I recently reflected on the first time that my son played with dirt in our backyard. While my husband was busy preparing for our annual vegetable garden, I watched as my little one grabbed a tiny fistful of soil. He played with the clump in his hands for a minute, patted it together, and THEN threw it at me! His face lit up and he giggled. My first reaction was to cease the behavior immediately (what if he starts throwing dirt at everyone AND look at our soiled clothing?!). While I was deciding, another mud pie sailed past me and landed on my husband. The laughter continued.

"Here is how it goes:

“This is a little tool you can take with you and use whenever you are having a feeling that is troubling you — just like Daddy has tools in his shed. You might be feeling sad or angry or frustrated, worried or scared, or just a little bit “not-quite-right.” This will help you feel better.

Take your hand and place it on your chest where you can feel your heart beating. Close your eyes..."

Today is Earth Day. We are reminded of the need to protect our Earth with all its wonders and beautiful resources: the majestic oceans, captivating tall trees, vast grasslands, and all precious life forms. Today, API observes the significance of our Earth and nature as a valuable resource for our children's well-being. Assistant Editor for API's blog and mother of 2, Effie Morchi explores the connection between healthy child development and time outside in nature.

When my son was younger, I wondered why he had to be so determined? Why couldn't he be easygoing like most other kids I know? And why did he have to challenge me nearly all the time? Mother of 2 and Assistant Editor of API's blog, Effie Morchi shares how she has grown to see her son's persistence as a strength rather than a shortcoming,

When my daughter was a toddler, an acquaintance asked me, "What would you like your daughter to be when she grows up?" Assistant Editor of APtly Said and mother of 2, Effie Morchi shares her response on API's blog.

Baby Led Weaning is allowing your baby to take the lead when complimentary foods are introduced, letting her learn to feed herself from the get-go.

Mothers can legally breastfeed in public, cover or no. So what’s going on with Facebook? Is Facebook above the law?

It happens at the mall, at Target, at a park or even a museum. You’re just walking along, minding your business, when BAM you see it: a baby eating. You are shocked. Aghast. Agape. What do you do? What do you say? Where do you look? How can you deal with this totally normal and natural act of parenting? Well have no fear, because here are ten strategies for coping with an act of sudden breastfeeding in the wild.

Not 15 minutes into the eight-hour class, certified parenting instructor Linda Hatfield, who runs a Southern California program called Parenting from the Heart, explained that decades of neuroscience and social research have shown that timeouts and other methods of punishment are not only ineffective in steering the behavior of children but outright damaging. "But… but… but…," I thought. "We’ve been giving our kid timeouts for years."

To begin, I should probably be totally transparent. I have heard of people parenting without punishments. I always rolled my eyes. I don’t think I even tried to hide my disgust. I’m honest like that. It’s one of my more enduring character traits. I was pretty sure that no punishment= horrible brat, parent on medication so they could stand to be around said horrible brat, and eventually…a psychopath. Boo. I’ll skip that. So, when I was pitched the idea to write about Alan Kazdin and his “no punishment” childrearing idea, I was fully prepared to make fun of his ideas.

A review of the available research finds that physical punishment is significantly linked to bad outcomes for kids.

If you’re anything like me, your first pregnancy may have been typical in terms of common interventions. Ultrasounds? Of course! Doesn’t everybody get those? Antibiotics for GBS? I heard that was safest… Pitocin and an epidural? I kinda want to avoid them, but it’s another thing so many women just do… The newborn eye goop? Why would I question it?

My mother was pregnant with me in 1978. Labor induction was unusual, and so the weeks ticked by past her due date until finally, at almost 44 weeks, she went to the hospital to be induced. About 18 hours later, she had developed a fever, my heart rate was high, and the doctor called for a c-section. Fast forward to 2003: I was pregnant with my first baby, and my biggest fear was having a c-section. And I had a birth plan: don’t get an epidural. That was it.

Once upon a time, I operated under the assumption that, once my children reached a certain age, parenting would get, well, easier. Hey, don’t laugh. It’s a logical assumption to make, okay? After all, when you’re in the midst of late-night infant nursing sessions, toddler meltdowns and germs galore, just about anything else sounds like a walk in the park (the type of walk where you’re not chasing after your kid who is chasing after someone else’s dog.)

With our increasingly jam-packed lives, most expectant parents are not taking childbirth education classes and many aren’t getting to the stack of books they had hoped to read. And, those who are getting their information about pregnancy and birth from the media are more likely to be scared than prepared – of course, to keep our attention the images and stories are often dramatic and traumatic. Unfortunately, this is resulting in many parents-to-be entering this beautiful time in their lives feeling fearful and unprepared and not ending up with the experiences they had hoped for.

So what are the essential experiences that an infant needs to set their primary attachment figure apart from their other secondary ones? Rapid response to crying and initiating social play are the 2 experiences that are the greatest promoters of attachment behavior during the first 7 months. This would normally lead the baby to develop a primary attachment bond with the person the baby experiences as the most involved in these activities.

API advocates knowledge and practices that value and maximize parental leave, recognizing parental presence with a child fosters early secure attachment and benefits families, businesses and societies. API's Artimesia Yuen explores API's role in supporting parents whether or not they have paid parental leave after the birth of a baby.

Half of all U.S. babies are born into low-income families, the population segment least likely to be able to take parental leave of any type -- paid or unpaid -- after the birth of a baby. The latest issue of The Attached Family online magazine keeps the discussion on parental leave moving forward, while supporting mothers and fathers no matter whether they have access to paid or unpaid parental leave or even no parental leave.

Sometimes, moms who know during pregnancy that they want to practice Attachment Parenting worry that it will be more difficult or impossible after a cesarean birth. Practicing Attachment Parenting after a cesarean may be a slightly different experience than after a vaginal delivery, but it is still absolutely possible. API Leader and mom of 3, Kelly Shealer shares what worked and what didn't work with Attachment Parenting after a cesarean birth.