Understanding Your Child’s Bond with Their Caregiver

If your infant or young child has a strong attachment to their caregiver, consider it a wonderful occurrence. It does not mean that they love you less, it just means that they have established a strong connection with the caregiver. Early childhood professionals who provide high-quality care understand that you are the most important person in your child’s life, but also know that they need to develop a bond with your child – and you -- to support their growth and development.

How can you support your child’s caregiver in providing top-notch care?

  • Get to know your child’s teacher. Ask about her/his life and share some about you and your family.

  • Respect her/his culture and differences.

  • Be open and honest with your caregiver about your goals and concerns regarding your child.

  • If your child’s teacher does not regularly share about their day, ask questions you would like to know. For example, how are they napping? Are they making friends? How are they progressing with their communicating?

  • Offer to visit your child’s program to share family interests, tag along on field trips or stop by for lunch. A quality program will value your interest in what is taking place with your child when you are not there.

What should you expect from your child’s teacher?

  • High-quality programs may have a great team of caregivers but usually one is mainly responsible for caring for your child and interacting with your family.

  • She/He should develop a nurturing relationship with your child that builds confidence in them. Also, your child will know who they can turn to when they need extra help, is feeling a little sad or very happy, or share their thoughts and experiences with.

  • Your child’s caregiver should show affection and happiness, and your child should feel that they are liked and understood.

  • She/He should welcome your questions, concerns and issues about your child and be open to suggestions, as well as provide you with thoughtful feedback.

  • Your caregiver should talk with you about your child’s accomplishments and struggles, as well as other daily routine activities. She/He should be able to answer questions about each day as well as regularly meet with you to talk about their progress.

  • Caregivers in high-quality programs listen to families and respect your difference and backgrounds.

  • Your child’s caregiver should be helping with language development, cognitive skills, as well as social, emotional and physical development.

  • She/He should encourage families to provide objects, such as family pictures, that are familiar to each child.

Resources:

Help Your Child’s Smile Last a Lifetime

When your baby is teething for the first (or the third!) time, you are probably focusing more on their discomfort and unhappiness than how to care for their shiny new tooth. They may not want you to touch it, or bite your finger when you do, but that’s okay as it will change with practice.

While you will not take your child to see a dentist until they are around one year old, you can start building healthy habits and helping them take care of their teeth as soon as the first tooth appears.

Here’s What You Need to Know:

  • Once your baby has their first tooth, make it a habit to gently wipe it and the ones that follow with a washcloth or a soft toothbrush each evening before bed.

  • Do not put your child to bed with a bottle of formula or juice, as both can cause tooth decay.

  • As soon as your baby has teeth, they can begin getting cavities.

  • Make an appointment to visit a pediatric dentist around your child’s first birthday.

  • Do you have questions about teething, thumb sucking, or using a pacifier? Have those ready for your dentist.

  • Begin talking with your child about their teeth and taking care of them. Once you are ready to visit a dentist, talk with them about what to expect.

  • Once they are one year old, you can gently brush your toddler’s teeth with a toothbrush and water or a small bit of non-fluoride toothpaste.

  • Talk with your dentist about when you should begin using fluoride toothpaste.

  • As your toddler gets older, make brushing their teeth more fun: let them help choose a toothbrush and toothpaste flavor.

  • Read books and watch videos on dental hygiene so that your children see it as an everyday practice that everyone does.

  • Use a timer or a favorite song to help your child brush for two minutes or more.

  • Your child will need help brushing their teeth until they are about seven or eight years old.

  • Swap out toothbrushes every three to six months, or when the bristles look worn.

  • Teach them that it is not how hard they brush, but how well they do it.

  • Add flossing into to their daily regimen once they are a bit older. Talk to your dentist about what age it should start.

  • If your water does not contain fluoride, ask your doctor if your child needs to take an oral fluoride supplement.

Resources:

Help! Why Won’t My Child Sleep?

If you are reading this, you probably don’t even remember your last night of good sleep. At this point, you’d probably be satisfied with some just okay sleep if it was for more than two - three hours at a time.

We wish we had a magic formula that would turn all babies and children who have trouble getting to sleep on their own, or staying asleep, into perfectly lovely little sleepers. Sadly though, we don’t. We do have suggestions that can help.

Create conditions that encourage sleep:

  • Create a bedtime ritual that includes some quiet time such as a warm bath, massage, or cuddling while singing or reading.

  • When creating your nighttime ritual, try to do most of it in the room where your child is sleeping.

  • Keep the same daily routine as much as possible: wake up at the same time, keep meals and snacks at the same time, and make bedtime the same time so your child knows what to expect.

  • As it nears naptime or evening bedtime, keep lights dim to signal your child’s brain that it is time to sleep. Make sure that their room is not too bright. If using a night light, find one that gives off a dim light.

  • Try to keep a consistent nap and bedtime. Infants who do this seem to have less trouble falling and staying asleep, and older children appreciate a consistent routine too.

  • Try nursing or bottle feeding your baby right before naps and bedtime. If they begin to drift off, then place them in bed and then quietly leave the room. For older children, a light snack before bed can help them but stay away from sugary foods and caffeine.

  • Adjust your sleeping arrangements, if needed, by having your infant and young child sleep in your room so that you can comfort them before they are fully awake.

  • Lots of babies love “white noise” that drowns out distractions and simulates the sound they heard in the womb. This sound can be from a vaporizer, a fan or even a sleep machine.

Some habits not to encourage:

  • Don’t put your children to sleep in a bed full of toys. It’s dangerous for babies, and distracting for older children. Plus, beds are to sleep in not for play.

  • Don’t soothe your children to sleep by placing a bottle of juice, milk or formula in bed with them. These liquids can cause tooth decay as well as sleep onset associations that increase sleep problems.

  • Don’t let your children use screens two hours before bed time and keep screens out of bedrooms. The lights from the screen interfere with their natural melatonin production.

  • Don’t punish your children by sending them, or threatening them with going, to bed.

Additional Resources:

Winter Car Seat Safety

It’s cold outside so naturally you want your children dressed appropriately for the weather. However, experts recommend that you leave off the heavy coats or any clothes that add extra bulk between their small bodies and the straps of car seats and booster seats. The extra space is compressible which means their bodies could thrust forward into the straps, potentially being thrown out of the car, in the event of a car crash.

Instead of dressing your children warmly for the car, dress them as you would if they were indoors before you buckle them up. To make sure they stay warm, you can warm the car before bringing them out in the cold, throw the coat over them once they are buckled or tuck a blanket around them. Be sure that there is nothing between their back and the straps.

Other tips for winter vehicle safety include:

  • Conduct the “Pinch Test” with your car seat straps: With your thumb and your index finger, pinch the harness near the child’s collar bone. If you are unable to pinch any excess fabric when you pinch the strap, the harness is considered snug enough.

  • Dress your children in thin layers; no riding in snow suits or puffy coats.

  • NEVER leave children in the car alone for any length of time.

  • Never warm up a car in an enclosed space such as your garage due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

  • Before warming up your car, check to ensure that the tailpipe is not clogged letting carbon monoxide leak in.

  • Before backing up, be sure your rearview cameras are clear, and double check to make sure children are not behind you.

  • If you have a keyless ignition, be sure to check that the vehicle is turned off so that it does not continue to run with the potential of exposing your home to carbon monoxide.

  • Teach your children to never play in or around a vehicle.

  • Ensure that your vehicle is locked so children can’t play inside.

  • Keep a “winter safety package” in your car: ice scraper, blankets, extra gloves and hats, flashlight, water, snacks, supplies for your child, and a first aid kit.

Additional Resources:

Quality Child Care for Children with Special Needs

Find Quality Child Care for Children with Special Needs

When it comes to finding child care, every parent wants and needs the absolute best care for their child when they can’t be there themselves. This means that parents are looking for a caregiver or program that is nurturing, safe, responsive, engaging, challenging, and is a positive learning environment with a good child to teacher ratio.

Parents of children with special needs are not alone when it comes to finding the highest-quality child care for their child. In Georgia, parents can contact Quality Rated at (1-877-255-4254) for resources and referrals. Additionally, you can contact your local school district and early intervention program for resources and help as well as ask other parents for assistance.

These are some basic indicators of quality that every parent should see and listen for when visiting potential child care programs, and more can be found in the “More Information” links below:

  • Is the program licensed and Quality Rated?

  • Are the children happy and being comforted by staff?

  • Are staff trained in early childhood education and receive ongoing training?

  • Is there a developmental focus to the activities going on?

  • Does the space look clean, bright and well cared for with lots of books and creative play areas?

However, for parents of children with developmental delays or disabilities, finding a school that fits your needs best requires a few more questions and indicators to ensure that your child is in the right program:

  • What are the guidelines and procedures for including children with special needs?

  • Are there special accommodations you will need to make at your program to include my child?

  • How will my child be introduced to the adults and other children?

  • What do you consider “special needs?”

  • How will my child be included in special activities and field trips?

  • Are therapeutic services such as occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and speech therapy provided on site, if possible?

  • Is the facility physically accessible for my child and accommodates adaptive equipment?

  • Do you have anyone on staff that hay special training, skills or experience with children with special needs?

More Information:

Changing Unwanted Behavior

How Do You Change Unwanted Behavior?

Do you feel like some days you just can’t get it right no matter what you do? She cries if you don’t pick her up then she cries if you do. She wants a toy at the store and throws a tantrum when you say “no.” At home you put her down for a nap, but she won’t stay in her room even though she is cranky and yawning and so badly needs to rest. She wants oatmeal, her favorite breakfast, but when she gets it she flings it across the room and then cries because she is hungry.

Where did your sweet and gentle child go? What is happening? And how can you make it stop?

First of all, parents, be gentle with yourselves. This too is all part of your child’s development, and you can expect plenty of tantrums and meltdowns around the age of two. Even so, unwanted behaviors are hard to understand, predict, prevent, and respond to effectivel in the moment.

The best thing to do is try to be patient and look for patterns in your young child’s behavior: Does she have a crying spell before lunch or nap every day? If so, consider changing her routine by feeding her or putting her down for her nap 15 to 30 minutes earlier than usual.

It’s also important to understand that your child isn’t intentionally having an emotional outburst. When young children have tantrums it’s because they usually can’t communicate their frustration or their feelings. For instance, a baby knows that when she cries, you will respond by picking her up, cuddling her or just checking in to make sure she is okay. But crying alone may not tell you her tummy hurts. Since she can’t talk, this is the way she communicates. Behavior is communication and is not random.

Expert Suggestions for Changing Your Child’s Behavior:

  • Try distracting your child by changing the room, the activity, or whatever it is that you were doing.

  • Reduce the room noise as it may have over-stimulated your child or she may have some sensory issues not yet identified.

  • Model the behaviors you want to teach your child: Teach sharing by inviting her to do an activity such as a puzzle, reading or painting with you and sharing all of the materials.

  • Help your child have more control over her environment by offering her choices. Stick with only two as too many are overwhelming.

  • Try ignoring behavior that is not aggressive or hurtful such as whining, arguing or bargaining. You are not being a bad parent. This method simply does not provide attention to the child when doing a negative behavior.

  • On the other hand, praise the positive behavior when it occurs. This lets your child understand that you are paying attention and respect her.

  • Children love routines. Be consistent with your child’s routine so he knows what to expect and follow through on what you say.

  • Try to avoid changes or disruptions to his schedule. Prepare your child ahead of time so that he has time to get used to the idea.

More Information: