It feels like everyday I come across a newly-coined parenting style, to the point where it feels difficult to keep up. There are the widely-spoken about ones many of us have heard of, like gentle parenting and helicopter parenting; and then there are the more left-field terms: nacho parenting, snowplough parenting and air traffic controller parenting, to name a few. If you haven’t yet come across the term koala parenting, it’s very similar to attachment parenting. Per NCT, the latter is about “constant physical closeness and being very responsive” to your baby or young child. What’s a koala parent? Koala parents are more likely to breastfeed, be pro baby-wearing, co-sleep and steer clear of sleep training. They opt for gentler parenting approaches, prioritise teaching emotional regulation, and are more likely to try positive discipline. They’re cuddlers, prioritising closeness and bonding with their kids – sometimes at the expense of feeling totally touched out. Lilit Ayrapetyan, a clinical psychologist specialising in maternal mental health, told Parents: “Much like a mama koala and their baby joey, koala …