Paarth Child Care Clinic

Yes, your child can bring his/her favorite blanket to school, however their favorite toy should be left at home to prevent damage or loss of the item.

In a high quality early childhood education and care service your child will feel happy, safe and secure and have the opportunity to engage in a wider range of play based learning experiences. A service’s assessment against the National Quality Standard can be a useful starting point for measuring quality, however, parents are well advised to take the time to visit a service and talk to the educators.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics long day care centres or child care centres are the most commonly used type of child care among Australian parents and it’s no real surprise, with the generally high standard of care and long opening hours. The National Quality Standards mean educators working in long day care centres are required to hold minimum qualifications and the ratio of children to careers is decreasing, with better understanding about the importance of the early years for children’s development. Children in long day care centres have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of stimulating and age appropriate play based learning experiences.

Doctors have the following advice for new mothers who are required to supply adequate amounts of breastmilk for their little one:
- New-born infants should feed on 1–2 ounces of milk every 2–3 hours, increasing this amount to 2–4 ounces as the child gets older. Alternatively, parents may calculate the amount by feeding them 5.5 ounces of milk for every kilogram of body weight per day, meaning a child weighing 4 kilograms should be drinking 22 ounces of milk per day (5.5 x 4). For infants aged 0–6 months, milk is sufficiently nourishing, although when they reach 6 months of age they should have their diet supplemented with water and other simple-to-eat foods. At this time, the child may drink more than 32 ounces of milk per day.
- Parents should try to remove the child’s lunchtime milk feed between 4–5 months of age. The child should be weaned off bottled milk after 9 months, which is the age at which they should begin to receive nutritional supplements.
- Once the child has reached 1 year of age, parents may want to remove some breastfed meals from their daily routine and train their child how to use a suitable cup. The child should also be eating a healthy, balanced diet containing the 5 main food groups in moderation at this time, supplementing those meals with 2–4 glasses of milk per day (the equivalent of 16–32 ounces of milk).

This is one of the biggest worries for mothers, although the issue does not tend to present itself until after 3–4 months of age. There is no need to worry should this problem arise as it is merely a reflection of the child’s brain developing to the stage where they can control their sleep patterns better and sleep for longer periods at a time. Children often begin sleeping for 7–8 hours at a time without waking up to feed. Children who do wake up in the middle of the night usually do so as a result of their attachment to the mother rather than out of hunger. In such cases, mothers should gently rock and comfort their child back to sleep because if they make a habit out of feeding the infant at these times, it could lead to future issues with them associating waking up with being fed.

It is completely normal for young infants aged 4–5 months to suck their fingers, as this is the age at which they begin to explore their surroundings. Parents should therefore be careful not to prohibit or pull their fingers away because they may turn to sucking their toys instead.
For older children, the sucking may be a result of familiarity or used as a way to self-comfort. Should parents find that their grown-up child is still sucking on their fingers, it is important not to be too strict or pull their fingers away from the mouth because this could shock the child. Instead, try to find toys or activities that will provide a distraction for the sucking, as well as providing a platform for the development of their fine motor skills.

Breathing heavily while asleep could be caused by a number of factors such as the common cold or allergic rhinitis, although tonsillitis, adenoid hypertrophy, and other sleep-related issues could also play a part. Parents are therefore encouraged to bring their child to a doctor so that an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment can be provided as necessary. Do not neglect the issue because it could lead to problems associated with their emotional stability and brain development, including their learning ability and concentration span. This is because not getting enough quality sleep can eventually lead to breathing problems that may result in them not getting enough oxygen throughout the night.

FAQs