Child Care

General Stimulation

❯ Maintain eye to eye contact
❯ Help the baby turn his head to sound & light

Auditory

❯ Talk & sing to the baby while bathing, dressing, feeding
❯ Provide different sounds like rattle, bell
❯ Humming in soft voice

Visual

❯ Keep the baby in well lighted room
❯ Shine mobile, color balls & hang bright clothes

Tactile

❯ Put the baby on different surfaces like soft clothes, mattresses, rubber mat, mother's lap etc.

Kinesthetic

❯ Support the head &gently rock the child avoiding sudden jerky movements.

General Stimulation

❯ Hold the baby at the shoulder
❯ Place things just out of reach of the baby. Stimulate him to reach out & grasp the object

Auditory

❯ Give sound producing toys
❯ Talk to the child more frequently
❯ Point out the names of objects shown to the child

Visual

❯ Hang bright objects about 30 cm above the crib - Maintain eye contact while talking to the child

Tactile

❯ Give the child paper to crumble & things to bite & suck
Place the child on a rubber mat on the ground allowing him to move freely

General Stimulation

❯ Sit the baby in the mother's lap & ask her to gently bounce her knees singing songs
❯ Place the child flat on the back on the ground over a soft surface. Show him a colorful toy.
❯ Slowly turn him by flexing the far away leg. Assist him to turn over the tummy.
❯ Show an attractive toy & encourage the child to reach out
❯ Put your hands under the child's feet & move his legs up & down like pedaling a cycle

Auditory

❯ Shake a bell or a squeaky toy over the head of the baby. Encourage him to turn his head & locate the sound

❯ Call the child by his name
❯ Make the child sit as long as possible, giving support to the pelvis
❯ Give him pieces of paper to tear
❯ Encourage him to roll over his tummy by showing him colorful toys on one side

❯ Make the child stand by holding on to the furniture
❯ Encourage the child to clap his hands
❯ Give him small container & ask to drop small things into it
❯ Encourage him to produce monosyllables
❯ Show him picture books & assist to turn pages

❯ Let the child play with other children
❯ Name the body parts while bathing him
❯ Take the child on a walk & show him different animals & birds
❯ Do simple actions like clapping ,bye-bye & copying these actions.
❯ Encourage him to pull to stand by holding on to furniture
❯ Make the child sit in front of a mirror so that he can see himself

❯ Give picture books to the child.talk about what you see & let him turn the pages
❯ Ask him to put cubes one over the other
❯ Ask him to put things into the contair & then take out things out of the containter
❯ Hide a small toy under a cloth.encourage the baby to find the hidden toy
❯ Ask the child to scribble by drawing a few lines

❯ When you are taking children on long trips or holidays, it is a good idea to plan ahead. Here are some things to think about.
❯ If you are going by car, plan your travel so there are lots of stops along the way for children to run around and explore. You may not get there as quickly, but getting there is part of the holiday.
❯ Try to plan to arrive at where you are staying the night reasonably early, and you have a good amount of time at overnight stops. ❯ Plan overnight stops and lunch stops at places which are child-friendly, eg. near parks or playgrounds.
❯ Go into toilets with your children and make sure they wash their hands.
❯ Try to make your lunch stops a little before the usual lunch time. You'll get better service and it won't take quite so long.
❯ Holidays with young children are often better if they are fairly simple. For example, staying in one place where there is scope for children's activities may be preferable to doing lots of sightseeing (and they may appreciate seeing the sights more when they are a little older).

❯ Apart from the clothes that you normally take, it is helpful to take some things for the car trip. Here are some suggestions.
❯ Paper towels or wipes can have lots of uses.
❯ Take empty plastic bags for rubbish, dirty clothes and dirty nappies.
❯ Take a change of clothes for each child, something warm to put on, and sun hats (unless it is winter).
❯ It's a good idea to take an old icecream container or plastic bowl for accidents of any kind. It can do for a potty if a child has not been toilet trained for long, and there is nowhere to stop in an emergency.
❯ If you have a child who wets the bed, take a piece of plastic to protect mattresses.
❯ Take a bag of things to do on the trip (see Car travel below)
❯ Take some food, such as fruit, for when children need a snack on the way, and water to drink - avoid too many soft drinks. Small plastic water bottles with pop-tops can be very good.

❯ Safety note: Do not start the car until everyone's seat belt is fastened. Stop the car if a child undoes his seat belt or if children are distracting the driver.
❯ Never leave children alone in a parked car.
❯ Keep a spare key in your purse or wallet - if your car doesn't have remote locking, it can be easy to lock the keys in the car.
❯ Remove everything from the ledges above the steering wheel and below the back window - even small things can fly off and injure a child if you have to stop suddenly.
❯ Travelling at night so that your children sleep is not always a good idea - it is not safe to let them lie down on the seat without restraints. If they do sleep in the restraints, you will be tired the next day when they need supervision.
❯ Make sure that the sun does not shine directly on babies or young children in the car. Hang a piece of cloth from the closed window to provide shade if necessary.
❯ Try not to have too many things that children need to share. Sharing is hard at the best of times, and when children are tired is not the best of times. Have a pillow and a rug each, rather than one to share.
❯ Sit in the back with children for some of the time, if there is room. This makes the trip much more enjoyable for them. However, remember that the safest place in the car for children is in the back.

Babies

❯ Give your baby a rattle or musical toy to play with.
❯ Hang a mobile above the baby capsule/car seat.
❯ Have some different soft toys with you that you can give at different times for something new to look at.
❯ Tie a couple of your baby's favourite toys to her seat with a ribbon so that if she drops them she can get them back. Make sure the ribbon is not long enough to go around her neck.
❯ Sing while you drive.

Toddlers

❯ Give them something to eat and drink on the way - make it a "car picnic".
❯ Have some toys and books within easy reach. Note: if children get travel sick they should look at things outside the car, not inside.
❯ Play some children's music and sing along.
❯ Point out interesting things that you pass - "Look at the train / windmill / aeroplane / horses / sheep / etc.
❯ If it is a long trip, stop every little while and let your toddlers have a run in different places.

Children

❯ There are lots of interesting things you can do while travelling with preschoolers and older children.
❯ Look at a map before you leave and trace with your finger the way you will be going.
❯ Watch out for places along the way: "There is the church that we saw on the map".
❯ Count the cars, horses, bridges or other things along the way. Guess how many you will see before the next town.
❯ Sing some favourite songs.
❯ Make up some new verses for favourite songs.
❯ Play guessing games like "I'm thinking of an animal which is large and grey".
❯ If it is a long car trip, plan to stop at playgrounds or parks along the way.
❯ Have some toys, books and story CDs or tapes within easy reach.
❯ Have some wrapped parcels for surprises that children can unwrap as well as play with on the way.
❯ It is very hard for brothers and sisters not to fight if they have to sit in a car together for a long time. A high pile of pillows, clothes and blankets between them can make a handy "wall'' so that they each have their own "cave''.
Note: only use soft things for this wall.

❯ Travelling on a bus or train can be very exciting for young children. However, long trips can pose similar challenges to long trips by car. Young children can become bored with the scenery and with being confined witihin a cramped environment.
❯ Some suggestions for keeping children happy on buses or trains are:
❯ Check the bus number or the sign on the front of the bus that tells you where it is going.
❯ Look at the numbers of the stops or names of the stations.
❯ Let your child buy the ticket.
❯ Talk with them about the safe way to sit and move on buses and trains.
❯ Talk about how the bell works.
❯ Look for animals, buildings, trees, windmills, other trains or buses.
❯ Count how many times the bus or train stops.
❯ Ask your child to tell you a story.
❯ Look for familiar things that tell you when you are nearly home.
❯ Take food, drink, toys and books as in Car travel (above).

❯ There is no reason why you cannot take babies overseas with you, but very young babies do better if they have had at least a few weeks to get settled into being in the world before travelling.
❯ Very young babies do not have the same resistance to infection as older children and adults, and germs can be circulated in the warm air of the aircraft - so waiting a few months if you can is probably safer for your baby.
❯ If you are going overseas, check with your doctor or a travel medical adviser well in advance so you can get the vaccinations you need.
❯ Dress a child lightly for air travel - you can get blankets from the cabin staff if needed. Layers of clothes that you can take on and off are a good idea.
❯ Some airlines are better at supporting parents travelling with children. You may wish to ask other parents who have travelled previously about which airlines were most helpful.
❯ If you are able to organise your plane trip back to Australia to occur during the child's night time, then you are more likely not to disturb the child's pattern. The child is more likely to sleep through most of the trip, even if you find it difficult to sleep.
❯ It helps to carry a small baby in a sling so your hands are free, and take a fold-up stroller to sit toddlers in at airports.

❯ Try to avoid if possible taking any child who has a cold on a plane trip, because the fall in air pressure can cause severe ear problems and pain.
❯ If you have to take a child with a cold, see a doctor before the trip.
❯ If the child or adult has had a recent cold, using decongestant nose sprays, drops or medicines 15 to 20 minutes before take off and landing may help.