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Infant & Toddler Group Care

Caregiving Routines as Curriculum

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Learning ObjectivesParticipants will be able to:

• Explain how caregiving routines such as feeding, diapering and napping are important opportunities to form close, caring relationships with each infant.

• Demonstrate how routines are learning opportunities for the child, and as such, should be carried out at the child’s pace, allowing the child to participate fully and make choices.

• Employ caregiving strategies that are consistent with the caregiving techniques that the family uses at home.

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Caregiving Routines Are the Heart of Quality CareCare teachers need to use feeding, napping,

diapering, and toilet routines as opportunities to build close, caring relationships with each child.

If routines are done with sensitivity, the care teacher can satisfy the baby’s need for attention, tactile stimulation, interactions, and attachment.

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Activity: Jigsaw Reading

• Look at the handout: Introduction to A Guide to Routines (Second Edition).

• Read your assigned section and identify key concepts in your section.

• Share with the group the key concepts/highlights of your section.

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Dyad discussion:

• Why are routines important?

• How do they impact the children?

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The Impact of Routines

• Routines provide an opportunity to build a relationship with each child. If carried out in a manner consistent with how routines are done at home, these routines build a bridge between home care and center/family child care.

• How routines are approached helps set the emotional tone of the program.

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The Impact of Routines (cont’d)

• If routines are done in a consistent manner, they establish predictability and give the children a sense of control by letting them know what comes next.

• All routines need to be done with consideration to health and safety issues for children and adults.

• Routines provide opportunities for the adults to enhance the infants’ development in all domains.

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It’s Not Just Routine: Feeding

It’s Not Just Routine: Feeding, Diapering, and Napping Infants and Toddlers (Second Edition), 2000

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Reflect: Use mealtime to deepen connections with children

Think about your last meal with the children:

• How much time did you sit with the children?

• How much did you talk?

• How much did you listen?

• How many times did you get up to get something?

• How much time did you model social interaction and eating?

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What raised questions for you in the “Feeding” clip?

Health and Safety: Relationships and Learning:

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It’s Not Just Routine: Diapering

It’s Not Just Routine: Feeding, Diapering, and Napping Infants and Toddlers (Second Edition), 2000

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How closely does your diapering procedure follow what was shown in the diapering clip?

• Discuss in a small group.

• Report to the large group.

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It’s Not Just Routine: Napping

It’s Not Just Routine: Feeding, Diapering, and Napping Infants and Toddlers (Second Edition), 2000

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What are Your Biggest Challenges with Napping?

Challenges: Solutions:

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Cultural Continuity of Routines

What steps does your program take to ensure that routines are carried out in a manner similar to each child’s home care?

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Review the Learning ObjectivesParticipants will be able to:

• Explain how caregiving routines such as feeding, diapering and napping are important opportunities to form close, caring relationships with each infant.

• Demonstrate how routines are learning opportunities for the child, and as such, should be carried out at the child’s pace, allowing the child to participate fully and make choices.

• Employ caregiving strategies that are consistent with the caregiving techniques that the family uses at home.