Wiki virtual child

Teneasha B ECEP 103 March 2014
It’s a BOY: Jahiem
THE VIRTUAL CHILD
ASSIGNMENT

The Infant Years (0-4 Months)
How does your baby’s physical, social/emotional and intellectual domains compare to the
developmental milestones patterns? Is it typical?
Developmental
Domain
Answer
(Your original
thoughts)
Prove It
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Example
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Physical
I think my virtual
child’s physical
development as an
infant is typical. It is
normal for babies to
lose weight after birth
and regain back their
healthy baby weight
back few weeks after
birth. The importance
of weight for a new
born is high because it
may lead to problems
in growth and
development. Proper
nutrition in early days
of birth is very
essential.
The third factor affecting
physical growth is
nutrition, intake from the
breast milk or formula is
important, during infancy,
especially when physical
growth is so rapid. ( Kali pg.
114) If the infant is gaining
weight slowly there are
risks for developing
physical or psychological
problems. The brain is the
fastest growing part in the
body during the first years
and it requires essential
nutrients from breast milk
or formula feedings to keep
up. The body’s energy level
is devoted on growth and
40 percent consists on that
energy as early as 2 months
old from the nutrition
provided in meals. (Kali pg.
111
In the first week my virtual
child lost weight from lack
of eating, he wasn’t as
hungry. Eventually he
began feeding heartily and
gained some weight back.
(My Virtual Child)
Social /
Emotional
My baby’s social
/emotional domain is
crying at night and
loud intensive out
bursts. Comparing my
baby to the
developmental
milestones pattern his
development is typical.
The importance of
crying being a sign of
social and emotional in
such young age is to
“Cries (with tears) to
communicate” (ages &
stages). The mother begins
to lactate when the baby
cries because of the
hormonal connection
between the baby and
mother. Crying is the new
born first attempts to
communicate with others.
It is their verbal way of
trying to tell us something
if they were able to speak.
My virtual baby is waking
up during the night crying
at night communicating
that he is hungry,
uncomfortable, wet or
hurt. This is a way of trying
to get parental attention,
and have verbal
communication with
crying. My baby’s cry
began to change being
rhythmic and moderately
loud when he is hungry,

identify the need of
the infant from
different types of cries
and then caring for
them in the correct
way they want to be
cared and building that
understanding bond
together.
There are differences in
crying, a basic cry starts
softly, then turns into a
more intense and usually
occurs when the infant is
hungry or tired; a mad cry
is more intense version of a
basic cry; and a pain cry
begins with sudden, long
burst of crying, followed by
a long pause, and grasping.
It does not matter the type
of cry, every type captures
the attention of parents.
(Kali pg.101)
wet, or cold. If he is
startled, there is a sudden
intake of breathe and a
loud wail, followed by
more deep breathes and
louder wails. (My Virtual
Child)
Intellectual
I think my virtual
child’s intellectual
development is typical.
He is able to hold both
eyes in a fixed position
and admires his
surrounds, observing
people and objects
with his eyes. The
importance I feel of
these physical
development is the
growth of muscles, fats
and bone having ability
of being mobile and or
develop healthy
nutritional habits.
My virtual child visual
development is similar to
us adults, he can see
things, scanning the
environment and has
ability to focus on nearby
objects. Infants can
distinguish different sounds
and use sounds to judge
the distance and location
of object. Infants also can
tell of perceptual
constancies.(Kali pg. 136)
My virtual child shows
more interest in his
surroundings. He is smiling
at familiar people and
toys, is able to laugh at
surprising or funny things,
and is developing lots of
cute little habits. He is a
lot more curious about the
world around him. My
virtual child also has the
ability to focus his eyes on
my face, spending lots of
time studying it and
anyone else who comes
close to him

Developmental
Domain
Answer
(Your original
thoughts)
Prove It
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Example
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Physical
I think in the ages
between 5-8 months
my virtual child is
above typical physical
development. He is a
lot more active than
the average infant
growing development
milestones for physical
development. He is
crawling and walking
earlier than the
average infant
therefore he is more
advanced in his
physical ability.
According to the ages and
stages child development
handout it says that by 8
months the infant should
be able to raise their arm
and knees into the crawling
position; and rock back and
forth, but may not move
forward. (Ages & stages)
but my virtual child can do
more than just roll over at
8 months.
My virtual baby is a very
active crawler and is
always moving, always on
the go. He has been the
curious type, wanting to
know about the world
around him since 3
months old.
Social /
Emotional
I think my virtual baby
is typical in social and
emotional
development. My
virtual baby cries a lot
when he is trying to
communicate a sense
of fear, sad or angry. In
this case of separation
he cries because he
might have fear of me
his mother not
returning. But once I
am out of the sight he
usually calms down.
The benefit of this
attachment is that it
can help the child build
Showing mild server
anxiety towards parent
separation is normal for
infants. (Ages & Stages).
The mother and baby
connect through a social
and emotional relationship
where the baby expresses
an attachment called
secure attachment; the
baby cries when the
mother departs but when
she returns the baby wants
to be with her. (Kali pg.
189)
When I drop my virtual
baby off at daycare he is a
little reluctant to part from
me and starts to cry. After
I leave the premises he
quickly gets over it. (My
Virtual Child). My virtual
baby shows preference at
8 months old when having
to choose between me
and my partner he goes
for me (especially when
distressed). (My Virtual
Child)

a trusting relationship
to others and not the
mother or caregiver
alone.
Intellectual
I think It is normal at
this age to show
communication by
babbles and expressive
talking through
intellectual
development. I think
my baby is in the
typical stage of
develop when it comes
to this area. Speech
begins with cooing at
first which leads to
babbling and then
turns into intonation.
A child perceiving their
speech is the ability to
learn a language and
distinguish the basic
speech sounds. The
building blocks of language
are phonemes, use of
unique sounds that are
joined together to create
words. (Kali pg. 167) “the
appearance of intonation in
babbling indicates a strong
link between perception
and production of speech:
infants babbling is
influenced by the
characteristics of the
speech that they hear.(Kali
pg. 169)
My virtual baby at 8
months, started making
different sounds, to
develop language skills
and communication skills.
Babbling sounds and
strings of sounds that have
the same intonations
English sentences.(My
Virtual Child)
Developmental
Domain
Answer
(Your original
thoughts)
Prove It
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Example
(Avoid Plagiarism)
is showing typical
My virtual child having the
ability to hold an object
The doctor’s report
explains the

Physical
patterns for physical
development. My baby
is using his large motor
skills to lift his arm and
pull himself to standing
position and his hands
to pick up objects and
throw them at far
distance. Physical
development in this
age group is important
for a baby transitioning
from baby to toddler to
have an ability to show
use of large muscles in
their legs and arms.
and throw it using his gross
motor skill is a maturity
development. Within a
little more to a year
toddlers advance in
postures and locomotion,
with movement into an
upright, standing position
as infants who walks
through the environment.(
Kali pg. 126)
To master walking, infants
must acquire distinct skills
of being able to stand
upright, maintaining
balance, stepping
alternately, and using
perceptual information to
evaluate surfaces. (Kali pg.
128)
developmental progress of
baby. My baby is advanced
in his gross and fine motor
skill and enjoys crawling,
pulling up to stand and
manipulating objects. My
virtual baby enjoys
throwing his toys of his
crib and watches what
happens after, a part of his
physical activity and
mental energy level of the
child. My baby is very
active, highly active
children may sleep less, be
more restless, and engage
in more physical activity.
(My Virtual Child)
Social /
Emotional
is showing typical
patterns for social and
emotional
development. Crying to
express his feelings and
thoughts, whether it be
angry, sad or unloved.
Later at 12 months my
baby began to show
better development in
social development,
getting along with
others. Social and
emotional
development is
important because
children can learn to
develop negative
relationships at a
young age instead if he
don’t help stir it into a
positive relationship.
My virtual child is able to
express his self of fear or
anxiety towards strangers.
(Ages & stages) When
strangers come to visit, he
starts to cry. If the person
gets close he begins to cry
as well. However after a
while of comfort, manages
to smile. “How wary an
infant feels around
strangers depends on
number of factors”. (Kail
pg. 182) stranger
weariness relates to a very
important concept in child
development called,
“attachment”. A child
being weariness of a
stranger or new person
coming around gives a
natural restraint against
the child to wander away
In the report explaining
the five dimensions of
temperament describes
the baby’s behavior in
emotionality showing that
my baby is highly
emotional. Highly
emotional children may
show more of everything
(anger, joy, sadness) and
more fluctuation in moods
to extend to reason for my
virtual child to cry, being
afraid of the new comer/
stranger. (My Virtual Child)
The child started to show
more progress in social
development as he got
older at the age of 12
months and gained a
closer relationship to the
in- home baby sitter,
Melody. He had ability to

from the person.
Eventually like my virtual
child that habit leaves as
they learn that stranger is
caring and friendly. (Kali
pg. 182)
socializing with more than
one person outside the
family.(“healthy
development”, Lisa Week
1)
Intellectual
I think my baby’s
intellectual
development is typical
at 9-12 months old. He
is pronouncing words
and has a clear
understanding of what
the actual object is. He
is using his fine motor
skill by pointing to the
object in sight. The
importance of
intellectual
development in this
stage is having the
ability to communicate
and use language and
physical movement to
convey a message to
the caregiver.
At 9 months old my virtual
baby began to show
understanding of a few
words and pointing.
Growing to 12 months he
shows a lot more
understanding to a dozen
words and I able to point
to the objects asking
questions. He even
pronounced his first word
at the age of 12 months.
(Ages & stages) the baby
expresses language
developmental domains
with clear communication
skills using his lips, ears,
and speaking ability to
understand. Children learn
from experiences, learning
can come from imitation
as well. Watching the way
the parent or caregiver
behaves, for example
mommy waves her hand
when she says bye-bye and
say the words, and the
toddler will repeat in
imitation.(Kali pg. 163)
An intellectual
development example
from my virtual child is the
expansion in words. (My
Virtual Child) My virtual
baby has learned more
words to add to his
vocabulary, by 12 months
through imitation and
actions. He is a lot more
interested and paying
close attention to
conversations. (ages &
stages)
The Toddler Years (2 Years old)
How is your child progressing based on typical toddler development?
Give specific examples in the areas of Physical, Social / Emotional and Intellectual domains.
Developmental
Domain
Answer Prove It
(Avoid Plagiarism)
Example
(Avoid Plagiarism)

(Your original
thoughts)
Physical
is showing typical
patterns for physical
development. My
virtual child’s
independence level is
growing, physically, he
beginning to show
signs that he does not
need a hand in help
any more with certain
things.
At the age of 2 years old
my virtual child began to
show he is ready to do
things on his own.
stages booklet my virtual
child is showing typical
signs to be independent.
(Ages & stages). Toddlers
like to be independent and
doing things for
themselves is a part of
learning. Toddlers are
surer of themselves and of
what they can do as they
grow. (Ages &stages)
An example of physical
development for my
virtual child at the age of 2
years old he doesn’t seem
to need a lot of support
and guidance to get basic
things done, such as
putting on his slippers.(My
Virtual Child)
Social /
Emotional
My virtual child is
continuing to build on
his communication. I
think my virtual child is
typical in social and
emotional
development for his
age, he prefers to play
with boys but gets
along with girls.
Communicating with
the parents he likes to
imitate me. My virtual
child throws up
tantrums when he
doesn’t get things to go
his way.
My virtual child is
beginning to develop a
change in behavior with
frequent tantrums because
of his temperament. His
temperament allows him
to change his mood style.
“For example, all babies
become upset occasionally
and cry”. (Kali pg. 201)
temperament is linked to
school success, good peer
relations, and compliance
with parents. (Kali pg.
205). Scientist follow
Thomas and chess’s lead in
looking for links between
children with
temperament problems
and the results of
development and they
discovered that
temperament is influenced
by development.
An example of social and
emotional development
for my virtual child is that
when he is around other
children he is somewhat
hesitant in large groups of
children. He first watches
at an angle then joins
afterwards enjoying
playtime with the group of
children, smiling and
imitating each other. His
communication skills have
gotten better, but has
difficulty understanding
other people’s
perspectives. My virtual
child is capable of frequent
tantrums, when I wanted
my child to put on his
jacket before heading
outside to play since the
weather is cold he said,

Temperament also
influences children’s
behavior towards other
people. (Kali pg.205)
NO! And threw a temper
tantrum.(My Virtual Child)
Intellectual
My virtual child scored
in the above average
range test of language
comprehension. I think
he is atypical above,
because he I able to
use his cognitive skills
and communicating
skills. His
communication skills
are growing by leaps
and bounds, he is able
to speak 3-4 word
sentences and his
vocabulary has been
expanding great
because of his intense
desire to learn more.
stages booklet a child at
the norm of typical
intellectual development
should be able to use 2-3
word sentences. But my
virtual child uses 3-4 word
sentences when
communicating. (Ages &
stages). “When the ability
to produce sound is
coupled with the 1-year-
old’s advanced ability to
perceive speech sounds.”
(kali pg.170),
An example of intellectual
development for my
virtual child is when he
uses complete and
grammatically mature
sentences in a
conversation. He is good at
solving problems that he
actually plans out in his
head. For example, How to
get a toy or other objects
hidden or out of reach.
(My Virtual Child)

The Infant years (Birth to 18 Months Old)
Identify specific health and safety considerations that you will have to consider during the infant
years.
How will you address these issues? (Use the APE strategy)
Universal Practices
A) Universal practices are health and safety precautions consisting of Hygiene practices, Hand
washing, Toileting Routine, Cleaning and sanitizing. It is important in a high quality childcare
program to keep the health status of children and the environment protected from germs and
diseases. Following these precautions will ensure the health and safety standard are always
met.
P) Hygiene practices involve the simple hand wash and diapering an infant. Keeping on top of the
effective hand washing reduces illness of children and educators. It also includes having infection
control, hand washing reduces the spread of infections in programs. (Pimento pg. 129) the most
common way to allow germs to enter in our bodies is through our mouth, from everything we touch.
Children touch and share everything in a program from personal objects to toys and food you name it. It
is difficult to see these germs even though we know they are there. “But if we pay particular attention to
when and how we wash our hands, we accomplish the most significant practice in infection control.
Participating in physical contact activities helps build a greater chance of the germs being exposed. To
prevent this, it is important that educators and parents wash their hand immediately after each activity
and before beginning a new one. Five important components in hand-washing routine are running
water, soap, friction, drying hands, and turning off the taps. (Pimento pg.130)
E) My virtual child did not experience any illness based on germs or infections. However an
example of proper

Hygiene practice would be after changing the virtual child’s diaper or breast feeding and transition
from one environment to another, the proper use of hand washing and keeping the area clean that I am
around would be a positive way to prevent germs from spreading and not create an infectious
atmosphere for my baby.
Immunization
A) Immunizations records is an important piece information needed to have in a daycare setting
and more importantly on record at the doctor’s office. Immunization (or vaccination) protects
people from disease by introducing a vaccine into the body that triggers an antibody response
as if you had been exposed to a disease naturally. (Immunize Canada) It is an important health
practice that educators and children must implement to reduce the spread of infections.
P) Immunization is one of the most important ways of promoting the health of children. (Pimento pg.
123) without these immunizations, children are susceptible to infections. Doctors provide children born
in Canada with already made appointments to make sure each child is up-to-date with their vaccines.
Having this on record is important for the educator in order to protect each child and prevent those who
have not gotten to vaccine to get it quickly.
E). My virtual child is a boy and along with his assessment and the few days after he was born my doctor
made appointments for me to bring him in for a check-up to get his vaccine because he is a new born
baby and being exposed to the environment outside and allow the germs to cause him to fall ill. “Some
parents in Canada, however, choose not to immunize their children for personal reasons”. (Pimento pg.
124)
Serious Occurrence
A) Serious occurrence is an important practice of health and safety for children involving any
injuries that happen to children in the program. Serious occurrence can be a child that is
missing and found, fire or flood, and death.
P) Serious occurrence reporting is an ongoing process with annual summary and analysis reports. “It is
essential that educators recognize the importance of reporting serious occurrence consistency and view
the annual review process as a training opportunity to continue learning about high-quality early
childhood environments”. (Pimento pg. 377) It beneficial to the children and the educator, to input
better performance strategies.
E) An example of serious occurrence is when there is a child missing for couple minutes and was
found. There should be a reporting stating everything that happened up to and after the child was

found. Reporting this helps to take notice and close attention to help prevent another child from turning
up missing as well. And we want to insure the parents are aware of the situation too.
The five W’s of safety
A) The importance of the five W’s of safety is to develop policies and strategies that are
relevant, practical, and effective. It involves children using their small motor skills and their
large motor skills. Like, crawling, walking, climbing, riding a bike, using scissors falling or cut
themselves. They stand for “Who, What, Why, Where and when the issue happened.
P) The WHO means the children with injuries that can sustain due to physical abuse, violence and
attempted suicide is called either intentional or excluded? WHY did it happen falls under children that
learn through exploration, motivation, growth? The physical and cognivitie development immaturity of
young children increases their risk of injury. Factors to really consider are the gender and temperament.
“Gender differences play a role in injuries because boys are often involved in more physically
challenging activities.” (Pimento pg. 358) Boys are very active and risk takers while girls are quiet with
less chances of getting hurt. WHERE, involves where the injuries occurs, injuries occur more in the home
of the child. Injuries happen less in the childcare center because of the requirement from the (CSA)
Canadian standards Association. WHEN, injuries can happen any time especially when there is poor
supervision, poor ratios, children get hungry and or tired, and misuse of equipment or weather changes
in the environment.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance in safety of the
five W’s. An example of the five W’s of safety is to use the five sources and help promote a healthy
environment for the children. Making sure all activities and learning environments are developmentally
appropriate. Ensuring that the surfaces adequately maintained and playtime the equipment is used
properly, along with efficient supervision. It is very important for educators too design and implement
injury prevention strategies.
Exclusion policy
A) The exclusion policy means when the child can be accepted or not into the childcare.
Whether or not the child should be accepted or not is determined by if the child is too sick,
and if it may affect the other children. Educators and the directors using the exclusion
policy try to make each child happy, comfortable and healthy in the program. Concerns of
the illness being contagious is an important part of observation as well as if a child is really
ill and needs one on one attention which then can affect the way they participate with
others. This one on one attention also interferes with the supervision of the educators
caring for all the other healthier children.
P) The exclusion policy is there to help and prevent the spreading of serious illness around the children
in the childcare program. “As educators your role is not to diagnose but to recognize signs of infection
and refer children to health professionals” (pimento pg. 171). It is important to communicate with
parents, staff and health professionals, and look and listen to identify signs and symptoms of illness,
implement the program policies into their role effectively, document down the procedures taken and
help each child feel better. There are times when children must be excluded from the program, two
serious exclusions where a child must be absent are if the child has pink eye and head lice. An educator

must seek medical attention if the child has change in breathing, pain, difficulty swallowing, stiff neck,
rash with fever, rash with change in behavior or any other concerns about the child’s well beings. (Illness
management, Lisa 2014)
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance in exclusion
policies provided to keep children safe and healthy from the spread of serious and minor illnesses
occurring anywhere and at any given time. Though there might be ways to prevent illness spreads
children are still likely to get sick, with these procedures educators are aware of steps to take when
dealing with children, and their family with an illness matter.
Infant health and wellbeing
A) An infant’s health consists of many components one major component being their immune
system as they grow and get older starts to develop a lot stronger. Because it is weak at
birth and has to mature in time. Keeping the environment and the mothers and any persons
contact clean among the baby can help build the infants immune system strong and healthy.
Providing the proper nutrition and keeping up with the infant’s immunizations is the key to
successful immunity development. Another component to an infant’s health and wellbeing
is the risk of SIDS, handling safety procedures to prevent an infant from falling asleep and
not waking back up. SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome) is important for educators and parent to
know this act is child abuse. Never should anyone shake a new born baby in any
circumstances. Diaper changing rashes need to follow good hygiene practices to prevent
fecal contamination in childcare programs. I think there are benefits for using disposable
diapers over the cloth diapers because it is more absorbent, there are cruiser diapers that fit
snugly around the thighs and waist to contain the urine and stool, they are for sure water
proof and fits more comfortably.
P) “The immunity system provides us with protection from specific infections.” (Pimento pg.115)
Because infants get sick very often when they are growing up. This is very common but the good thing is
it gets better as they get older. Infants are fed the proper nutrients through the umbilical cord and after
birth are fed by breast milk or formula. To prevent allergies introducing one thing at a time is suggested.
(Infant health, Lisa 2014). Infants tend to sleep for long hours lasting from 16- 18 hours a day, however,
often the sleep is broken up into short intervals. (Infant health, Lisa 2014). SIDS (Sudden Infants Death
Syndrome) means a healthy baby fallen asleep and never wakes up. Some infants are at higher risk
when they are born because they are premature, had low birth weight, or exposed to cigarette smoke.
SIDS can happen to infant, infants put to sleep on their tummy and infants over dressed and become
overheated are also at risk. SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome) comes with serious long term effects to
infants, the effects may include brain damage, learning disabilities, physical injuries and even death. You
should never shake a baby! To prevent the risk of SBS, if the person caring for the child needs a break or
to take a breather from frustration or stress, seeking help or support from someone close in the family
will help or placing the baby in a safe environment, like the crib for a while and coming back should be a
healthy replacement from shaking the baby. (Infant health, Lisa 2014) hygiene practices involving diaper
changing are put out to help prevent fecal contamination. “Researchers continue to compare the
amount of fecal contamination in programs from disposable diapers with that from cloth diapers.”
(Pimento pg.135)Fecal contamination can occur when using cloth diapers when there are stools leaking

through or dripping down the legs of a child. “Instead, diaper covers that fasten at the waist permit the
educator to remove the cover and diaper in one step, reducing the risk of contaminating the program’s
environment.” (Pimento pg.135). If the spill happens in the cover up the risk of contamination is
prevented and can easily be washed off during the changing process. Hand washing is always included
as proper hygiene practice with the diapering routine. Proper diapering is also a way of preventing
diaper rashes, changing the child’s diaper often and cleaning the child properly is important. “If the child
has a diaper rash, consider: using an ointment with zinc, wipe the child carefully, avoid certain foods and
seek medical attention if necessary”. (Infant health, Lisa 2014)
E) When my virtual child was born I had the choice of using cloth diapers or disposables. Even
though cloth diapers are more environmentally friendly they do consume so much of your time. I chose
to use the disposable diapers because I find it a lot easier. My virtual child immunes system was weak in
the beginning but with the practice of hand washing always after he played with other children and toys
it got better. His immune system got stronger around the age of 2 but he still caught a couple of minor
colds. Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of SIDS AND
SBS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Shaken Baby Syndrome). I have the knowledge of knowing if my
baby is at risk from birth, his birth weight was 7-8 normal birth weight for boys. I will reduce the risk if
SIDS by laying my babies to sleep on their backs while asleep. In frustrating moments I will never turn to
shaking my babies I will turn to put them in their playpens and walk in to a secluded area where I am at
no harm to anyone.
Ratio
A) Ratio is important in childcare centers, comparing the number of staff to the number of
children is to count child ratio. The age group the child falls into determines the level of ratio
each class requires. Infants, birth to 18 months are ratio at 1:3, toddlers, 18 months to2 ½
years old are ratio at 1:5, preschoolers, 2 ½ to 5 years are ratio 1:10 and school aged is ratio
at 1:12. The importance of ratio is to know the number of children and provide the effective
supervision towards each child in the childcare. Knowing your ratios prevents serious
occurrences from happening, for example missing children, injury, or ill child needing more
attention. It is important to have enough staff and extra in case of emergency.
P) “Regular safety checks are an essential component of injury prevention”. (Pimento pg. 391) safety
checks help to know the surroundings to know when the staff is out of ratio and in the correct ratio
range for the safety of each child. Children love to be curious and experimental in their own way, they
tend to get caught into trouble and need help coming out of that situation, never understanding the
consequences.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of ratio in a
childcare program. The knowledge of knowing how many children are present daily helps to set up a
sufficient schedule fit for staffs to supervise each child, example if a child is injured from playing and
needs direct attention to get well and that requires one educator to come out of the ratio range, there is
an opportunity to find an educator who is free or the supervisor of the program to help keep the ratios
Baseline observation

A) Baseline Observation is important in childcare programs for health and safety promotion.
Acknowledging the importance of daily health observations, identifying the level of illness of
the child entering the program whether they might need to be excluded for the day or to
protect any illnesses spreading and provide the best comfort for the child not feeling well.
Communication with the parents is a part of baseline observation to help understand the
family routine and next steps to continue after the parents have dropped of their child.
P) Baseline observation is done as each child is dropped off in the morning. It includes looking and
listening for ill symptoms as they arrive. Discussion with the parents of any concerns regarding the
child’s health is important by knowing if the child is safe and healthy. “These conversations with parents,
and educator’s familiarity with the children, establish a daily baseline to identify behavioral changes in a
particular child for the rest of the day”. Educators use the observing from the beginning of the day to
help monitor the child thought out the rest of the day. “Educators who observe the following early signs
of allergies in children can assist parent and health care provider in the diagnosis: recurring colds and
ear infections, nosebleeds, headaches, stomachaches, and dark circles under the eyes”. (Pimento pg.
165)
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of baseline
observation for educators to cooperate with the children and families in the programs observing and
addressing the needs of all the children that are ill and needing support. For example, a child who had a
family emergency where the parents spent the night in the hospital for a close family member, the child
may of lost sleep during the night. The baseline observations help to communicate with the parents and
have that information and understanding when they see dark circles under the child’s eye, he/she is just
tired and might require a longer nap during the day.
Allergies
A) Allergies happen when a child’s immune system reacts to a new or unusual substance such
as dust, peanuts or cow’s milk. It is important for all childcare programs to be aware of the
allergies of all children in the program. Posting allergy awareness of children’s specific
allergies tell parents the program is peanut free environment, that they should not bring
anything containing nuts in and there is be absolutely none in the program given out to a
child. The health and safety matter with allergies is the importance of knowing what to do if
encountered an allergic reaction.
P) To prevent an outbreak from an allergic reaction is to eliminate the exposure to all allergies capable
of being triggered. Communication to parents should always be met when it comes to allergies,
educators should find out the name of the allergy which the child is allergic to, specific symptoms, steps
to prevent the child being exposed, the actions to take once a child has any symptoms and what
medications the healthcare provider has prescribed or recommended. (Pimento pg.188). Educators
should always scan the environment of the children surrounds to recognize any risk leading to a
spontaneous outbreak especially when playing outdoors. It is the programs duty to express the policy
and prevention practices should include: medical forms completed by child’s health care provider
outlining management of allergies, what educators need to be aware and instructions on handling
emergencies situations, posting lists of children with photos allergies in the kitchen/ bulletin board. The
educators need to document allergic reactions in child’s file, requiring all parents to give children
medication 24 hours prior administering it into the program (Pimento pg. 188-189)

E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of Allergy
awareness. It is important to know the common allergies of the children in the program to be able to
prevent any from occurring and the steps to help in emergencies because some allergies are minor and
some are severe. The most severe allergic reaction is called anaphylactic shock, it affects the whole body
and quick. For example if a child was outside playing and in the summer a bee stung the child the child
should have a epi-pen ready on scene to be administered by the educator to stop the reaction or slow it
down giving time for the educator to contact the medical professional and parents of the child.
Developmental Domains
A) Children develop differently in different domains, some are above typical which is above
normal or advance and some fall under atypical which is below, at a slower pace. Children
development in area like physical development, cognitive development, language
development, and social and emotional development. Growing stronger and wiser children
learn to use their skills such as fine motor skills, using their fingers to grip and hold on to
objects and their gross motor skills to run around, walk or even hold a bottle.
P) Physical development has three factors that conclude it being the growth in the body’s size and
ability. The three are heredity, the hormones, and nutrition all play an important roles in children’s
physical growth. (Kail pg. 113). Fine gross motor skills involve a child using their small muscle, gross
motor skills involve larger muscles. “The cognitive development is focused on how children think and
how their thinking changes over time.”(Kali pg. 9). Jean Piaget believed the children are naturally
motivated to make sense of the physical and social world. “Crawling is an activity that involves using
motor skills, coordinated movement of the muscles and limbs”( kali pg.125) using the fine motor skills a
toddler learn to hold their own bottles and feed themselves as well as transitioning from finger foods to
spoon feed solid foods. Language development is having the ability to use their communication skills,
using ears, lips to speak and understand. Children with an expensive style use language as a social tool
to enhance interaction with others. (Kali pg. 174).social development and emotional development
connect together where children learn to getting along with others expressing feelings and emotion in
free play activities.
E) My virtual child expressed his developing domains in different situations, sometimes he was atypical
and most times he was typically developing for his age. My virtual child was able to express his self of
fear or anxiety towards strangers. When strangers come to visit, he starts to cry. If the person gets close
he begins to cry as well. However after a while of comfort, managed to smile and get along with the
person. Another example my virtual child is above typical physical development. He is a lot more active
than the average infant growing development milestones for physical development. He is crawling and
walking earlier than the average infant therefore he is more advanced in his physical ability.
Poisoning
A) Poisoning is important to be aware of and being cautious of its presence as well. Some
poisonings can be fatal and some result in the child or person being really sick. You can get
food poisoning from eating or drinking bad, contaminated foods. Even in the safest place of
your home you can get poisoning from carbon monoxide which can cause a coma or death.
Almost anything can or contain poisonous substances in an early childcare program, the

great outdoors and in our lovely homes. It is important to be aware of the poison and know
the steps and strategies to go by preventing any poisonous actions.
P) Many children die from poison some are even hospitalized for serious injuries. “It is a common
pediatric emergency that can be traumatic experience. In fact poisoning is the fourth cause of injury
hospitalization for preschoolers.” (Pimento pg. 372). Educators must take serious precautions to prevent
any children from coming in contact with poison. “Poison proofing”, is to identify and keep the
hazardous products out of children’s reach. From time to time this proofing is done often similar to a fire
drill in order to keep the children safety on point. Because most poisoning incidents happen in children
aged 1-4, for they are developmental stage of putting items in their mouths and to explore is a part of
their growth. (Pimento pg. 373)
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of poison
proofing. It is important for educators and parents to provide an environment not only developmentally
appropriate but also physically safe for child to be active and play without the harm of hazardous
products. Poison proofing is a process used to address the poison and prevent it from ever coming in
contact of any persons. Locking away and proper labelling products for the safety protection of each
children is important.
Equipment safety
A) The safety of children indoor and outdoor play equipment is important in a childcare
program. Children need to use equipment’s to help grow and develop well, but as the
children explore, and play in the childcare environment it is highly important to assure that
the materials and equipment the children are using are safe and secure always. Equipment
and materials don’t necessarily have to be just toys, it could be random appliances inside a
childcare program and the home of the child like their crib or a laundry basket.
P) Outdoor equipment safety is important because children who play outdoors on the playground tend
to get injured more than children who play indoors. To prevent these incidents from occurring
educators have to provide appropriate age developing equipment for each child at their age level and
abilities to play with. “The CSA Standards are intended to promote and encourage and encourage the
provision and use of outdoor play spaces that are well designed, well maintained, innovative, and
challenging to support children’s healthy development.” (Pimento pg. 381). Safety check consist of daily
inspecting of the toys for broken parts or pieces that need repairing, sharp or splintered edges, or
possible chipped paint rusting metal etc.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of equipment
safety in a childcare program and my home. Let’s say for example in a home there is a playpen that is
used as a bed, change table and the bottom is empty. Safety practices for the playpen would be to
ensure the sides are all up and secure, not storage toys or any other sort of materials in the base of the
pen or around for children to climb, keep the playpen out of sunlight, and to prevent strangling keep
drapery cords in a secure area away of reach of children.
Blood
A) The importance of blood in health and safety for children is serious and important when it
comes to protecting a child from a virus and germs. Blood can contain viruses that can be

passed through person to person or object to person. Proper safety practices will help
prevent any unwanted spread of the virus or germs available. More importantly I think the
number one way to protect yourself is to always wear clean disposable gloves whenever you
have to come in contact with any bloody fluid, changing a diaper or cleaning a wound. And
don’t forget to wash your hands.
P) “In addition to the occasional use during diapering and the toileting routine for toddlers, disposable
gloves (non- latex) are used when educators are at risk of exposure to blood or bloody fluids. (Pimento
pg.144). Many childcare programs recommend using glove when taking care of a child with bloody
diapers or an open bleeding wound to protect themselves. Wearing glove provide a protective barrier
against germs that can cause an infection. Even though you wore a glove during the process after
removing the gloves you still should wash your hand to fulfill affective safety practices.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of Blood in health
and safety for children attending childcare programs. An example would be having an infection control
strategy as a policy and routine practice is one of the best ways to prevent infections and reduce the risk
of spreading any viruses in the childcare program. As well as breaking the chain of transmission and
including that effective hang washing procedure.
Safety Rules
A) Safety rules in childcare programs is a top priority for the educators to enforce. Having
safety rules enforces the safety of all children is met. Having safety rules reduces potential
injuries for the children because they are young and not sure what is right or wrong. The key
is prevent the wrong doings from occurring. Children are young and mindful they tend to
forget the rules so repetitiveness is a great way to keep reinforcing the importance of rules
and the reasons we have to keep going over them.
P) Rules alone cannot ensure children’s safety. Educators will consider few elements when developing
rules, the age of the children, making sure the activity is developmentally appropriate, provide a safe
environment, stay in ratios of supervision, knowledge of previous injuries related to the planning
activity. (Pimento pg.398). Rules can change as educators help to remind the children of their safety and
playing appropriately together. Rules can be simple classroom rule to respect the classroom and others
or in game and free play to keep each child safety. Educators who can continually restate the same rules
many times a day probably should reevaluate either the rule or activity. (Pimento pg. 399). To ensure
the rules are always in the same range developmentally appropriate and age appropriate for the
learning and activity play.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of safety rules for
our children in childcare programs. Children are curious and always experimenting getting into mess and
needing our help. With rules we create learning boundaries in any corner there might be danger larking.
For example children playing in the gym and freely doing any type of play though an obstacle course set
up, rule were No Running, No Screaming, No Pushing, and Freeze at the sound of the whistle, and tie
your shoes laces tight. These rules keep the children safe and help them enjoy the activity.

Safe Food Handling
A) Handling food especially for young children is strictly important. The way it is handled
affects its safety. The way we wash our foods is important, preventing food contamination.
The area in the kitchen, needs to be kept clean when preparing foods for children. Before
and after coming in contact with food it is important to use an antibacterial hand washing
soap to prevent bacterial from spreading. The temperature of raw and cooked meals is
important in health and safety practices.
P) One of the most important factors in handling food is its temperature. The general rule is “keeping
hot foods hot and cold foods cold”. (Pimento pg. 276) in order to prevent serious illnesses or death from
poor food handling educators need to practice to handle and store food safely to keep the health and
wellness of everyone. “If children or adults eat contaminated food, they are may experience discomfort,
mild or serious illness, or even death. (Pimento pg. 276)
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of safety in food
handling. Poor food handling can result in many illnesses or even death. In childcare programs all staff
should be trained to hand food properly and safely to prevent food borne illnesses. For example the
cook in the program kitchen makes snacks, and lunch for the children daily, they are made fresh every
day to lessen the risk of it getting spoiled or having to be waste. In preparing the meals he has to wash
his hand during different transition from cooked too raw or cold to hot. And most important the utensils
used must be clean!
Outdoor Play Equipment
A) Playing outdoors give children the chance to experience and experiment with a new
environment but making sure the children’s safety is well checked is highly important. The
experience with natures 1st hand, exploring different texture and colors helps with child
development. Outdoor play is very ideal for developing their gross motor skills. Children
have the opportunity to extend their play, take safe risks in their own outdoor playground,
playing outdoors is where the most injuries occur. The children’s space of play is a lot more
expanded and their free to move and do everything, through discovery and exploration.
P) The CSA standards are intended to promote and encourage the provision and use of outdoor play
spaces that are well designed, well maintained, innovative, and challenging to support children’s healthy
development. (Pimento pg. 381). It is important to keep the children safe when playing outdoors,
however, with many rule and restriction it seems to block out on essential developmental skills the
children learn on their own where educators observe and improvise into their lessons. Two major
characteristic of the environment have a major influence on the severity: the quality of the cushioning
and the height from which the child falls. Preventing a child from falling is difficult, falls are the most
common cause of injury in the outside environment. (Pimento pg. 371)
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of the safety of
children using outdoor play equipment. The playground is a much bigger space from inside the childcare
rooms and the ratios always need to be followed to ensure that the supervision of each child is 100%.
Children need to be actively supervised on equipment at all times to prevent juries and misusages to
certain materials and equipment.

Administering Medication
A) It is important for educators to know how to administer medication to children when they
are feeling ill. It is important to know which medication are permitted from being given to
children, what kind of doctor notes are need to administer certain medications. As well as
the safety in storing medication in the child care program out of reach from children.
P) To prevent serious occurrences from happening, for instance giving the wrong medicine to the wrong
child or in correct dosage, “know who is responsible for giving the medication during the day”. (Pimento
pg.183). Educators have forms filled out by parents with information of the child’s name and date, name
of medication, reason why it is needed the amount given and the time it was given as well as the route.
If the same person is giving the medicine to the same child or all of the children, it’s easier for that same
person to observe them and tell whether or not the child is getting better and if the child has already
gotten their medicine. When the medication needs to be administered to a child in the program, it is the
responsibility of the educator to make sure that over the counter medicine and prescribed medication
are accompanied with a doctor’s note.( Pimento pg.180). It is important to keep the medicines locked
away in a high area out of arms reach from children to prevent them from drinking something they’re
not recommended to.
E) Although there are no examples found in my reports, I am aware of the importance of administering
medication to children in a childhood program. Educator are alongside with the children mostly majority
of the day, they are the ones who are observing and have the ability to address the needs of ill children
and consider their best interests.

The Toddler Years (2 Years Old)
Have there been any environmental events that you think might have influenced your child’s
development?
Does this create any health or safety concerns for your toddler? (Use the APE strategy)
Quick! Mommy Is Sick!
A) An environmental event that happened in my virtual child assignment was when I got sick, I was
hospitalized for a week with bronchitis that developed into pneumonia. My virtual baby was not
able to visit and he kept asking when I would be able to come home to him. Even though I
explained it was only temporary, it wasn’t enough. I think it influenced my baby’s development
with his emotional and social development as well as his intellectual development. He had a
huge change in behaviour from experiencing me not being around.
P) A mother having to withdraw herself from her children for any sort of reason can impact child’s life
very seriously. The child can feel alone and abandoned without their mother, separation effects a child
with emotional, mental and psychological developments later on. The child begins to think hard and
question if he/she is the cause of the parent leaving. “The child who has been abandoned by his mother
develops low self-esteem”. (“Mother Abandonment”, 2014). It can also ruin the future of the child to
trust anyone else walking into their life, because if they trust and love another person that person might
leave too.
E) In my virtual child when I was hospitalized my baby felt like he was abandoned and I would not be
returning home. His behavior changed drastically he was tense and unhappy and misbehaved in his
playgroups. The effects took over emotionally and mentally he started to express hurt and anger being
disobedient.
Changing Daycare
A) An environmental event that happened in my virtual child that I think influenced my baby was
the transition of daycares. My baby turned two years old and needed to change daycares. At
first my baby was excited for change and to move, but within a week he began to cling and cry
more often, and had difficulty cooperating with the daycare provider.
P) Being forced to change your child’s childcare setting for any reason can be difficult and impact both
you as the parent and the individual child. Having to say good-bye is often difficult especially when the
process of building that good relationship and the child being able to trust someone else other than
their mother can take time to mend all over again with a new person. Some children handle change

easier than others. “Parents and child care providers working together can prepare a child to meet the
demands of changing situations and to understand the importance of old friends as well as new ones.”
Their behaviour begin to get nasty because of the change for some they might be pleasant or happy in
the new environment and some may cry little more than the often usual because they cannot have their
way.(“thoughts on changing”, 2008)
E) An example of how transitions and changing daycares can impact your child is through the
comfortable relationship the child developed over time in the program. The child might have had certain
friends and is not ready to let go of those friends as yet. The child’s behavioural begin to change some
pick up bad habits like start whining, hitting or biting expressing anger or distress.
New Baby on Board!
A) An environmental event that happened in my virtual child was the great news of me being
pregnant again! In preparation for this change in the family, I was holding off telling my first
child about the second one on the way until it becomes more noticeable so I don’t have to face
the evitable questions of my 3 year olds inquiring mind.
P) Going through pregnancy for the second time and already having a first born can impact the first
child’s life. The first child may go through a phase of feelings including sibling rivalry. When two or more
children growing up together always bud heads despite the equal love you express, there is always going
to be jealousy and competition between them. “Though sibling rivalry is natural (and inevitable), being
proactive in those early days and years can have a big impact on your children's relationship down the
road". (“American Baby”, n.d). The first child tries to sense if he/she is important at all anymore and
finds it difficult to share that love with other siblings equally. Eventually it will impact the child for the
rest of their life.
E) An example of how a new baby on board can impact the first child is when they are both close in age
the older one is 4 and the younger one is 2 years old. Both are boy’s ands and love to play with cars and
blocks, one loves to share and the other does not like to share. There is always going to be war between
these two because as the parent you no longer can bring home one set of games or a specific toy for
both to enjoy. You have to buy two of everything and when the family is out in public both children need
to have their own meal, toy, book and everything else or you could be looking for embarrassment and
chaos. It will be difficult to compromise between the two because you don’t want to have favourites
between the two.

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