Children’s Care Routines

The sleep routine is important as it helps the children to gain energy, rebuild cells and to help build brain functions, such as storing information and problem solving. The Better Health Channel states “Babies may have trouble feeding properly or finishing their feeds if they are tired.” If a child does not get enough sleep, they may become reluctant to eat or are falling asleep during mealtimes. This would then affect the child’s weight and ability to participate in activities as the child will not have enough energy to run and play around. The inability to sleep at naptimes could affect their sleep time at night as they would be too tired earlier at night so they would be put to bed. This would then cause them to wake earlier which would disrupt the sleep routine they already have. If the child has enough sleep, they would be able to participate in physical activities which would then help develop their muscles. Sleep also helps rebuild cells to heal wounds or infections that children may have. Physical effects of this routine

By making sure children get enough sleep, they will feel energetic and ready to participate in physical activities. The body produces extra protein molecules while children sleep that help strengthen their ability to fight infections in the body and to stay healthy. These molecules help the immune system to mend the body when the child is stressed or when they have been exposed to cooperating elements such as pollutants and infectious bacteria. Good amounts of sleep can help lower blood pressure and elevated levels of stress hormones, which are a natural result of a fast-paced lifestyle. Sleep helps regulate the hormones that affect and control appetite. When children are deprived of sleep, the normal hormonal balances are interrupted and the child’s appetite increases, but the child would crave foods that are high in fat, calories and carbohydrates instead of fruit and vegetables. Intellectual effects of this routine

During their sleep children, store or relive activities during their day so they will be able to remember and learn from these memories. Sleep also helps their level of concentration which would then help the child to focus more in class or in activities that require their concentration. When children are deprived of sleep, they find it difficult to concentrate, which leads to problems on remembering facts, faces, lessons, or even conversations that they have had with other people. Sleep allows the brain to process new experiences and knowledge which would increase the child’s understanding, and the storage of the knowledge and understanding. Language effects of this routine

Having enough sleep, children will be more likely to communicate with the people around them which would help build their vocabulary and communication skills. If children go to sleep not long after they have had an education activity at their setting, they are more likely to understand word they have heard and their meaning or definition. Snoozester Sleep Blog states “Children who take naps soon after learning are able to better grasp the essence of language structure.” Emotional effects of this routine

Children will be less impulsive and more in control with their emotions when they have had enough sleep. When children are deprived of sleep during the night, they become agitated or moody the following day. When lack of sleep becomes a constant issue, it could lead to long-term mood disorders such as depression or anxiety.

Social effects of this routine

When children have had enough sleep, they are more likely to interact with others. When a child is tired, they are likely to shy away from other children and that they want to be left alone. This means that the child will not be socialising or interacting with others in the activities during the day, and that the child is likely to ignore the practitioner or other children that approach them. The sleep routine that is given is good and simple, but I think it leaves out independence for the children and small interactions between the practitioner and the children as they get ready to take their nap. I think they should be a certain environment when the children take a nap. The room designated for bedtime should be darkened, have a calming atmosphere and it should be tidy and comfortable. Leading up to naptime, calming activities should be in play or soft calming music in the background whilst the children settling coming up to their naptime. I think children should be changed into their nightwear instead of wearing their clothes to bed.

To empower the children, I think a small activity should be played out where the children have to find their own blanket that would be in a bag with their names on and let the children put the blanket on their bed or cot themselves. When it comes to bed time, some children may want their comfort object. These would be a teddy, a blanket or any other comfort toy that will help them to sleep. The children should bring their own comfort object or something of their choices from the setting. To help the children calm down, the practitioner should read a bedtime story to the children which they should have picked out. If a practitioner is responsible for putting babies to sleep, they should follow the latest guidelines to prevent sudden infant death syndrome which is known as cot death.

These guidelines include making sure that the room is cool so the baby does not overheat and that the cot the baby is in does not have cot duvets or bumpers. Practitioners should also place the babies on their backs with their feet touching the bottom of the cot so the baby does not suffocate from the blanket they have been covered in when the babies move in their sleep. If the practitioner smokes, it is important that they do not handle a baby for 20 minutes after they have last smoked because the baby will breathe in the air the practitioner exhales which would be low in oxygen.

Nappy Changing Routine

The nappy changing routine is important as it can help teach children about hygiene, helps promote their intellectual learning, and is a time where the practitioner and the child can have one-to-one interaction during their time at the early years setting. Care For Kids states “toilet breaks and nappy change times are a great opportunity to teach kids about hygiene, promote learning and spend time interacting one-on-one with a child away from the group.” By supporting this routine, the practitioner would be able to prevent infection by cleaning a child properly and all of the equipment used is wiped down and washed properly.

The practitioner should change a child’s clothes after the nappy changing if they are dirty. If the child has any rashes or anything on their skin that needs to be treated, then the cream or treatment should be applied during the nappy changing routine as well as other times during the day. The practitioner should change a child’s nappy as soon as possible, as it could cause nappy rash if the soiled nappy is left on the child too long, and could cause bleeding if the child is teething, as the saliva would make the child’s faeces acidy which would harm the child’s skin.

Physical effect of this routine

The children will be clean which means that there will be minimal chance of the children getting any infections or rashes. If the child is wiped properly, there would be less chance of the child getting any kind of infections. Changing a child’s dirty clothes after this care routine will ensure that the child is not getting anything that may be clinging to their clothes that could make the child sick.

Intellectual effects of this routine

The children will learn about the things that go with nappy changing such as the equipment that is used and what it is used for and why. Teaching children about the nappy changing routine is important as the child will understand why they need to be changed, what the items are and why the items are used. This teaching will help children’s understanding and they will acknowledge the importance of this care routine.

Language effects of this routine

Among learning about this care routine, the children’s vocabulary will be picked up through their interaction during their time together in this routine. Having this alone time together will help improve the child’s vocabulary as the practitioner will say words that the child may not know so the child will go away and may find out the words is and what it may mean.

Emotional effects of this routine

The interaction between the child and the practitioner will help form an emotional bond. The child would likely form an attachment as they will feel a sense of belonging because the practitioner is taking care of their physical care needs. Having this attachment would help the practitioner to be able to take care of the child’s needs in any way that they can.

Social effects of this routine

The practitioner would be able to have one-to-one interaction time between them and child that they are changing. The practitioner can focus on just this one child as the routine progresses to make sure that the child is happy and that the practitioners can have a little play time that is educational for the child in that short amount of time during the course of the day. The nappy changing routine that is given is good and easy to follow, but I think things can be added to improve it. I think the practitioner should change the child regularly and immediately after the child has soiled their nappy to avoid the child getting nappy rash.

The practitioner should let the child collect the nappy and wipes to make the child feel involved in the routine and for the child to learn that the nappy and wipes are the items that are needed when it comes to changing their nappy. Any cream that the child needs for any skin infections should be with the items at the changing mat. It is important that the practitioner wipes the child thoroughly to prevent the child developing a nappy rash which is a bright red rash but often starts as a spotty rash. If the nappy rash is left untreated it could turn into sores. Nappy rashes are very painful for the child and practitioner must do everything to prevent children developing it. Changing nappy frequently helps to prevent nappy rash especially for children who are teething as they are more likely to develop nappy rash. For children that have nappy rash, having parent’s consent to use cream is needed.

The practitioner should keep the child’s skin clean and dry as much as possible to give their nappy rash time to heal. The practitioner should wash their hands before and after the routine to prevent any cross contamination if that practitioner handles food or toys at the early years setting. Interaction between the child being changed and the practitioner that is changing the child should happen during the routine so the child can have that one-to-one time with the practitioner to form a bond with them. Interaction should occur throughout the routine so the child does not get bored and start to move when the practitioner is trying to change them. Also during this interaction, the practitioner can focus on teaching the child new things such as new words and information that they may of not known before then.

Progression Out Of Nappies

When it comes to the time where a child is showing signs that they are ready to progress out of nappies and start using the toilet, parents have to be well aware that it takes patients to get the child to fully use the toilet. Practitioners should inform the parents about signs that show a child’s readiness; that children will have accidents and that it is important for the parents to not get agitated or angry that their child has wet themselves as they are starting to gain control over their bowels; and the practitioner should give parents hints and tips to help them with their child’s progression out of nappies, such as recommending website, videos or magazines that the parents can read that could help with any questions that they may have; or suggesting to the parents to bring the child own potty to the setting and sharing the toilet routine that the parents have at home with the practitioners.

Physical effects of this routine

As children grow and develop, they gain more control of bodies which means once the signs of readiness show that mean the child is ready to start using the potty or the toilet, it shows that the child’s body is getting stronger and stronger in its functions that may have been hard to control or things that the child may have found difficult before.

Intellectual effects of this routine

During this routine, children would learn about the toilet and things that go with knowing about what the toilet is and how to use it from their parents and the practitioners at early years setting. By learning about the toilet and what it is for, children will understand the necessary of having a toilet, how to use the toilet correctly and that using it is a good thing.

Language effects of this routine

The children’s vocabulary would be extended further as the children would know words that are about or that link to using the toilet or the potty. By knowing these words, they will able to verbalise to their parents or the practitioner that they need to go to the toilet or the potty.