Mayim Bialik's Most Controversial Parenting Decrees: From Breastfeeding to Attachment Parenting and More!

Actress has been landing in hot water for her thoughts on motherhood

By Lily Harrison Feb 26, 2014 9:04 PMTags
Mayim Bialik Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Mayim Bialik's unconventional parenting tips have kept her in the headlines over the years.

The Big Bang Theory star hasn't been afraid to publicize a range of controversial topics, including breastfeeding, attachment parenting and refusing to give her children antibiotics or medication, on the blog Kveller.

During an interview with HuffPost Live on Monday, the 38-year-old opened up about the criticism she's faced when she revealed she nursed her then 3-year-old son Frederick on a New York City subway.

"I received a tremendous amount of backlash," she said. "What I like to point out is that was the best way for that subway ride to be pleasant for everyone. It was the end of a very long day."

But that breastfeeding incident wasn't the only thing landing Bialik in hot water. Let's take a look at the other controversial decrees the actress made:

On opting for a natural childbirth at home in front of her husband and eldest son: "Three pushes later, Frederick slithered out, and Miles was carried out of his highchair to cut the cord. A small spurt of blood startled him, and he promptly asked my husband to finish the job. Miles then sat down on the floor, and minutes later was handed a bundled up wide-eyed baby brother."

On breastfeeding her toddler: "Whoever decided that 'when they can ask for it, they should wean' must not have wanted to keep nursing, and that's fine for them, but it is working for us, verbalized or signed!"

On sleeping in the same bed as her children: "I chose to safely co-sleep with my sons, participating in the subset of co-sleeping known as bed-sharing. That means my sons and I shared—and still share on many nights—a sleeping surface."

On not being a fan of the Ferber method: "Any sleep training or sleep modification regimen that involves your baby crying and you not tending to it is going against your natural mammalian wiring. Similarly, any time you become immune to those cries, you are pushing down a very strong hormonally primed instinct to protect and help your baby and that's kind of sad to me."

On refusing to give her children medications or antibiotics: "Between our two boys, ages six and three-and-a-half, we have dealt with just about every ailment, sickness and flu out there. However, neither of our sons has ever been on antibiotics, nor do we give them Tylenol, Motrin, antihistamines or cough syrup. I've learned from talking to other moms that almost everything you have right now in your home and your heart is enough to deal with most everything. I'm not arguing to be negligent"