Tragic deaths of infants, such as those resulting from shaking or severe neglect, shock the public and are treated as criminal offenses. However, it often becomes evident in medical, educational, and social work with children, long before an acute risk arises, that children in their early years are exposed to relational and environmental experiences that can have a lasting impact on their mental and physical development. What applies to all children and adolescents holds particular significance for the youngest children: protection from violence and neglect must be prompt. The authors present guiding considerations for child protection for the age group of 0 to 3 years in this paper. It complements existing concepts by taking into account the special developmental and relational needs of infants.