Praise for Attached at the Heart

“Trust me. This is the only baby book you’ll ever need! It’s amazing, heartwarming, and completely user-friendly. Just add your heart!”

—Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom,
The Wisdom of Menopause, and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“Attachment parenting has worked so well for our family, and I’m thrilled that more and more people are becoming familiar with the idea. Attached at the Heart will help acquaint parents with principles to ensure connected, confident children and provide them with tools they can use in every relationship or endeavor in their adult lives. I have seen the benefits with my own children, and I hope you will find some words of wisdom and useful techniques in this wonderful book.”

—Melora Hardin, actress,
plays Jan in the hit NBC show The Office

“No two babies are born the same—they come with no instructions and no guarantee, and yet parents are expected to raise perfect children every time! Parents have to rely on their instincts, but human instincts are intensely colored by our own childhood experiences of being raised—for better or for worse. . . . This thought-provoking anthology has been intelligently organized into eight principles that guide readers on a journey of discovery—sometimes reassuring and sometimes a reality check! The authors have managed to make a précis of academic research findings with a light touch and merge them with years of personal experience and of helping countless parents through Attachment Parenting International (API). The depth of knowledge presented in Attached at the Heart allows readers to draw their own conclusions about how best to apply the information to their own personal circumstances.”

—Sir Richard Bowlby, Bt, son of Dr. John Bowlby, MD

“This is a wise and nurturing book for parents, helping them nurture their children according to their emotional and developmental needs. A much-needed guide to attuned parenting. I highly recommend it.”

—Harville Hendrix, PhD, coauthor with Helen LaKelly Hunt,

Giving the Love That Heals: A Guide for Parents

“Attached at the Heart is the first book to present attachment theory in an accessible and contemporary way. Its eight principles are critical guideposts by which parents can light their way to a healthy relationship with their children.”

—Peggy O’Mara, editor and publisher of

Mothering magazine

“Attached at the Heart is a breathtaking wake-up call for parents and children everywhere. With stunning acuity, scientific insight, and a rare passion, authors Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker unlock the keys to creating compassionate, connected families. The result is that there is truly no other parenting book that covers as much crucial ground as deeply, accessibly, and comprehensively as this one. The gift is that they have succeeded in writing a revolutionary book that offers a shining light for parents, and a huge impetus for positive, lasting change.”

—Lu Hanessian, author of acclaimed memoir

Let the Baby Drive: Navigating the Road of New Motherhood

former NBC syndicated columnist and parent educator

“Here’s the book that not only answers your questions about attachment parenting but includes the research that backs it up. Attached at the Heart is a gift for all of us looking for practical information on how to strengthen the emotional connections in our families, a powerful and undeniable influence toward achieving a compassionate world.”

—Marian Tompson, cofounder of La Leche League International

Founder and president of Another Look at Breastfeeding and HIV/AIDS

“This is really quite a remarkable book. It’s a veritable encyclopedia of attachment parenting. Hard to think of any area not covered, and hard to find any reference that’s missing. The style is clear and from beginning to end suffused with the warmth and gentleness of the authors. Attached at the Heart will serve as a comprehensive reference resource for attachment- parenting parents who want to support their choices with the wide-ranging research that’s out there, but hard to find in one place.”

—Elliott Barker, MD, Forensic psychiatrist and founder of

the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (CSPCC)

“Attached at the Heart communicates an enormous spectrum of information that is valuable and inspirational to parents and professionals. It defines attachment parenting in the most comprehensive and profound way. Attached at the Heart is an indispensable primer for any new parent.”

—Isabelle Fox, PhD,

Being There: The Benefits of a Stay-at-Home Parent

“Sometimes, we parents lose sight of just how important we are. Attached at the Heart is a loving reminder of how crucial mothers and fathers are to children—and to the human story. Nicholson and Parker have put together an accessible, to-the-point, and inspiring manual that offers practical ways to foster a sense of the sacred in the work of raising children.”

—Enola Aird, director of the Motherhood Project,

former visiting scholar, Judge Baker Children’s Center, Boston, MA

“Attached at the Heart is a marvelous guide to raising children. Everyone should read it, even those who are not parents. The book greatly surpasses the typical advice parents receive and offers insights to both new and experienced parents. It is filled with thoughtful recommendations for caregivers that help them understand and provide what babies need. I highly recommend it!”

—Darcia Narvaez, PhD, Department of Psychology professor at

University of Notre Dame, assistant provost of Faculty Affairs,

and editor of the Journal of Moral Education

“Just as the breastfeeding world changed its message from benefits of breastfeeding to the harm of not breastfeeding, the second edition of Attached at the Heart offers parents insight into the damage done to our children, our families, and our society by normative abusive parenting. Parents will read this book and understand how abusive parenting has been passed down for generations. Parents will get the help they need to break the cycle and create peaceful, loving families.”

—Barbara A. Hotelling, MSN, WHNP-BC, LCCE, CD (DONA), IBCLC

Women’s health nurse-practitioner and former chairwoman of the

Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)

“In my mind, no two people anywhere on the planet have worked and sacrificed more than Barbara and Lysa to promote healthy and happy attachment relationships between mothers, fathers, and their infants. Their book provides careful and accurate if not cautious recommendations about infants and their caregivers that closely follow more balanced scientific findings—and not simply those that support their own personal philosophies or political agendas—a description accurately applied to more traditional medical authoritative associations.

I recommend their book without hesitation and with much enthusiasm.”

—James J. McKenna, PhD, Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. Chair in Anthropology, and

Director, Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory, University of Notre Dame