Vinícius M. Kern 🇧🇷 PT ES EN

Have a new baby - or love someone who does?  You’ll want to keep a special eye on this space, because this week I’m going to talk about infancy’s most critical outcome and how to achieve it.  That outcome: Secure attachment.  The earliest months of life are a busy time developmentally.  Over a period of just weeks, newborns establish important feeding habits, begin to smile and recognize faces, begin developing early forms of receptive and spoken language…the list goes on and on. Each of these developments is hugely consequential. But none holds a candle to attachment.  What is it - and why is it important? Attachment involves the establishment of deep relational trust between parent and child.  It’s more than just feeding.  Or talking. Or playing.  Securely attached babies develop a deep and abiding trust that you are (and will continue to be) available and responsive as a caregiver. That you can be relied on to meet their needs and ensure their safety.  And that trust makes a world of difference for children. Secure attachment is the bedrock of our long-term mental health… a gift you can give your baby with lifelong benefits. How is it formed?  Not surprisingly, through consistency.   Be warm. Be responsive. And be there.  Over.  And over.  And over.  It’s a big job. (But rest assured it doesn’t require perfection. Parenting is hard enough without that pressure.) This week I’ll unpack four different types of attachment, how you can improve the quality of your own attachment, and how the development of secure relationships with a small circle of key caregivers (parents, grandparents, teachers) can set your child on a path that will support them even as adults. This trusting little one was shared to IG by bebegimlemutluyum.