1. Discuss the benefits of Infant Massage for infant, mom, and dad?

The first benefit is that massages for infants can relieve discomfort from teething,congestion, gas, colic, and emotional stress. Infant massage is also beneficial in skin stimulation.All the physiological systems are stimulated by massage. Infant massage is also beneficial in theinside for the child as it helps to increase oxygen and nutrient flow to cells. It can also help achild to deepen respiration. Infants also need to be exposed to a mother’s bonds, so infant massage is a beneficial way for a child to get that bond.

2-What time of day and how often could you give infants massages?

According to the video, you should give your infant a massage whenever the time is rightfor the families. It also states that infant massage can be best when after mothers go through postpartum depression and anxiety. While some parents massage their infants every day, others onlydo it every other day. You can massage your infant in the morning to jump-start the day or in theevening before bed to help settle them to sleep. To choose the optimal massage technique, it’scrucial to pay attention to your baby’s cues.

3-How does it help in developing a ‘body image’ for the child?

Infant massage helps in developing a body image for the child as you teach your child atan early age about healthy touch. Infant massage also teaches your child that their body wasvaluable, lovable, and beautiful.

4-What new information did you learn from the video and readings?

One new thing I have learned from the video is that infant massage helps the baby relax,gain weight, and thrive. Infant massage is also needed for healthy brain development. . Bothparents and babies’ stress hormone levels can be reduced with massage. Babies feel reassured, peaceful, and comfortable when their parents are at ease; these are qualities that aid in the development of healthy, self-assured children and people.

While observing the children and families in my field experience, some parents have stated that they feel that their child can get dressed on their own. But some children may need some help once in a while, so parents feel that if their child needs help getting dressed, the teacher should help. Some parents feel strongly about making sure their child is being taken care of well, so it is important for teachers to make sure that their child feels safe in their environment and their bodies should be taken care of with respect. It is also important for teachers to store the child’s personal clothes with reach so when you change them, you will not have to struggle looking around for their clothes.

When changing the child, it is important to implement a routine so they will know what is happening and the won’t feel afraid or nervous when it is changing time. Another way to help a child change would be to talk with the child about what you are doing. This can include using caring words while you are changing them and explaining step by step what you are doing. You can also keep the child engaged while changing by asking different questions in the process. For example, if you are putting on their shirt, you an ask the child where it goes and they can engage and tell you where the shirt can go. Having children participate in whatever way the can during changing time can also be beneficial for them. This can show you the different kinds of ways the child likes to participate in certain situations. You can also enhance the child’s language development my naming the body parts the clothes go on. For example, you can tell the child the holes in the shirt go through your head and arms. Getting your children involved in the changing process can benefit the child in many ways.

To help get my cousin ready to go to bed, I would start their routine by giving them a small snack, so they won’t be full before they go to bed. I thought make sure that they brush their teeth and put on their pajamas. Preparing the child to go to bed is a good way to make sure they are sleeping safe and sound throughout the night. After they have brushed their teeth, I will tell them to get ready for bed. When they are in their bed, I would have that I would pick a story that they would like to read to calm them down before they go to bed. The books that they choose are called league it helped them think of nice things before they go to sleep. It is important to make sure that the child feels safe and sound without any worries before they go to sleep. I like to give my cousins a sleep schedule to make sure they are sleeping the same times every day. If they do not sleep at the same time every night karma their sleep schedule is ruined, and they will sleep at the wrong times. The area where my cousins sleep is calming, Clean, and free of sound. My aunt does that like to put toys near my cousin’s bed, so he knows that when you go to bed, you are not supposed to be playing. At first, my cousins do not want to go to sleep. But after staying with them for a few minutes reading them a story, they will eventually get tired and lay on their bed until they fall asleep.

When I see my cousin getting ready for bed, I notice that he gets a little cranky it does not want to go to sleep at first. After reading him a story add getting them to calm down, they eventually get tired and will slowly fall to sleep. My cousin prefers to sleep without any sound and without any light shining in his room. My cousin also sleeps in the same place every day so he won’t be confused as to where he should sleep. One thing I notice about my cousin’s sleep pattern is that he likes to wake up very early before even I wake up. While he wakes up early, he goes to sleep early as well. One thing I notice after his nap time is that he feels too sleepy and quiet. He will need a few minutes to himself before he is back to his normal self. I also notice that he gets hungry after he wakes up and will want something to eat. His mood will be a little cranky as he wakes up, but after he eats something, he will want to start playing. 

Personally, I would say that I am not considered a healthy eater. While I do eat healthy foods, I feel like I don’t eat enough healthy foods as I should be eating. I also don’t eat a lot of food that is considered unhealthy, but I do drink a lot of iced coffees which has sugar in them. I try to make up for eating unhealthy foods by going on walks or exercising. I feel whatever I eat, the children would want to eat what I am eating. I feel to be a positive influence, it is important to eat more healthy foods in front of the child rather than eating unhealthy foods. Promoting good health is another way to teach students what is good or bad for their bodies. A good way to figure out what foods are good for children would be using the United States Department of agriculture. You can also use the child adult care food program. Both programs provide guidelines for nutritious meals and snacks for children from birth to age 3.

When the children have mealtime, the teacher that I observe likes to ask questions that involve their food. Questions can involve what color the foods are, are the foods good, what is their favorite food from the meal, and general questions about their day. While the teacher likes to engage conversations with the children, she also tries to make a calm peaceful environment where they could enjoy their food and peace without any distractions. She likes to ask questions before or after her eating not during, so they have time to be calm while they are eating. She also doesn’t like the children talking during mealtime, so they won’t be at risk for choking foods while talking, that is why she engages them in conversations before or after mealtime. The teacher also encourages with the children to brush her teeth after every mealtime by playing a song that shows them how to brush their teeth. She likes to make sure that the children get all their teeth from the back to the front. She then likes to ask them what they have done after they brushed their teeth. while the children eat their lunch, I feel that the routine is more peaceful than it is chaotic since they are all eating their food calmly and take their time while they are eating. 

• When I change my cousin’s diaper, I feel that it is a stressful process as they struggle to get out of the diaper changing area. I also feel a little grossed out as I am changing their diaper as I do not like to see the mess that the child has made. When I change a child’s diaper, I try to do it as quickly as possible. So, I feel I don’t make a big impact on the child as I feel like I should when I change the child’s diaper. If I have no choice to change a diaper, I will make sure the child feels safe in my hands as I change their diaper. I have not had any professional experience change diapers at day school, but I would like to learn more about the procedures needed to professionally change a child’s diaper rather than changing my cousin’s diaper a couple times. 

• I have never experienced a child making a toilet accident, but if I were to, I would try my best to let the child know that it is not their fault and that accidents happen. If a child were to state that they have made an accident, I would say, “Uh oh, looks like we made an accident. It is ok, accidents happen all the time! Let us get you cleaned so you can go back to playing.” I would make sure the child is ok and get the child cleaned up feeling better about themselves. It is important to not shame the child or make them feel bad for making an accident, but to help them inform you sooner when they must go to the restroom. 

• One thing I want to teach children about their bodies is to inform the teachers that they must go to the bathroom before they make an accident. This can include having the child say “bathroom” or even having the child come up to the teacher when they need to go. I would also want to teach the child about making sure they are clean when using the bathroom. This can include wiping and washing their hands after they are done. 

1-What did you know about this topic before viewing the webinar?

Personally, I didn’t know much about what infants need for healthy brain development. One thing I felt they needed is if they get the proper foods and nutrients, they would develop as they grow. I also felt that infants can use different kinds of play to help them grow. When children play, this can help their brain develop their social and interaction skills. Interactions can also be very helpful for brain development as they grow up to help infants learn more. 

2-How do you feel about this approach to infant care and development?

I agree with what Angela is mentioning in the video that shows the different approaches to infant child care and development. Being seen is very important for infants since it can help us understand what they need since they can speak yet. It is important to read cues. She also makes a good point explaining how we should regulate ourselves to make sure that the infant is being soothed. Safety is also important in infant care when communicating to them to let them know that you are there and that they should feel safe. Face-to-face interaction can also benefit infants to help them get more involved to help them interact and enhance their brain development.  

3-How could you apply this philosophy in your teaching practice?

One way I can apply this philosophy in my everyday teaching practice would be to be more involved with infants. This can mean playing with them more interactive games and interacting with them for a longer time. I would also try to find different ways to ensure that the infants feel safe and trusting toward me. When a child needs a break from a lot of interactions, you should accept that they need a break and you try again later. It is important for childcare providers to give infants what they need in order to develop and grow healthy brains. 

4-Look around the Conscious Discipline website, what else do you find surprising or interesting to you, and why?

One thing I found surprising was that the website offered a section called helpful next steps. This can be helpful in providing what’s next for infants. The website also provides e-learning and digital classes, webinars, and podcasts for aspiring educators to use. I felt that this can be beneficial for educators to use to further their education on infants and to provide better resources to them. The website “Conscious Discipline” is very beneficial for childcare providers to inform us more about infants and how we can enhance their brain development for them. 

There were many different things I learned about blogging from Edu Blogs. Blogging is an easy way to post what you are passionate about and you can put all your creative ideas for others to see. I am studying to become an early childhood educator and I would like to use edu blogs to post information for parents and give other teachers inspiration for them to use in their classroom!

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