Getting Enough Sleep

Studies indicate that around 25% of kids have some kind of sleep problem, and that almost three quarters of parents would like to change their kids’ sleeping habits.

Kids’ sleep needs

School age kids should ideally get 10-12 hours sleep a night – and if they don’t school days can easily turn into school daze, with grades suffering as a result. The problem is exacerbated by the early start at many schools: some kids need to catch their bus well before 7am in order to make their desks on time. A heavy homework and after-school activity schedule, combined with socializing, makes early nights all but impossible as Sarasota mom Kate Scott confirms: “My daughter is involved in several after-school sports and clubs and also gets a good hours’ worth of homework four nights a week. By the time she’s done all that and eaten and showered, there’s barely any time left before she needs to go to bed so she can get enough sleep to be reasonably alert the next day. The school work is only going to get harder as she gets older and we get no quality time together as it is.”

What’s keeping your child awake?

Scott’s experience doesn’t even take into account the problems other parents have with kids who simply refuse to go to bed or suffer from insomnia, night terrors and sleepwalking. Another culprit can be sleep apnea, which is characterized by pauses in breathing that can rouse a child from sleep several times a night (snoring and unexplained tiredness during the day are giveaway signs that your child may be affected). Often caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids, sleep apnea in kids is increasing as the rate of child obesity rockets, since obesity can cause tonsils and adenoids to grow larger than normal. Children with sleep apnea on average score 15 points lower on IQ tests and it’s not too much of a leap to assume that tiredness at school may be a factor.

Sleep tips for school-age kids

• Get your child into a bedtime routine from an early age. If he starts to act up in his tweens, emphasize that tiredness at school will affect his grades as well as robbing him of the energy he needs to do the things he enjoys.
• Make sleep easy Give your child a milky drink and encourage him to do a little quiet reading before lights out to help him wind down. Don’t let him spend the evening glued to the TV – watching the box too close to bedtime is associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety, nightmares and sleeping fewer hours. And your child’s bedroom needs to be conducive to sleep – dark, cool, comfortable and quiet.
• Keep the bedroom media-free No teen willingly goes to bed when there are TV reality shows to be watched, Internet sites to surf or computer games to play into the wee small hours of the morning. Statistics show that around 43% of school-age kids have a TV in their bedroom – don’t let your child be one of them.
• Ban caffeine You may be vigilant about not letting your child drink coffee but that’s not the only source of caffeine. If your child drinks soda or energy drinks in the evening, he’s likely to be getting a sizeable dose of this stimulant and it’s likely to have him fully alert when he should be drifting off to sleep.
• Cut back his schedule If afterschool activities are pushing back your child’s bedtime, you need to reach a compromise over what’s manageable – perhaps you could agree to let him pursue his hobbies or sporting interests after school on Thursdays and Fridays, close enough to the weekend so he can catch up on some extra sleep then. Are you pushing your child too hard? Try to avoid giving your child the impression that it’s OK to put up with short-term sleep deprivation if there are academic or sporting gains to be had in the future.
• Watch your child’s weight! Obesity isn’t just associated with a host of health problems – it can also affect your child’s sleep. Studies show that children who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, and that being overweight can make sleep problems more likely: in fact, around two thirds of children diagnosed with sleep apnea are overweight. Ensure your child eats a healthy diet, cut back on snacking and junk food, and encourage him to take as much physical activity as possible.

Choosing Child Care

Natick, MA:  More and more, research tells us that our children's healthy development depends on safe and positive experiences during the first few years of life. If you are a parent who works during these early years, choosing good child care is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your child.

To help you make the right choice for your child, researchers have identified 13 research-based guidelines to think about when choosing a child care program.

You might want to visit several different child care programs, either centers or family child care homes, before you decide which one is best for your family. Call each child care program and schedule an appointment for your visit. Once you are there, stay for at least an hour to watch activities, check the surroundings, and ask questions. The checklist below provides a place for you to note which guidelines are met. Research shows that if a program follows guidelines, it is more likely to be a safe and healthy place for your child. Your state or county may have other guidelines to help ensure health and safety in child care programs.

Considering these guidelines can help you find a place where you feel comfortable leaving your child.

Supervision

• Are children supervised at all times, even when they are sleeping?
• How do the caregivers discipline children? (Hint: Discipline should be positive, clear, consistent, and fair.)

 Handwashing and Diapering

• Do all caregivers and children wash their hands often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom or changing diapers?
• Is the place where diapers are changed clean?
• Do caregivers always keep a hand on the child while diapering?
• Do caregivers remove the soiled diaper without dirtying any surface not already in contact with stool or urine?
• Do caregivers clean and sanitize the surface after finishing the changing process? (Hands should be scrubbed with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds and then rinsed and dried. The water faucet should be turned off with a paper towel.)

 Director Qualifications

• Does the director of a child care center have a bachelor's degree in a child-related field?
• Has the director worked in child care for at least two years?
• Does the director understand what children need to grow and learn?

 Lead Teacher Qualifications

• Does the lead teacher in a child care center have a bachelor's degree in a child-related field?
• Has the teacher worked in child care for at least one year?
• Does the teacher give children lessons and toys that are right for their ages?

 Child:Staff Ratio and Group Size

• How many children are being cared for in the child care program?
• How many caregivers are there? (Your child will get more attention if each caregiver has fewer children to care for. The younger the children are, the more caregivers there should be. For example, one family home caregiver should only take care of two infants.)

Immunizations

• Is your child up-to-date on all of the required immunizations?
• Does the child care program have records proving that the other children in care are up-to-date on all their required immunizations?

Toxic Substances

• Are toxic substances like cleaning supplies and pest killers kept away from children?
• Has the building been checked for dangerous substances like radon, lead and asbestos?
• Is poison control information posted?

 Emergency Plan

• Does the child care program have an emergency plan if a child is injured, sick, or lost?
• Does the child care program have first-aid kits?
• Does the child care program have information about who to contact in an emergency?

 Fire/Emergency Drills

• Does the child care program have a plan in case of a disaster like a fire, tornado, flood, blizzard, or earthquake?
• Does the child care program do practice drills once every month?

Child Abuse

• Can caregivers be seen by others at all times, so a child is never alone with one caregiver?
• Have all caregivers undergone background check?
• Have the caregivers been trained on how to prevent child abuse, how to recognize signs of child abuse, and how to report suspected child abuse?

Medications

• Does the child care program keep medication out of reach from children?
• Are the caregivers trained and the medications labeled to make sure the right child gets the right amount of the right medication at the right time?

Staff Training/First Aid

• Have caregivers been trained how to keep children healthy and safe from injury and illness?
• Do they know how to do first aid and rescue breathing?
• Have they been trained to understand and meet the needs of children of different ages?
• Are all child care staff, volunteers, and substitutes trained on and implementing infant back sleeping and safe sleep policies to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, crib death)? (When infants are sleeping, are they on their backs with no pillows, quilts, stuffed toys, or other soft bedding in the crib with them?)

Playgrounds

• Is the playground regularly inspected for safety?
• Is the playground surrounded by a fence?
• If there is a sandbox, is it clean?
• Are the soil and playground surfaces checked often for dangerous substances and hazards?
• Is equipment the right size and type for the age of children who use it?

Visit our website at http://www.tirnanogchildcare.com/

Tir Na Nog Childcare yelp page

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http://www.tirnanogchildcare.com/

About Us

Tir Na Nog Childcare brought new life to an old warehouse…our space is filled with many bright colors resembling a traditional street you might find in a village in Ireland. Tir Na Nog is an Irish tale about a place called “The Land of the Young”. It is a beautiful, colorful place where everyone is young and happy and you never grow old.

We welcome children between the ages of 8 weeks and 6 years old. We have seven classrooms, a kitchen, a conference room, an indoor playspace for rainy days and an art room. We are open 5 days per week from 7am until 6pm, also offering an early pick up option of 3:30pm.

Our outdoor play space has child safe playground covering and is surrounded by a six foot wooden privacy fence. We have toys, climbing structures and swings for all age groups. There is water play on hot days in the summer months and outside picnics on warm beautiful days.

http://www.tirnanogchildcare.com/