Secure attachment in babies

Secure attachment is considered as the affective bond that is established in space / time between the baby and the caregiver, fostered at an early age. It arises naturally as a sense of protection on the part of caregivers and is strengthened according to the way in which they have contact with the baby. This bond influences the way the child develops mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually.

From what age to what age should secure attachment be encouraged?
Birth to 24 months is the most important time to establish secure attachment. The experiences that are lived in this stage, help to establish healthy bonds with other people, capturing the values ​​that are instilled for himself and reflecting them when he is older. These values ​​are based on respect, love and sincere friendship. That physical expression is what the baby captures, understanding that, if she needs love and receives it, she is an important part of the family.

The key is to be able to have a non-verbal emotional exchange in such a way that, when the baby expresses her needs, she does so in a balanced way with the confidence that her parents will be there for them. This is where whims, cries of over consent are eliminated, because there is a real mutual connection, babies who feel emotionally disconnected from their caregivers feel insecure, their behavior changes and they ask for more care than normal.

Ways to promote secure attachment

It is important that some important aspects are taken into account:

-Focusing on the real moment: It is at that moment where without words, the caregiver must respond to the emotion presented by the baby to generate connection. For example, if she is happy, respond with the same emotion; If she is sad, hug her and give her love. The most important thing is to give an immediate response to what she emotionally requires

Facial expression: In our gestures the baby can receive many emotions, the idea is to be aware of how we express ourselves with them and what emotion or feeling you want to convey. If the facial expression is calm and relaxed, the baby will feel calm and relaxed as well.

-Management of tones of voice: Accentuations allow the baby to identify the intention with which they are expressed towards him. That is why learning to modulate the tones of voice when communicating with the baby is a fundamental part of the stimulus and of how the baby assimilates it in order to understand the different states of mind of the caregiver.

-Breastfeeding the baby: This is a unique and direct connection that encourages attachment, not only to give the little one well-being, but also generates benefits for the mother, since during breastfeeding the mother's body expels hormones that relax and that increase the feeling of love and care for your child.