Attachment theory is a theory developed by John Bowlby, and it relates to how a child interacts with their peers looking after them. The theory acknowledges that if a child has a healthy attachment to the adult, they will confidently believe the adult will respond positively and respond to their needs. An example of this could be applied to if the child is scared; the caregiver will respond accordingly and comfort them, ultimately reaffirming the relationship between the caregiver and child.

Through attachment, this early image of the relationship is vital in organising an intellectual basis the child will use to interact with others and could affect how they feel about themselves. This can affect 3 key areas: 

• A child’s experience of self
• A child’s understanding of others
• A child’s relationship with themselves and others

The reaffirming of the attachment from the parent helps the child with its confidence to explore their environment and helps develop a good sense of self-esteem, enabling the child to grow up to be a happy and functioning adult. 

Primary caregivers need to meet the child’s needs as research suggests that neglecting the child’s needs can cause severe and irreversible psychological damage to the child and shape the adult they become. Furthermore, children who do not form good relationships with their primary caregivers can also affect the way the child views themselves and their ability to develop relationships with others. Bowlby suggests that the long term impacts include increased aggression and goes further to suggest ‘affectionless psychopathy – where a person cannot show affection or concern for others.

Therefore, the primary caregivers of a child must meet the needs of the child to prevent irreversible damage; this includes parents, guardians and, of course, Nursery Staff who sometimes look after children for 10 hours a day. This is why your child is assigned a keyworker at Apple Trees Nursery; this enables the child to build a positive relationship with their keyworker. 

Supporting your child’s needs does not need to be overcomplicated or technical; providing consistent, attentive care is enough. Staff at Apple Trees Nursery Wolverhampton do this by:

• Making time for the child by creating a personal connection.
• Learn their individual communicative expressive methods, such as a ‘hunger cry’, ‘nappy change cry’ etc
• Show enthusiasm for every child
• Pay attention to the child’s favourite sensory inputs