Primary emotional needs to “develop the self”

Secure attachment bonds are so important for your little child’s brain development. And they are something they will benefit from them their entire life. If your child feels those secure attachment bonds when they are young, they will be better able to deal with stress throughout their life (through an improved hormonal housekeeping) and will be better able to bond with others. What makes your little one “securely attached”?

A few essential “conditions”:

• Coming into contact with games and situations that are adapted to the things that interest them
• Parents who understand what interests their child and why something is interesting to them.
• Parents who are there for baby when they need them.
• Parents who accept them as they are.
• Parents who put the child’s needs before all else.
• The feeling they receive love for who they are, not for what they can do.
• Recognizing they are allowed to have emotions. They are allowed to be scared or sad if they get startled, for instance. And they want to feel that their parents understand they feel this way, and that they are there for them.
• Knowing where ‘they stand’.
• Feeling they are part of a greater whole, a family.
• Feeling they are allowed to be themselves.

These are merely a few of the primary emotional needs your baby has. There are of course many more emotional needs. Secure attachment bonds cannot be expressed in a list of ingredients that result in a delicious recipe. Secure attachment bonds continue throughout life and continually change.

Source:
The Wonder Weeks Tips and Milestones. Filled with questions and answers and handy checklists for your baby’s mental and physical development.