Beyond the Sling - by Mayim Bialik (Paperback)

About the Book

The author describes how she forged positive relationships with her sons through Attachment Parenting practices, sharing advice on how to address a child's needs without resorting to pop culture trends.

Book Synopsis

From the star of the Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 bestsellers Girling Up and Boying Up comes a real-world guide to attachment parenting--a book hailed by Dr. William Sears as "delightful" and by Ricki Lake as "a fantastic guide to birth and parenting that is packed with invaluable wisdom."

Mayim Bialik was the child star of the popular 1990s TV sitcom Blossom, but she definitely didn't follow the typical child-star trajectory. Instead, Mayim got her PhD in neuroscience from UCLA, married her college sweetheart, and had two kids. Mayim then did what many new moms do--she read a lot of books, talked with other parents, and she soon started questioning a lot of the conventional wisdom she heard about the "right" way to raise a child. That's when she turned to Attachment Parenting, a philosophy and lifestyle popularized by well-known physicians like Dr. William Sears and Dr. Jay Gordon.

To Mayim, Attachment Parenting's natural, child-led approach not only felt right emotionally, it made sense intellectually and instinctually. She found that when she followed her intuition and relaxed into her role as a mother instead of following some rigid parenting script, both she and her children thrived. Taking into account her experience as a mother (and her scientific background), Mayim presents the major tenets of Attachment Parenting, including:

-Baby wearing: How to "wear" your baby in a sling or a wrap to foster a closer bond with your child--it's possible even for mamas with bad backs (and with big babies)!

-Breastfeeding: Learn how to listen to your baby's cues rather than sticking to a rigid schedule--and why people on airplanes love a nursing mother!

-Gentle discipline: How to get your child to behave without yelling, threats, or time-outs--it really is possible.

-Co-sleeping: How to avoid "sleep training" and get a great night's sleep for the whole family.

Without the pretense and luxuries typical of so many Hollywood actors and parents, Mayim describes the beauty, simplicity, and purposefulness of Attachment Parenting, and how it's become the guiding principle for her family. Much more than a simple how-to parenting guide, Beyond the Sling shows us that the core principles underlying Attachment Parenting are universal and can be appreciated no matter how you decide to raise your child.

Review Quotes

"Alternative ideas on childbirth and childrearing for today's modern parent."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Attachment parenting proponents will welcome Bialik's openhearted message and advice to follow one's instincts, and even readers who are skeptical will enjoy Bialik's warm and nonjudgmental voice."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Beyond the Sling is a delightful look into the parenting journey Mayim is making with her husband. Her family-first stories are an inspiring reminder of how we navigated these waters ourselves. We have learned that when parents choose to parent with attachment in mind, they make a lot of other good, holistic decisions regarding the health and well being of the family. She invites her readers to understand attachment parenting, see how it is working for her family, and choose what can work for their own."--William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, authors of THE BABY BOOK and THE ATTACHMENT PARENTING BOOK

"Drawing on her education as a neuroscientist, her instinct as a mother, and a community of support, Mayim has passionately embraced attachment parenting principles for raising her children. In Beyond the Sling, she shows how the secure attachment relationship that she has developed with her children has given her the confidence to define her own natural parenting style."--Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, co-founders of Attachment Parenting International and co-authors of ATTACHED AT THE HEART