FAMS 1500 4 Infant Attachment Podcast

The speaker discusses four types of infant attachment styles: secure, insecure avoidance, insecure resistance, and disorganized. They explain the characteristics and behaviors associated with each attachment style. The speaker then provides tips for parents to create a secure attachment with their infants, including taking care of themselves, observing and understanding their baby's cues, and spending quality time with their child. They emphasize the importance of attachment in shaping future relationships and how different attachment styles can impact connections with others. Hello, my name is Ashley, and today we will be discussing the different types of infant attachment styles. There are four different types we will talk about, the first being secure, the second being insecure avoidance, the third being insecure resistance, and then the fourth being disorganized. We will begin by defining and then giving examples for each of these attachments. When it comes to the secure attachment, that is when an infant feels comfortable with their caregiver and confident in their caregiver. When their caregiver leaves a room, they are confident that their caregiver will come back, and when they come back, the infant is not stressed about their absence and they are happy to see their caregiver again. Insecure avoidance is when an infant tries to avoid creating a connection with their caregiver, and when their caregiver leaves, they don't show much concern about their absence, and when their caregiver comes back, they are not very concerned about their caregiver being back. When it comes to insecure resistance, that is when an infant is very obviously anxious and uncertain about being separated from their caregiver, about their relationship with their caregiver. So, when their caregiver leaves, they are very upset, they do not want them to go. When their caregiver finally returns, they cling to them and they do not want them to leave. They are anxious about the fact that they left. Then, when it comes to disorganized, that is when an infant has inconsistent reactions to the comings and the goings of a parent. At times, they may be indifferent to the absence and the return, and other times they may be very clingy and very upset about the absence of a parent. So, as a parent, what are some things we can do to create a secure attachment with your infant? The first thing that you can do is to take care of yourself. Babies are very knowledgeable and they can pick up on your cues just like that. So, allow yourself to take breaks and ask for help, and allow help with the care of your child so that you can breathe and make sure you are in a place where you can be with your baby. It can be very helpful to learn how to calm yourself down when you are overwhelmed and stressed, and maybe you cannot step away from your child at that moment, because they are reading you, they are watching you, they are seeing how you calm yourself down, and they use those skills to help calm themselves down. They watch, they learn, they imitate. Second is for you to watch. To watch your baby, look for their expressions, understand their expressions and their cues. What do they do when they are stressed? What do they do when they are calm and happy? How is the best way to calm them down? Is it physical touch? Is it time by themselves? Do they like to read a book? Do they like to listen to music? What does their frustration look like? Do they throw things? Do they cry? Do they want to cling to you? So, learning how they react and how they act can allow you to know how, in turn, you react and act to them. Third is to spend time with your infant. To laugh with them, to play with them, to smile. Hold them and let them know that you are there for them by responding to signs of both stress and joy. When your child is happy and wants to play, interact with them. Let them know you are there to share that with them. When they are stressed or they are overwhelmed or angry or frustrated, let them know that you are there to comfort them and help ease those moments of stress and anger. So, why is attachment so important in infants? How does it affect us for the rest of our lives? Attachment styles and the way we attach to our caregivers shape our expectations for all future relationships. Platonic, romantic, the relationships with our own children. Attachment heavily shapes our reactions. For example, insecure avoidant babies may have a very hard time building and maintaining connections when they grow up with romantic partners, with friends, connecting with their own children. Insecure resistant babies may have a hard time taking things slow and getting attached too quickly to others. And when they do get attached, they don't want to let go. In turn, suffocating that relationship and stamping it out before it even has a chance to properly mature and grow at a healthy rate. So, thank you so much for listening. I am very happy and excited that I got to talk about this with you today.