Resources for Infant Educarers, or RIE, are a philosophy of caregiving that comes from Magda Gerber. The philosophy upon which Magda has built and incorporated in the following ten principles was originally conceived by Emmi Pikler, MD, in Hungary and is well known in parts of Europe.
Involve infants and toddlers in things that concern them. Do not work around them or distract them to get the job done faster. Allow them to be active participants rather than passive recipients in all interactions.
Invest in quality time, when you are totally available in individual infants and toddlers. Trust and intimacy can best be developed during caregiving activities.
Learn each child’s unique ways of communicating (cries, words, movements, gestures, facial expressions, body positions, words) and teach them yours. Do not underestimate children’s ability to communicate even though the verbal language skills may be non- existent or minimal.
Invest in time and energy to build a total person (concentrate on the whole child). Do not focus on cognitive development alone or look at it as separate from total development.
Respect infants and toddlers as worthy people. Do not treat them as objects or cute empty-headed people to be manipulated.