Kourtney Kardashian’s “attachment style” of parenting can cause children to have lifelong emotional problems, experts told .
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star recently gave birth to baby number four, her first child with husband Travis Barker, who the couple have reportedly named Rocky.
Earlier in her pregnancy, the 44-year-old told Vogue that she planned to practice attachment parenting with her newborn.
The aim of this approach is to ensure an exceptionally close bond between mother and child by devoting as much time as possible to the baby and using practices such as co-sleeping, co-bathing and drug-free labor.
Last year, Kourtney admitted she still co-slept with her 10-year-old daughter Penelope “almost every night.” The mother of four has also spoken of co-sleeping with her firstborn Mason, now 12, until he is seven.
But experts have warned other new parents not to follow in their footsteps.
Kourtney Kardashian will adopt an attachment-focused parenting style with her new baby – which includes co-sleeping, shared baths and promptly addressing the child’s every need
The reality star says she slept in the same bed as her firstborn son Mason, now 12, until he was seven. Her daughter Penelope, now 10, still shares her bed “almost every night.”
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychologist in Beverly Hills, California, said parental “smothering” is linked to a higher risk for the child of developing depression and anxiety later in life.
“Depending on the psychological state of each individual child, [attachment parenting] Either it will make them hold on to her for longer than is actually appropriate, or it will make them run faster to get away from her because [a parent] was presumptuous.’
Both problems are linked to emotional problems in adulthood, she says.
Other experts have warned that attachment parenting sets unrealistic expectations for parents and ill-prepares children to exercise their independence.
Kourtney Kardashian married Blink 182 star Travis Barker in 2022 and the couple recently celebrated the birth of their first child together
“From a practical point of view, constant parental presence is impossible: no parent can respond perfectly to their child at all times,” says Dr. Jephtha Tausig, a clinical psychologist working in New York City.
“There are times when parents need to pay attention to other things, and it can be helpful, especially as they get older, to make children more comfortable with delaying gratification.”
When children can’t delay gratification, Dr. This can lead to children not developing a healthy level of patience.
Another major concern for experts is the known risks of co-sleeping, which the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends against. Child health experts have long warned that sharing a bed with a baby can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Celebrities who support attachment parenting
- Angelina Jolie
- Kourtney Kardashian
- Heidi Klum
- Kristen Bell
- Alanis Morissette
- Pamela Anderson
- Tori spelling
- Kristin Cavallari
- Milla Jovovich
- Gwen Stefani
- Mayim Bailik
- Salma Hayek
- Leah Remini
- Pink
- Alyssa Milano
- January Jones
This is because an adult bed has many safety risks, such as the lack of barriers to prevent falling out. Co-sleeping also increases the risk of suffocation and strangulation due to the soft mattress and loose or soft bedding such as pillows, blankets and quilts.
Lieberman adds, “It also creates an unrealistic expectation for a mother to continue to allow her children to sleep with her until they are 10 years old.”
“And when the mother wants to sleep with a partner, she shoos him out of bed, making the children feel abandoned and less important.”
Over the years, psychologists have coined many different parenting styles – including authoritarian, permissive and secure.
The practice of attachment parenting was first introduced by American pediatrician Dr. Popularized by William Sears, who wrote the extremely popular book “The Baby Book.”
He says that attachment parenting revolves around seven basic principles that are implemented during pregnancy.
These include bonding at birth, breastfeeding, carrying the baby, sharing the bed, believing in your baby’s cries, being wary of baby trainers, and balance.
While some insist that the technology promotes a healthier and happier relationship between parent and child, critics warn that attachment parenting can cause children to become overdependent while increasing stress for their parents.
Dr. Diana Divecha, a developmental psychologist from Berkeley, California, wrote in a blog post on her website that the quality of interactions between parents and children is often more important than the quantity.
What matters, she says, is “the caregiver’s orientation and attunement: Is the caregiver stressed or calm, checking or preoccupied, and are they recognizing a baby’s signals?”
Dr. Lieberman says it’s important to note that too much parental involvement is always better than too little.
Developmental psychologists have previously warned against other, more modern parenting styles – such as “helicopter parents,” who may be overly involved and overprotective, and “elephant parents,” who are unrealistically ambitious about their child’s abilities.