- constant physical contact between mother and baby or with another caregiver from birth;
- co-sleeping in the parents’ bed, with constant physical contact, until the child leaves of his own free will, which normally begins at 2 years of age;
- breastfeed at the right time: breastfeed the child in response to his needs and body signals;
- constantly carrying the child in its mother’s arms or in contact with someone (usually the child’s mother), and the child is allowed to observe, sleep or nurse with the person carrying the child while that person goes about their business (usually ends in 6 to 8 months when the baby begins to drag and crawl on his own impulse);
- having caregivers respond immediately to the child’s needs and cues, such as crying and squirming, without disgust, judgment, or invalidation of the child’s needs, and yet without showing undue concern or making the child the constant center of attention;
- feel and meet the expectations of the child’s elders that he or she is innately social and cooperative, that the child has a strong instinct for self-preservation, and that the child is welcome and worthy.
The Continuum Concept: Advantages and Disadvantages of Raising Babies
Website design By BotEap.comThe concept of the continuum is a study that was developed by Jean Liedloff, an anthropologist who studied this concept among South American Indians. The 1970s approach to parenting recommended frequent skin-to-skin contact between parents and their children from birth to 12 months. Parents from various parts of the world have tried this method that promotes ff methods in raising babies: