Baby massage and touch play an important part in encouraging emotional bonds between baby and carer. A strong bond has been shown to help support the emotional and social development of the infant and child.
A useful description of the attachment process is:
“According to attachment theory, our first relationship with our carers acts as a lifelong template, moulding and shaping our capacity to enter into and maintain, successful subsequent relationships with family, friends and partners. It is believed that these early and powerful experiences with the people who first looked after us will shape our long-term emotional wellbeing.”
Julie Neil Hall
As baby massage instructors we can empower parents to positively touch and communicate with their babies helping to create loving relationships for life. Background to the theory of attachment Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969). He firmly believed in the importance of creating a strong bond between a caregiver and child to enable a lasting connection for life. Bowlby also connected the need for the infant to remain close to its mother as having biological roots in helping to ensure its survival. His main theory suggested that a mother who is able to recognise and respond to her child’s needs helps her child feel more secure in the world. When a relationship of trust and love is established the child feels able to explore the world independently, secure in the knowledge of the strength of this primary relationship. Bowlby suggested a number of characteristics of an “attachment”;
- Safe Haven: If the child feels threatened, he can return to his caregiver for reassurance and comfort.
- Secure Base: The caregiver provides a secure base for the child to explore the world.
- Proximity Maintenance: The child stays near the caregiver, to provide safety and security.
- Separation Distress: If separation occurs from the caregiver, the child will become upset.
Following on from Bowlby’s work, psychologist Mary Ainsworth conducted a groundbreaking study “Strange Situation” which examined attachment and child behaviour in more detail. In the study, researchers observed how children between the ages of 12 and 18 months responded when they were briefly left alone by their mothers and then reunited. (Ainsworth, 1978).
From the research Ainsworth identified three main styles of attachment:
- Secure attachment- the healthiest form of attachment where the child is concerned about their caregiver.
- Ambivalent-insecure attachment-here the children were distressed at their mother leaving but they then did not react when they returned.
- Avoidant-insecure attachment- here the children did not seem to mind if the mother was there or not.
Another attachment style was identified by Main and Solomon (1986) called disorganized-insecure attachment where children had a lack of clear attachment behaviour and a mix of avoidant and ambivalent behaviours. From these initial research studies into attachment, a number of other studies have been done which indicate that these attachment styles are valid and that the styles continue into later life and can have an impact on social/emotional behaviours and relationship successes. Baby massage can help encourage the formation of a strong healthy attachment through its many benefits. The effects of responding to an infant’s emotional/social needs through gentle and responsive parenting can have lasting positive effects.
Blossom & Berry’s mission is to grow babies with love, touch, responsive care and positive interaction. We create nurturing experiences for parents and babies to deepen connection and confidence. We focus on touch as a way to support infant and maternal mental health as we believe this is the foundation for health and happiness. Blossom & Berry was born out of love!
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About Blossom & Berry
Blossom & Berry offers expert training, support & resources on baby massage, yoga and parent and baby wellness for professionals & parents across the world.
Blossom & Berry training is designed to give you everything you need to succeed. It gives you a complete teaching practice and mentorship program in a box.
Our training is the most comprehensive teacher training and business package on the market with no restrictions on what you can do and no ongoing licence fees ever.
“I would love to invite you to join my network of over 1000 teachers across the world sharing the benefits of nurturing touch and connection with parents and babies.” Gayle Berry – Master trainer and international expert on baby massage and yoga, founder of Blossom & Berry.
Your success is our success and having a transformational and nurturing experience is key.