Infant Attachment Styles

Written by Mel Gutierrez, BSN, RN

In the 1970s, Mary Ainsworth expanded on infant attachment and identified infant attachment styles. She realized the ways that parents respond to their children’s needs predict how babies respond when separated from their parents in a room with toys. There are four ways infants can be attached to caregivers, with one discovered in the 1990s.

The four types of attachment are Secure, Anxious/Avoidant, Ambivalent/Avoidant, and Disorganized.

The good news is that most children are securely attached. For those who aren’t, attachment styles can change. There are many resources that parents can seek to help their children thrive.

The El Paso Center for Children has several programs and access to numerous community resources to help navigate and cherish family time. For questions, please contact us at 915.307.8043 or info@epccinc.org.

The written information comes from my registered nurse education and baccalaureate psychology education. It is only intended for educational purposes. The information written for this blog is not a substitution for professional medical advice or therapy services.