Ask Dr Sears
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
MENUMENU
  • Pregnancy & Childbirth
  • Feeding & Eating
  • Parenting & Behavior
  • Health Concerns
  • Brain Health
  • A to Z Topics
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Wellness Institute
  • Home
  • Topics
  • Parenting and Behavior
  • Attachment Parenting
  • Attachment Research

Attachment Research

Attachment studies have spoiled the spoiling theory. Researchers Dr.’s Bell and Ainsworth studied two sets of parents and their children. Group A were attachment-parented babies. These babies were securely attached, the products of responsive parenting. Group B babies were parented in a more restrained way, with a set schedule and given a less intuitive and nurturing response to their cues. All these babies were tracked for at least one year. Which group do you think eventually turned out to be the most independent? Group A, the securely attached babies. Researchers who have studied the affects of parenting styles on children’s later outcome have concluded, to put it simply, that the spoiling theory is utter nonsense. Pick them up quickly and they’ll get down quickly. A child must go through a stage of healthy dependence in order to later become securely independent.

Spoiling does become an issue a few years from now, when overindulgence signals a parent’s inability to set limits and boundaries. This happens most often in children who are materially bonded or whose parents are still trapped in dysfunctional patterns from their own childhood. (For more attachment research click on 4 Ways AP can Reduce the Risk of SIDS)

August 3, 2013 October 1, 2015 Dr. Bill Sears
The Health Brain Book
Become a Dr. Sears Certified Health Coach
Arm's Reach Cosleeper

Juice Plus+ - The next best thing to fruits and vegetables.

Vital Choice

About Ask Dr. Sears

AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual needs.

Recent Articles

  • Can You Help Your Kids Grow Taller? – 5-Step Action Plan
    Can You Help Your Kids Grow Taller? – 5-Step Action PlanDecember 27, 20220
  • Dr. Jim on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)November 8, 20220
  • "You've Got This!" - Martha's Breast Cancer StoryOctober 30, 20220


Resources

  • Sears Parenting Library
  • Dr. Sears Family Newsletter
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Prime-Time Health

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

  • support@askdrsears.com
  • Contact Ask Dr Sears
  • About Ask Dr Sears
  • About Dr. William Sears
  • Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
  • Media Relations Information


© 2020 AskDrSears.com All Rights Reserved.