Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled Why Parents Need RIE (with Melani Ladygo)
Mar 3, 2026
Melani Ladygo, Executive Director of RIE who teaches parent-infant and toddler classes, explains the respectful, reciprocal approach to babies and toddlers. They define RIE and share moments that shifted how adults see infants as capable persons. Conversations cover trusting children, staying calm instead of reacting, neutral conflict guidance, and bringing RIE practices into everyday settings.
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RIE Defined As Respectful Reciprocal Relationships
- RIE teaches respectful, reciprocal relationships with babies and toddlers by treating them as persons with valid perspectives.
- Melani describes RIE as training infant educarers to care while they educate, starting from birth and focusing on observation and respect.
Seeing Babies As People Changes Everything
- Janet realized babies have internal thoughts and intentions long before speech; seeing them as people changes caregiving.
- That view shifts parenting from performance to genuine curiosity and relationship building.
Peaceful Infant Room Sparked Curiosity
- Melani's first RIE exposure came at a child care center where the room of 12 babies felt unexpectedly peaceful.
- Staff corrected her impulse to 'help' a baby up a slide, prompting curiosity about the baby's own experience.