Childcare - Parents Precinct

November 30th 2008 00:01

With today’s economic crisis, many women face the dilemma, “how soon should I return to work?” Adding to this dilemma is countless research studies showing that the amount of time a child spends with its mother is crucial to its future psychological and social development.

So what are the latest theories and how can they be integrated into real life? First, let us think about what these studies are saying when they are talk about the amount of time a mother spends with her child. Should mothers be taking this literally and be staying at home with their child until they reach the age of five? What if the mother is around all the time, but feeling lonely, bored or resentful? Is this really beneficial to the child’s well being?

John Bowlby spent many years researching Attachment Theories, and believes that our attachment styles are established in childhood through the child/caregiver relationship. However, this responsibility does not necessarily need to fall on the mothers shoulders alone. Fathers and other caregivers also play an important role in attachment. Attachment is not just a matter of being there physically, what is most important is the caregiver’s responsiveness and sensitivity to the child’s distress, and providing your child a safe base from which he or she can explore the world. Being emotionally available for your baby is just as important as being physically available.

Which leads to the next question - If a child attends day care, does the mother become less sensitive to his or her needs? According researchers from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD):

• The link between the number of hours that the child spends in care and the mother’s sensitivity to the child’s need is small.
• There is a greater link between the mothers level of income and education, and the interactions with her child (the higher the level of income and education, the better the interaction with her child).
• There is no evidence that daycare has a negative effect on the child’s development.

There needs to be a compromise between what is best for the mother and the child. It may sound like a cliché but it is important that the time you do spend with your child is quality time. There is no point in being physically present if you are not emotionally present. So make every moment count.

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Posted By: Sara Dobson - Category: Opinion, Childcare

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Rotavirus

November 16th 2008 10:11

Childcare, as if crying and separation anxiety is not enough, having a child in care can mean being sick in a way you may never have imagined possible.

I was pleased with Samantha on her first day several weeks ago. She wondered off and played, hardly noticed when I said goodbye, and settled quite well.

That was Monday. I don’t work on Tuesday and we had a fun day shopping, with Samantha happily smiling at all the shop keepers. She went to bed that evening feeling well and happy, but by the early hours of Wednesday morning she was miserable and very sick.

After visiting the doctor, I was told she had Rotavirus, which is very common for all children when they first start childcare, and it is very contagious. He was not kidding, within 2 days I could not get out of bed, my husband had to stay at home and look after everyone, but by the middle of the afternoon, he too had been wiped out.

Symptoms

The onset of this virus can appear sudden. However, the virus incubates for two days, which explains why Samantha came home from day care happy on Monday and showed no symptoms until Tuesday night.

Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea (which may last between 2-5 days). There may also be a mild fever. Sometimes diarrhoea may last longer because the infection in the gut can lead to an intolerance to sugars in some foods (usually lactose which is milk sugar).

What to do

It can be scary when your child is so sick; and it is always best to seek medical advice.
Give them lots of fluids, so they don’t become dehydrated, which may require hospitalisation.
If you are also infected with Rotavirus you can take Gastrostop or Imodium from your chemist. It is also important take ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) to replace lost potassium and salts. Babies cannot take Imodium or Gastrostop but they can take ORS (double check with your pharmacist as to what form it can be taken in).

How do you protect your child?

It is hard to protect your child from rotavirus especially when they go to day care, as it is very contagious. Hygiene is important - all nappy changing areas need to be constantly cleaned and sterilised, as do all communal areas. Hands need to be washed after changing nappies and before food is handled.

Nowadays babies in Australia are immunised against the virus at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. It doesn’t stop children contracting the disease but the symptoms are less severe, which may explain why my husband and I suffered a lot worse than Samantha did.

For more information about the disease and immunisation in Australia, see the government information for Parents and Guardians.

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Posted By: Sara Dobson - Category: Childcare, Baby, Toddler

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Seperation Anxiety

August 20th 2008 01:22

I have just taken my first step in returning to the workforce. I got some temporary work this week, just a few days to ease me back into work, while I continue to look for a part time job.

Anyway, work was fine the worst part was dropping my daughter off at day care. I knew it was not going to be easy. I went to the childcare centre a few days before hand to let her play and see how she liked it.

At first I thought it would be a breeze. I put her on the floor and she crawled off to play. Sweet I thought and went off into the office to do the paperwork. Within five minutes, I could hear her screaming one of the carers decided to include her in the game. She was inconsolable, and I was also fighting back tears.

They gave her to me to calm down (because I was so distressed), but they pointed out to me that kids do cry when they first come into care sometimes for 10 or 20 minutes and the staff are trained to deal with that.

Truth is the first time your baby is separated from his or her carers is going to be tough all round. Separation anxiety is common for babies and small children it starts from around 6-8 months of age and lasts until around 3 years.

What is Separation Anxiety?

Separation anxiety occurs when a child is old enough to realise there are people that provide them with all their needs in terms of love comfort and nourishment, and they know the difference between family and strangers. The child becomes anxious when their carer is not there and cries to bring them back.

What can you do about it?

There are a ways you can make separation easier for your child.

• Spend some time with your child at childcare providers to get them used to it.
• Say goodbye to your child. It is tempting to sneak away while your child is distracted, but don’t, this will just make them distrust you. Try not to show any anxiety as you say goodbye as your child will notice it.
• Arrive 15 minutes ahead of time to help your child settle in before you leave them.
• Make sure they have a comforter such as a dummy or wrap from home.
• Accept that it is going to be hard and it takes time for a child to settle into care.
• Try and keep care arrangements as consistent as possible, a child will find it hard to settle if care options are always changing.
• Watch your child for ongoing signs of distress. If they have not settled in within a few weeks, it may be that the arrangement is not the best option for your child, and you may need to review the situation.

I did all the above, but she still cried when I left, I was also fighting back tears. You need to do it though, because she did not cry all day and apparently, she loved the singing and the music activities, so she had a good time in the end. And I got to see photos of what she was up to during the day.

I am thinking to myself, next step is school then she will be leaving home. I wish she would stay my little baby forever.

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Posted By: Sara Dobson - Category: Childcare

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Child care options

August 2nd 2008 23:56

As if finding work is not hard enough for mums, the other big issue facing them is finding good childcare and it is hard – so hard. The truth is, nobody is going to care for and love your darling as much as you do. I have spent the last week looking at childcare options and it can be very daunting. I always wonder about things like what are they going to do when Samantha is cranky all day, or does not want to eat because she is teething. Will they think she is just being naughty and put her in a cot for time out? The biggest worry at this age is that babies cannot talk and it seems that only mums can interpret their needs.

Maybe as mothers, we worry too much. Most childcare professionals are well trained, and understand parent’s needs and concerns. There are several different options for those looking for all day care. These are as follows

[ Click here to read more ]

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