Role of Early Years Practitioners in Care Routine

D3-3.2- explain the role of early years practitioners during• Nappy changing• Toilet training

• Washing and bath time routine• Care of skin, teeth and hair

• Meal times

Nappy changing

Practitioners should change babies nappies regularly to avoid nappy rash, nappies should be changed quickly as possible after a baby have been soiled. If it is possible key workers should change baby’s nappy to develop a close relationship and to enable the key person to report any concerns to the parent about the child. Practitioners should have the following things ready to change a nappy:• Clean nappy • A plastic-covered padded changing mat• Nappy sacks for dirty nappies• Warm water if parents prefer it or baby wipes• Cream for nappy rash • Cotton woolPractitioners should never leave a young child alone on the changing mat. Nappy changing is important and practitioners have to make sure that baby’s feels secure and happy while being changed. Singing and simple games have to be combined into the nursery procedure to make nappy changing an enjoyable experience. Every nurseries have their own procedure for nappy changing and have to be followed by the practitioners. Some babies might have nappy rash, parents have to provide cream from home and given to practitioner to use when changing the baby’s nappy. Some parents might provide special wipes for their child as the baby might have irritation to other wipes, working in partnership allows parent and practitioners to talk about each child individual care. Some children might only use one type of nappy as they feel comfortable with it.

Toilet training- introducing toilet training

Young children should not be forced to start toilet training until the child shows that they are ready and it hardly occurs before 18 months. Signs for a toddler who is ready to move out of nappies:• The child shows more interest when passing urine, the child might pretend play on the potty with their

toys. • A child might tell their practitioner or someone at home that they have passed urine or bowel. Toilet training have to be approached in a relaxing and slow manner. Toilet training can be done in some days or it can even take some months. Most children by the age of five manages a dry night. Practitioners have to be positive and supportive, they have to be relaxed about toilet training and should be prepared for accidents. At the setting or at home the potty have to be close so that the child can become familiar with. It is important to work strongly in partnership with parents so that the practitioner can take similar approach to toilet training to what the child is used to at home, otherwise the child might become nervous. Practitioners have to praise the child when he/she uses the potty and not to show anger when a accident happens, young children becomes upset by an accident, in my setting a child started to cry when she wet her self without asking to got to the toilet. Practitioners should offer the potty regularly so the child can become used to the idea of the routine. Practitioners should wear gloves when flushing the content down the toilet. Practitioners should encourage children to wash their hands after every visit to the potty. Children need to drink plenty of water to feel like when they will need the toilet. Practitioner need to give children food that contain fibre such as fruit and vegetables to prevent constipation. It is important that practitioners encourage self-care skills when children are using the toilet independently. These children should be encouraged to pull their trousers down and wipe them selves after using the toilet.

Washing and bath time routine

Practitoners need to wash or engourage babies and and toddlers to wash their hands often. This is becasue young children continuously pick things up and puts it in their mouth. It is imprtant that early years settings make hand washing routine care an example can be practitioners encourage children to wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet as in my placement we persuade and help children to wash their hands. Hand washing is important skill that young children have to learn and practise. Hand washing can be done through a fun activity for example singing a nursery rhyme about washing hands. Practitoners should use a clean wipe or cloth to wipe childrens face and this should be done gently.

A baby dos not need to have a bath everyday when, paretns might want their child to be cleaned in a process called ’topping and tailing’ becasue the child might have a dryness or when the skin creases dirt, this is when the practitoner will know about the child’s need and clean the baby’s bottom, face and neck througly. When finished with the process the child should be quickly dressed as baby’s dont like it when their skin is exposed to the air, the room where the child is staying should not be over or under 20C.

Bathing the baby depends on the family routine, paretnts and practitioners should work together if the child will need a bath at the nursery and how the baby is bathed at home. Practitioners should make sure that they do not bath the baby straight after the child have had a bath as this might make the baby sick. Before a practitoner starts to bath the baby he\she should make sure that the room is warm and free from draught and to gather all equipment needed to bath the baby. Some babies might have irritation or allergy to a specific soap, the practitioners should work in partnership with paretns to make sure what soap to use. The water should be not too hot or too cold when bathing the baby. Too hot water can burn a baby’s skin.

Different skin types and conditions

Early years practitioners should make sure that childrens skin should be kept clean and protected from sunlight. Practitioners should make sure that children is not taken out between the time 11am to 3pm this is when the sun is dangerous. When children are taken between the hours the children have to be protected by hats and sun cream. Practitioners should talk and take permission from the parent before applying sun cream on children. Some children have eczema which is an itchy and unsightly skin condition. If the child have food allergies it can affect the food the child get from the setting, the person responsible for cooking have to make sure what the child eats. Childrne with eczema have a special cleaner that practitoners need to know about which they will be informed by the childs parent, the child might need to use cotton towels instead of paper towels. Practitioners have to find out from the childs parent or other proffesionals which activities are suitable and which have to be avoided when the child has eczema.

Growth and care of teeth

It is important that practitioners make a tooth brushing routine. Practitioners should encourage and support children to brush their teeth after meals, after snacks and before sleeping so it can be a habit as they grow. Some children might have allergy to a certain type of paste, practitioners should work in partnership with the child's parent and other specialist to work out which paste is good for the child. Practitioners should encourage teeth cleaning as soon as they appear in the gum.

Meal times

Practitioners should make sure all the surface areas where food is being served are wiped before and after meal times, in my setting they have colour coded cloths for each room which have to be used. For dining room red cloth has to be used to wipe tables and other surfaces. Children's hands should be washed before eating. Before serving food practitioners should make sure that children does not have no allergies which practitioners have to be let know from parents. Food should not be served to hot or to cold. Practitioners have to make sure that babies are securely fitted into their high chair. Children have to be supervised at all times when eating, they should never be left alone in case they choke. Special nutritional needs and parental first choice has to be taken into account.