(Early child attachment is an important phenomenon to study as it is linked to the child's later development.) Early infant attachment is linked to cognitive, social, and emotional development (Pallini, Baiocco, Schneider, Madigan, & Atkinson, 2014). These three aspects of development are significant for later mental process capabilities, relationships formed later in life, as well as psychological stability. Attachments formed with caregivers during childhood are vital. Bowlby stated, “It is by our first relationship, usually with our mother, that much of our future well-being is determined” (O'Gorman, 2012). It is critical to a child's development to examine parenting styles and early attachment classifications that are made of caregivers. Most research focuses on mother-child attachment, making relationships with fathers little known. Through the well-studied idea of ​​mother-infant attachment, important information about the child's development has been obtained. Mary Ainsworth discovered through her “Strange Situation” experiment that there are three distinct types of attachments that children form; anxious avoidant, secure and anxious resistant (O'Gorman, 2013). A fourth attachment style known as disorganized attachment (CITE) was later identified. Secure attachment is linked to maternal sensitivity just as insecure attachment is linked to maternal rejection or unpredictable maternal response to a child's wants and needs (Kinsvatter, Desmond, Yanikoski, & Stahl, 2013). Children are “at risk” of developing an insecure attachment to their mother when placed in alternative care before nine months of age (Stifter, Coulehan & Fish, 1993). This is concerning as we see that there are negative effects... middle of paper... play also has a strong impact on a child's emotional development (Hjelmstedt & Collins, 2008). The study consists of seeing whether children form the same crucial attachment classifications towards their father as they do towards their mother and whether parenting style is linked to the attachment formed. Given the increase in stay-at-home fathers and the research conducted on the importance of early childhood attachment on the cognitive, social and emotional development of the child, it is a valid statement to say this by looking at parenting styles and attachments formed with fathers. it could provide great information on a little-researched topic. Parenting styles are hypothesized to be linked to the attachment children form to their father as the primary caregiver, and these attachments are very similar to the four identified styles found with mothers that can be observed in a strange situation.