Author Archive
Gently Night Weaning the Breastfed, Co-Sleeping Toddler
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: I wonder if you can help me. My daughter is 19 months old and still breastfeeding, and neither of us have slept through the night since she was born. Until recently, it didn’t really bother me and I wanted to wait for it to happen naturally. But now I am getting to … Read More…
9 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Balance, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Consistent Care, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Nighttime Parenting, Nurturing Touch, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
How to Discourage Biting While Breastfeeding
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: My five-month-old son is biting when nursing. It usually happens at the beginning of a session, prior to letdown. He’ll latch on properly, begin to suck, then pull back quickly and chomp down (and then sometimes pull back with my nipple still trapped in his gums). Ouch! I’ve tried stopping the nursing … Read More…
4 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Breastfeeding, Feeding With Love
Boundaries, Breastfeeding, and Sleep
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: We are struggling with sleeping right now. My youngest son is 26 months. My eldest son is nearly 5 years old. We coslept with my eldest, and then he moved into his own room when I was pregnant, but he often ended up back with us. I am tandem breastfeeding. Now he … Read More…
6 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Balance, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Safe Sleep
Moving to Gentle Discipline with an Older Child
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: I have a 9 1/2 year old daughter who was raised in the more traditional sense: warnings, time-outs, consequences, etc. My Husband is her stepfather, and the relationship between him and my daughter is very strained. He tries to be authoritarian1, and (of course) she doesn’t like it. He has been in … Read More…
Leave a comment | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Balance, Consensual Living, Family Structure, Gentle Discipline, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity
A World Beyond the Breast
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: My son (approximately 16 months) has recently become less interested in breastfeeding. We nurse four times a day. First thing in the morning, which used to be his largest/longest nursing session, he often refuses the other side and only nurses on one. Other times during the day he fusses and is disinterested. … Read More…
2 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Feeding With Love, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity
Helping Toddler Be Gentle with Babies
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: My son (two years 9 months) is a rough kid. He likes to throw, hit, jump, climb, kick, run . . . anything active, and he is not gentle when he does it. He has two younger cousins (one year and 10 months) and a new brother or sister on the way … Read More…
3 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Gentle Discipline, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity
Gentle Discipline and “The Real World”
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: How do parents who believe in natural/attachment parenting recommend that I deal with other people’s children who behave in “aggressive” ways toward my own children? I’m talking about hitting, screaming, grabbing toys, mostly among toddler/preschool age children. And in a related question, how do you respond when another parent criticizes or offers … Read More…
Leave a comment | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Gentle Discipline, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity
Struggling to Sleep
Our mentors give some helpful advice to a mama with a two year old who is hitting and kicking while nursing to sleep. Read More…
Leave a comment | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Attachment Parenting, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Consensual Living, Consistent Care, Cosleeping, Feeding With Love, Gentle Discipline, Nighttime Parenting, Parenting Philosophies, Responding With Sensitivity, Routines and Schedules, Safe Sleep
Unschooling: What Happens After “Graduation”?
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: I am very interested in unschooling, but am worried about how it works out at the end of what would be considered necessary schooling – specifically high school graduation. I would like to hear about unschoolers who have “graduated” and successfully gotten their drivers license and even went on to college. Thank … Read More…
5 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Homeschooling, Natural Learning, Parenting Philosophies, Radical Unschooling
Toddler Mealtime Schedules?
An NPN reader asks our natural parenting mentors: I have a question about my son and a schedule. My son is 18 months old and I still breastfeed, but of course he eats solids too. I always try to get him to sit and eat. He is a pretty picky eater. I can get him to eat a few things … Read More…
2 Comments | Posted in Ask an NP Mentor, Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Consistent Care, Feeding With Love, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Routines and Schedules, Starting Solids
