Secure early attachment is an important foundation for healthy development.

ATTACHMENT

Attachment is the pattern of relationship between an infant and a caregiver which enables the infant to feel safe and free to learn and explore. A secure attachment in the first year of life has been shown to have a positive effect on social, emotional and mental development. It is a relationship that is not present at birth but develops over the first few months of life in response to sensitive care. On the other hand unresponsive, erratic or threatening care can lead to attachment problems that have an ongoing negative effect on development. Secure early attachment is an important foundation for healthy development and for coping with all the challenges that growing up brings.

What is attachment behaviour?

• Attachment behaviour is when babies and toddlers try to get comfort and protection from the people they are attached to. All human babies wherever they are, have this behaviour in order to protect themselves from danger.
• This can be by smiling and cooing, crawling and following, holding out their arms, crying and many other signals that parents and carers learn to know.
• When the child gets an appropriate response, such as eye contact, a smile, a touch or a quick cuddle, and feels safe, the attachment seeking stops and the child is free to relax, play, explore and learn again.
• If there is not an appropriate response, for example if the baby is ignored or punished, the baby continues to feel anxious or afraid and continues the attachment behaviour. Some babies who are very afraid give up trying.

Responding to babies’ cues

• Responding to babies’ cues not only helps to develop secure attachment but is also the beginning of two-way communication.
• To show they need attention, young babies may make eye contact, make little noises, smile, copy gestures, or look relaxed and interested.
• To show when they need a break or perhaps a different, gentler approach young babies may look away, shut their eyes, try to struggle or pull away, yawn, look tense and unsettled, or cry.
• It is important to respond to these signals in ways that meet the child’s need, because this says to the baby that he or she has been heard and responded to and it is the beginning of developing a sense of an independent self.
• All babies are different and will develop their own special ways of showing what they need and special patterns of interaction with their parents.

Who do babies attach to?

• Babies develop attachment relationships with their main caregivers over the first few months of life.
• Babies can form attachments with more than one person. In fact if there is a problem with the relationship with the main caregiver, e.g. if the mother is depressed or very distracted, a secure attachment relationship with another caring person can help to balance this and give the baby a positive relationship model.
• However if babies have too many different caregivers and different relationship patterns to adjust to, it can be difficult for them to be able to adjust to and to develop secure relationships, for example they may have sleep or feeding problems (although there are many other causes for sleep and feeding problems!).

What you can do

• Think about, treat, and talk to your baby as an individual with his own needs, likes and dislikes.
• Learn to know your baby’s signals, what his messages mean, and then respond to them.
• Think about timing. Introduce changes such as picking up, nappy change gently and gradually - tell your baby what you are going to do so the baby learns that the world is predictable. Don’t startle the baby.
• Be flexible.
• Learn to know what works for your baby.
• Don’t stick to a set routine if it doesn’t suit your baby and you.
• Remember that babies grow and change quickly, and need more time awake with you, so you need to respond to their changes.
• Find out about how babies grow and learn so you know what babies are like and don’t have unreasonable expectations.
• If you are worried about your relationship with your baby ask for help. It is such an important part of your baby’s life that getting help when he or she is young can make a big difference to you and to your baby.

This information was adapted with the permission of Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service, Government of South Australia. A full description of ‘Attachment’, and links to further information, can be accessed at www.cyh.com.