15 Of Mayim Bialik's Strange Parenting Rules (And Why We Question Them)

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Mayim Bialik is most known for her role as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in the Big Bang Theory but has gained notoriety in the public eye in another way recently. Mayim Bialik is a known supporter of attachment parenting, which is a type of parenting that adds a prolonged sense of attachment from the parent to the child. Along with attachment parenting comes some controversial parenting tactics. Mayim believes in this style of parenting so much that she even published a book called Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way.

Some of the ways attachment parenting can be seen as controversial are the closeness of bodies between parent and child and empathy beyond what's normal for regular mothers. Mayim believes she is completely in the right and even suggests that other moms try out her method.

The public does not agree with Mayim Bialik's parenting ways mainly because they aren't seen as the norm. Rather they break the norm. Many of Mayim's techniques will cross boundaries that would make regular moms uncomfortable. However, for Mayim it's the normal way she raises her kids and will be the normal way she raises her kids in the future.

Potty Training Without Diapers?

This one may seem a bit strange which is perfect to start of this list! Mayim's potty training methods are all but normal. Many parents dread the time of the day where a diaper needs to be changed but they rough through it because it's the right thing to do, or is it? According to Mayim, there is another way. Instead of using diapers all together Mayim has thought of a way to completely skip the diaper phase and go straight to the potty training.

However, everyone knows that newborns are too young to know how to use a toilet or to even sit on one. That's why Mayim has come up with a way for her kids to signal to her when they need to use the restroom. She will then quickly rush them to the bathroom and hold them over the toilet until they are done doing their business. Diapers don't sound so bad now, do they?

The Sling Method

This one is a bit more normal among moms, especially newer moms. This is also used as an essential step in the attachment parenting method. Under the mindset of attachment parenting, it's known that mothers want to have the most immediate contact with their kids as possible. This means no matter where they are they'll always be touching. This can prove to be difficult especially if you're someone as busy as Mayim.

Therefore she invested in a baby sling. This way she can know where her kids are at all times and maintain the physical attachment to their child. She also states that this can be a fun thing for the kids. Some studies show that kids who've been raised in slings typically have a better sense of balance and usually pick up on talking quicker than others who aren't in slings. The sling also shows reduced crying throughout the day for the child.

Not Establishing A Feeding Schedule

Yet another controversial tip from Mayim Bialik is that of feeding on demand. This means not putting the child on any sort of feeding schedule and randomly feeding it throughout the day. Most parents attempt to develop an eating schedule for their children to help them know when it's time to eat. However, Mayim decided to go with the method of feeding on demand and letting her kids choose when they want to eat.

Mayim developed another signal for her kids to tell her when they were hungry, similar to when they need to use the restroom. Since they are in constant contact with Mayim it's not difficult for her to know when her children are hungry. There have been risks in feeding on demand such as parents not picking up on the signs of children wanting to eat and sometimes children not knowing how to signal when they're hungry.

Throwing Manners Out The Window

Most children are taught their manners at a young age. Mainly to show respect to others inside and outside their home. Words like "thank you" and "I'm sorry" are usual suspects when developing manners. Except for Mayim that is. At first, this may seem like another controversial tactic however, Mayim's reasoning is sound. She states that if she constantly teaches her children to use these words they will lose their meanings and become words to say whenever they need to be said. There won't be any emotion behind them.

Mayim has asked friends and family that interact with her children not to teach them to use manners and not to expect them to use manners in front of them. She says that it is something that will come naturally and when it does it will feel all the more genuine. She also believes that appreciation can come from things other than words. Saying "thank you" isn't the only way to show appreciation to someone and Mayim wants her kids to know that.

Mayim Doesn't Believe In The Norm Of Sleep Training

Sleep training is a tactic that parents use to help their kids fall asleep when they are supposed to. For example, a parent might play with their kid at night before bedtime so they will tire more easily making it easier for the child to fall asleep. Mayim believes that this method of sleep training is bad for the children, so she's developed her own way of making her kids fall asleep.

Mayim will let her sleep training naturally occur throughout the day meaning that if a child wants to nap during the day that's fine. Many mothers would cringe at the idea of letting their child sleep whenever they want but Mayim believes it's better for the child in the long run. This doesn't come without its consequences, however. The child will most likely be up at all hours of the night and Mayim believes that she should let her kids slowly learn to not depend on their mother to come to their aid in the middle of the night.

Mayim's Steps To Prevent Crying

Since children of young age typically can't speak words they use crying to communicate. Typically parents will try and stop this crying as soon as possible and will attempt to read the baby's crying to see what it wants. Mayim takes it a step further and attempts to prevent the crying before it even starts. To do this she's had to focus and determine what her children cry for and what they want when they do.

This can be very challenging and can take a lot of time that moms usually don't have. However, Mayim makes the time to try and prevent the baby's cry before it happens. There are reported ways to prevent babies from crying such as being held, breastfeeding, and many others. Mayim has used these methods and many more through her attachment parenting in an attempt to quiet her children and bring them their needs before they realize they want them.

Home Birthing

Many new parents believe that the more relaxed you are during childbirth the more relaxing the experience will be for the child. Mayim also believes in this and is why she opted for an at-home childbirth. There is a risk in doing a home birth but Mayim wanted it to be as natural as possible. She hired a midwife to help along the way and opted out of taking pain medication.

Mayim stated that if she gave birth in a hospital it would've been too uncomfortable for her and may have affected the child. She chose her own home as her most comfortable place on Earth and we can't blame her. She gave birth in her living room and her other kid was there to witness the whole thing. Mayim stated that it was good for her child to witness childbirth.

Mayim's Higher Level Discipline

Mayim Bialik believes in trying to communicate with her children on a higher level than most parents do. Instead of talking in childish gibberish with her children she will use actual words to attempt to further her children's knowledge. This also changes the way Mayim will discipline her children. While most parents will give verbal punishments by yelling at their kid or giving them timeouts, Mayim attempts to communicate to her children on an adult level of what they did wrong.

The idea behind this type of discipline is treating your child the way you want to be treated, as an adult and an equal. Mayim believes the final goal in disciplining her children is to teach them. She doesn't believe in the traditional ways of discipline as she doesn't want her children to fear her. She wants them to understand her and in turn understand not to do those bad things again.

Co-Sleeping Is A Pillar Of Attachment Parenting

This is one of the pillars in practicing attachment parenting. While Mayim will carry her children around all day in a sling, this can be hard to do during the nighttime. Therefore, Mayim and other parents practicing attachment parenting will sleep with their children. The official term is called co-sleeping. This doesn't seem strange to many parents as their children will usually sleep with them until a certain age or if they had a nightmare.

Mayim takes it a step further and sleeps with her children every night. Mayim and her children share a bedroom. There are several benefits to co-sleeping. It can help children get a better nights sleep. It can also make feeding during the night easier. The one downside to co-sleeping is when the children get too old to sleep in the same bed there can be separation anxiety that comes into play. Mayim has expressed she's not worried about this and when the time comes it will happen naturally.

No TV In Mayim's House

There is a strict media access in Mayim's house to prevent her children from watching too much television. Many parents don't want their kids to watch TV because they want them to focus on other educational forms of media. However, Mayim states that she restricts television as off-limits because she doesn't want her children to follow social norms presented by television.

She has a deep concern that television will affect her children's self-esteem, or manipulate them into wanting something they don't actually need. When the chance to watch TV does come up it's extremely vetted by Mayim and they watch together. Restricted media access also means no internet which is more normal for parents with young children.

Read Books Instead

Many parents will agree with Mayim's parenting technique here. Due to her strict rules of entertainment, she makes it her mission to make reading as entertaining as possible. However, with them being at such a young age it's hard for them to read on their own. That's why Mayim tries to read as many books to her children as possible. She is a huge advocate for the Frog and Toad book series as it's one of her favorites from childhood.

She also encourages her children to play outside and get the appropriate amount of exercise for a child. She also buys them toys that will further advance their motor skills. She chooses forms of entertainment that will better their lives in the long run by teaching them several forms of values when it comes to all kinds of different situations.

Traditional Homeschooling

If this list has proved anything thus far, it's proved that Mayim doesn't like to follow social norms of how to raise her children. That doesn't end at their education either. This isn't always a bad choice for parents especially if they can afford to do so. Mayim has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, so she's a great candidate for becoming her children's teacher. She believes that she and the children's dad are more than capable of teaching their children.

There are many benefits to homeschooling. The flexibility of it is what Mayim enjoys most. She isn't restricted to having an allotted amount of time with her children and can space everything out that better fits her and her children's needs. It's worth noting that Mayim is going off the books... literally. She hasn't used any official workbooks and hasn't found the need for them yet.

Bonding During Birth

Birth bonding is one of the main things inside dealing with attachment parenting. Birth bonding is a basic set of rules that parents must follow during the child's first few years. Right after giving birth a mother and a child will share a special bond. This bond is hard to break and will lead many parents down the route of attachment parenting.

The reason most moms stay away from medication during the birthing process is that it can control the bonding process in a negative way. The effects of the medicine can affect the child causing it to not feel as close to its mother. Mayim is a strong believer in bonding with your child as soon as possible so it makes things easier down the road.

No Dedicated Room For The Children To Play In

Mayim doesn't believe in giving her children materialistic joys. She decided that her children can be happy without the need for expensive toys. This is why she's completely removed the option for a playroom in her house. Mayim believes modern-day parenting norms are too focused on consumerism. She also doesn't believe in the mass production of toys due to environmental issues it creates.

Mayim decides to buy toys that will benefit her children's skills. She makes it her mission to play with her kids during play time. This falls under her attachment parenting tactic. Similar to how her children don't have their own bedroom they just play with their toys in Mayim's bedroom.

Mayim Prefers Natural Feeding

Breastfeeding is a normal thing for a lot of parents. It's something that is recommended to many moms to help strengthen their bond with their child. There is a hormone that is released during the process which is known to create unbreakable bonds between a mother and child. Mayim wants to breastfeed her children for as long as possible in hopes of not breaking that bond.

She believes it's important to prolong the natural feeding process because it benefits the health of both parties involved. She believes it also strengthens her love for her son. Mayim faced controversy when it was revealed that she was naturally feeding her son until he was four years old. She still stands by her decision.