Why good eating habits are essential in all the age groups
INFANTS-
Infants grow more in the first year than at any other time. Formula and breast milk supply all the nutrients that an infant needs for most of the first year. This is due to the immaturity of the digestive system. Infants should be able to eat on demand to learn to acknowledge hunger cues of their body. Solid food is introduced when they show signs of being ready. They will still get most nutrients from formula/breast milk but eating solid foods will help develop the skills needed to eat table food.


TODDLERS-
Toddlers are entering the stage of autonomy. They need to feel like they have some sort of control over their eating. Teaching toddlers at this early stage what is expected of them during eating situations will create far less power struggles. Toddlers are also very active creatures and need a lot of different nutrients to provide them the energy to play. Good nutritional choices build up a child's immune system. As we know toddlers are notorious for putting objects in their mouths therefore they pick up a lot of germs and need a good immune system to fight them off.


PRESCHOOLERS-
Preschoolers need to learn good nutrition and eating habits as well. Children at this age are able to control themselves and know what is expected of them at meals. Although other children can and will influence a child with seemingly good manners. Preschoolers can also start helping with preparation and passing out of food. They like to be actively involved and letting them help will encourage trying new foods. Their sense of pride in making the food will override the food itself.


SCHOOL-AGERS-
As with all the other age groups these children need the nutrients from food for activities and to fight of disease. Having simple easy to prepare snacks will be a good choice for this age group. Children can prepare their own snacks so having taught them good habits early on will really come into play now. A good way to ensure that children are eating healthy when not in the presents of parent s such as at school is to provide good foods for them to pack for themselves.

Why we should promote healthy eating habits in children
Adults are children's teachers and role-models who show them how to live in our world. If adults take an active interest in nutrition then children will become curious and interested. Children need to learn healthy eating habits in order live a healthy life. Good nutrition keeps us healthy and gives us energy to all the fun things in life. If adults do not make healthy eating choices in life they will also not have the energy to be able to participate in physical activities with children. If adults do not get out and do activities with children, the children will not be as physically active.

There are many ways that we as adults can do to get children involved in making healthy eating choices. One of them is to give kids the chance to help prepare meals. Helping prepare meals gives the child a sense of ownership and will more likely get them to eat something that they made. Making a game out of finding the healthiest foods at the grocery store will be helpful with older children that can read. Give them something from your list and let them look for the healthiest option on the shelf.

Some great times can be had in the kitchen with children. Too make cooking more enjoyable for all of you be prepared. Children have a hard time waiting and the less time they are left to wait while you gather items the better. Also having them find items for you will keep them occupied while you get everything ready. Also having kid sized utensils and such will be helpful too. Let kid's get creative with somethings such as making soft pretzels. Whosaid they have to be pretzel shaped? Or why can't mashed potatoes be blue? Make it fun and be creative when you can.

3 GREAT and healthy recipes to make with kids

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels
nutritional value of this is getting more whole grains into a child's diet
http://nutrition.preschoolrock.com/index.php/recipes_for_preschoolers/whole-wheat-pretzels

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 2 1/2 - 3 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp honey Coarse salt

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add 2 cups of the flour, oil, and honey. Stir until smooth. Mix in small amounts of the remaining flour until a dough is formed that is not too wet to handle.
2. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl and let stand in a warm place for about 1 hour.
4. Heat oven to 400 degress F. Punch down dough (Preschoolers will love to do this!)
5. Divide dough into twelve equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 18 inches long.
6. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape (or other fun shape) and place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
7. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm or cool!

Yield: 12 pretzels

Special Additions
- Sprinkle each pretzel with cinnamon and sugar before baking
- Push small pieces of dried fruit into each pretzel before baking
- Sprinkle sunflower seeds over each pretzel and pat slightly into the dough before baking
- For a special 'twist,' shape the ropes into letters: your preschooler's initials, M-O-M-M-Y for Mother's Day or D-A-D-D-Y for Father's Day.

Carrot Cake
nutritional value of this is getting a good dose of vegetables into children and allowing them to have a healthy sweet treat
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/carrot-cake-recipe-4533.html

Ingredients

For Cake
1 1/3 cups Finely Grated Carrot
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 large Eggs
½ cup drained Crushed Pineapple
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/3 cups Caster Sugar
200 g Plain Flour
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda
2/3 cup Chopped Walnuts

For Icing
4 oz. Cream Cheese
¼ cup Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
2 cups Icing Sugar

Procedure
Pour vegetable oil in a large bowl and add eggs, vanilla essence, grated carrots, walnuts, pineapple and caster sugar to it. Blend the mixture well.
Sieve flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Add it to the mixture.
Line the base and sides of a spring-form pan with a baking paper. Brush butter inside the pan.
Pour the mixture into the greased pan.
Preheat the microwave oven up to 180 degrees C.
Bake the mixture in the preheated oven for about 55 minutes.
To check whether the cake is baked, insert a thin-bladed knife into its center. The knife will come out without holding batter in it. This means that your cake has been baked thoroughly.
Remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a serving dish.
Allow the cake to cool for sometime.
Meanwhile, prepare icing for the carrot cake. Beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract and butter, with an electric hand-held beater, until it becomes smooth and fluffy. Add sugar to the mixture gradually, while still beating the mixture.
Apply the icing on the cooled cake. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on the top of the cake.
Your delicious carrot cake is ready to be served!

Smoothie
nutritional value of this is more fruit and dairy
http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/simple-smoothie-recipes.html

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups orange juice
1 banana, cut in pieces
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
Add ingredients together in blender and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Fruit Smoothie
Carton of Blueberry yogurt
1 Cup of milk
1 Cup frozen or fresh blueberries, strawberries or peaches
½ cup ice cubes
Add all together in blender and blend until smooth.

Healthy Orange Smoothie
1 orange peeled and separated
¾ cup sliced peaches (if canned use juice also)
1 cup orange yogurt
½ cup ice cubes
Blend in blender until smooth. Substitute peaches with different fruit such as banana or a can of mandarin oranges, if desired.

Tofu Smoothie
For an extra healthy smoothie recipe try adding tofu.
½ Cup tofu
1 banana or 1 peach
2 Cups fruit juice, whichever you would like
8 oz. Crushed pineapple, with juice
1/2 cup ice cubes
Substitute banana or pineapple for a different type of fruit if you would like and experiment with different juices. Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

CPR/First Aid Emergencies

Scenario #1
An 18 month old in a Group Daycare setting is believed to be choking on a toy.

Emergency Procedure
--Act immediately and remain calm
--Stay at the scene to reassure the victim and other children.
--Asses the victim from head-to-toe and do a senses check
--Administer CPR/First Aid techniques
--If necessary, call for emergency help or 911. All emergency number should be posted by
the phone.
--Notify parents and make a plan of action. If the parent cannot be reached then an emergency
contact must be notified. Also a backup teacher must be called in to take care of the other
children. Children must NEVER be left unsupervised.
--Treat the child for shock. Covering with a blanket if necessary to keep them warm.
--Stay with the child until the parents or emergency personnel arrive. Accompany the child if a
backup teacher is present and the parents cannot be there. If there is not a backup teacher
you must reassure the child that someone will be with them soon and that the emergency
professional are going to take care of them.
--Fill out an incident report. Study it to see if anything can be changed to avoid the same
situation from happening again.


Scenario #2
A 2 year old in a daycare center has come back from a physical at the Pediatrician office and spikes a high fever and goes into a seizure. They then stop breathing and are unconscious.

Emergency Procedure
--Act immediately and remain calm
--Stay at the scene to reassure the victim and other children.
--Asses the victim from head-to-toe and do a senses check
--Administer CPR/First Aid techniques
--If necessary, call for emergency help or 911. All emergency number should be posted by the
phone.
--Do not move a seriously injured child unless life-threatening. If they must be moved drag
them by their feet as to not aggravate the head and neck.
--Notify parents and make a plan of action. If the parent cannot be reached then an emergency
contact must be notified. Also a backup teacher must be called in to take care of the other
children. Children must NEVER be left unsupervised.
--Treat the child for shock. Covering with a blanket if necessary to keep them warm.
--Stay with the child until the parents or emergency personnel arrive. Accompany the child if a
backup teacher is present and the parents cannot be there. If there is not a backup teacher
you must reassure the child that someone will be with them soon and that the emergency
professional are going to take care of them.
--Fill out an incident report. Study it to see if anything can be changed to avoid the same
situation from happening again.


I believe very strongly that all people that work with children should be CPR and first aid certified. There should also be a training where real scenarios are acted out. One can never practice life saving techniques too much. The more we do the trainings for these emergency situations and have hands on experience the more they will become second nature. When they are second nature to us we are less likely to get swept up by the chaos of the moment.



In order to be fully prepared to handle emergency situations there is many things that adult can do. We need to go beyond just knowing CPR and first aid. In child care emergency information for all children should be in a conspicuous place where all staff know where to find them. This information should also be updated as need or at least every year. Posting all emergency procedures and phone number for emergency personnel near a phone is another must. At all times an adequately stocked first aid kit should be available in arms reach. Make sure to replace the used supplies after filling out the incident report. Another good practice would be is to discuss your emergency procedures and how the parents would want to deal with an emergency situation upon enrollment in the facility.

Preparing for a Disaster

Describe each of the disaster scenarios you have chosen (such as a hurricane that has quickly developed in your area) and a real or hypothetical early childhood setting (such as a Head Start program housed on a university campus near the coast). What are the main dangers posed by these situations? Who is at risk?

Scenario #1
A grease fire starts in the kitchen at a group family daycare

Main dangers:
That the whole house will catch on fire, one or more of the children will be burned or they will inhale smoke.

Who is at risk:
As far as a fire occurring, everyone is at risk. It can happen to anyone, anywhere.
In this particular situation all the people in the house are at risk

Scenario #2
A flash flood that occurred over night at a daycare center on the bank of a river

Main dangers:
The children and staff will be exposed to toxin left by the water if not properly treated and a compromise in the integrity of the building structure.

Who is at risk:
As far as flooding any facility that is near a body of water is at risk
In this situation no one is imminent danger because it is a night but children can develop major health problems if exposed to certain molds that will grow and if the structure is damaged it could collapse on the people inside.

Why do we need to be prepared
There are many reasons that one should be prepared for a disaster. The main reason being your main job is to ensure the safety and well-being of the children. This will be a very scary time for them and the more you are prepared the more calm you will be and will be able to devote more time to them. The consequences of not being prepared are chaos and forgetting vital equipment or information. If all emergency contact info and supplies are not already gathered there will be a state of chaos and panic for you to get them around. This will cause the children to become even more upset.

The step to take to prepare yourself for a disaster...
The first step is to be prepared for any type of disaster that can occur in your area. Then if something does occur you need to assess if it will directly or indirectly impact you. After assessing the situation and it's relation to you, you need to gather all materials necessary and evacuate if needed. Every facility or classroom should have and emergency bag with such things as, diapers, water, and emergency numbers for all children. All the while communicating with the children and trying to keep them calm. Once you are in a safe environment all of the parents need to be contacted with information to where you are and your well-being. It may come up that a parent cannot be reached but every effort must be made to reach a contact for that child. The parents need to talk to children about what to do in these type of situations at home and as well as telling them about emergency personnel. Children will be afraid of some people in uniform and parents as well as teachers need to try and alleviate that fear.

Infant/Toddler Safety Hazards and Situations

In the infant and toddlers age groups many hazardous situations/safety threats are present. It is in a young child's nature to explore their environment through their senses. Our job is to identify those situations and threats to make a safe environment. The five things that I have chosen to talk about are some common but looked over hazards. They are garbage cans, purses/diaper bags/coat pockets, safety belts in infant equipment, water safety and choking hazards on the floor.
Garbage cans not only pose a health issue but also a safety issue. There maybe small choking hazards as well as sharp objects located in them. In childcare settings all garbage cans must have a lid and be kept out of reach whenever possible. As stated keeping a cover on the can and putting it out of reach of children are the best measures to take. Storing it under the sink or behind a door would be ideal. Knowing what is in the garbage is also a good preemptive measure. Families can do all of these things at home keep children safe around garbage. We as educators need to start by the teaching children. Hopefully the children will take that knowledge back how and help educated the rest of the family or at the very least start important discussions about the topic.
Any personal carry items are a danger to children. People carry such things as vitamins, medications, weapons and cosmetics. All of these can be very harmful to children if touched or ingested. All purses, coats and diaper bags should be out of reach of children. It is actually a regulation that these items be out of the reach of children at all times preferably in locked storage. Parents can follow these guidelines at home as well. Keeping purses and coast in closets and medications in cabinets that are inaccessible to children is important. Any visitors should be expected to follow these rules as well when coming into the daycare or home environment.
Falling out of infant equipment is a very real danger. There are safety straps on many infant items such as high chairs, bouncy seats and swings. These are there to keep a child in the seat and prevent them from falling out of them. They should always be used in these pieces of equipment as a fall from them can cause serious injury. It is required in childcare settings that these safety belts are always used. Families can eliminate the fall risk at home by following the same practices and habits of always buckling children in to equipment. Getting the children in the habit and explaining to them why we do such practices will carry over into their home lives. Teaching the child to remind parents that they need to be strapped in (if they are able to do so) would be one way to carry over this safety procedure to home.
Children are always going to be around water and even and inch of water can be dangerous. They need to be watched at all times around any type of water. The temperature of the water is also a concern; water should never be set above 120 degrees. In childcare we are not allowed to have any type of pool or buckets with water in the children's reach. Water may be used in a sensory table but only with direct, constant supervision. At home parents need to always watch children in the bath and around other water sources. They can also change water heater gauges to only heat to no greater than 120 degrees.
Infants need to have time to explore their environment through tummy time or crawling. Most people are aware of toys that pose choking hazards but do not take the time to do a check of floors. There is an unwritten rule in childcare that anything that an infant can find will go into their mouth. Many things may fall onto the floor or be tracked in on shoes and clothing. Doing a check of floor areas before and during an infant playing is crucial. At child care and at home we need to do constant “sweeps” of floor areas and watch infants to see if they find something.
A good way to promote safety at home as well as in your facility is send out a newsletter with various topics included. In this newsletter have a section for a safety tip. Encourage the parents to make time to read the newsletter with their child(ren) with making it a point to discuss the safety tip.