Home Away From Home Child Care Programs & Agency

Child Safety Link has a lot of valuable resources regarding car seat safety.

https://childsafetylink.ca

So what should parents do as they are running out the door on those cold winter mornings?

For infants:
* pinch test
* The harness straps are too loose if you can pinch them like this.
* Dress the infant as if they were going to be indoors.
* Put them in their infant carrier.
* Secure on the harness straps nice and snug (remember if you can pinch the material together between your thumb and finger it’s too loose, as seen in the picture).
* Top them off with a hat and some blankets over the top of the harness straps and carry baby out to the car.
* As the car warms up you can remove blankets and replace them over baby when you arrive at your destination to get out of the car. This also helps ensure baby doesn’t get overheated during the car ride.

For toddlers and preschoolers:
* Dress the child comfortably and put on their coat and hat for their walk out to the car.
* Take off the coat and buckle the child snugly in the harness straps.
* Put the coat on over the child. They can put their arms in the sleeves backwards. Or use blankets.
* The child can remove the layer(s) as the car warms up.

(https://saferide4kids.com/blog/winter-coats-and-car-seats/)

Because a bulky coat and a child car seat can be a dangerous combination. As a general rule, winter coats should not be worn underneath a car seat harness because that can leave the harness too loose to be effective in a crash.

Here’s how to test whether your child’s coat is too bulky for their car seat:

Step 1: Put the coat on your child, sit them in the car seat, and fasten the harness. Tighten the harness until you can no longer pinch any of the webbing with your thumb and forefinger.

Step 2: Without loosening the harness at all, unclasp it and remove your child from the car seat. Take your child’s coat off, put your child back in the car seat, and buckle the harness straps, which should be adjusted just as they were when the child was wearing the coat.

If you can pinch the webbing between your thumb and forefinger now, the coat is too bulky to be worn under the harness, Thomas says.

(https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/car-seats/the-dangers-of-winter-coats-and-car-seats-a5483582251/)

Why You Should Never Dress Your Child in a Bulky Winter Coat for Car Rides - Consumer Reports Generally, winter coats should not be worn underneath a car seat harness. We explain why, and explain how to keep a child safe (and warm!) when traveling in winter.

"Anyone old enough to love is old enough to grieve." — Dr. Alan Wolfelt

(https://www.highmarkcaringplace.com/cp2/grief/grievingChildren.shtml)

Children respond differently to the death of a loved one based on their age and developmental level:

Age 0-2: Infants and toddlers are unable to understand the concept of death. From their perspective, their loved one (such as a parent) is simply not there anymore, and they react to it the same way that they would to a separation or abandonment by a caregiver. Thus, a child may respond in various ways -- frustration at the change in caregivers, being more clingy to a parent, or through not appearing to care.

Age 2-6: Preschool children are beginning to understand the concept of death, but they see death as reversible where dead people can come back to life not unlike going to sleep and then waking up. Because they view adults as powerful, they may also believe that the adult chose to die on purpose. Preschoolers are also self-centered, and as a result, may view death as being about them and think. that it is their fault or that they are being punished for being bad in some way.

Age 6-11: School-aged children are able to understand that death is permanent, but may still have troubles understanding why their loved one had to die.

(https://www.ementalhealth.ca/Canada/Children-and-Youth-Coping-With-Grief-Bereavement-and-Loss-Information-for-Families/index.php?m=article&ID=13275)

Grieving Children

Children grieve differently than adults do. The younger the child, the less they have the ability to understand death and loss. They don't have the vocabulary to put the concepts into words, and are less able to deal with emotional pain. Children often have many questions after a death. What's important is the conversation that comes from the questions, the connection made with the child, rather than the answers. Even though we can't "fix" the child, we can support them, and hear them, and love them. In the confusing and overwhelming time of grief, our presence is more significant than our answers.
(https://www.highmarkcaringplace.com/cp2/grief/grievingChildren.shtml)

Children's Grief Awareness Day in 2024 is on Thursday, November 21. The day is meant to raise awareness of the needs of grieving children and the importance of providing them with support.

Gross Motor vs Fine Motor

Types of Gross Motor Skills:
- Free Play
- Balls
- Hula Hoops
- Bikes & Scooters
- Dancing
- Action Songs