Alphabets Nursery, Walderslade

🦷 Understanding & Managing Biting in Early Years

Biting can be a common phase in early childhood, especially for toddlers who are still learning how to communicate big feelings. This visual guide shares practical, gentle strategies to support children in a positive and developmentally appropriate way.

✨ Stay calm and firm
✨ Use positive reinforcement
✨ Offer a teething toy when needed
✨ Teach words to express feelings
✨ Redirect attention
✨ Set clear, consistent boundaries

Instead of punishment, we focus on guidance, emotional literacy, and consistency. When adults respond calmly and model the right behaviour, children gradually learn safer ways to express frustration, excitement, or overwhelm.

Supporting children through challenging behaviours is part of creating a nurturing, secure environment where they feel understood, not shamed.

Department of Education update:
Danone recalls certain batches of Aptamil and Cow & Gate branded infant formula

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is asking parents, early years settings and other caregivers to check their infant formula against specific batches of Aptamil and Cow & Gate products listed in the Product Recall Information Notice published on Friday 6 February 2026.

As you might have seen in media coverage and on social media, Danone’s recall has been issued due to potential cereulide contamination, which can cause illness including vomiting and stomach cramps. The issue only affects the batches listed in the recall notice, in addition to the product included in Danone’s earlier recall on 23 January 2026.

The FSA’s advice to parents and carers is that if they have any of the affected products, stop using them and switch to an alternative formula. If formula was prescribed, they should speak to a pharmacist or doctor before changing. If they have recently fed the formula to their baby and are concerned about symptoms, they should contact their GP or call NHS 111.

Additional recalls
This follows recent recalls from Nestl? of SMA infant formula products due to the same contamination issue.

The FSA have published the following:
Product Recall Information Notice detailing the further recalled batches of Danone infant formula product
Our infant formula recalls page providing a full list of recalled products and the latest advice
News story asking parents and caregivers to check their infant formula products

Please see the following links for all the information on this:
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-05-2026
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-03-2026
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-02-2026-update-3
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-05-2026
https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/infant-formula-recalls
https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/fsa-asks-parents-and-caregivers-to-check-their-infant-formula-products-as-danone-recalls-some-batches-of-aptamil-and-cow-gate

FSA asks parents and caregivers to check their infant formula products as Danone recalls some batches of Aptamil and Cow & Gate branded infant formula Further batches of Danone infant formula products have been recalled today (6 February 2026). The FSA is asking parents and caregivers to check the batches listed in the Product Recall Information Notices and stop using any that are affected.

💬 Why We Don’t Force Children to Say “Sorry” in a Nursery

This might surprise some parents.

In many nurseries, we do not force children to say “sorry.”

And no — it’s not because we ignore bad behaviour.
It’s because we focus on emotional understanding, not robotic words.

Let me explain.

⸻

🧠 1️⃣ A Forced “Sorry” Is Not Real Understanding

When a child hits, pushes, or grabs a toy, the easy reaction is:

“Say sorry!”

But if the child is still angry, overwhelmed, or confused…

Are they actually sorry?

Or are they just repeating a word to escape trouble?

Young children (especially under 5) are still developing:

• Emotional regulation
• Empathy
• Impulse control
• Language to express feelings

If we force the word before they understand the feeling,
we teach compliance — not empathy.

⸻

💛 2️⃣ What We Do Instead

Instead of forcing an apology, we:

• Get down to the child’s level
• Use a calm voice
• Name the feeling
• Help them understand impact

For example:

“You were feeling angry.”
“Hitting hurts.”
“Look at his face — he is sad.”

We guide them to recognise emotions — both their own and others’.

That’s how empathy grows.

⸻

🌱 3️⃣ Repairing the Situation

We still teach responsibility.

But instead of demanding a word, we may say:

“What can we do to help?”
“Shall we get some ice?”
“Can we check if she’s okay?”

Sometimes the child chooses to say sorry naturally.

And when it comes from them —
it means something.

⸻

👶 4️⃣ Development Matters

A 2-year-old and a 4-year-old are not the same.

Very young children:

• Act impulsively
• Struggle to control emotions
• Often don’t fully understand consequences

Our job is to coach, not shame.

⸻

🚫 5️⃣ We Are Not Ignoring Behaviour

This does not mean behaviour is accepted.

We:

✔️ Set clear boundaries
✔️ Say “I can’t let you hit.”
✔️ Remove children from unsafe situations
✔️ Record incidents
✔️ Inform parents if needed

Boundaries are firm.
But the tone is calm.

⸻

🌍 Why This Approach Matters

When children are forced to say sorry:

They learn:
“I say the word and the problem disappears.”

When children are guided to understand emotions:

They learn:
“My actions affect others.”

One builds obedience.
The other builds emotional intelligence.

⸻

In early years education,
the goal is not just good behaviour.

It’s emotional growth.

And real empathy
takes time.

Every year we have a harvest food collection.
This year the harvest donations have gone to Hungry Hearts for the Homeless, a non profit organisation dedicated to those experiencing homelessness.

Their mission is to provide nutritious meals, essential supplies and support to those most in need within our community🥰

Please take a moment to visit their page and have a look at the amazing work they do

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555336110101

Hungry Hearts for the Homeless - Maidstone Our wonderful volunteers run a Soup Kitchen on Monday and Wednesday from 7-8pm at College Road Car Park, Maidstone, ME15 6YH 🥘🍱

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200578/food_support_in_medway?fbclid=IwY2xjawOn2-dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeYWsn6ZKarCwS1sgMoLJ5Iyr84Gwvpf-b-Mv2RLZsz-8jsoG8sfNjfqFRMoU_aem_GsBYCvwjdRCYkKw0RL360A

Food support in Medway | Medway Council Access to emergency food support in Medway.

🌈⭐ SEND Support for all⭐🌈

🟢Medway Family Information Service (FIS)
The Local Offer is a place where you can find information about support for children and young people (aged 0 to 25 and their families) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
In Medway, the Local Offer is now called the SEND Information Hub. You can find it online, and it’s full of useful resources to help you and your family.
https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.medway.gov.uk%2Flocaloffer/1/010001997c5dc0fc-2decfc06-c2d8-437c-a45b-fb8ac45857d1-000000/rNYwStrYI2-u2ybZG3xYhwjkP6kk2c_RC113NnTfV_4=424

🟢SENDIASS is here for parents, carers, children and young people with SEND. SENDIASS offers free, confidential, and impartial information, advice and support. They can help you:
• Understand your rights
• Navigate SEND processes
• Make informed choices with confidence
Whether you're just starting your SEND journey or need help with something specific, SENDIASS is here to support you.
📞 Contact SENDIASS
Phone: 01634 566303
For advice on various SEND matters, parents and carers can contact the Medway Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS).
https://family-action.org.uk/services/medway-sendiass/

🟢Medway Parent and Carer Forum (MPCF)
The Medway Parent and Carer Forum (MPCF) is a parent-led organisation that supports and represents families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across Medway.
What makes MPCF special, is that its team members are parents and carers of children with SEND themselves.
This means we bring:
• Lived experience
• Understanding
• Empathy
to every conversation, meeting, and decision — helping to make sure the voices of families are heard and valued.
The Medway Parent and Carer Forum works in partnership with:
• Local authorities
• Education providers
• Health services
• Other organisations and professionals
we:
• attend strategic meetings
• participate in consultations and
• contribute to Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan quality assurance checks.
We help make sure that the voices of families are heard, respected, and included in decisions about SEND services. Together, we aim to influence and improve services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Medway.
https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fmedwaypcf.org.uk%2F/2/010001997c5dc0fc-2decfc06-c2d8-437c-a45b-fb8ac45857d1-000000/tnRv1y8-U6ipmJdSePaxk8G506EoU5_jWWgvyay_QHo=424
Get Involved
There are opportunities for parents and carers to become Forum Representatives. This means you can:
• Share your experiences
• Help shape local services
• Be part of a strong, collective voice for families across Education, Health, and Social Care
If you’d like to become a member, you can find the membership form on the MPCF website. If you have any questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to contact the forum—they’re always happy to hear from you.
Your voice matters — together, we can make a difference.
For more information and to apply to become a member
https://medwaypcf.org.uk/

Medway Parents & Carers Forum MPCF is an independent parent led group of parents and carers of young people with all types of disabilities and additional support needs.

We thought that we would share this with you as it may be a useful resource for any of you with children starting school 🥰

Skills for starting school - advice for parents School readiness tips and activities to support the skills your child needs to start school - from potty training to language learning.