Infant Attachment theory

Infant attachment theory

Callie Walters

Salt lake community college

Newborns to three months.

When babies are first born they get attached to anyone who takes care of them, parents,
grandparents, and babysitters. They can get attached to more than one person. This is because if
more than one person is taking care of them a lot then they will get to know them and get used to
the area that they always go see them at. Your babys attachment to others will not have an effect
on their attachment to you, it just helps them learn how to get closer to other people. Babies who
dont experience a lot of attachment can affect them in the long run with their development with
other things. The signs that babies will show when they are attached to you, is smiling, holding
hands out towards you, making cooing sounds, and crying when they see you so you will pick
them up. When babies want a break from the caregiver that is taking care of them, they will look
away, try to get down, and cry.
When you meet your childs attachment needs they feel safe. Ways to meet your childs
attachment needs is by smiling at them, singing to them, playing with them, or holding them.
When your baby cries and you come comfort them they learn that their world is safe and this will
teach them to cry less. It also helps when the parents try to figure out what the baby is trying to

tell them, ways that parents can do this is pay attention to different cries that their babies do,
hungry cry, tired cry, or new diaper cry. Parents and caregivers should think about their baby as
their selves, they need to see and realize that if they were handed to a stranger what they would
feel like and they need to try and explain what they are going to do before they do it, so that the
baby is aware and not scared. Parents need to take care of their selves because their health also
effects the baby. If parent breast feeds they need to make sure they are getting all the nutrients
they need in their body for their babies. It is really important for the babies to get all their
nutrients, to be able to grow and be healthy. They also need to have someone to watch the baby if
they get tired and need a break.
Four to six months
When you are in your babys sight they will smile at you. Your baby is going to be less
fussy, if they had problems sleeping through the night they will start to sleep a little more. They
also will now be getting used to the schedule you have had them on. Babies at this age start to
give as much love back to the care giver as they receive from the care giver. Babies will
recognize what their care givers voice sounds like and will start to move and look around as soon
as they hear it. They will try to talk to you by making cooing sounds. Replying to babies cues is a
good way to have an attachment with your child, it lets them know you are listening to them, its
also the beginning of a two way communication.
Your baby will start reacting to you when you smile, they will smile back. Your baby
needs you to love them no matter what mood they are in. your baby at this age will start to roll
over back and forth, they also get color vision in their eyes. Babies at this age are really attached
to their caregivers, and may be scared of family that they do not see as much as their caregivers.

Another way to have a secure attachment to your baby is making sure you are not expecting
them to do things that they are not ready to do.
Some parents think that their babies are trying to just get them to hold them when they
are out of sight but really the baby dont know your around unless they can see you or hear your
voice which makes them secure. When talking to your baby make sure you are making eye
contact with them, this way they will know you are talking to them and not someone else. Give
your baby opportunities to succeed with things they try to do, like put treats on the floor, not too
far away but far enough where they can crawl and reach it.

Pre School
This attachment stage is where the kids are scared to leave their parents and cooperate
with others. The child is learning how to balance their needs for independence, exploring new
places away from home, and discipline. The child needs to feel protected from whoever is in
charge, and need to feel welcomed. Ways that teachers can bond with these young kids are games
to introduce their selves, fun activities that include the whole class, and the teacher needs to
show that she is there for whatever they need her for. There have been studies that show that kids
that are secured attached to their parents will help them on later on in life with self-esteem, long
term friendships, and positive relationships with parents and caregivers. A good way to discipline
your child at this age is to explain rules and what they expect from their child. A bad way to
discipline your child is to yell at them, and do physical punishment. This will make your kid
really emotional in the future, when they are always getting yelled at their feelings are going to
get hurt, also your kid is going to have a low self-esteem. Pre-school also teaches your kids how

to get along with others, be polite and share. You should teach your kids manners or else
everyone is going to think your child is not kind. Parents can bond with their kids by teaching
them how to share, showing them what you say after certain things like thank you, excuse me, or
youre welcome.

There has been a study on this, its called Harlows theory. They took baby monkeys that
are warm safe and they get fed on time, but they were not allowed any social contact the first six
months of their lives. This caused them to develop behavioral abnormalities. Some things that it
caused was them to rock back and forth biting themselves and when they were around other
monkeys they would avoid them. Then there were socially isolated monkeys and they were able
to communicate with others, and learn from others as well. This theory proves that any species
needs a mother and to be around others, to feel secure and attachments.

I do think that this is controversial because parents all have different beliefs about how
they bond with their child. Some parents think that if you hold your baby all the time when they
are first born then they will just cry when they want to be held. Other parents think that if you
hold your baby you are bonding with them and comforting them when they need you or need
something like fed, new diaper, or they are tired. I also think this is controversial because parents
discipline their children different. Some people believe that you dont need to spank your child,
you just need to show them the right thing to do and explain how to do it. Others believe your
need to spank your child and put them in the corner to learn discipline, I agree with this because

your child is not going to mind unless they learn a lesson. If you just tell them they are more
likely to do it again. I think that you can give them a warning and if they dont listen then yes
you can spank them. I do believe that many parents or soon to be parents study this stuff every
day, because they probably want to know how to bond with their baby, and what to do when their
baby does certain things. I did study this when I was pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to
know how to bond with her when she was that little. When I researched I found out that babies
do have different cries when they need different things. I know for a fact that this is going to
impact phycology in the future and now because everyone that is going to be parents need to
know these things. This relates in everyday lives of those who are parents, because they are
dealing with their kids in many of these ways.

BY: Callie Walters

By: Holly Robinson 2015 Your baby 4 to 6

months:
personalityhttp://www.parents.com/baby/
development/social/your-baby-from-4-to6-months-personality/
Blackman, James A. Infant Development and Mental Health in Early Intervention.
Austin, TX: PRO-ED Incorporated, 2005.
Bremner, J. Gavin, et al. The Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development. Oxford, UK:
Blackwell Publishing, 2004.

Lerner, Claire, et al. Bringing Up Baby: Three Steps to Making Good Decisions in Your
Child's First Years. Washington, DC: Zero to Three Press, 2004.
Spitz, Rene A. First Year of Life: A Psychoanalytic Study of Normal and Deviant
Behavior. Madison, CT: International Universities Press, 2005.

PERIODICALS
Carlson, Elizabeth A., Megan C. Sampson, and L. Alan Stroufe. "Implications of
Attachment Theory and Research for developmental Behavioral Pediatrics." Journal of
Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 24, no. 5 (October 2003): 364+.

ORGANIZATIONS
Attachment Parenting International. 2906 Berry Hill Drive, Nashville, TN 37204. Web
site: http://www.attachmentparenting.org.

WEB SITES
Palmer, Linda F. "The Chemistry of Attachment." API News 5, no. 2 (2002). Available
online at http://www.attachmentparenting.org/artchemistry.shtml (accessed October 11,
2004).
Porter, Lauren Lindsey. "The Science of Attachment: The Biological Roots of LoveFamily Living." Mothering (July-August 2003). Available online at
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0838/is_119/ai_105515898/ (accessed
October 11, 2004).
Thurber, Christopher A. "Roots and Wings: how attachment and temperament shape
developmentRevolutionary Studies in Child Psychology." Camping Magazine (MarchApril 2003). Available online at
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1249/is_2_76/ai_98953747/ (accessed
October 11, 2004).
Deanna M. Swartout-Corbeil, RN

http://www.healthofchildren.com/A/Attach
ment-Between-Infant-and-Caregiver.html

Sa.gov.auApril 9th 2015 Parenting and child health

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/Healt
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p=114&np=99&id=1931
Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, Nock, A Macmillan Higher
Education Company 2014, Psychology third edition.