Sleeping With Her Kids and 5 More Mayim Bialik’s Parenting Secrets That Might Surprise You

The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik is more than just an actress and neuroscientist—she's also a devoted single mom to 2 boys. She strongly believes that building a deep emotional bond with children from an early age is essential. Her book, Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way, explores this philosophy in depth.

Mayim is passionate about her parenting approach and considers it one of the most effective. That’s why we decided to take a closer look at some of her key parenting methods.

1. She embraces baby-wearing.

Mayim is a strong advocate of attachment parenting, which includes practices like co-sleeping and carrying babies in slings. This method prioritizes emotional closeness between parent and child, fostering a secure, confident, and empathetic personality in kids.

Aside from strengthening the parent-child bond, baby-wearing has been linked to several benefits, including reduced crying, better sleep, healthier weight gain, and an extended breastfeeding period.

2. She doesn’t reward chores with money.

Many parents use allowances as a way to encourage kids to do household tasks, but Mayim takes a different approach. She believes children should clean up after themselves as part of their responsibility, rather than expecting a reward. The satisfaction of maintaining a tidy space should be enough of an incentive.

3. She prioritizes quality time over screen time.

Although it can be tempting to check emails or respond to messages, Mayim makes a conscious effort to set her phone aside when she’s spending time with her children. She believes that being fully present with them helps deepen their connection and allows them to feel genuinely valued and heard.

4. She doesn’t give her kids an allowance—ever.

Rather than handing out pocket money, Mayim teaches financial responsibility in other ways. She encourages her children to manage their own spending habits based on what they have, rather than relying on a set allowance.

In their home, they also have a charity jar where they collect spare change from pockets, laundry, or even coins found on the street. At the end of the year, they tally up the amount and donate it to a charity of their choice.

Additionally, Mayim avoids fast fashion and instead shops at thrift stores. She prefers wearing her clothes for years rather than following fleeting trends. She also skips costly beauty treatments like manicures, pedicures, and hair dye to reinforce the idea that value isn’t tied to appearance or materialism.

5. She models accountability by apologizing.

Mayim acknowledges that parents aren’t perfect and that making mistakes is inevitable. However, instead of justifying her actions, she takes responsibility when she missteps—especially when she loses her temper.

She emphasizes that a meaningful apology should go beyond a simple "I’m sorry." Instead, she opts for a more thoughtful approach, saying something like, "I messed up. I used my anger against you, and that's wrong. I'm truly sorry, and it's not okay for me to act like that. I am working on having more patience because I don't want you to be afraid of me. I'm so sorry."

According to Mayim, this doesn’t diminish a parent's authority; rather, it shows children that strength lies in admitting when you're wrong.

6. She skipped diapers altogether.

When her children were babies, Mayim followed an unconventional method known as elimination communication, which involves recognizing a baby's natural signals when they need to relieve themselves. Instead of using diapers, she would bring them to the potty at the right time.

She argues that traditional diapering teaches children to use diapers as a toilet, only to later undo that habit during potty training. Initially, she was skeptical of the approach, but after observing her son's cues, she noticed a clear pattern. By 10 months old, he was consistently able to communicate his need to use the potty.

Parenting is a unique journey, and everyone finds their own way. Whether you follow some of these ideas or have your own approach, what matters most is raising happy, confident kids with love and care!