Sue's Family Day Care

Why do children sit in the W position?
Why does your child always sit like this?
(It’s not just a habit.)

“They just feel comfortable.”

Not exactly.

Children choose positions that give them stability - not correct posture.

What does it mean

W-sitting gives:
• a very wide base of support
• no need for balance
• no trunk work

So the body doesn’t have to control itself.

Consequences

Over time it may lead to:
• weaker core muscles
• poorer balance
• delayed coordination
• in-toeing walking
• clumsiness during sport

What to do

Don’t just say “sit properly”.

Change the environment:
• side sitting
• long sitting
• sitting on a stool/step
• kneeling positions

The body learns through experience.

Posture is not taught by words.
It’s taught by movement.

📌 Stability first → better movement later

My name is Anna Olawa -I am a paediatric physiotherapist and sensory integration therapist with over 23 years of experience.
I run a private clinic in Aberdeen and support children through evidence-based, play-focused therapy.
I also educate parents on social media -
I believe therapy should be effective, safe and truly child-centred.

🤕 Toddler falls: when to worry (and what to look out for)

Toddlers fall. A lot.
Learning to walk, climb and explore comes with bumps and tumbles and most of the time, these falls look far scarier than they are.

The good news? Most minor head bumps do not cause serious injury.

But knowing what to watch for can give parents peace of mind.

🟢 Usually not serious if your toddler:

* Cries immediately after the fall (this is reassuring)
* Is quickly comforted
* Goes back to playing as usual
* Has a small bump or bruise
* Is alert, responsive, and behaving normally
* Eats and drinks as usual

🚩 Seek medical advice urgently if your child has:

* Loss of consciousness, even briefly
* Repeated vomiting
* Severe or worsening headache
* Unusual drowsiness or difficulty waking
* Confusion, disorientation, or behaviour that’s “not them”
* Seizures
* Unsteady walking, weakness, or clumsiness
* Bleeding that won’t stop
* Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears
* A large swelling, deep cut, or soft spot on the head
* A fall from a significant height(change table, stairs, bed, high chair, couch)

👀 What to do at home after a minor fall

* Comfort your child and observe them for 24 hours
* Apply a cold compress to bumps (10–15 minutes, a few times a day)
* Let them rest, but they should be easy to wake and behave normally
* Offer fluids and light food
* Avoid rough play for the rest of the day

💡 Tip: It’s okay for your child to sleep after a fall.
You don’t need to keep them awake, just check in on them and make sure they are rousable and behaving normally.

🧠 Extra facts parents often ask about

* Toddlers’ heads are proportionally larger and heavier, so they fall head-first more often
* A bump (“goose egg”) looks dramatic but is usually a sign of minor injury to the scalp, not the brain
* Symptoms of concussion can sometimes appear hours later, which is why observation at home is important
* Helmets should always be worn for bikes, scooters and balance bikes

🏠 Prevention tips (because toddlers are fast!)

* Never leave toddlers unattended on high surfaces (change tables, beds, couches)
* Never allow children to stand in grocery trolleys
* Use safety gates on stairs
* Secure furniture and TVs to the wall
* Keep floors free of toys and trip hazards
* Non-slip socks or shoes help on smooth floors
* Supervise closely during bath time and on wet surfaces

🤍
Most toddler falls are a normal part of growing up.
Trust your instinct, if something about the fall or your child’s behaviour worries you, it’s always okay to seek medical advice.

Dr Willem Smit
Paediatrician

If your toddler has ever hit out of frustration, you are not a bad parent — and your child is not a bad kid. 💛 Hitting is one of the most common toddler behaviors. Most little ones simply lack the skills to handle big feelings yet. A psychologist explains why toddlers hit and the calm strategies that help in the moment and long term. Tap the link in the first comment to read ⬇️

Somewhere along the way, we started rushing babies.

Rushing them to sleep through the night.
Rushing them to crawl, then walk, then talk.
Rushing them out of diapers, into schedules, into milestones.

And yet… babies were never meant to be rushed.

A baby doesn’t need to “keep up.” They don’t need to be independent before they’re ready. They don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Their only job is to grow slowly, imperfectly, beautifully.

That contact nap you’re told will “spoil” them? It builds safety.
That extra cuddle before bed? It builds trust.
That phase where they want to be held constantly? It passes quicker than you think.

We forget that being little is not a problem to solve. It’s a season to protect.

One day, without warning, they won’t fit on your hip the same way. They won’t reach for you as often. They won’t need you to soothe every tear. And the world will expect more from them than they’re ready to give.

So if your baby is moving slowly, needing more, wanting closeness, let them.

Let them be messy.
Let them be curious.
Let them be comforted.
Let them grow in their own time.

There is no prize for finishing childhood early.
But there is something sacred about letting it unfold exactly as it should.

Babies don’t need to be hurried.
They need to be held. 💛

Babies’ faces are biologically designed to capture attention and care. Large eyes, a small nose, a round head, and chubby cheeks form what scientists call the “baby schema.” This combination naturally triggers caregiving responses in adults.

When adults see these features, the brain activates reward and motivation circuits. Dopamine and oxytocin are released, making caretaking feel satisfying and encouraging attentive behaviors like holding, feeding, and comforting. This is a survival mechanism: infants rely entirely on adults, so the brain is wired to respond strongly to cues of cuteness and vulnerability.

Neuroscience also shows that the more pronounced these features, the stronger the caregiving response. Adults may feel protective, affectionate, and highly motivated to nurture, even when the baby is crying or demanding attention. These responses help the infant feel safe and regulate stress through physical and emotional care.

Parents and caregivers can understand why their instinct to cuddle, soothe, and protect is so strong—it is built into the brain. Recognizing this wiring also helps adults respond more mindfully to a baby’s needs, reinforcing attachment, emotional regulation, and a sense of safety that shapes lifelong development.

“Don’t run, you’ll fall!!!”

Children hear this all the time. We hold their hands to steady them, we hover too closely, we warn, and sometimes we even stop them altogether. These days we even see children on leashes, tethered to an adult so they cannot move too far or too fast.

While well intentioned, all of these precautions can take away the very experiences that help their bodies and brains develop. Falling is necessary and it is part of how children learn.

When a child falls, multiple systems in the body activate at once. The vestibular system, which governs balance, is challenged and strengthened. The proprioceptive system, which tells the brain where the body is in space, refines its signals. Muscles engage to stabilize and recover. This feedback sharpens coordination and strengthens both fine and gross motor skills. Over time, children build resilience in their movement and learn how to manage risk with more confidence.

The benefits of falling are not only physical, as every tumble carries an emotional lesson too. Children feel surprise, frustration, or fear, and then they look to caregivers for cues. When adults respond calmly (and we cannot emphasize CALMLY enough), children practice regulating their emotions and learn that they are safe to try again. These moments strengthen attachment, confidence, and persistence.

Sensory processing challenges, coordination delays, weak motor skills, and struggles with emotional regulation are all on the rise in childhood today. Preventing falls is of course not the only cause, but it is certainly an important piece of the large puzzle. When we overprotect children from falling, we remove opportunities for their bodies and brains to integrate essential experiences (necessary for short and long term development).

Letting children run, climb, trip, and get back up is not neglectful. It shows trust. Trust in their capacity to learn through the natural consequences of movement. Trust in the body’s design to build strength through trial and error. And trust in the resilience that develops when children discover for themselves that they can fall, recover, and keep going.

Your child trips over at kindy. Scraped knee. Tears. You get the call or see it at pickup, and your stomach drops.

Here's the question we want you to sit with for a moment:

When was the last time you fell, bumped yourself, or got hurt doing something ordinary? Maybe you stubbed your toe, cut your finger cooking, or tripped on the footpath. What did you do? You probably swore under your breath, grabbed a bandaid, and kept going.

You bounced back because life taught you that minor injuries are just part of being human. They're feedback, not catastrophe.

Now think about your child. When they fall at kindy, skin their knee, or bump their head on the slide, what message do we send if we treat every small injury like an emergency?

If we gasp, rush over in a panic, or wrap them in bubble wrap for the rest of the session, we teach them that their body is fragile. That the world is dangerous. That they can't trust themselves to recover.

Here's what we do instead: We stay calm. We assess. We comfort without catastrophising. "You fell over. That must have hurt. Let's clean it up for you." Then we let them decide what happens next. Do they want to keep playing? Do they need a hug? Would a cold face washer help? Most of the time, they're back in action within moments.

Why? Because children are naturally resilient. Their bodies are designed to move, fall, recover, and learn.

Research shows that when adults respond to minor injuries with calm acknowledgment rather than panic, children recover faster and develop better pain tolerance and emotional regulation (Goubert et al., 2011; McMurtry et al., 2010).

When we overreact to every bump and scrape, we accidentally teach anxiety.

We're not talking about ignoring real injuries. We're talking about scraped knees, bumped elbows, the everyday tumbles that come with being a small person learning to navigate space.

So here's what we're asking: When your child comes to you with a minor injury, pause. Take a breath. Respond with warmth and matter of fact care. "You're okay. That hurt, but your body knows how to heal. What do you want to do now?"

Let them climb, run, take risks, and yes, occasionally fall. Because the alternative isn't safety. It's a child who's afraid of their own body and the world around them.

To all pass educators/ care providers and coordinator of the department of education SA come and help us celebrate our 50 years of Family Day Care

Flexible Careers for Passionate Educators

Looking for a career that works for YOU?

As a family day care educator:

✨ Work flexible hours
✨ Enjoy work-life balance
✨ Earn while doing what you love

We’re here to support you every step of the way.

📞 Interested? Let’s chat!

Contact our FDC Recruitment Team today on 0427 637 272 and take the first step toward this exciting opportunity.

🔗 Learn more about becoming a family day care educator www.education.sa.gov.au/family-day-care/become-an-educator