The Big Bang Theory star is no stranger to controversy surrounding her parenting.
She shares two sons, Miles, 15, and Frederick, 13, with ex-husband, Michael Stone.
Since their birth, she’s been making waves for doing things like breastfeeding until they’re four, co-sleeping, and babywearing as opposed to using a stroller.
She may believe in it, but not everyone agrees. Here are 10+ times fans questioned her parenting style.
1. When she announced that she’s raising her kids using attachment parenting.
The star didn’t just play a scientist on TV; she is a scientist.
That’s how she came to raise her children using this scientific principle that encourages a lot of body closeness and being super empathetic.
She’s even published a book on the subject!
It’s called: Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way .
In it, she encourages a lot of things that people might not agree with, such as co-sleeping and breastfeeding on the child’s schedule.
2. When some of her book’s principles were debunked by public health agencies.
The Public Health Agency of Canada , for example, warns against co-sleeping, which is when a family shares a bed with an infant.
That’s because it can lead to sudden infant deaths.
Still, Mayim held her ground on sharing a bed with her kids.
“There is nothing inherently weird or wrong about sleeping with your children,” she told Today .
“It feels good to cuddle, doesn’t it? Babies and kids think so, too. It’s NORMAL.”
3. When she breastfed her son until he was four.
The actress has always been outspoken about breastfeeding her kids for as long as possible.
That is because, unsurprisingly, breastfeeding is viewed as a super mother-infant bonding moment.
Mayim’s decision to breastfeed for that long caused a lot of controversy.
“The way that I parent is the way thousands of women parent all over the world, but I get flak for it,” she told The Huffington Post
“People say really mean things!” she said.
4. The fact that she is raising her sons vegan.
She has this in common with Alicia Silverstone .
Since a lot of people had questions over whether it was safe, the actress — who’s vegan herself — created a YouTube video to answer everyone’s questions.
She began by debunking popular beliefs by stating that yes, her kids can live and that they get enough protein.
“Children can thrive without eating meat and without eating dairy. The only thing that vegans can’t get from the foods that we eat is vitamin B12.”
5. When she nursed her son on the subway.
In addition to breastfeeding her son until he was four, people were up in arms about her doing this in public.
“I received a tremendous amount of backlash,” she told The Huffington Post .
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“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.”
She also criticized our culture for having “a very, very bizarre relationship with breasts.”
6. When she gave birth in front of her son.
Fans were worried the child would be traumatized. In her book, she wrote :
“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.”
7. When she revealed that she refuses to give her children medications or antibiotics.
If she added that she doesn’t give them vaccines, she would have really been in trouble.
She revealed ) in her book that she has never even given them Tylenol, which is a standard form of medication.
She continued on, already bracing criticism by writing, “I’m not arguing to be negligent.”
“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.”
8. When she encouraged “babywearing” instead of using a stroller.
This was another point of contention for fans of the star.
If you don’t know what babywearing is, it’s carrying the baby in a sling close to your chest.
After she faced backlash for writing about it in her book, she defended herself in a lengthy essay online.
She had to remind people that she was writing from her personal experiences only.
She didn’t set out to write a parenting book. . She was writing about her own life.
9. When she and her kids spent Thanksgiving with her ex-husband and his girlfriend.
When Mayim and her husband of 10 years, Michael Stone, split in 2013, a lot of fans speculated that it was because he didn’t share her beliefs on parenting.
Whether that’s true or not, they’re taking their own unique approach to co-parenting.
10. She doesn’t believe in doing separate holidays.
This is obviously related to the fact that she spent Thanksgiving with her ex.
It is important to her that her children grow up around a full family, even if the parents are no longer together. Fans still questioned it, but she won’t change her mind.
11. When she shared a Facebook post about moms being competitive — and it backfired.
The outspoken star was just hoping to find solidarity from other moms when she shared that mommy groups were a huge competition. But instead, her comments rubbed some fans the wrong way.
It wasn’t only Bialik! Even fans started to feel judged.
