This research brief presents the results of an extensive review of research studies to identify maternal and family antecedents (conditions and characteristics before and during pregnancy) of healthy infant and child outcomes. The researchers identified seven major categories of antecedents associated with a strong start in life: the mother's health, health-related services, health-related behaviors, lack of material hardship, social support and marriage, attitudes, and social and demographic characteristics. More specifically, research indicates that these factors include having a mother in good mental and physical health, who utilizes health-related prenatal services, who avoids substance use during pregnancy and engages in healthy prenatal behavior, who has access to adequate financial resources, who is involved in healthy relationships and has access to strong social support systems, who has a positive attitude toward the pregnancy, who bore her first child as an adult, and who has more years of education. Available evidence does not allow us to determine whether some elements carry more weight than do others. (Contains 1 figure and 6 endnotes.)