Noting that although there have been admirable initiatives in public health, education, pediatrics, and the law to improve the lot of children, few have tried to identify the fundamental requirements of a healthy childhood, this book explores seven needs of infants and young children and their families that provide the fundamental building blocks for children's higher-level emotional, social, and intellectual abilities. The chapters are: (1) "The Need for Ongoing Nurturing Relationships"; (2) "The Need for Physical Protection, Safety, and Regulation"; (3) "The Need for Experiences Tailored to Individual Differences"; (4) "The Need for Developmentally Appropriate Experiences"; (5) "The Need for Limit Setting, Structure, and Expectations"; (6) "The Need for Stable, Supportive Communities and Cultural Continuity"; and (7) "Protecting the Future," which discusses the need for international cooperation to meet the needs of all children. The book discusses each of these needs in terms of their implications for family life, child care, education, the social service and welfare systems, the criminal justice system, and the health and mental health systems, and makes recommendations for changes to U.S. policies with regard to each of these needs. The first six chapters also contain dialogues between influential pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton and child psychiatrist Stanley I. Greenspan, the book's authors. The book's appendices include the Touchpoints Model, a functional development growth chart and questionnaire, a list of organizations, and notes that contain references. (LPP)