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Parents and Carers Useful Information
[Potty
Training] [Positive Behaviour]
[Weaning] [ Play and Fun] [Saying
Sorry]
Welcome to our parents section.
This area has been designed to support you and
your child at home. If you have ideas that you wish to add to this section
please see Mini or email them the email address below.
Birch Farm’s Top
Tips
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Only
start potty training if they are ready – good signs are them telling you they
are wet, or asking you to change them.
-
Have
a potty in the bathroom before you wish to start potty training so it is
familiar.
-
Let
them see you on the toilet this helps them to realise it is safe to use.
-
Make
sitting on the toilet or potty fun – sing songs or read ‘potty’ books
-
Stay
positive
-
Accept that there will be accidents
-
Give
lots of praise when they use the toilet or potty successfully – sticker charts
are often good for this.
-
If
after a few days it is not being successful try again in 6 weeks time.
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Dress
your child in easy to use clothes.
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the Top]
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Mirror
the behaviour you wish to see from your child
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Give
your child warning that you are going to do something
-
Allow
them time to finish activities or come back to them later
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Praise good behaviour
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Where
possible ignore bad behaviour
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Give
choices – where possible such as would you like milk or water to drink.
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Be
consistent with your responses.
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Give
one warning and follow through.
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Your
baby will give you signs when they are ready to be weaned such as waking in
the night or being more hungry between bottles/ breast-feeding.
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Start
with baby rice that offers bland taste similar to the milk they are used to.
-
Use
breast or formula to mix the baby rice.
-
Introduce a variety of vegetables and fruit
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Only
small amounts a few spoonfuls will satisfy a baby.
-
Start
with one meal a day and increase over a few weeks to 3 meals.
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After
a few weeks introduce red meat, chicken or pulses to provide essential iron.
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From
around seven months begin to introduce finger foods and lumps.
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Honey
should be avoided until 12 months.
-
Do
not add sugar and salt to babies foods.
-
If
they do not like a taste reintroduce a few weeks later.
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Make
time for you and child to play games and have fun every day.
-
Ensure activities are age appropriate.
-
Encourage children to take part in everyday chores such as laying the table,
these activities help children to feel included and can be educational.
-
Ensure you have consistent rules when playing.
-
Remember children learn by being interactive and hands on with the activities
you offer.
-
Be
inventive with equipment children enjoy household items as much as bought
toys.
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Make I’m
Sorry part of your vocabulary. It is important for parents to say ‘I’m sorry’
to our partners and our children when we get things wrong, this helps us teach
them the importance of apologising.
-
Accentuate
the positive. So often we focus on the things we need to apologise for and we
forget to pay attention to the things we’re doing right.
-
Don’t be too
hard on your children or yourselves. When overused saying ‘I’m Sorry’ can lose
its authenticity. Teach your children the importance of saying sorry by
helping them use it with meaning.
-
Let go of a
grudge. Sometimes a situation can get to a point where neither person will say
sorry as the disagreement has gone on too long.
-
Accept the
apology.
-
Don’t force
sorry, when children are forced they learn that it is more important to say
sorry than tell the truth. They learn that saying a few insincere words easily
dismisses people and problems and that they do not have to take responsibility
for their actions. This means that they begin to say sorry even if they don’t
mean it.
-
Learn to make
sorry an action. For example if a child has thrown their food make them clean
it up, or if very small just get them to do one piece.
-
Help siblings
to say sorry to each other, Not taking sides, placing blame or asking who did
it, instead ask, is there anything you want to say to each other?
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Don’t let
saying sorry lead to feeding negative behaviour. Sometimes children will do
the wrong thing to gain attention, Don’t kill yourself extracting a sorry, but
go back to the ‘ignore the bad, praise the good, or use distraction
techniques. When young children show they are sorry for hurting a friend or
sibling reward them with praise.
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