What is RIE?

Parents are the busiest people on the planet! When thinking about starting a family or desiring to change dynamics in your household with a new parenting style, it can be overwhelming to decide what may work best for you, your partner, and your children. There are so many schools of thought about parenting. And it takes time to fully understand, digest, and implement a new way of relating to and caring for you family. We value the RIE parenting philosophy at Brilliant Births and are choosing to highlight it as a resource that we know has worked well for many families. 

PHILOSOPHY AND BACKGROUND:

RIE (pronounced “rye”) is an acronym that stands for “Resources for Infant Educators.” Founded by Magda Gerber in 1978, RIE is a parenting philosophy that empowers parents to deeply respect children of all ages (including newborns.) According to Gerber, babies are capable and understanding of the world around them, and when treated as such, they are better able to learn and flourish. RIE’s ultimate goal is to nurture “authentic” children who are autonomous, connected, competent, and secure as they move through the world. 

Magda Gerber’s “Educaring Approach” is the foundation of RIE, and it asserts that caring educates children about themselves. The “Educaring Approach” allows parents to focus on the connection between themselves and their child, affirming that this connection truly matters most. Through this attuned connection, parents learn to trust themselves and their baby. 

PRINCIPLES:

It’s one thing to read about parenting philosophy, and it’s an entirely different thing to bring it into your home with actionable steps. Here, we’ll share basic RIE principles that will allow you to see what this parenting style entails. 

1. Create a Safe Environment for Exploration/Play 

Having a safe space for your child to grow and explore is vital. Beyond baby-proofing, paying attention to your child’s emotional and cognitive needs in the space also creates safety. This could be reflected in the types of toys you provide for them or how the room is set up. Ideally, the area a child plays in allows them to move about freely and naturally, without much restriction. 

2. Independent Play

RIE values allowing children to play independently without caregiver interruption. Sitting in wonder while watching your child play can be beautiful learning for you. Trusting your child to be the master of their actions and allowing them to be the initiator in their exploration will enable them to begin to trust themselves. 

3. Involve Children During Caregiving

RIE values allowing children of any age to become active participants in care activities like diapering, bathing, feeding, dressing, etc. At first, this principle in action may involve you simply narrating what is happening to your child during a diaper change or a dressing as they are actively listening. As the child grows, this may involve asking them to take off their shoes to prepare for a diaper change or asking them to get the wipes for you. This creates opportunities for cooperation and intimacy for you and your child!

4. Observe Your Child

The RIE “Educaring” approach dictates that “sensitive observation” allows parents to understand children’s communication and needs better. Watching and listening to children, rather than directing and talking, will enable parents to observe the tremendous growth in the first 2 or 3 years of childhood. And since RIE is a big advocate of self-directed learning, parents are ideally spending less time setting up learning opportunities and more time simply observing the massive growth the child is experiencing on their own terms. This may look like letting a child cry as a form of communication, comforting them with touch and listening, but resisting immediately giving them a pacifier or breast to calm them.

5. Consistency

Children thrive on routine! Consistency in communication, day-to-day routine, and environment create safety for children. Additionally, maintaining consistency with discipline and clearly defined limits leads to greater trust between children and parents and sets a child up to develop self-discipline. 

We hope this information about RIE will help you find the right parenting style and philosophy for your family! At Brilliant Births, we have a bunch of new and established RIE classes where you can learn more about these principles in action with your child. 

RIE Before Baby Class: give yourself the same preparation for those first few months at home with the baby. RIE can help you understand your baby and know what to expect and prioritize during this time. You’ll feel more confident, conserve your energy, and build a strong relationship with your baby right from the start.

RIE Mobile Class: your baby is moving! Learn how to support your mobile baby by setting up their environment, learning about the benefits of natural movement development, and getting a new perspective on diaper-changing and other care activities. You’ll meet other new parents and get support as you develop your parenting style with the RIE framework.

RIE Younger Toddler: the world is different with a walker. You need to recheck your space for safety. Their cognition and feeling life are expanding again, and you’ll be working to support their budding independence even though they are still entirely dependent on you. This is an exciting and challenging time as a parent. You’ll gain community with other parents, and your child will benefit from social interactions even while their crucial task is still bonding with you.

Sign up for any of these classes by hovering over the “Education” tab on our website and clicking on RIE Baby & Parenting in the drop-down menu. We hope to see you in one of these classes soon! 

Resources:

https://rie.org/about/ries-basic-principles/

https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/rie-parenting#method-how-to

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