Infants (6-weeks to 1 year)
Goal
In the infant room we strive to meet the specific developmental needs of each child. One of our fundamental objectives at this age is maintaining consistency between the child's home environment and center environment. To achieve this consistency, a high-level of communication between you and our staff is essential. Providing us with information on how your child is comforted, fed, etc. is just one way we can begin to create this consistency. We rely heavily on daily communication, offering daily written reports and discussions about your child.
Our Program
During daily classroom planning we address each key area of infant development. Physical health and well being are addressed through your child's nutrition, exercise, and rest. Your child will have the opportunity to use multiple senses while exploring and learning. In addition, there are opportunities for your child to use their gross and fine motor skills. We encourage curiosity, communication, and imagination.
The media has made everyone aware of the importance of cognitive and language development. Brain stimulation is extremely important in order to have the brain reach its full potential. While it is important to stimulate a young mind, we are also very aware of, and work to avoid, over-stimulation which results in the brain "shutting down" momentarily, or the child becoming emotionally stressed.
We work to encourage language development by continuously talking to the children about what they are doing and what is going on around them. Reading out loud, singing songs, reciting rhymes, and doing finger plays are just a few more ways that we interact with the children in the infant room.
Your child gains many opportunities for social interaction by simply being enrolled in a group center. Having your child begin to be surrounded by peers is a stepping stone for their social and emotional development. We strongly encourage the development of self-help skills, and often feel just as proud as your child does when they accomplish a new task.
What to Expect
Since it is our goal to maintain a consistency between home and the center, we allow each child to set their own daily schedule of eating, playing, and napping. However, you may find your child sleeps and eats less or more while at the center than they do at home. For children on table food, breakfast is served at about 8:00 a.m., lunch around 11:00/11:15 a.m. and snack at 2:30/3:00 p.m. We will postpone lunches and snacks if a child is sleeping at the time the food is brought in from the kitchen. We change diapers approximately every two hours unless it is needed more often. Occasionally, changes go longer than that period if the child is sleeping.
All information on feeding and diapering is recorded on your child's daily sheet. Information on naps, as well as any special items your child might need the following day will also be listed. If you ever have a question about an item on your child's daily sheet, please feel free to ask.
We keep a developmental chart for each child and create developmental goal sheets each month. In the infant room we do a variety of art projects. All materials used with your child are non-toxic and washable. It is important to keep this in mind, as, on occasion, your child may come home with a little paint on their hands or feet.
Most importantly we will spend time with your child each day. They will be held, talked with, and given endless opportunities to learn.
Timetable for Introduction of Foods
The following is a general guide of when we feel it is appropriate to introduce foods to infants. We respect individual differences and philosophies and will try to follow your personal decision in feeding your child. Please inform us of any individual requests you might have.
Birth to 12 Months: Formula.
4 to 6 Months: Infant cereal (rice first, then oatmeal) mixed with breast milk or formula and blended with vegetables or fruits. We recommend vegetables first, then fruits. Please read labels; we prefer to feed strained fruits, not desserts, due to added sugar in desserts.
7 to 10 Months: Crackers, unsweetened dry cereal, well-cooked pastas, cooked pieces of vegetable, soft, peeled fruit slices, small pieces of mild cheese.
10 to 12 Months: Wheat products added. Meats, based on pediatrician’s knowledge. We feel an infant doesn't need meat until this age. Protein needs are met from other sources of food. Mashed food from the table, plain yogurt, and cottage cheese also fall into this time period.
11 or 12 Months: Whole milk.
Foods to Avoid: Corn, popcorn, hot dogs, raw vegetables, peanut butter, strawberries, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, pretzels, nuts, candy, grapes, gum, chips, raisins, and olives.
We provide Parents Choice Gentle infant formula and Gerber rice and oatmeal infant cereals. If your child eats jarred baby food, you must provide it as needed. We do some fresh pureed fruits and vegetables depending on what we have for lunch each day. Please inform us of any changes in your child's eating habits.
Once a child is able to sit by themselves, we will feed them out of a high chair. When children start on table food, we offer the food on a plate along with infant/toddler size silverware.
What You Need to Provide for Your Child
FORMULA
You need to provide this only if you prefer not to use our formula. If you prefer to bring in another brand, you can pre-mix it or bring in the powder for us to mix as needed.
BREAST MILK
Please bring in small bottles or bags.
BOTTLES
Bring in 4 bottles (you may either leave them at the center or take home daily).
DIAPERS AND WIPES
You may bring in any size package of diapers; we have plenty of room to store them. You will also need to bring in a container of disposable wipes and refill as needed. You may also bring a diaper ointment or powder if needed. Cloth diapers are permitted. Parents must provide a labeled waterproof disposal bag for cloth diapers to be sent home daily to be laundered. Cloth diapers must have an absorbent inner lining and a waterproof outer lining, to be changed as a unit.
BLANKETS
We prefer you bring in a swaddle or sleep sack for napping. If a blanket is provided for napping, it must measure at least 30" x 40". An additional blanket may be provided for comforting.
EXTRA CLOTHES
Bring in two changes of clothing to remain at the center. Remember to change spare sets as the child grows or seasons change. You may also keep spare sets in your diaper bag if you bring one to the center daily.
SEASONAL CLOTHING
We do go outside, so please bring a jacket with hood or separate hat for the spring and fall seasons. For older infants bring snowsuits, hats, mittens, and boots in the winter. In the summer, you may want to bring a hat, swimsuit, or little swimmers and sunscreen for children 6 months or older. Once your child is able to stand, please provide a pair of shoes.
What We Provide
We provide bibs, infant spoons, bowls, washcloths, blankets for playing on the floor, books, toys, crib sheet, etc. Please remember to label your child's belongings.
In the infant room we strive to meet the specific developmental needs of each child. One of our fundamental objectives at this age is maintaining consistency between the child's home environment and center environment. To achieve this consistency, a high-level of communication between you and our staff is essential. Providing us with information on how your child is comforted, fed, etc. is just one way we can begin to create this consistency. We rely heavily on daily communication, offering daily written reports and discussions about your child.
Our Program
During daily classroom planning we address each key area of infant development. Physical health and well being are addressed through your child's nutrition, exercise, and rest. Your child will have the opportunity to use multiple senses while exploring and learning. In addition, there are opportunities for your child to use their gross and fine motor skills. We encourage curiosity, communication, and imagination.
The media has made everyone aware of the importance of cognitive and language development. Brain stimulation is extremely important in order to have the brain reach its full potential. While it is important to stimulate a young mind, we are also very aware of, and work to avoid, over-stimulation which results in the brain "shutting down" momentarily, or the child becoming emotionally stressed.
We work to encourage language development by continuously talking to the children about what they are doing and what is going on around them. Reading out loud, singing songs, reciting rhymes, and doing finger plays are just a few more ways that we interact with the children in the infant room.
Your child gains many opportunities for social interaction by simply being enrolled in a group center. Having your child begin to be surrounded by peers is a stepping stone for their social and emotional development. We strongly encourage the development of self-help skills, and often feel just as proud as your child does when they accomplish a new task.
What to Expect
Since it is our goal to maintain a consistency between home and the center, we allow each child to set their own daily schedule of eating, playing, and napping. However, you may find your child sleeps and eats less or more while at the center than they do at home. For children on table food, breakfast is served at about 8:00 a.m., lunch around 11:00/11:15 a.m. and snack at 2:30/3:00 p.m. We will postpone lunches and snacks if a child is sleeping at the time the food is brought in from the kitchen. We change diapers approximately every two hours unless it is needed more often. Occasionally, changes go longer than that period if the child is sleeping.
All information on feeding and diapering is recorded on your child's daily sheet. Information on naps, as well as any special items your child might need the following day will also be listed. If you ever have a question about an item on your child's daily sheet, please feel free to ask.
We keep a developmental chart for each child and create developmental goal sheets each month. In the infant room we do a variety of art projects. All materials used with your child are non-toxic and washable. It is important to keep this in mind, as, on occasion, your child may come home with a little paint on their hands or feet.
Most importantly we will spend time with your child each day. They will be held, talked with, and given endless opportunities to learn.
Timetable for Introduction of Foods
The following is a general guide of when we feel it is appropriate to introduce foods to infants. We respect individual differences and philosophies and will try to follow your personal decision in feeding your child. Please inform us of any individual requests you might have.
Birth to 12 Months: Formula.
4 to 6 Months: Infant cereal (rice first, then oatmeal) mixed with breast milk or formula and blended with vegetables or fruits. We recommend vegetables first, then fruits. Please read labels; we prefer to feed strained fruits, not desserts, due to added sugar in desserts.
7 to 10 Months: Crackers, unsweetened dry cereal, well-cooked pastas, cooked pieces of vegetable, soft, peeled fruit slices, small pieces of mild cheese.
10 to 12 Months: Wheat products added. Meats, based on pediatrician’s knowledge. We feel an infant doesn't need meat until this age. Protein needs are met from other sources of food. Mashed food from the table, plain yogurt, and cottage cheese also fall into this time period.
11 or 12 Months: Whole milk.
Foods to Avoid: Corn, popcorn, hot dogs, raw vegetables, peanut butter, strawberries, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, pretzels, nuts, candy, grapes, gum, chips, raisins, and olives.
We provide Parents Choice Gentle infant formula and Gerber rice and oatmeal infant cereals. If your child eats jarred baby food, you must provide it as needed. We do some fresh pureed fruits and vegetables depending on what we have for lunch each day. Please inform us of any changes in your child's eating habits.
Once a child is able to sit by themselves, we will feed them out of a high chair. When children start on table food, we offer the food on a plate along with infant/toddler size silverware.
What You Need to Provide for Your Child
FORMULA
You need to provide this only if you prefer not to use our formula. If you prefer to bring in another brand, you can pre-mix it or bring in the powder for us to mix as needed.
BREAST MILK
Please bring in small bottles or bags.
BOTTLES
Bring in 4 bottles (you may either leave them at the center or take home daily).
DIAPERS AND WIPES
You may bring in any size package of diapers; we have plenty of room to store them. You will also need to bring in a container of disposable wipes and refill as needed. You may also bring a diaper ointment or powder if needed. Cloth diapers are permitted. Parents must provide a labeled waterproof disposal bag for cloth diapers to be sent home daily to be laundered. Cloth diapers must have an absorbent inner lining and a waterproof outer lining, to be changed as a unit.
BLANKETS
We prefer you bring in a swaddle or sleep sack for napping. If a blanket is provided for napping, it must measure at least 30" x 40". An additional blanket may be provided for comforting.
EXTRA CLOTHES
Bring in two changes of clothing to remain at the center. Remember to change spare sets as the child grows or seasons change. You may also keep spare sets in your diaper bag if you bring one to the center daily.
SEASONAL CLOTHING
We do go outside, so please bring a jacket with hood or separate hat for the spring and fall seasons. For older infants bring snowsuits, hats, mittens, and boots in the winter. In the summer, you may want to bring a hat, swimsuit, or little swimmers and sunscreen for children 6 months or older. Once your child is able to stand, please provide a pair of shoes.
What We Provide
We provide bibs, infant spoons, bowls, washcloths, blankets for playing on the floor, books, toys, crib sheet, etc. Please remember to label your child's belongings.
