Staying safe while growing and learning

Take Precautions to Keep Your Child Safe as She Grows

Children are explorers by nature. As soon as they become mobile, they began to investigate their environment which means that they use all of their senses to better understand everything. They find a button on the floor, it goes directly into their mouth. For some reason, it makes perfect sense to them that little fingers are the perfect size to fit into electrical outlets. All of a sudden, their once safe space is a danger zone!

Check out the tips below to help lessen the risks around your home and your child care provider’s space.

Safety Tips:

  • Be sure to lock doors to any dangerous areas or exits.

  • Use safety gates on stairs and discourage climbing the gates if you see that beginning to happen.

  • Install window guards on windows above the first floor.

  • Since falls often happen around playground equipment, be sure that there is a soft surface for them to land on.

  • Tricycles, scooters and run bikes are popular at this age. Make a rule that helmets are worn from the start.

  • There should be a fence around your child care’s play area. Make sure that the gates are in good working condition and can be locked.

  • If you keep firearms in your house, make sure that the ammunition is locked separately from the gun.

  • Keep guns unloaded and in a safe, locked place.

  • Keep knives and other kitchen appliances out of reach of small hands.

  • Keep your child in a safe place when ironing or cooking. Check your stove to see if the outside gets hot to the touch.

  • Lock all cabinets and drawers that might be tempting to a child. House hold cleaners should be capped and stored in a secure cabinet. Keep all medicines safely out of reach.

  • Check that all electrical outlets have plates on them with no loose wires sticking out. Unused outlets should have safety caps on them.

  • Keep all appliances and their cords in good condition.

  • Make sure that fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors work and are checked monthly.

  • Be sure that there is not standing water outside in buckets or pools and never leave a child alone in the bathroom. It does not take much water for a child to drown.

  • Keep floors and counters clean of loose buttons, change and other small items that can wind up in a mouth . . . or a nose!

  • Cribs are up to date, haven’t been recalled and meet all safety precautions.

  • Heavy furniture is bolted into the wall so it will not topple over on a little person.

More information:

Bullying

Is Bullying a Concern for Parents of Children Under Five Years Old?

Much research has been conducted around bullying among older children. When it comes to the very young, there is much less research and even more confusion as how to tell if it bullying or development of social skills.

It’s important to realize the true definition of bullying as well as that it can occur in a physical manner, as well as verbally and socially. As explained in an NAEYC article, bullying has three elements:

  • · It is an act that is aggressive and is intended to do harm.

  • · It is a series of acts that are repeated over time.

  • · The acts occur within the context of power imbalance.

When looking at younger children, research has shown that there is a big gender difference. Boys who bully have many friends while girls who do so are more socially isolated. Also, in contrast to older children who bully, children ages 2 – 5 may be a bully one day and then the bully-victim or victim later in the year.

Research has shown that aggression in areas such as the block table, the water table, and the playground are more common and in areas overall that are more open and less clearly defined.

The good news? As children grow older and develop better social skills and emotion and behavior regulation skills, bullying tends to decline.

Early Education and Child Care Providers and Parents Can Help:

  • Discuss and model positive behavior by offering the words and actions children need to make friends and interact with their peers.

  • Reinforce and celebrate good behavior by praising a child when he/she is “caught” in the act of being kind, sharing or helping a friend.

  • Set clear rules for behavior and step up quickly to stop or redirect aggressive behavior before it happens.

  • Provide constant reminders to young children about how you expect them to behave.

  • Tell stories and talk often about what kindness is, and how it is valued while reinforcing that aggression is not acceptable.

  • Encourage children to help repair hurt feelings or damage that is done. For instance, sincere apologies or helping to rebuild a knocked over block structure helps to correct the hurt.

  • When children use unkind words, help them understand how they can hurt other people. Work with them to suggest other ways and words to show their feelings and suggest appropriate actions and the use of non-aggressive words.

  • Teach children to alert a teacher when aggressive behavior happens.

More information:

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is a normal phase that babies go through beginning as early as six-seven months and can last up to 24 months. Most parents see it beginning around 10 months when their babies realize that people exist even when they are not present, such as when mommy leaves to go to work or daddy leaves for the store, or sometimes even at night when your child is falling asleep or wakes up alone. In some cases, this anxiety will persist through preschool and even elementary school.

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Saying No to Sugar

When our children are small, we love introducing them to new foods and experiences, but adding high sugar drinks to their daily diets should not be one of them. High-calorie, sugary drinks are often the culprit of many health issues including obesity, tooth decay, overall poor diets and health problems.

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The Benefits of Quality Rated

Some have called preschool the most important grade because of the long-term gains realized by children who were enrolled in high-quality early childhood education programs. We’ve written past posts to help you understand what is meant when child care programs are described as “quality” or “high-quality.” Now, we want you to understand the benefits to choosing an early childhood care and learning program that is Quality Rated.

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Social-Emotional Development

Young children are learning so many things so fast! Just as important as any academic learning, or maybe even more so in the early formative years, is the development of a child’s social and emotional skills.

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