Fans of the Kardashians will know that oldest sister Kourtney has just given birth to her fourth child, Rocky Thirteen, her first with her husband Travis Barker. As the newest member of the Kardashian family is welcomed into the world fans will be wondering what kind of parents Kourtney, 44, and Travis, 48, will be for their new bundle of joy.
It is likely that Kourtney will mirror the parenting style she has used with her three older children from her previous relationship with Scott Disick - Mason, 13, Penelope, 11, and Reign, eight, but it is a style that isn't without its controversies.
Kourtney has previously said that she approaches parenting using the attachment style. This style dictates that the parents and the infants should maintain a strong level of closeness – both in terms of emotional responsiveness and physical touch. This could include responding to your baby's every cry and wearing your baby in a sling, through to co-bathing or breastfeeding on demand.
© InstagramThe new mother spoke about her chosen parenting approach in an interview with Vogue in October. "That’s what I did for my last two kids, we didn’t leave the house for the first 40 days," the TV star shared. She went on to say that this method resulted in her and her newborn babies being "super-connected" which she loved.
Though attachment parenting intends to create secure emotional bonds between mother and baby that will allow the child to flourish in future relationships, it isn't without its criticisms.
© InstagramSome have said this parenting style leads to overdependent children or stressed parents who feel they have to meet every single want of their child.
Kourtney's sister Kim, 43, hasn't followed in her sister's footsteps as a practitioner of attachment parenting. Fans of The Kardashians on Disney+ will remember that Kim has adopted a "tough love" approach to parenting her four children - North, 10, Saint, seven, Chicago, five, and Psalm, four. The Skims brand owner also restricts North, whom she shares with rapper Kanye West, from scrolling TikTok without supervision.
© InstagramThe Poosh brand owner has however said that attachment parenting has always worked for her. In a 2014 interview with Redbook magazine, Kourtney said that she "didn't plan" to adopt an attachment parenting style but that it "came naturally" to her.
In an episode of the new season of The Kardashians, Kourtney consoled sister Kim who was worried she wasn't setting aside enough time to do extravagant activities with her four children. Kourtney approached the conversation like a seasoned attachment parent saying: "I'll do with Reign, like, where we’re just sitting and talking, and have, like, real focus attention… It doesn’t have to be like a crazy thing, you know?."
© InstagramThe sisters have openly discussed the differences in their parenting styles on the show. "I find, with my kids, that coming from a more loving approach works best," the Lemme founder said, while Kim admitted to being stricter.
"I feel that way, but with a little bit of tough love in there too, and a little bit of frazzled, 'S**t! What the f**k is going on?! Get the f**k over here!’ energy also," Kim jested. In contrast, Kourtney has previously said that she even co-slept with her first baby, something which has also garnered criticism for safety reasons and as a lifestyle choice.
© Instagram"When I had Mason, I just felt really attached to him and wanted to bring him everywhere," Kourtney said. "He ended up sleeping with me, and I breastfed for 14 months." Kourtney co-slept with Mason until he was seven and was still co-sleeping with daughter Penelope by the time she was ten.
Many health professionals warn against co-sleeping due to its links to sudden infant death syndrome and experts have said that even once a child is no longer a baby, co-sleeping can lead to an overly clingy child.
Though Kourtney hasn't been explicit about the parenting style she will approach with new baby Rocky since his birth, we can only assume that she will stick with what has worked for her thus far.
