Infants

Learning Through Infant Care Routines: Outdoor Play

| FunShine Express

Infants have daily needs that need to be met for them to learn, develop positive attachment to primary caregivers, and know they will be loved and taken care of. Most of these needs revolve around basic care routines. The FunShine Express Buttercups Babies kits were designed to incorporate activity ideas into these care routines to create meaningful interactions each day.

Outdoor Playtime

The outdoors is filled with many sounds, sights, and fascinating objects. Outdoor playtime has many benefits for infants and toddlers:

  • Help them develop a sense of wonder and awareness
  • Increase their creativity
  • Important for overall health
  • Great for sensory play
  • Positively impact all learning domains
  • Provide a strong foundation for children’s rapid brain development

Finding moments of time to go outdoors with infants can be difficult. It is helpful if there are multiple care providers. One provider can take one or two infants outside to play while the other provider(s) stay inside to meet other care routines while still maintaining ratio requirements. Many of the play activities that you do indoors with babies, you can also do outdoors.

Continue reading →

Learning Through Infant Care Routines: Indoor Play

| FunShine Express

Infants have daily needs that need to be met for them to learn, develop positive attachment to primary caregivers, and know they will be loved and taken care of. Most of these needs revolve around basic care routines. The FunShine Express Buttercups Babies kits were designed to incorporate activity ideas into these care routines to create meaningful interactions each day.

Indoor Playtime

Having playtime as part of your scheduled routine for infants is important. However, most care providers know that sleep, feedings, and diaper changes take precedence over any playtime that has been scheduled or is a regular part of the routine. Many care providers likely find windows of time when infants are content, happy, and other needs have been met to play together. An important part of indoor playtime is supervised tummy time on the floor.

Continue reading →

The Ins and Outs of Baby Sign Language

| Teresa Narey

Working with infants can involve a lot of guess work! Babies cry, make sounds and facial expressions, and use body movements to express their needs and wants, but still, it’s not always clear how to assist them. Babies typically start talking between 9 and 14 months. Until then their mental vocabularies are forming and are much more advanced than we realize. Though babies cannot speak, they understand quite a bit. While talking to children regularly and narrating their play will support language acquisition, you can help them express their needs, wants, and emotions by introducing baby sign language.

Continue reading →

Learning Through Infant Care Routines: Naps

| FunShine Express

Infants have daily needs that need to be met for them to learn, develop positive attachment to primary caregivers, and know they will be loved and taken care of. Most of these needs revolve around basic care routines. The FunShine Express Buttercups Babies kits were designed to incorporate activity ideas into these care routines to create meaningful interactions each day.

Naps and rest time

Naps and rest happen often throughout the day for infants.  The youngest infants in your care may sleep and rest more than older infants. However, young infants who are just starting in child care may have trouble resting with the sounds, cries, and activities of the other children around them. White noise, soothing lullabies and soft music, and creating a peaceful sleeping area can all help infants get the rest they need. Having a few simple activities associated with nap and rest time can be helpful.

Continue reading →

Learning Through Infant Care Routines: Feeding

| FunShine Express

Infants have daily needs that need to be met for them to learn, develop positive attachment to primary caregivers, and know they will be loved and taken care of. Most of these needs revolve around basic care routines. The FunShine Express Buttercups Babies kits were designed to incorporate activity ideas into these care routines to create meaningful interactions each day.

Feeding

Feeding is a regular occurrence in infant settings. The youngest infants in your care will depend on formula or breast milk for nutrition. As infants grow older, their pediatrician and parents will likely develop a plan for introducing purees, soft foods, and solids. Afterwards, many infants will need to be burped, and some may experience gas or stomach pains, depending on their developing digestive system. Having a few simple activities associated with feeding time can be helpful.

Continue reading →