By Registered Health Visitor – Julia Headland
You may have noticed in the media that there has been a lot of discussion around the mental health of children and the various things in life that can affect the mental health of our children, for example bullying or social media. There has been a plethora of research conducted which supports the concept that the early months and years of a child’s life lay the foundations for future social, emotional and cognitive development. Evidence shows that children who experience stressful and poor quality childhoods are more likely to develop health harming and antisocial behaviours; more likely to underperform at school; more likely to be involved in crime and less likely to be a productive member of society (Bellis et al, 2015;Hughes et al 2016).
In particular, it has been demonstrated that children who do not have secure relationships early in life are at greater risk of significant mental health problems, educational difficulties or conduct disorders later on in life.
One of the ways to promote positive infant mental health is to build a ’secure attachment’ bond with your baby. You may have heard the term ‘attachment” or ‘attachment bond’ as it has been quite a popular concept for some years now. Attachment basically refers to the the unique emotional relationship between the baby and the main care-giver. It can be described as a wordless emotional exchange between the baby and the care-giver that draws them together, ensuring that the infant feels safe and calm enough to experience optimal development of their nervous system.
Why is a secure attachment so important to healthy child outcomes?
A secure attachment bond teaches your baby to trust you and to be able to communicate their feelings to you which in turn will teach them to trust others. Secure attachment causes the part of your baby’s brain responsible for social and emotional development communication and relationships to grow in the best way possible.
When babies develop a secure attachment bond, they are better able to:
*develop fulfilling intimate relationships
*maintain emotional balance
*feel confident and good about themselves
*enjoy being with others
*rebound from loss and disappointment
*share their feelings and seek support
How can parents create a secure attachment with their babies?
* Secure attachment starts with taking care of yourself so getting enough sleep, asking for help around the house and even scheduling in some ‘me time’ will help.
*Finding ways to calm yourself in stressful times. As we know, caring for a young baby can be very demanding and although babies can’t communicate verbally, they are very in-tune to signs of stress and anxiety that are around them. It is therefore advised that if the parent is stressed or anxious, calming down before they interact with their baby will help to avoid passing this stress on the the baby.
*Learning to understand your baby’s unique cues and responding to these cues. This can be by watching their facial expressions, becoming familiar with their cries and sounds and by knowing what noise or movement best soothes them.
*Talking, laughing, playing and enjoying happiness with your child. Smiling, laughter and touch are as important to your child’s development as food or sleep.
*Secure attachment does not mean being the ‘perfect parent’. You are not always going to be able to pick up on your baby’s cues, especially in the early days but what differentiates a secure attachment from an insecure attachment is the quality of the responsiveness of the interaction.
*Be predictable. Be there for your child by responding to their cries, yells and calls. The baby needs to know that you are coming.
*Create routines. It is proven that children experience less stress if they know what to expect and it increases their confidence. Predictable activities also allow babies the structure for the expression of emotion. Your child may cry when you leave the room but the crying should be related to normal sadness over the temporary separation not because of disorganised transition.