"From the very beginning of life, infants are neurologically wired to attach to caregivers. This isn't a parenting trend or a modern theory-it's an evolutionary survival mechanism. Human babies are completely dependent on others to meet their physical and emotional needs. Attachment is the system that ensures those needs get met. Attachment forms through repeated, emotionally responsive interactions: feeding, soothing, holding, comforting, and responding to cues."
"And here's the critical piece-attachment is not just about what you do, but how you do it. Warmth, consistency, and emotional attunement matter as much as diapers and bottles. In the early months of life, infants will cry, coo, and smile to get almost anyone's attention. At this stage, it doesn't matter who changes the diaper or offers the bottle-someone just needs to show up."
When young children cling to one parent, the behavior reflects attachment biology rather than favoritism. Infants are neurologically wired to attach to caregivers as an evolutionary survival mechanism because they depend on others for physical and emotional needs. Secure attachment emerges through repeated, emotionally responsive interactions—feeding, soothing, holding, comforting, and responding to cues—with warmth, consistency, and emotional attunement being crucial. Early months elicit generalized social signals; after about six months, infants begin to differentiate caregivers and form specific attachment figures. Parental reactions vary: one may feel overwhelmed as the default caregiver while the other feels rejected, but attachment explains these patterns.
Read at Psychology Today
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