20 month old head banging

[bright sparks]

AP comes in many forms. Not all parents following all of the views. Often parents pick and choose elements of AP which appeal to them.

Swaddling a child, wearing a child, feeding on demands vs schedule, duel sleeping - all elements of AP that some parents embrace.

For me, I have found that children who were accustomed to any of these elements of AP make for a harder transition than those who have not. Nap time seems to be particularly challenging as children are often used to the physical closeness of a parent be that from being worn or from duel-napping. They are also used to napping on their own schedule rather than that of a day care environment.

As said, the minute I find out that any of these elements have been the child's routine to date, I personally run from them as potential clients. It's not that I don't respect their choices as parents but merely that I am not prepared to offer anything to one child that I cannot offer to them all. Since I am not physically capable of laying down with 6 children, at various times of the day, or rubbing 6 backs or carrying around 6 children, I tend to avoid these clients.

I don't see swaddling a child to be indictive of AP at all. Swaddling was the norm for babies when I had my kids and had nothing to do with AP. It's what all midwives and health visitors told everyone to do and it was to enable the child to sleep without the need of an adult physically comforting them. That's not even close to AP principals. I think it's jumping the gun to be honest to assume any level of AP based on one action which to me at least makes no sense. I understand if a parent is using any element of AP the caution a provider would have as I'm experienced in this which wasn't fun but this in my opinion a swaddled child isn't the same as cosleeping or constant physical contact preventing them from learning to self sooth.