10 Secrets To Raising Good Listeners

Listening skills are essential to learning. Children who listen well not only develop strong language abilities, they find gaining knowledge in any subject easier, less stressful and more successful. Since attentive listeners retain most of what they hear in the classroom, they don’t need to study as much (a big plus, especially in middle and high school). But listening is a growing problem for young children to...

A Toddler’s Night Waking – A Mother’s Anger, Guilt, Confusion (Response by Eileen Henry)

I am growing so angry and tired from lack of sleep. I didn’t mind getting up during the night when my son was a newborn, but he’s almost 14 MONTHS, and we’re still up 2-4 times a night. Usually it’s 2-3. I have to rock him to sleep for naptime. It doesn’t sound so bad if all you know are other attachment parents, but most of my friends and family follow the Babywise cult and remark how...

Colander Girl – Simple Objects Are Baby Treasures (Video!)

Could there be a more educational infant toy than this one? Watch a 9 month old baby (on two different occasions) exploring the wonders and intricacies of a simple kitchen tool we wouldn’t give a second thought to while rinsing pasta or washing grapes.  This is an example of the kind of independent play and experimentation that builds strong minds, long attention spans and encourages a love of learning. Note the...

Dealing With Parenting Differences Among Friends, Family And Kind Strangers

Those of us lucky enough to have discovered child care methods that resonate with us (like Attachment Parenting or Magda Gerber’s RIE Approach) often find ourselves in awkward situations with well-intentioned grandparents, friends or kind strangers who engage with our children differently than we’d like. Of course, it’s not their fault – they aren’t on ‘the program’ –and it always comes down to,...

You’re Invited! RIE Conference 2011

Educaring And Infant Mental Health: Creating Secure Beginnings – The 22nd Annual RIE Infant/Toddler Conference for Parents and Professionals As a member of the RIE Board of Directors and an enthusiastic advocate for Magda Gerber’s respectful approach to infant care, I’m thrilled to announce the 2011 RIE Conference (to be held Saturday, May 14, 2011 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles) featuring...

Baby Games – How Infants Develop Social Skills (Video Demo!)

When infants play together, we adults often don’t recognize it as such (play, that is). Sometimes, baby interaction can be a little unnerving to watch without interfering, especially when our own child is involved. But these are precisely the moments when babies are first investigating and testing the boundaries of social interaction with their peers. They ‘read’ the responses they receive, and in doing so...

9 Reasons Not To Walk Babies

I can understand the urge to walk babies. After all, they seem to like it so much. When we help our babies walk, they are gleefully entertained — enjoying us enjoying them — while we’re getting a preview of one of life’s major milestones. Sometimes we’re compelled to walk our babies because we think they need help developing their motor skills and believe it our duty to teach them. We worry that...

Respect, Trust, Acceptance – Magda Gerber’s Therapeutic Approach To Child Care

I was a newbie mom just beginning my studies with infant expert Magda Gerber when I first read Gloria Ohland’s story about Magda in her “Local Heroes” column at LA Weekly, and it resonated deeply. It still does. “Our Babies, Ourselves” (June, 1991) captures the spirit of Magda’s work with parents and infants as few articles have since… OUR BABIES, OURSELVES by Gloria Ohland Magda Gerber’s...