7/6 - 4th of July craft and swap meet

Product: Noise canceling headphones can be a good option for you tot when you are somewhere that may be too loud for them like a concert or the fireworks on 4th of July. Here is an article that discusses why these headphones can be helpful and the best ones to buy for your tot. https://www.soundproofingtips.com/top-10-noise-cancelling-headphones-for-kids-babies/

Signs: Flag, stars, and fireworks

Craft: Here is a link to the recipe for the Goo bags your tot played with in class.  http://www.hellobee.com/2013/05/16/goo-sensory-bags/. This is a great non-mess way for your little one to get in some sensory play. They can draw into the goo, squeeze it, and roll toys over it as well! When they get older this is a great option for practicing writing letters and numbers. 

Today's Topic:

Today we did our 4th of July craft and swap meet. 

The activities set up around the room for your little one's today focused on sensory play. We had feathers in the sand box with crinkle paper, sensory circles to walk on, goo bags to explore, and soft blocks for building, throwing, and climbing on. Sensory play is important for the hands and the feet! Here is a great article about some sensory play to do at home with your little one.  https://teachingmama.org/sensory-walk-exploring-the-sense-of-touch/

6/29 - Swim Safety

Product: Pickease - eating utensil designed to help with picky eating. It is a fun and different way for your tot to eat. https://pick-ease.com/

Resource: IG account VeggiesandVirtue - The owner of this instagram account is a pediatric dietician who posts about techniques and strategies for feeding babies and toddlers. Having 2 (almost 3) little ones of her own she knows how to merge her dietician knowledge with the realities of being a mom to young picky eaters. 

Signs: Eat, Drink, More, All done

Craft Table: Chalk paper and coloring with chalk. Chalk play is not only fun but it also helps develop fine-motor skills such as grasping and holding. It improves visual judgement and stimulates your child's imagination, so although it can be messy it holds a lot of benefit for your tot. Chalk paper is a good option for playing with chalk inside. The one used in class today can be found here. https://www.amazon.com/Chalkboard-Vinyl-Contact-Paper-Marker/dp/B00VQRHKGI/ref=asc_df_B00VQRHKGI/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198097616866&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14530305077864057566&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031178&hvtargid=pla-348360262990&psc=1

 

Today's Topic: 

Today we heard from Lisa Cook of KidSwim. Please let her know if you have any questions/concerns/thoughts about your child and swimming! She's happy to be a support. :) Here's her contact information:

Lisa Cook - KidSwim
Lisa@KidSwim.org

Keep water safety at the forefront of your mind when going to visit friends/family. Make sure that they have a gate/cover over their pool or consider not taking your child with you to that friend/family member’s house.

Never let your child open the pool cover for fun and don’t give them access to the key. Uncovering the pool should be for adults only.

For parties and crowded events, put your child in a floatie. Lisa likes the ones that are the vest with the arms attached - not the ones where the arms are separate.  If you have a pool and you’re going to host a gathering, hire a lifeguard (or more than one depending on the number of guests!).

When is a child water-safe? A child can be a “good swimmer” by age 3 or 4 with constant practice and exposure from a young age. But the determination of safety is more about mental and emotional maturity. Kids are generally not truly water safe until at least 8 years old.

Exhaustion is a huge factor in drownings and often children don’t know their limits. Be aware of this with your child.

Keep big floaties/swans/tubes/etc. out of the pool during big gatherings.

Types of swim programs and swim lessons:

• Infant rescue swim lessons - Done with very young infants typically between 6 and 12-14 months. Instructor takes the child without the parent and gets the child to roll to their back in the pool. This is effective for a finite amount of time. The kids have figured out the pattern of physical behavior but they have no idea why it’s happening and it can be emotionally difficult for the child/have an averse effect. Can also cause ear and sinus infections.
• Intensive swim lessons - They generally don’t teach your child to breathe and teach them with an urgency. That can be a negative factor over time. You may want to follow up with a program that’s going to incorporate breathing techniques and safety techniques.
• Parent Child Classes - Lisa loves parent/child classes because they’re a really positive way to learn about swimming and be exposed to the water. Also a great way for the parent to learn ways to work with their child in the water. There is a tipping point, usually around 2, where it’s hard to teach your own child to swim and it's better to move to private or semi-private lessons. (Ideally no more than 3 kids in a group lesson.)

From 2-4 is a very challenging time to introduce anything new to your child. Consistent exposure through Baby classes and going to pools constantly can help because you don’t need to go through that awkward “getting to know the pool” process.

What to do with your tot in the pool? 
Face forward shallow pass: gently pass baby to someone else through the water (just barely putting them under the water). Remember to say 1,2,3 before you pass baby to help them know it is coming. 
** dunking baby straight into the water is not recommended. It is not the correct positioning of swimming therefore it is not helping them in any way prepare for swimming one day. It is their impulse to suck in which will make them suck in water and it is also hard on the nose and sinuses. 

Sunscreen: Lisa’s number one recommended sunscreen is the Badger brand. She also recommends Neutrogena free and clear. You are looking for sunscreens with zinc in them. You always want to apply sunscreen 15-20 minutes before getting in the water so it has time to absorb and won’t wash off right away and possibly drip into baby’s eyes. 

When your child is going to be taking group lessons without you in the pool some questions to ask are:  
What is the child to Teacher ratio? She recommends no more than 1:3 ratio
How many kids are in the class? 
Are there lifeguards on duty? 
What kind of pool is it? How deep? 
What are the rules for kids getting out of the pool? Do they do this alone, with the instructor? - 

Dry drowning: Lisa’s definition - when a child swallows water (a massive amount) and the water has nowhere to go it can settle in the lungs. Lisa described this as being a very massive amount of water.  In her 30 years of doing this she has never known a child who this has happened to. 

If you have an incident where your child is under water for a long period of time and/or swallows a massive amount of water Lisa says to take them out of the pool and...
-check their belly. Is it hard and/or distended?
- Do they seem glossy and/or unfocused?
- if you are at all concerned she recommends calling your pediatrician to seek their advice. Dry drowning does not happen instantly it is over time so you have time to call your doctor if you are concerned. 

If your child dips underwater quickly and they weren’t meaning to and are upset about it, you can say, “You have a wet face” instead of saying “oh no you went under water.” - This shows the child there is nothing wrong with dipping your head under water. 

6/22 Sleep!!

Product: "Flying Squirrel" - Toddler wearable blanket made by the zipadee zip company.  https://www.sleepingbaby.com/collections/flying-squirrel

Hatch rest - Noise machine and Ok to Wake clock controlled by your phone. https://shop.hatchbaby.com/pages/rest

Resource: Anything you've ever needed to know about your tot you can find here at https://www.zerotothree.org/

Signs: Sleep, Book, and Bath 

Craft table: Homemade play dough. You can find the recipe here - http://www.the36thavenue.com/kool-aid-playdough-recipe/

Developmental Play tip: When reading to your toddler it is ok to talk about what you see on the pages instead of reading all of the words. Tell them what you see and ask them questions. Just remember, too many questions can be overwhelming for them. Try to stick to the 3 to 1 rule. For every 3 comments you make about the book, ask them one question. 

Today's Topic:

Today we talked about sleep - the common issues and concerns that come up with toddlers and sleep! Here's a graphic that tells you how much sleep you should expect from your toddler, how many naps, etc.

Toddler sleep regressions: there are generally sleep regressions around 18 months and 2 years! During these times, try to support your toddler as much as possible without introducing new sleep props.

When is it time to transition my toddler from the crib to a bed? This is something that is different for everyone. First and foremost you have to do it when you feel it is right for your child and your family. Keep in mind safety! Is your toddler consistently crawling out of their crib? Is he/she old enough to understand that they need to stay in their room at night? Here is an article that talks about 5 things to look for that show your tot might be ready for a bed. https://thestir.cafemom.com/toddlers_preschoolers/162817/5_signs_your_toddler_is

6/15 FIRST CLASS :)

 

Today's recap is different because we didn't have a set topic and we didn't go over our usual weekly "Nest Noticings", but I want you to see what you can expect in future recaps, so here's what they will look like. In the future each section won't be empty but will have lots of juicy info. 

These recaps will be available for your reference forever and ever... or as long as the Nest website exists. ;)

The Nest's Noticings for the Week...

Favorite Book or Product: We try our best to include purchase links in this section for you as much as we can. Anything in red throughout this recap is a clickable link to find more info about the product.
Parenting Resource or Tip: 
Toddler Signs to Use: 
Toddler Songs to Sing: "Slippery Fish" and "We are the Dinosaurs" - We will sing these songs weekly. Repetition helps toddlers learn new things, build their memory, learn about cause-effect, and will help them catch onto the routine to be able to participate. 
Developmental Play Tip: In the future this is where we'll highlight some sort of developmental play tip for you - some kind of piece of information about your toddler's development followed by an idea of how you can use play to encourage your toddler to grow and learn! Many times this tip will be included in the recap but not always talked about in class. 

Today's Topic:  ORIENTATION

Here is the Nest's Guidelines and Policies as well as What to Expect each week documents that we went over today. 

We also went over our class calendar for this session and passed it out after class. If you did not get a copy I will also have them in class next week! :)