Early child development professionals naturally prefer playgrounds and classrooms to legislative arenas; however, their strengths, skills, knowledge, and data are sorely needed by policymakers who rely on those closest to an issue--the advocates, researchers, program directors, and consumers--to give them evidence of need and guidance toward solutions. Examples of policy initiatives successfully undertaken in Florida, Louisiana, and Minnesota demonstrate the effectiveness of cultivating relationships, recognizing critical windows of opportunity, and articulating the robust science of early childhood. These strategies will comfortably and powerfully push infant mental health policies and practices away from "the biggest bang for the buck" to smarter investments that produce desired results.