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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if those early parenting decisions make a difference to later child mental health

102 replies

deliverdaniel · 15/09/2026 10:09

My kids are teens now but when they were tiny all of the early parenting decisions/ choices seemed so high stakes. Attachment style parenting vs routines. Breastfeeding vs ff. Cosleeping vs Gina Ford style routines. Sleep training etc etc.

For those with older DC what "style" of parenting did you do (attachment style/ routines/ more of a mix etc) and what is your child's mental health / security/ confidence etc like now? I"m not looking for research studies or opinions about these styles in theory- just your personal experience.

YABU- I think my parenting style produced the promised outcome in my DC

YANBU- I don't think any of it made any difference

OP posts:
kidsnetflix · 15/09/2026 10:19

I think that there is a good chance that the new 'but we took you to stately homes' will be 'but we coslept until you were six, how can you possibly have depression?'

Cantstopitscreamingout · 15/09/2026 10:18

I think it has all had a knock on effect, yes. My children felt secure so when they started school they happily skipped in. We labelled emotions from toddlerhood and taught them how to regulate so my DC understand their emotions. Breastfed into toddlerhood and my DC seem to have strong immune systems, they never seem to catch bugs going around. I appreciate the same may have happened if I FF but as someone that was FF from birth I was always ill.