Moving with Pleasure From the Beginning

The Importance of Observation in Early Childhood

It’s not many children who have had the privilege to say that he or she was a true Pikler baby. But Ágnes Szántó-Féder, was not only such a child, but also one who had an ongoing relationship – working and otherwise - with the celebrated pediatrician, Dr. Emmi Pikler (1902-1984). Indeed, Ágnes had been so profoundly affected by the woman who revolutionized infant and early childhood care that she, too, devoted her life’s work to the philosophy known as the Pikler® Pedagogical Approach. This book will allow the reader to see infants and young children through a lens of competence. Because of this singular approach, youngsters are not coerced or forced to be – or to become - anyone other than who they truly are. This, in a nutshell, is the core Piklerian philosophy, something that is so very simple yet also undeniably deep. Ágnes’s acute observational skills guide the reader to understand at a much greater level, what freedom and autonomy actually means for an infant. One of the author’s answers lies in the power of “balance; balance (in physical sense) of the infant in their self-initiated gross motor development, and balance in their caring and nurturing relationship with the adult who cares for them.” This jewel of a book should be required reading for any parent, policy maker, early childcare professional or any such person advocating for the health of young children around the world…

Elsa Chahin President & CEO Pikler/Lóczy USA