Thanks for visiting the BellaOnline Early Childhood Site! I am Nicki, the Early Childhood Editor and I live with my husband and two incredible daughters, ages 6 and 2, in Claremont, California. As a parent and parent educator, I believe strongly that great parenting is a *skill* like any other important endeavor, and that we can become better parents (and teachers) through education. Most professions, or even driving a car, require some sort of training and licensing; however, the raising of young lives, perhaps the most important job of all, we are often expected to do on instinct alone. I disagree! I believe in filling a "toolbox" with resources, strategies and ideas that we can combine with our own experiences and instincts to draw upon in our work as parents and educators. To provide a resource and refuge for that process is my goal for this site. Reading parenting books and participating in parent support groups, both online and local, is a hobby and passion of mine, so I am excited to have an outlet to share what I learn and to help others as well.

Personally, I believe that children should be treated with respect and autonomy. I don´t believe that their needs and desires are any less important or valid than our own -- however, we must all learn to work together as families and communities to live peacefully and positively. It isn´t always easy! We do our best to practice attachment parenting, positive discipline (non-punitive, non-reward-based guidance), child-led learning and a mix of holistic and traditional health care and living. I will explore all kinds of different aspects of early childhood and parenting on this site, but I think it´s important for you to know where I am coming from.

In addition to my work at BellaOnline, where I am also the editor of the Breastfeeding Site, I have published articles at ClubMom and Associated Content. In 2005, I was privileged to also become a published print author, contributing my essay "Loving the Life I Never Knew I Wanted," about my journey to stay-at-home-motherhood and entrepreneurship to the book "Inspiration to Realization: Real Women Reveal Proven Strategies for Personal, Business, Financial and Spiritual Fulfillment, Volume II." In my "spare time," I´m also having fun lately writing Amazon reviews for both leisure reading that I manage to do to keep me sane, as well as children´s books and other kids and family related products -- you can read them at Nicki´s Amazon Reviews.

Thanks to my supportive husband, I am now in the very early stages of pursuing my dream of creating an online parenting resource and support website. To pay the bills, I am also a work-at-home small business consultant -- doing primarily internet marketing, website strategy and product development for entrepreneurs. In my "spare" time, in addition to writing for BellaOnline, I am co-leading my local chapter of the Holistic Moms Network and serving as Room Liasion at my daughter´s amazing alternative (but public) elementary school, where they let me volunteer with the baby in a Mei Tai!

As a mother who has been lucky to have always just sort of stumbled on to the resources I needed to work towards being the best parent I can, I am beyond thrilled at being able to be of service by supporting other parents at BellaOnline. I´d love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me through the form below.

Disclaimer: All material on the BellaOnline.com Early Childhood website is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Although every effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information as of the date of publication, the author is neither a medical doctor, health practitioner, or licensed mental health professional. If you are concerned about your health, or that of your child, consult with your health care provider regarding the advisability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your individual situation. Information obtained from the Internet can never take the place of a personal consultation with a licensed health care provider, and neither the author nor BellaOnline.com assume any legal responsibility to update the information contained on this site or for any inaccurate or incorrect information contained on this site, and do not accept any responsibility for any decisions you may make as a result of the information contained on this site or in any referenced or linked materials written by others.

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