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| Toddler - Week #68 |
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| Milestones: |
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Ugh! Sixteen months has brought Evan's first cold of the year. He has had a few little sniffles as a baby but never the full blown cold like this one. Of course, he is in daycare and no longer nurses, so I feel he was more susceptible this cold season. The poor baby has mucus dripping down his nose in a constant motion. The persistent wiping has made his nose bright red. Yet through it all, he smiles! |
| Creating Good Readers: |
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Since resting is so important for a sick baby, a book is the perfect companion. We already know books are great tools for a bedtime routine, so, of course, they are just the thing for bed rest! Keep the energy a little lower-now is not the time for dramatic voices but rather the time for a quiet, calm, and nurturing moment. It will merely add to the value of books for your child if he relates comfort to reading. |
| Book Of The Week: |
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The Sick Day By: Patricia Maclachlan This is a warm-hearted book about a little girl who is under the weather. She is home with her dad, and he is doing everything he can to help her feel better. He fetches her favorite stuffed animal, does her hair in a special way, and more. Before you know it, Emily is feeling better and really feels glad to have spent a special day with her dad. Unfortunately, her dad is now the sick one! |
| Activities: |
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We didn't enjoy many activities this week while nursing this cold! However, this is something you can make to help your toddler enjoy his time in bed a little more while he gets better. One thing you can make is a peek-a-boo bag. This bag is a little like playing "I Spy" with an older child. You take a strong Ziploc bag and fill it half-way with rice. Then you place fun little objects in the bag. You can use little plastic animals, marbles, matchbox cars, or whatever you think your child might find interesting. Fill the remaining space in the bag with more rice, but allow room for movement. Seal the bag and apply a layer of super glue to ensure it will not open. If you are crafty, you can sew a pouch/pillow of fabric around the bag leaving just a small window open without fabric. Then you can play with your child. You can just let him push the rice around and see the various objects or you can lead him in the play. For instance, if you have a plastic cat in the bag, you can say, "Can you find the kitty? What does the kitty say?" |
| Rhyme Time: |
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To make Evan feel better and keep him entertained while resting, I changed up the song The Itsy Bitsy Spider to be about feeling sick and getting better. Here's how it went: The Itsy Bitsy Spider Coughed and sputtered loud Down dripped her nose And the sneezes came out Out came the tissue and dried it all up And the Itsy Bitsy Spider felt all better again I used finger play with this just as I would with the original tune. This adds to the entertainment value! |
| Evan's Opinion: |
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Obviously, Evan is not thrilled with having a cold. But the book, the bag, and the song helped him feel a little better or at least help me not go too stir crazy while resting! The book is a little bit for an older child as it is one of the stories with more words on the page than our toddlers can typically sit for. However, Evan was a little less energetic with this nasty cold, so he sat through most of it. He loves his bag, and I think I will keep it as a special treat for only times like this so it will stay interesting. The finger play is a fun distraction, too. I highly recommend making up the silliest things you can think of and adding in a tickle or two. Your child will love it no matter how bad he is feeling! |
| You're Probably Wondering..... |
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Question: "When is he sick enough to be kept out of daycare?" We pay a lot of money for daycare, and we all feel very committed to work, so often we send our children out even when, perhaps, they need to stay home. So how do we know when it is time to keep them home? Daycares have some specific policies about when a child should not be in school. Of course, vomiting and diarrhea are obvious. If your child is throwing up, he should not be in school. No matter what you need to get done at work or whatever is driving you to think about sending him in after vomiting or diarrhea, forget it! Just think about if someone else sent their child in after this-would you want your healthy child getting their germs? But colds are harder to decide on. Sometimes it's just a little sniffle, and you think he can make it through the day, right? A runny nose may not feel like a large problem. Many daycares are okay with a child being in school with nose drainage. The color often comes into play in this instance. Many daycares will ask that you keep your child home if the mucus is yellow or green and excessive. This is often the guide for coughing as well. Some schools will work with you if your child has a cold. They may allow you to bring in a pain reliever medication to be administered at scheduled times. They will help your child wash his hands frequently to reduce the germs being spread. Hopefully, you have already researched their hygiene practices and feel confident that the teachers practice good hygiene. The best question to ask yourself is if you want your child doing everything the class will be doing that day. For example, if you know they will be playing outside, do you really want your little sick guy hanging outdoors today? If the answer is yes, then by all means send him in! Maybe the little bit of fresh air will do him some good! But if he is sniffling and coughing so much that you cringe when you think about him sitting outside, don't send him! Keep him home to enjoy some extra snuggling and resting with you! Chances are you either already need the rest yourself anyway, or you will once you get this cold-and you know you'll be getting it next! |
| Mama's Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow |
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Young children seem to be fascinated with animals as to their size, color and sound. Not only is it helpful to know animals' names and noises, it is also good for children to know more about the animals that share this planet with us. It helps them begin to foster an appreciation for other creatures in our world. Trips to the zoo or a farm can be a wonderful experience for learning about animals at any time of the year. Many zoos are even open in the winter for those of you who live in areas that receive a lot of precipitation. Take your child to see some animals this week and try some of these activities: Books for reading before going to the zoo or farm which you can find at your local library or bookstore. Look for books about animals in the wild, at the zoo or on a farm. Here are a few suggestions in case you need a place to start:
Songs to sing before heading to the zoo or farm:
Zoo and Farm Videos:
At the Zoo or Farm - Activities with Animals:
Animal Home Activities for After the Visit:
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| Amelia's World |
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We went to the zoo this week with Amelia. It was actually the second time we have been there. The first time she was three weeks old and she slept through most of the visit. This visit, Amelia was very engaged in the animals. She would reach towards them and start talking to them. We told her the names, sounds and descriptions of the animals as we walked along. Amelia really enjoyed the butterfly garden we visited. She wanted to be free from our grasp and to explore the small winged creatures. She also enjoyed watching the giraffes. Her gaze moved up and down as her eyes spanned the length of this tall animal. Before and after the visit, we read books and watched short videos about animals. We will continue to do so over the next several weeks so she continues to remember them. Hopefully, this will improve her animal vocabulary. |
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