanding on parents.
Some anecdotal evidence suggests that children may have unpleasant and disrespectful behavior towards their parents and others if they aren’t receiving the attention or closeness that they want at the moment.
Koala Parenting is a parenting style that prioritizes attachment and emotional closeness between parents and children. By providing children with a safe and nurturing environment, being emotionally available and responsive, and encouraging their independence, parents can help promote healthy social and emotional development in their children.
