Tuesday, September 3, 2013

How do day cares manage very young infants?

best infant toys 6 months
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dusty_pupp


My baby was (and still is) a high need baby. I can't imagine him in a day care setting, especially when he was 6 weeks old. Now that he is almost 6 months old and can sit up, I suppose he could sit and play with toys and interact with other sitting babies. But before babies can sit up, how in the world do day cares take care of infants?
Really...2 answers, and they aren't even from people that are familiar with day cares. Awesome.



Answer
I can't imagine it either. However, my daughter goes to daycare a couple days a week and has since she was a little over 6 months. However, I see the little ones in her class. Basically, at that age they do eat and sleep a lot - so they do that a lot. The teachers are often rocking them in the glider with a bottle. At my daycare, they will involve even the little ones in any activities they do. For example, painting or reading or collecting leaves or whatever. It seems silly to me that they do that for such babies, but they do.

Is it safe for a 6 month old to fly 18 hours?




Meg C


Im planning a trip to S. Korea to see my husband, hes in the Air Force, and we want our 6 month old daughter to come with me. Has anyone flown for that length of time with an infant? How did they do? Any tips/tricks i should know about for keeping her quite? And how did the child do during take off/landing??


Answer
Safe absolutely. I flew with my 1 month old last month across the US (from origin to destination about 9 hours including layovers). Most of the newer planes have better pressurization than the old ones, so I had no problems with take off/landing and ears. He actually ate just before take off, and slept for most of the flight. I did have both a bottle and a pacifier ready in case his ears bothered him.

If any of the airline or airport officials offer help, say yes. The hardest part for me was actually security, but a TSA official helped me carry my bins to a bench so I could carry the baby. Also, at the bench, I was able to lay my baby on a blanket in the bin which kept him safe and confined while I put my shoes on, put my laptop back, put my liquids back, etc. I also had a flight attendant offer to put my bags in the overhead bin. I was also able to board early which helped me get the baby situated without feeling the pressure of other people trying to board. However, if you have a wiggly baby who hates to be confined, board last so you can confine them at the last possible minute.

I requested an aisle seat so I could move up and down the aisle, and stand up when necessary. Definitely take your car seat - check with the airline and compare just buying a full fare discount seat vs. a discounted with the airline infant seat price. Sometimes, you'll find it cheaper to buy the seat online. If your plane has the 2 seat only on the side- take it. You have to put the car seat against the window.

You know your child. If she is wiggly or likes to move around, plan on spending any gate time moving around, and letting her down to stretch. I am a baby wearer, so I was able to wear my baby in the airport with no problems, and on the plane. When I fly with him again, I will buy a seat to give him his own space.

With toys, the more you can secure them (think of the toys that attach to car seats) the less time you will spend diving under seats, and asking neighbors if you can have them back. Also, only bring out one or two toys at a time, putting them away before you bring out a new one. That way, baby will think they are new each time and you can get away with only 6 - 8 rather than a ton.

Be patient, and be calm. If you are trying to calm your crying baby, then other passengers tend to be nicer. My baby falls asleep in the car, and the plane was the same motion for him so he slept for the entire flight, only waking for food. It was the following day that was harder for me with the baby and the time zones. On the way back because I flew red eye, baby had no time zone adjustment problems.




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