Choosing the best day care for your child
Women are an important part of the
work-force and yet (in South African at least) employers don’t do much to help
moms take care of their babies and children when they’re not at home. Some
women use the services of an au-pair, a nanny or ask granny to help during baby’s
first year. The benefits are that babies don’t have to leave the house, they’re
spared crèche
infections and enjoy one-on-one attention.
Some crèches have a baby centre. Here’s
what to look for when you’re shopping for baby-care:
Is the child-minder
friendly? Does she enjoy looking after babies and small children?
Does she have
experience? Or children of her own?
Is the facility
clean?
Do the babies look
happy?
Does the centre provide
for the baby’s needs i.e. clean, safe cots, hygienic nappy-changing area,
feeding chairs, safe area for babies to crawl around, sufficient staff?
Is the environment
colourful and stimulating?
Is the kitchen
where food and bottles are prepared, hygienic?
Does
each baby have a daily ‘report book’?
Toddlers and
young children who go to play-school are:
Developing
social skills
Nurturing
their intelligence
Learning
to talk
Very
curious
Play-school
needs to fulfil these needs. A nursery-school should not:
Leave the children to watch TV
Leave them to play unsupervised
Medicate them to sleep (sigh!) This
happens!
Keep the children inside all day
Expect children of all ages to play
together.
Pre-schoolers are prepped for going to ‘big school’. This means learning their reading,
writing and numbers. They need to get used to routine and learn to sit still while
paying attention for at least 20 minutes at a stretch. They also need to learn to
copy from the blackboard and do what the teacher tells them to do – not only
what they want to do!
You can help your
child cope with nursery school by making sure he is healthy, eats a balance
diet and gets at least 12 hours sleep every night. It also helps when the home
is organised and there is routine during the week. Because the child does not
get to spend a lot of time with his parents, make the evening meal a family
occasion and read to your child at bed-time. It’s difficult I know, because
parents are frazzled at the end of their busy day, but it’s worth enjoying your
children while they’re young. All too soon they will be teenagers who only want to do their own thing.
Top tips:
Children learn confidence when they’re
loved
Show an interest in everything that
your child does
Reward co-operative behaviour
Listen to your child’s point of view.
