It is your pediatrician’s responsibility to make sure your baby is healthy and growing normally. They will be able to tell you if your child is meeting all the milestones she should be achieving and make sure she is on schedule with her immunizations, but your baby’s emotional growth is entirely up to you, their primary caregiver. The type of emotional attachment you form with your baby in her first year is instrumental in how she relates to others for the rest of her life. No pressure, right? Let the pediatrics office in San Diego take care of her physically and you are in charge of raising a cheery, baby that is emotionally healthy.
Types of Attachment
There are two different types of attachments that can be formed between the primary caregiver and child. This bond that develops between parent and child has lifelong consequences for the baby.
- Insecure attachment – This occurs when a baby’s emotional and physical needs are not steadily met, or if they are met, there is no care or feeling involved.
- Secure attachment – This occurs when your baby’s emotional and physical needs are met with loving care and consistency. The baby does not have to worry about whether he will be fed and kept safe, so he feels secure enough to begin to explore and will thrive.
Be “In the Moment” With Your Baby
It is imperative to understand what is meant by a secure attachment. It is not talking about just meeting all of his physical needs. You and your pediatrics office will be supplying him with his basic physical needs, so you need to be “in the moment” with your child. You have to make your child think that, at that moment in time, he is the most important thing to you. Eye contact is one of the best ways to accomplish this. Constant communication with your baby, even if he cannot understand you, is another vital way to be emotionally involved. Your goal is for your child to know that he is the most important thing to you at that particular point in time. He must feel totally secure and loved with almost every interaction. Throughout the day, you have hundreds of opportunities to be “in the moment” with your baby.
Your pediatrics office will make sure your baby is developing normally physically and it is your responsibility to make sure your baby is thriving emotionally. How much of the day that you are spent “in the moment” with your child will decide how well he handles relationships as an adult. This is vital to his emotional well-being and must be a priority in caring for your baby. The next time you are changing your baby’s diaper, look into his eyes, smile, and let him know he is the most important person in the world right now. Get more info.
