Infant Relationship Essay

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Relationships For a baby to have healthy development they must have healthy relationships. These relationships change as the baby grows and will affect them through their entire lifespan. (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000) The first of these relationships is the bond between the baby and their primary caregiver, usually the mother. We call this bond attachment. The quality of this attachment may affect the baby’s entire life. If a baby develops a secure attachment they are likely to grow into healthy adults. Attachment becomes secure when the parent responds to the baby in a warm and consistent manner. (The Baby Human: To Belong, 2003) In healthy, early relationships the baby and caregiver interact and learn about each other. As they learn about each …show more content…

The quality of these interactions and communications will affect the baby’s ability to achieve these goals. Babies learn very easy to signal their needs and desires. They may turn away, smile or cry to express their needs or desires. The caregiver should be the one to adjust their behavior to the baby and never expect the baby to adjust to them. The more consistent the caregiver is at reading and adjusting to the baby’s needs, the greater the development of positive interactions and emotional self-regulation. (Tronick, 1989) When the caregiver-infant relationship does not develop normally or is strained, the child can develop developmental or behavioral problems. (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000) Insecure or avoidant attachments can happen when a caregiver is inconsistent or abusive. The baby learns they cannot trust the caregiver to fill their needs. These babies are prone to develop avoidance of others and aggressive behaviors. (The Baby Human: To Belong, 2003) The quality of the caregiver-infant relationship will be a foundation for the baby’s further developmental influence of environmental risk. Risk and

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