About the Author

Mayim Bialik, PhD, is perhaps best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the 1990s television sitcom Blossom, and she starred on the top-rated comedy The Big Bang Theory. Bialik earned a BS from UCLA in 2000 in neuroscience and Hebrew and Jewish studies, and a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007. She designed a neuroscience curriculum for homeschoolers in Southern California, where she also teaches middle and high school students. Married to her college sweetheart with two young sons, Bialik is also a Certified Lactation Education Counselor. Visit her at MayimBialik.net.

Reviews

"Alternative ideas on childbirth and childrearing for today's modern parent."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Attachment parenting proponents will welcome Bialik's openhearted message and advice to follow one's instincts, and even readers who are skeptical will enjoy Bialik's warm and nonjudgmental voice."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Beyond the Sling is a delightful look into the parenting journey Mayim is making with her husband. Her family-first stories are an inspiring reminder of how we navigated these waters ourselves. We have learned that when parents choose to parent with attachment in mind, they make a lot of other good, holistic decisions regarding the health and well being of the family. She invites her readers to understand attachment parenting, see how it is working for her family, and choose what can work for their own."--William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, authors of THE BABY BOOK and THE ATTACHMENT PARENTING BOOK

"Drawing on her education as a neuroscientist, her instinct as a mother, and a community of support, Mayim has passionately embraced attachment parenting principles for raising her children. In Beyond the Sling, she shows how the secure attachment relationship that she has developed with her children has given her the confidence to define her own natural parenting style."--Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, co-founders of Attachment Parenting International and co-authors of ATTACHED AT THE HEART

"Alternative ideas on childbirth and childrearing for today's modern parent."-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Attachment parenting proponents will welcome Bialik's openhearted message and advice to follow one's instincts, and even readers who are skeptical will enjoy Bialik's warm and nonjudgmental voice."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Beyond the Sling is a delightful look into the parenting journey Mayim is making with her husband. Her family-first stories are an inspiring reminder of how we navigated these waters ourselves. We have learned that when parents choose to parent with attachment in mind, they make a lot of other good, holistic decisions regarding the health and well being of the family. She invites her readers to understand attachment parenting, see how it is working for her family, and choose what can work for their own."--William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, authors of THE BABY BOOK and THE ATTACHMENT PARENTING BOOK
"Drawing on her education as a neuroscientist, her instinct as a mother, and a community of support, Mayim has passionately embraced attachment parenting principles for raising her children. In Beyond the Sling, she shows how the secure attachment relationship that she has developed with her children has given her the confidence to define her own natural parenting style."--Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, co-founders of Attachment Parenting International and co-authors of ATTACHED AT THE HEART

Many readers will recognize Mayim Bialik as the star of Blossom, a sitcom from the 1990s. Celebrity parenting books often feel like a pathetic attempt at a comeback tour, and I didn't expect to like this title, but Bialik holds a PhD in neuroscience, is a certified lactation counselor, and writes with a pleasing and conversational style. Attachment parenting is hardly new, but she breaks it down into its most basic form, covering expected topics such as why natural labor and breast are best, the importance of nighttime feedings, and (of course) babywearing. VERDICT Bialik strikes the right combination of medical information, parenting advice, and personal experience. More ambitious readers will appreciate Ruth Newton's The Attachment Connection (2008), another solid title on attachment parenting. A surprise recommendation. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.