Synopses & Reviews
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. Drawing on both her experience as a mother and her scientific background, Mayim presents the major tenets of attachment parenting, including:
CO-SLEEPING
How to avoid “sleep training” and get a great night’s sleep for the whole family.
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.
BABY WEARING
How to “wear” your baby in a sling or a wrap to develop a closer bond with your child—it’s possible even for mamas with bad backs (and with big babies)!
GENTLE DISCIPLINE How to get your child to behave without yelling, threats, or time-outs—it really can be done.
Mayim describes the beauty, simplicity, and purposefulness of attachment parenting, and how it has 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
"As an outspoken advocate for childbirth choices, I have worked tirelessly to educate parents about their birthing options. With
Beyond the Sling, Mayim Bialik has developed a fantastic guide to birth and parenting that is packed with invaluable wisdom. At once conversational, informative and progressive, this book should be compulsory reading for anyone who has even considered becoming a parent."
-- Ricki Lake, executive producer of The Business of Being Born and author of Your Best Birth
Review
"
Beyond the Sling goes beyond the scope of the standard books to enhance the parenting experience. Mayim's warmth, dedication, and professionalism are felt throughout this wonderful book."
--Lauren Feder, M.D. author of Natural Baby and Childcare and The Parents’ Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations
Review
“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
Review
“Alternative ideas on childbirth and childrearing for today's modern parent.” --Kirkus Reviews
Review
“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
Review
“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
Review
“Beyond the Sling offers insight into attachment parenting…quite palatable for even the most detached parent. Bottom line: this book will further endear you to Mayim’s genuine likeability and make you respect the tenacity of parents who subscribe to the sling-- even if you opt not to wear one.” --Orange County Register
Synopsis
A funny, honest, and practical guide to attachment parenting from actress, mother, and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik.When Mayim Bialik got pregnant, she did what most women in her position do—she read a lot of books and talked with other moms. Through her studies, she became a proponent of Attachment Parenting—a philosophy which espouses co-sleeping, baby wearing, extended nursing, and natural birth—which helped her forge a wonderful relationship with her two sons.
In Beyond the Sling, Bialik takes readers through the main stages of becoming a parent with chapters delineating the fundamental needs of a child: a smooth birth, sustenance, holding, nighttime parenting, and elimination needs. She then describes things our children may not need but popular culture has convinced us that we do: too much “stuff,” unnecessary medical interventions, premature emphasis on academics, punishment as a form of discipline, and forced independence.
Bialik’s honest and relatable perspective, her abundant anecdotal evidence, and her impressive research into child development and human attachment combine for a relatable portrait of a family learning to co-exist peacefully and lovingly. Beyond the Sling will inspire readers to trust their instincts and gain the confidence and know-how to be the best moms and dads they can.
Synopsis
A funny, honest, and practical guide to attachment parenting from actress, mother, and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik.
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. Drawing on both her experience as a mother and her scientific background, Mayim presents the major tenets of attachment parenting, including:
CO-SLEEPING
How to avoid "sleep training" and get a great night's sleep for the whole family.
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.
BABY WEARING
How to "wear" your baby in a sling or a wrap to develop a closer bond with your child--it's possible even for mamas with bad backs (and with big babies)
GENTLE DISCIPLINE How to get your child to behave without yelling, threats, or time-outs--it really can be done.
Mayim describes the beauty, simplicity, and purposefulness of attachment parenting, and how it has 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.
About the Author
Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., is perhaps best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the 1990s television sitcom Blossom, and she currently appears on the top-rated comedy The Big Bang Theory. Bialik earned a B.S. from UCLA in 2000 in neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish studies, and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007. She designed a neuroscience curriculum for homeschoolers in Southern California, where she also teaches middle and high school students. Married to her college sweetheart with two young sons, Bialik is also a Certified Lactation Education Counselor. Visit her at MayimBialik.net.