Q. Spend some time at the mall or a public place where parents and infants frequent. List behaviours that you observe that indicate attachment between the infant and the caretaker. Note any evidence you observe that may indicate a lack of attachment.
I chose to spend some time at the local mall. I was there for around two hours. Since it was lunch time, I chose to sit at the food court and observe the infants and their caretakers. All the caretakers were females; either the mother of the child or the Nanny of the child was playing the role of the caretaker.
Behaviours that indicate attachment between the infant and the caretaker:
- In case the infant wanted some attention he/she would outstretch its arms to the caretaker showing the willingness to be held (this was seen amongst 6 month – 3 year old infants)
- The moment the infant (in this case was 6 months to a year old; in toddler stage) began to cry the caretaker instantly paid attention to it. I noticed that there were two types of caretakers:
- Type 1 – instantly took the infant in her arms to soothe the baby
- Type 2 – distracted the baby with another object which either made noise (like keys) or was visually attractive (like a toy or a cell phone)
- There were some caretakers who were heavily invested in the child’s care, one can say they were being protective:
- There were some parts of the mall that was sunny, the caretaker would immediately shield the infant from the sun by lowering hood of the stroller or covering the stroller with a cloth
- Caretakers were running behind their infants to keep a close eye on them
Behaviours that indicate detachment between the infant and the caretaker:
- When the infant cried the caretaker handed it a pacifier to soothe itself
- When the caretaker picked up the infant in her arms (especially when the infant has not ask to be held) the infant started to wriggle in her arms and was trying to free himself
Another thing to be noted was the case of a stranger’s presence around the infant and the caretaker. I approached the various infants present in the mall and was unsure whether to state the following behaviour as attached or detached:
- Toddlers (1/2 to one year old)
- On taking one in my arms he easily detached himself from the caretaker. I’m unsure if this is a behaviour or attachment or detachment because in the chapter I read that if the caretaker provides a trusting environment then it is easy for infants to trust strangers in the presence of the caretaker
- In the case of the older infants (2-3 years old)
- They started looking for the caretaker or ran towards them on being approached by strangers. This could be a function of cognitive development and understanding where the infant seeks approval/solace from the caretaker in order to further its interaction with a stranger
