Importance of Meeting Babies Emotional Needs - Case Study Example

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Date Task 1 Introduction Babies are limited in different ways. One of the ways through which babies are limited is through communication. They cannot speak and therefore cannot express themselves verbally. For this very reason, these babies often use signals to relay their message. It’s the role of the mother or the care giver to decode such signal in order to understand what the child wants. This in itself shows that the mother must be informed of the various cues a child may exhibit in order to provide optimum care to the child. This module is prepared to provide information concerning babies’ signals. Molly is 6 month child. She expresses herself mostly through such cues. This is because she is in need of physical as well as psychological care. In trying to understand the cues of Molly, it is important to emphasize the fact that same cues may convey different meanings. In dealing with such variations, the issue of age is of great significance. In this case, it is clear that Molly expresses herself in different ways. She often rubs her eyes and cries which mostly signifies that the infant is tired. Sue is able to notice this and take the appropriate action. She is also font of holding the edge of the blanket. Molly likes wimping and rubbing her eyes. In addition to that, Molly is seen snuggling into the shoulders of Sue. This is also a sign of restlessness. Moreover, when this child is being fed, she expresses her hunger. She holds the bottle which shows that she is enjoying the meal. On the other hand, the care giver, Sue is very keen on every move expressed by the child and moves with expediency to attend to the child. This is part of the requirements of such a care giver to the child. Sue is very sensitive on every move undertaken by the infant. Sue responds to the expressions of Molly in different ways. She is seen talking to the kid in a soothing voice. Though Molly does not speak, Sue asks her: Molly are you sleepy? She is seen talking to her gently because children are able to feel the tenderness from the voice even if they do not understand the words. At the same time, Sue responds to the need of the child by changing her nappies. This is after some wimping that makes Sue suspect that Molly needs her nappies done. The nappies are changes so as to make her more comfortable (CHCCN305A 20). As part of child care, Sue sings Molly’s favorite song. The song is sung to entice the child. In addition, Sue ensures that she gives the child full attention. Moreover, the attention that the child receives from Sue is amazing. She ensures that the child enjoys the company. All these responses are in line with the child’s cues that are expressed by Molly. Importance of meeting babies’ emotional needs Children, just like adults, also have emotional needs. Such needs must be attended to in order to ensure the growth and development of the child is not affected. Emotional needs of children include security, trust, attachment, personal value and respect (CHCCN305A 4). Being in a position to meet the child’s emotional needs makes the child feel loved and appreciated. Providing appropriate emotional satisfaction is good for the mind of the child. It makes reasoning and thinking easier. It is what makes social balance achievable in the life of the child. It is notable that both the physical needs and emotional needs work together to guarantee well-being of the child. None of the two can provide optimally sustain a child as he/she grows up. Task 2 As a caregiver, the first step in trying to assist Ellie settle is by seeking to understand her. This is in line with medical conditions, preferences of the child i.e. food, temperament, etc. The nature of the child will determine the strategies that can best be used to enable the child settle in the care centre very quickly (CHCCN305A 3). This is meant to deal with the stress that the parent may face especially those who had never used this service. The same is very hard even to the child. In order to deal with this kind of situation, there are a number of ways to lessen any bad feelings associated with it. The parents ought to provide some information concerning the likes and dislikes of the children to ensure that the care givers are able to try and implement that (CHCCN305A 5). Ellie is undergoing a transition and therefore it is important to ensure that such transition is done softly. This can involve using transitional objects. An example of such object is toys. Toys and teddy bears can provide a very excellent transition for Ellie. She will manage to play with it until she is very tired or very sleepy. This will enable Ellie cool-off a lot of unnecessary anxiety. At the end of it, the surrounding area where the child is must be decorated according to the needs of Ellie. From the bed to the nearby place must be decorated with childlike stuff in order to attract the attention of the child. After having looked at ways of ensuring that Ellie settles well, it is important to ensure that the anxiety of the parents is dealt with anyway. In order to address this, there are quite a number of approaches to deal with. For instance, it is important to ensure that the parent is free to visit Ellie at any time. This will ensure that the child slowly adapts to the absence of the mother (CHCCN305A 4). This is expected to keep reducing until finally the child has completely adapted to the mother’s absence. This may actually take some time depending on the responsiveness of the child. More so, Eric and Jack ought to be allowed to call and enquire how the infant is doing all the time. This will enable the parents have that feeling that actually they are still close to their child. In addition to that, the likes and preferences of the child are very important. Lastly, Ellie’s parents ought to take part in some of the activities involved in ensuring that he settles well in the care centre. All these activities are designed with the whole intention of quenching anxiety. It is believed that any form of platform will enable parents connect with the care centres. This will ensure that they have a frequent interaction with the centre and the child. Secondary attachment involves the relationship between the child and the care giver. It makes the entire process of helping Ellie easier. Secondary attachment reduces the level of anxiety that exists especially during the first day. Considering the nature of Ellie, there are many ways through which secondary attachment can benefit her. She is a very happy girl and this makes it a bit easier to connect especially when he is happy. When attending to the child, I can choose to be very gentle to him as much as I can. One of the tools to be used is a song. I may be expected to sing some soft song in order to entice her. This is because one of her likes is music. It is therefore easier to use that tool to reach to her easily. When holding her, those soft tender touches are a must. She must be touched in a very gentle manner when being held in my hands. This is said to have a significant impact on the child. In addition, I have to learn the concept of talking to her even though she does not understand. Talking to her smoothly is a very good way of developing secondary attachments. Therefore, I will learn on talking to her with very nice words and in a very soft manner. These are some of the activities that ought to be undertaken to necessitate secondary attachment. The information that has been given about Ellie is quite significant tin trying to create conducive environment for her. She must be fed on milk before and after sleep. Therefore, milk must be ready at the time she start showing signs of some form of restlessness. This is to ensure that she takes milk before and after sleep. As the care giver, I have to be very sensitive to take note when she rubs her eyes. This is more likely to be a sign of sleep. From the information that has been provided, Ellie likes trying to do something by herself. The environment ought to be put in place where such items like spoons and folks are available. During this period, it is very important to support the child in every trial that she makes. Another consideration for meeting their social and emotional needs is food. The appropriateness of the food to be offered to Ellie is actually determined by age. At the age of 9 months, Ellie ought to feed on milk a lot. Milk is very crucial for the development of Ellie. At this age, it is recommended that Ellie’s mother is able to provide breast milk for her since non-human milk is not encouraged. Many other food products have been prescribed in order to ensure that the appropriate food is given to the children. Task 3 Journal Entry 1 The first days with a child in a care centre is surely very trying. It takes some time in order to understand the peculiar cues that are used by the child. Having understood the significance of these cues in the life of the child, I had to ensure I familiarise myself early enough with the child. This is because I want to respond immediately as the child expresses herself/himself. When the child’s cues are interpreted and acted upon within a short period, it is one way of creating security. The child will develop a feeling that he is the hands of someone who understands his emotions and is in position to attend to them. There is communication simply because the care giver is able to decode the signals into the message. In addition, I had to ensure I am close as possible to the child. This ensured that I am able to bond with the child. Touching the child in a proper way indicates that indeed I am capable of handling the child. The more this is happening the more the child gains confidence in me. Journal Entry 2 Just as expected, the child expresses himself through cues. This is the language that all infants express themselves. Indeed there were a number of cues. In trying to understand the cues, every part of the body of the child matters so much. This is because every part is capable of communicating certain information. For instance, the child cried very hard. The child was crying and squirming at the same time. I interpreted this to be hunger on the side of the child. This is because it had also taken some time since the child took his last meal. Therefore, the baby was given food (breast milk) and he stopped crying. There was also incidence where the child was crying while at the same time pushing his legs very hard. Through this, the child was expressing discomfort. This was more likely the discomfort caused by urine. The nappies had to be changed in order to ensure that the child is comfortable. Journal Entry 3 During the first days of separation, it was surely hard as the care giver puts. Regardless of the strategies that are put in place with the aim of guaranteeing comfort, there were some struggles immediately after separation. This child struggled quite a lot because the parent did not adhere to all the guidelines provided. The parent was never consistent in relation to the time she was supposed to pick the child out of the care centre. This inconsistency made it difficult for the child to cope earlier. The same is also true when it came to the time the parent was expected to bring the child to the care centre. The parent used to come at different times and this was one of the contributors towards poor adjustment from separation. Therefore, this child struggled in adapting to this new system. He used to express discomfort through various ways. One of the ways was through the child used to express was through crying. This child actually was crying very frequently during the day. It took quite some time before the child could fully fit into the system. Nevertheless, the child finally got used though it had taken a lot of time. Part B There are several activities that do take place in the child care centres. Nevertheless, the main activity is to take good care of the children. I believe I am in a position to take good care of the child in the absence of the primary care giver. In that regard, there are a number of activities that I can comfortably use to ensure that the welfare of the child is not compromised. One of them is dressing and undressing. This indeed is an opportunity to interact with the child positively. During the dressing and undressing, I will hold the child very gently. Another activity is changing the nappies. This is meant to ensure that the child is staying comfortable. Lastly, I can interact well with the child during meal times. This is the moment where I will have to ensure that the child is well fed with the recommended food. Work Cited CHCCN305A: Provide care for babies. Develop and maintain a nurturing relationship with babies/infants, pg 1-24. CHCCN305A: Provide care for babies. Settle New Arrivals, pg. 1-15. CHCCN305A: Provide care for babies. Provide an environment that provides security for babies/infants, pg. 1-14. CHCCN305A: Provide care for babies. Respond to cues and needs of babies/infants, pg. 1-25. Stonehouse, Anne. “The more you know, the more you see: Babies’ and toddlers’ learning and the EYLF”. Research in Practice, 18.32011 (2011): 1-14. Print. NSW Government. Caring for Infants: A guide to feeding 0-12 month infants in long day care centers, pgs. 1-36. Read More