"Toddlers may be ever so adorable but they can also be frustratingly poor at listening and respecting other people's feelings. So how are they able to grow into social butterflies a decade or two later, often capable of extraordinary friendship, loyalty and perceptiveness?"

"So we return to programs, such as parent training, to enhance child development and education. The fact that childhood may affect adult health inequalities has compelling implications. Politically, it means society should shift more resources to early interventions. Morally, it becomes harder to blame the adult poor for their poverty or poor health. Scientifically, we need more research on the long-term negative effects of childhood experiences because some consequences appear to be reversible. New discoveries may suggest more effective approaches.

Did you know that kindness is teachable? People actually build up their compassion "muscle" and respond to others' suffering with care and a desire to help. The positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to "pay it forward." This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of dozens of people!

And did you know that being kind actually has health benefits? Learn more on API's blog.

"A Perth study led by researchers from The University of Western Australia has found that participation in a local mothers’ group (facilitated or parent-led) is linked to mothers’ who have a positive mental well-being.

Our young children -- still -- master the natural, simple and intuitive connection between body, mind and emotion. Let’s support and inspire each other to live with more ease and calm, every single day. And in case you forgot how to do this, let your kids be your teacher.

Clinical psychologist and mother, Inga Bohnekamp shares about teaching mindfulness to her daughter on API's blog.

"Parenting is tough, he adds, but good parents represent the first line of defense against the sorts of adverse childhood experiences — things like abuse, neglect or witnessing domestic violence — that often spur long-term health problems, mental and physical.

In other words, when we are young in our own parenting journeys — and especially with infants and young children — our focus in Attachment Parenting is inthe here and now. Attachment Parenting International’s Eight Principles of Parenting guide us to choose parenting behaviors that lead to more peaceful, compassionate, trusting, empathic and joyful relationships with our children. And in return, while it may be challenging at times to go against the cultural grain, we are ultimately rewarded with secure attachments to our children.

Note: This product is a PAL recording and is not playable in the United States. International shipping is required.

"Critiques of the CDC message aside (no point in reiterating what has been said by many, many others; plus, you can draw your own conclusions), many families are left, once again, wondering what to believe and what course of action to take. The reality is that there are several studies that show a link between small and heavy alchohol consumption and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum(FAS) disorders. FAS is very preventable.  There also are several studies that show that small or moderate levels of alcohol consumption have no effect on behavior, mental, or motor development.

"Notre Dame Psychologist Darcia Narvaez studied more than 600 adults and found those who were cuddled as children grew into more well-adjusted adults with less anxiety and better mental health.

The study found that, along with cuddling, a positive childhood with lots of affection and quality time also led to healthier adults with better coping skills.

The research will soon be featured in the journal Applied Developmental Science."

"During 2011–2014 the percentage of children with serious emotional or behavioral difficulties was about twice as high among children living in poor families (<100% of the poverty threshold) compared with children living in the most affluent families (≥400% of the poverty threshold) (7.7% versus 3.8%). This pattern was found for both boys (9.9% versus 4.8% ) and girls (5.6% versus 2.8%). At each poverty status level a higher percentage of boys than girls had serious emotional or behavioral difficulties."

"Other mothers, she found, were going through the same thing. Many lacked the family support systems that previous generations had — the grandmothers and aunts who could advise and assist — largely owing to changing social patterns.

I took a breastfeeding support call a few years ago from a woman who was spending a week in a county jail but wasn't being allowed to use her breast pump. When looking at it from the perspective of breastfeeding as an intervention in a new mother's life, this was heart-breaking.

This week's featured article on API's blog highlights the changing policies at a county jail in Texas, USA, to allow incarcerated mothers to breastfeed their babies.

"Michelle Devlin, a leader with the La Leche League, says it's a practice that is as natural as giving birth. "These are naturally things that are in our bodies and the way our bodies are made to work, that we're supposed to be protected against these things," says Devlin. "By breastfeeding, we are keeping those benefits and letting our bodies fill their biological norm.""

"A new study indicates that mothers who frequently sleep, or bed-share, with their infants consistently breastfeed for longer than mothers who do not bed-share. Also, pregnant women who expressed a strong motivation to breastfeed were more likely to bed-share frequently once their baby was born.

"New mothers who bring their babies into their bed are more likely to carry on breastfeeding for longer, a new study found.

But those who go to the baby’s cot are more likely to stop breastfeeding before six months.

Breast milk is the healthiest way to feed a baby and the NHS recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months."

Acta Paediatrica

Special Issue: Impact of Breastfeeding on Maternal and Child Health - 10 breastfeeding articles and review.