Dr. Susan Woodhouse: ‘Good Enough’ Parenting is Good Enough

New research finds that caregivers need only 'get it right' half the time when responding to babies’ need for attachment to have a positive impact on a baby.

What really matters in caring for babies may be different than commonly thought, says Lehigh researcher Susan S. Woodhouse, an expert on infant attachment. In new research, she finds that caregivers need only “get it right” 50 percent of the time when responding to babies’ need for attachment to have a positive impact on a baby. Securely attached infants are more likely to have better outcomes in childhood and adulthood, and based on Woodhouse’s potentially paradigm-shifting work, there is more than one way to get there, particularly for low socioeconomic-status families.

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