The Continuum Concept

I read The Continuum Concept when I was pregnant, I had read so much about it and so many people recommended it to me that I couldn’t wait until I laid my eyes on it. In this book Jean Liedloff wrote about her experiences after spending over two years living among the Yequana Indians in the Amazon jungle. What it was most shocking for her was the way that this tribe was raising their children. She noticed that yequana babies, rarely cried unless they were sick, however their upbringing was something completely different to what she was used to and recommended in our society.

The main idea behind The Continuum concept is that in order to become happy and confident adults, babies expect to have fulfilled their needs in the way nature designed for our species in the process of our evolution.

The main expectations are:

-Babies need to be carried in arms from birth until crawling age. In close contact with their mum they feel protected and they learn about life until they are ready to become active members in their circle.

-Co-sleeping with their parents until they are ready to sleep on their own.

-Breastfeeding on demand, responding to babies’ needs.

Among the Yequana, children are respected and trusted as individuals from a very young age, they follow their parents constantly in their daily activities and are allowed to learn and explore their surrounding freely. They rarely cry and, it is said, that children brought up in this way become more independent and self-confident individuals

The Continuum Concept is in its twenty-sixth printing and has been translated into sixteen languages. If you are interested in natural, instinctive parenting, then this book is a must!