The Earliest Relationship: Parents, Infants, and the Drama of Early Attachment

I think this book is fantastic. It is an easy read and the kind of book I could not put down. Some people have said in their reviews they think it is a bit out dated, but from a psychological perspective the theories and ideas put forth in the book are classic and still used today. I think it is a great book for students, but I am not so sure parents would find it helpful. The book is written from more of a clinical perspective that parents may not find very helpful and may even take offense or not fully understand certain things discussed in the book.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the development of infant/parent bonds, and the importance of such bonds to social, emotional, behavioral and language development. The book easily combines both clinical and theoretical viewpoints, and offers a sequence of how and when attachments begin, the elements necessary for positive attachments, and several case histories illustrating the authors' viewpoints. This volume would be of particular interest to students studying early child development as it is clearly written, and begins to bridge the gap between observation of infant/parent attachments, assessment, and intervention.

This is a good book for both professionals and parents, who would like to know more about the science behind their baby's behavior. However, there is not dry statistics. Rather, the science is clearly explained with many "real life" examples. In the table of contents, each section is clearly labeled, so you can either read the whole book or go to relevant chapters. This is a very good book to start exploring attachment research and issues.Brazelton is a well know scientist who is a pioneer in early development research. His neonatal behavioral assessment scale (described in chpt. 8) is the professional gold standard used by many researchers, health professionals, and child-related agencies.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in infant research and early development.