Rating: 
Summary: great book for dedicated attachment parents and veterans too
Review: After receiving this book I read it within the first 2 days. I found that it reinforces the parenting we were alreading doing with our son (20 months) but also prepared me for the birth and care of our second child (expecting him/her anyday now). It is a great book for parents already dedicated to this parenting style and those new parents (or veterans) searching for the parenting style that makes "sense". Unlike other parenting advice that sets forth set guidelines that all parents, children or babies must follow, "Attachment Parenting" gives parents the lastest research, as well as other parents experiences and observations and then suggests a parenting style that is best for you and baby. Never does the author "prescribe" what is best for your family, instead she allows you to make that informed decision according to your understanding of current research, your own situation and your INTUITION. I encourage all parents to read this. It will either reaffirm the parenting style you have choosen and give you the support to live by it (inspite of others peoples questions or damaging advice) or open your mind to one you may not have considered but may just make sense after you look at it more closely.
Rating: 
Summary: A dangerous book full of misinformation
Review: While I believe in many Attachment Parenting ideals - I co-sleep, breastfeed, and use a sling - I found this book to be dangerously dogmatic. These authors are so eager to convince parents of their belief system that they are actually providing incorrect information that could put babies lives at risk. For example - they say that breastfeeding women shouldn't worry about taking medication while breastfeeding as such a small amount of medication makes it through into the breatmilk that babies won't be affected. This is completely false. You can kill your baby by taking the wrong kind of medication while breastfeeding. Additionally, their writing style and arguments are overly emotive and based entirely on annecdotal evidence. Note the lack of a bibiliography. They mention studies but never quote names or dates. For example, they basically say that if you don't sleep with your baby you are putting your baby at risk of SIDS. The actual research shows that sleeping with your baby does not decrease the likelyhood of SIDS. Check with the American Academy of Pediatrics. They are completely against sleep training - saying things like when your baby cries, "It is exactly as bad as it sounds." Very comforting to new parents who have babies with colic. Also, they don't mention anything about the serious, health damaging affects of sleep depravation on parents and babies. They say that if you aren't willing to be sleep deprived for sevreal years than you are being selfish. In conclusion - read this book if you are interested in Attachement Parenting but please take it with a very large grain of salt. These people aren't professionals - they are fanatics and don't know what they are talking about.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was looking for.
Review: I bought this book after hearing great things about it from my other new mom friends. I don't know what they were thinking because this is nothing but a collection of preachy, pointless tales embroidered around a well-worn (and already well-documented) parenting philosophy that is not even the author's own. If there is anything good I could say, it is that it didn't cost much to buy. I would have gotten more parenting inspiration from a block of wood.
Rating: 
Summary: attachment parenting
Review: I consider myself an "attachment parent" by most standards (although I prefer not to use the term to describe myself) and can relate to the annoying remarks that I was "spoiling" my twins, only making things "harder" for myself, and "need to put them on a schedule". For me it made sense to feed my babies on demand when they were hungry instead of forcing them to be on a "schedule", and co-sleeping allowed my husband and I to care for and stay close to our babies during the night until we feel they are ready to sleep away from us. I commend the author for writing this book and challenging the "norms" of our society, even though most parents and pediatricians don't feel there is a problem or harm in bottlefeeding or putting a newborn in a crib in a separate room/nursery. After careful thought, I changed my previous review and decided to rate this book 3 out of 5 because at times the author did take on a very preachy, defensive, and even slightly radical tone in some of her arguments that came across as a turn off and didn't take into consideration challenging or unexpected circumstances. I feel that taking a more objective approach in marketing attachment parenting to expecting & new parents who are trying to learn more about it could have toned down the "preachy" nature I and a few other reviewers felt was evident in this book; but that's my opinion. Ultimately, my suggestion is that you use this book as a reference and take what you need from it like any other book in your home library. You don't have to agree with the author 100%, but use the advice to follow *your instincts* as a parent.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing and a great message
Review: Katie (my name sister :-) ) is the mother of three children who believes in her work. She left professional school to be at home with her children and write. (If she didn't respond to some personal email, it likely is because she just hasn't had time yet.) I've enjoyed reading Katie's writing for years now- do a search on the web for her essays- and this book is no exception. I didn't really learn much from it, since I've read all this elsewhere- but for someone who is adrift in the sea of mainstream parenting, and harsh criticism for your choices, this is an essential manual. It might even convince someone that they can parent well in spite of being badly parented themselves- Katie will help you understand what you need to do to tune into your baby and not follow blindly what "everyone else" is doing. She tells you why you should breastfeed, consider sleeping with your child (in spite of the *consumer products* safety commission), how to share sleep safely, why you shouldn't give a "relief" bottle (sic), and how you might be feeling with a new wonderful addition to your life. As to parenting multiples- Katie hasn't had twins- most of us haven't. All twins are different, and parents really have to rely on their instincts and like-minded parents of multiples. Search them out- they are out there! And I hope you gain enough confidence in parenting to learn to parent instinctively with twins.
Rating:
Summary: dangerous ideas
Review: To be honest, i'm pretty frightened by this current trend of co-sleeping with babies. I'm not going to go into whether it has psychological advantages or disadvantages to both baby and parents. I'm not even going to go into whether it's even possible if you have more than one more than one kid. The bottom line for me is the health and safety of a baby. There are clear, logical risks to co-sleeping. Adult beds are not designed for babies! they are not tested to make sure that babies will be safe if they sleep in them. They don't have guardrails that are designed to prevent babies from rolling off or crawling out and dropping on the floor. You don't even need a study to understand why this would be dangerous. Furthermore, even if adult beds were carefully designed and tested for use with babies, there is no guarantee that a parent wouldn't roll over the baby. It's always a possibility when you are unconscious-that's why they are called 'accidents'. Why create another opportunity for an accident to happen?
Please, if you believe that being as close to baby is best, then please buy a crib that was designed and TESTED for use with babies and put it next to your bed. But don't try to take something that's inherently unsafe and to make it 'safer" with a little "spit and gum"
also see the article and pictures here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5091.html
As you can see, putting the bed next to the wall may prevent baby from falling but she may suffocate in that little space in between.
Rating:
Summary: Great source for pregnant and new parents
Review: This book will remind you of the importance of trusting your instincts with regard to parenting. It emphasizes the importance of being there for your baby, loving, listening and responding. Great baby shower gift. It's also a good companion to the AP compliation book, LOVING MAMA.
Rating:
Summary: A great gift for expectant parents!
Review: Although my own children are grown, I often buy this book to give expectant parents. Granju's book and a sling make a perfect shower present. Those to whom I've given it have had rave reviews and tell me they have passed it along to other couples who are expecting babies. I only wish I had known when mine were infants what I know now from reading the book, but at least I can make a difference in the way future generations are raised.
Rating: 
Summary: Just because you read it doesn't make it true
Review: As for the earlier reviewer who promotes the idea that co-sleeping is not a factor in SIDS, think again. There are numerous studies which unequivically have found that co-sleeping is a risk factor for SIDS. After only 5 years as a pediatrician, I have seen this on 4 occasions. I don't know if that fits with the statistics, but sadly it is true. How amazingly sad! Any soft surface including a regular mattress, sofa, blankets, pillows, mattress pad, comforter, or even an adult-size body can contribute to the rebreathing of CO2 which seems to be what leads to SIDS deaths. Please parent your child with the bonding and loving care that is promoted with attachment parenting, but please do not let your precious child sleep in your bed. It is so heartbreaking to see an apparently healthy 5 month old infant with extremely attentive parents brought lifeless to the emergeny room by paramedics that already know the child is dead, but perform CPR to try to comfort and appease parents who will soon have to be told their child is dead (and soon have to live with the question was there something they could have done to prevent it). I am a firm believer that we should respond reliably to our children's needs. This helps them learn to trust others and develop self-esteem. Read these books, but use some common sense and rely on scientific proof when it comes to your baby's safety. There's a lot of information out there, and just because it is in print or on the internet, it doesn't mean it is true. After all, you wouldn't even be reading this book if you weren't trying to be the best parent possible.
Rating:
Summary: Attachment parenting is overrated
Review: I strongly urge parents to reconsider raising their children in the way the book suggests. Breastfeeding for a year or so is fine. Sleeping with your child and the constant "attachment" is not. My sister read this book and as a result I have a niece who I cannot relate to and do not enjoy being around. My two year old niece is being raised this way and she can't leave her mom or dad's legs without having major anxiety. She cries at the drop of a pin and is unsettled about EVERYTHING unless she's suckling her mother's breast (yes at two years of age). She cannot be left alone with anyone other than her parents - even her grandparents! My sister has not had a decent nights sleep since my niece was born and has not been out with her husband alone because of their "relationship" with their daughter.
The premise that babies have been raised this way since the dawn of time (or in current third world countries) doesn't consider that people didn't or don't have the means or resources to leave their baby unattended by the parents. Besides in the cultures where babies are still "attached to their parent" constantly are either more communal or economically disadvantaged and in no way compares to the live they will live here in the US. I'm afraid that my niece will be a total social outcast. She is only getting worse.
Please parents - take some of the suggestions with a grain of salt.
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