Olivia, thank you for sharing. Children learn what they live, that's not an old wise tale. We can pretty much create new habits by our response or lack of. I have been in so many situations where we do what we think the child wants. Or say let them cry it out they are spoiled, or we do what is less stressful for us. If I don't wrap this child, he will wake up sooner, or he will cry. What are we thinking? More work for us? Less downtime for us? Or truly that child needs a sleep sack? a pacifier?
Infants are not my favorite classroom, but it is where my passion for childcare stems. It is so interesting how staff want to do what is best for them. Mistaken behaviors begin at birth. What is the root cause? We assume what is needed, and we excuse that by stating what we can't do or don't have time to do. Infants have been given only ONE way to communicate with us, and they use it to their advantage. Imagine being in one place for nine months, getting exactly what you get, not what you want. Now being set free to say "NO," I want something else. If it takes two more minutes of your time, five more minutes of your time, ten more minutes of your time, as parents, as professionals, we are obligated to give it. Children will lead you and guide you to what they need if we are willing to see and accept the cues.
I remember seeing my niece make her children sit at the table to eat their food, a battle each day because that is what her Mom did to her. She did this for 7+ years. She got them tested at age 9 and 11 and found out they had 23 allergies, and most of them were to grain, outdoors grass, seafood, berries, nuts of all kind, dyes. The funny part was the kids were allergic to opposite things. One like fish and the other one could not be in the same house. The other one, like peanut butter, the other one could not be in the same room with it. They use to physically throw up their foods, and they would get in trouble for it. She was super embarrassed. There is no handbook for kids, but if you follow their lead, they will show you what they need.
It is crucial to be present when we are in class. The focus should not be on the time of day, or the schedule. The focus should be on the culturally biased situations our children bring to us and for us to find out what each child needs. Not put them on our routine or our schedule or a predetermined guideline for age 0-6 months. Each one deserves an opportunity to be great and not limited to our expectations. I have been in settings that put all of their babies 0-14 months down for a 9:30 am nap. Mind you, most of them just arrived at the school. I could hear patting from another room because their patience was limited as they stood to do this, and yes, I said patting, which means they were on their backs. SMH They were blessed I didn't have my old job title. I was new to the setting and had not received my respect level, so because it was acceptable before me, they just blew it off.
I get it, society, parents, directors, don't give us the props we need to feel empowered to put our all into what we do. BUT, as early childhood professionals, we always need to remember our choices change lives, for good or bad.
As effective providers, we offer our best every day in every way. We have to remove FEAR, SELF DOUBT, OUR PERSONAL NEEDS, to be able to say, "that little boy (who is now accepting a Nobel Peace Prize) was in my class..... That little girl (who found the cure for Cancer) was in my class. If we are not willing to go all out for our kids, who do they have? Who will show them they are great, they can do anything? Instead of setting guidelines, making schedules and limits, we should follow their cues, be a mentor, and guide them to show them the way. It takes all of us to stand still, breathe, smile, and have fun in what we do if we want it to be epic if we want the world to know how crucial early childhood input affects our society.
Miss Mary
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Miss Mary
Crystal, MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-24-2020 02:27 PM
From: Meghann Hickey
Subject: Sleep sack
Dear Olivia,
NAEYC accreditation of early learning programs assessment directly assesses in
item 5A.11 that t
eachers only place infants to sleep in equipmentthat is specifically designed for infant sleep.
Additionally, the recommended best practices listed in topic area 5.A: Promoting and Protecting Children's Health and Controlling Infectious Disease states the following:
To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), infants, unless otherwise ordered by a physician, are placed on their backs to sleep on a firm surface manufactured for sale as infant sleeping equipment that meets the standards of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, stuffed toys, and other soft items are not allowed in cribs or sleep equipment for infants younger than 12 months. Blankets are not allowed in cribs or sleep equipment for infants younger than 12 months.
For additional questions, please don't hesitate to call our program support team at 1-800-424-2460 or email us at accreditation.information@naeyc.org!
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Meghann Hickey
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Washington DC
Original Message:
Sent: 06-23-2020 01:49 PM
From: OLIVIA Nelson-Green
Subject: Sleep sack
Do or don't use. Please help me. I like them because I think I babies rest better