Child Development and Nutrition: Early Childhood Growth, Motor Skills, and Safety

How is growth in early childhood?

Growth is slower as appetite is lower

What do you do when a child eats less because their appetite is lower?

Continue to offer healthy foods as well as multiple small meals/ snacks a day because kids have small stomachs. Don't have food constantly available because you want kids to understand their hunger cues, so don't push kids to eat if they are not hungry, teach them to stop eating when they are full.

What happens if a kid doesn't want to eat something?

Don't force kids to eat what they don't like. Let the child decide whether to eat, what to eat and how much to eat.

Why should you avoid saying that you can't have dessert until veggies are eaten?

Because then it teaches the child that veggies are so bad that they need to be briefed to be eaten

What is the thumb rule for a child's development when it comes to eating?

If the child is healthy, happy and growing then whatever the kid is eating is fine even if it may not be the healthiest of things.

How do we introduce food variety for children?

By letting the kid eat what the family eats, offer many varieties of foods, don't insist on them trying new food until around the age of 4 or 5 (insist they try at least one bite) and normalize changing tastes as kids grow up

How can one help picky eaters?

Keep offering different foods but dont push, dont make eating one thing conditional on eating something else like desert, and don't have unhealthy foods as an option. For example if they dont like what's for dinner dont go make the kid something like kraft dinner.

What are processed foods?

Long ingredient list with many ingredients one can't pronounce. Its just fillers and additives no true value to the nutrition

What are the stats on processed foods?

That half of calories consumed by canadian toddlers and pre schoolers are processed foods

Why are processed foods so tasty?

Because they have so much sugar, fat, salt, umami (a savoury flavour), because of evolutionary signals and high pleasure response, it's highly rewarding to eat those highly processed foods which then leads to cravings.

What is the texture of processed foods?

Little chewing required which then leads to faster consumption and they are usually bite sized pieces so it makes you eat faster and encourages mindless consumption

Why do families buy/ offer processed foods?

Children and adults like them, it helps ease the preparation of making food as most processed foods are fast to make like instant mashed potatoes, it's easy to store and transport then, it's also cheaper than "real food". So if your a low income family you may buy more processed foods as its more affordable

Why is it a problem that kids are eating so much processed foods?

It's not the problem of chemicals or artificial, it's more the over consumption and that they tend to replace healthier foods that's a problem and not the chemicals.

What does gross motor development include?

Arms, legs and torso

At the age of 2 what gross motor skills should they have?

They should be able to kick a ball without losing their balance, they should be able to pick up objects while standing without losing their balance and if they can't they need to be assessed to see if there are problems with their gross motor development. And they should also be able to run with better coordination but often still a bit wobbly

At the age of 3 what gross motor skills should they have?

They should be able to briefly balance and hop on one foot (not for long) may walk up stairs with alternating feet with out holding a rail to keep their balance and they should be able to pedal a tricycle

At the age of 4 what gross motor skills should they have?

Improved balance, should be able to hop repeatedly on one foot without losing balance and should be able to throw a ball over hand

At the age of 5 what gross motor skills should they have?

Can coordinate arms, legs, and torso together, can skip, hop, and jump with good balance, and stays balanced while standing on one foot with eyes closed

How can one encourage gross motor development?

They need lots of time for movement.

What is free play?

Unstructured opportunities to explore, practice. This can be done either outdoors or in a safe indoor place like a play place.

What is said about parents and daycares?

That they are often overly cautious which then reduces the child's skills and self confidence. Getting hurt is a normal and essential part of being a pre-schooler. They need the opportunity to get hurt for their fine motor skills as well as their self esteem

What risks are appropriate?

Letting the kid run in a park or jump off a slide at the park, worst case scenario they scrape their legs. If not gonna kill them, or paralyze them let them figure it out on their own that they will get hurt.

What's said about organized sports?

That is a huge waste of time, energy and money. Just take the kid to a park to let them run around. The average 5 year old in soccer is only physically active for an average of 8 minutes in an hour.

What activities should kids participate in rather than organized sports?

Running, tumbling, throwing, catching, kicking ball, riding a tricycle, playing in water are all better activities

From about what age can kids start to learn to swim and skate?

From about age 4

what should be the goal If kids are in an organized activity

Has to be moving, having fun, learning basic basic skills,for example like in soccer just learning to kick the ball and run with the ball rather than learning the rules. There also has to be no competition

What is hand dominance?

Which hand you prefer

How can you determine hand dominance?

By offering an object in the middle and by age 2 the child should be showing hand dominance

What are the stats on lefties?

About 10% of the population is left handed, and there is slightly more accidental injuries throughout life because the world is catered to right handed people

Is dominance only in hands?

No you can have preference in feet, ears and you can have mixed dominance but most likely if neurodiverse, or more practiced needed to improve coordination

At the age of 2 what fine motor skills should they have?

They can turn a door knob, can look through a book, turning one page at a time, can build a tower of up to 7 block, and they should be able to put on simple clothing without assistance like they wont be able to do zipper or buttons but they are better at taking off their clothes than putting them on

At the age of 3 what fine motor skills should they have?

Can build a block tower of 9 cubes or more, can easily place small objects in a small opening, can copy a circle, can draw a person in 3 parts like the head, body, legs, and they can easily feed themselves

At the age of 4 what fine motor skills should they have?

Can cut out a picture using scissors, can draw a square, manage eating with a fork and spoon neatly, can put on clothes without assistance. Let the child wear what they want even if it may look ridiculous because you want to be responsive to their feelings

At the age of 5 what fine motor skills should they have?

More skills with simple tools and writing utensils, can copy a triangle and can use a knife to spread soft foods.

How do we encourage fine motor skills?

Giving opportunities to explore, and practice. By using adaptive tools at first and then going to the adult tools like safety scissors then go to regular scissors or big fat crayons then going to skinny crayons.

What should you not do to encourage fine motor skills?

Don't push skills. Readiness and motivation will come on its own. Kids will do what they want to do when they want to. School readiness- as in don't make a child start learning to read earlier than school age because there is no advantage to being ahead. Actually studies show that kids learning to read later like 7 years old like reading more in the long run and learn to read quicker than a child who starts to read at an earlier age.

When does toilet training usually begin?

Usually around 2-3 years old for bladder control and between 3-4 years old for bowel control which is all part of biological maturation

Which gender on average learns to be toilet trained earlier?

Girls on average learn to be toilet trained earlier than boys and being toilet trained during the days comes before the nights as many kids may still have night time accidents till about 7 years old. If it goes longer needs to be checked out

How do you know when a child is ready to potty train?

When the child shows interest in the potty (watching others, or reading books), if the child had a dry diaper for at least 2 hours straight, if the child is steady and balanced to get on and off the potty, if the child can lower and raise their pants independently and they must be aware and can indicate when they have to go potty.

What is the easiest way to potty train?

To stay home for a few days, give the child lots to drink, keep the little potty handy or be close to the big potty with little seat, put easy to manage clothes or if in the summer let them wear no clothes, encourage to use the potty when they feel the need

What is pre-emptive peeing?

Making sure the kid pees before leaving the house even if they don't have to pee. For example,telling the kid to go pee before they put on their snowsuit because they will be in the car for a while and in 30 mins they will have to pee so go before they cant.

How can you make sure a kid is potty trained at night?

Contrary to many think, give plenty to drink because you want them to notice if they need to pee

What happens if you start potty training and it's not going great after a week or two?

Normalize pausing if the kid is not ready yet, it's ok just try again in a couple of months.

What could it mean if the child is ready to potty train but is resistant?

Can be from anxiety but if you reassure the kid it will ok, as reassurance and rewards can help get them started

How can we keep our kids safe?

Very dangerous age as the kids are mobile but dumb. At this age in early childhood unintentional injury is the leading cause of death or disability

How can you reduce the risks of kids getting injured in the home?

By having safety in the home like covers on sharp corned tables, stair gates, electrical covers for sockets, keep meds and vitamins locked and kept up high and have fences around your pool. The rule of thumb when you have a pool is that there must be at least one adult per pre-schooler watching the kid in the pool within 1 meter

How can you reduce the risks of kids getting injured in the street?

Teach street safety like making sure the child holds a parents hand when crossing the street, make sure yards close to the roads are fenced

How can you reduce the risks of kids getting injured in cars?

Teach car safety that in a car the child needs to be in a car seat or in a booster seat and always in the back of the car.

What are illnesses like for kids around 2-5 years?

Kids get sick frequently especially if they have an older sibling or if the kid is at daycare

Why do kids around 2-5 years get sick so frequently?

Because they touch everything and thne put their hands in their mouths

How do kids' illnesses affect family members?

oftentimes other members in the family also get sick so you can have like 3 weeks of sickness lingering in the house. Also if a kid is sick they need to stay home for daycare and someone has to say with them

Why are some parents hesitant to vaccinate their children?

Their goal is to protect their kids and the parents are scared of vaccines causing autism and people are also scared their child will be sick or allergic to the vaccine. Also parents may rhino their child is fine and they think a vaccine may seem like adding a risk to their immune system

How can we help parents ease their hesitancy towards vaccines?

By providing awareness of frequency/ impacts of vaccine protected illness much lower now so their perceived risk is lowered. Can also provide information and express concern but always emphasize that it is the families choice weather to vaccinate their child or not

What is child maltreatment?

Physical abuse towards children. Spanking and hitting kids harms the parent and child relationship

What is neglect in child maltreatment?

Emotional, physical care, and educational abuse

What is abuse in child maltreatment?

Psychological such as screaming at the kid, insulting the kid, putting down the kid, physical abuse which includes hitting or anything that leaves a mark on the child and sexual abuse

Who is more at risk to be abused?

Children with disabilities simply because of parental overburdened

What is a mandatory reporter and who does it include?

Someone who must report if they suspect abuse. The people who can report this are teachers, psychologists, medical staff, anyone who works in a day care. It is not up to them to evaluate or decide that is up to CPS.

What is usually the context of abuse in older children?

Intimate partner violence, and witnessing violence is also very damaging

What is the most common age for kids to get sexually assaulted?

Most occur from the ages of 7-9 and girls are more frequently sexually abused

When girls get sexually abused who is most often the perpetrator

Mothers boyfriend/ husband

When boys get sexually abused who is most often the perpetrator?

Most likely by a man and less likely to be by a family member

How can we reduce maltreatment?

By providing better support for families, rates of abuse decrease. Also childcare, economics, help for victims of intimate partner violence, provide treatment or easily access help

How does one determine sexual abuse?

By trying to determine how often, how long and how severe the sexual abuse has been going on for as well as figuring out if it was by a trusted/ loved person

Is sexual abuse always highly damaging?

Not always it depends if the child was able to report or if they felt that they should keep it silent (that is often more traumatic).

What to do after determining if a child was sexually abused?

Protecting the child can be very helpful, providing the child with care/ therapy and determining a general functioning capacity of the family because if there isn't much it can be harder for the child to heal.

How do we help kids stay safe?

Teach them what is acceptable and what is not- tell a kid that you don't hit others and others shouldn't hit them. Discipline, touch and care for the child

How can we teach kids about their privates?

Teach them that whatever is covered by their bathing suits should not be touched by others except them.

How can we teach kids to say no?

Teach what to do/ say in reaction- teach them to say "stop it i dont like it" and dont force kids to kiss or hug others if they don't want to. A great way to teach this is to tickle the kid and stop when the child says stop and continue to play tickle with them when they want.

How can we teach kids who to tell things to?

Teach how to tell an adult, who to tell. Also teach the difference between good secrets and bad secrets. Tell the child that a good secret is usually fun and exciting and a bad secret is a secret that makes them uncomfortable or hurt them. Also teach the kids to persist in telling adults.

What is sleep like in early childhood?

Continues to be problematic for many kids as a result of teething, illnesses, fears or insomnia.

What helps improve sleep in early childhood?

By keeping a regular sleep schedule as well as regular physical activity especially outdoors, do what works as long as its safe

When do kids give up napping?

There's lots of age variation but most kids give up naps between ages 3-5. This is where naps become irregular, and kids have trouble falling asleep at nite at usual time if napping during the day

What can we do to make kids sleep at night if they are still taking naps but can't sleep at night?

First move nap earlier in the day and keep it shorter, then drop the nap and move to bedtime earlier. The transition is rough at first but it works

How do kids learn about sexual development?

Well kids are always curious about their bodies and about other peoples bodies too. This can be shown in asking questions, showing and looking.

What happens when kids touch their genitals?

They find it feels good, just teach them to do it in private but some adults may sometimes be uncomfortable with this but be matter of fact with the child. Books can help give information in a neural way. But explain to kids at the levels the kid is asking about and don't go beyond.

When a child is 2-5 years their cognitive development is still based on perceptions what does that mean?

That it's their current experiences, what they can see, hear or feel. Their thinking will only change when the child's perception has changed. This means until their perception has changed, if a child believes that a tomato is yellow they believe it could be a pear rather than a tomato as tomatoes tend to be red. Their focus is only on one aspect at a time and is based in simpler structures like good/bad, big/little or day/night

Why at the age of 2-5 years do kids go through the why phase and ask so many questions?

Because they are learning as much and as fast as possible. So the kids tend to look for patterns and create "theories"

What happens if a kid is curious about asking why?

If the kid is asking as often as possible, always ask the kid what they think, and then give them simple information and then more information if they keep asking more questions. When kids ask why and you don't know the answer don't be afraid to say that you don't know

What are conservation errors?

Let's say the kid gets a full cookie, but their sibling gets a full cookie to buy only its cut in half. The kid with a full cookie will ask why the kid with a cut up cookie got more than them. They don't understand that a cut up cookie and a full cookie are the same thing and both children are actually getting the same amount of cookie

When does theory of mind develop?

Develops between 4 and 7 years old

What is the usual sequence of acquisition of theory of mind?

When the kid realizes they have diverse desires, diverse beliefs. They start to realize that people think differently from them. They also start to have knowledge accesses where they can imagine that other people know other things than them. For example a child with no theory of mind watches a video of a child playing with a doll and putting it away in a box but another little kid comes to the box and moves the doll to the cupboard. If you ask a child when the first child comes back in the video where she will look for the doll they would say the cupboard but a child with theory of mind will realize that that the first kid wont know what they know so they will say the child will look for the doll where they left it in a box. They also have false beliefs and have hidden emotions. Kids with no theory of mind can't hide emotions so they can't understand that others can hide emotions

Why do we need to develop theory of mind?

It's important for social abilities like communication, predicting others actions and reactions, empathy and self awareness in interactions. It's also connected to one's ability to recognize their own knowledge/ beliefs, and feelings have changed

What is a poor theory of mind in adults?

When someone calls someone they rarely talk to on the phone and don't even say who's calling or they will start telling a story in the middle of the story rather than explaining the whole story.

When can kids start to recognize that others can hide emotions?

Around 7-8 years

When can kids start to hide emotions?

Around 7-8 years old before that they cant and sometimes if a parent says stop crying or ill give you something to cry about and the child stops it's not because they can hide their emotions, it's because they freeze in fear. They aren't hiding their emotions, they stopped crying in fear.

When do kids start to differentiate reality and fantasy as two different things?

Until the age of 6 or 7 they can't differentiate these two things

What is animism?

It's where kids think inanimate objects have feelings. So if a kid bumps into a table the kid will believe that the table will have a booboo.

Why do kids have animism?

It's partly because of the lack of theory of mind and party because they can't differentiate the difference between reality and fantasy

What is an executive function?

Self regulatory processes. This includes planning and prioritizing, having judgment and decision making, having focused attention to choose where they are putting their focus on and how to keep focus, and staring and switching tasks.

What do executive functions depend on?

Memory, flexibility, impulse control (to think and to choose), they are strongly related to later learning, adaptation, and achievement and these all take place in the frontal lobe

Explain the frontal lobe

Its not done developing till about 25 years old, and it improves gradually to around puberty but then it drops again and then starts improving again

What undermines executive functions?

ADHD as the average is 30% slower, time on screens as its passive or mostly fast reaction. It doesn't require planning or stopping and starting tasks

How can you encourage executive functions?

Sleep, nutrition, physical activity, emotional security, warmth and responsiveness, scaffolding, teach strategies, responsibilities, natural consequences and mild consistent consequences

What is scaffolding?

Where you create a situation where the next steps of learning are mapped out then gradually removed when learnt

What are natural consequences?

If a child dumps all their food on the floor the natural consequence would be that they don't have any more food on their plate

What is a mild consistent consequence?

Righting lines if the child forget their homework at home

What are the 3 types of attention?

Divided attention, selective attention, and sustained attention

What is divided attention?

Its the capacity to do 2 things at once, its very poor possibly because there have been few tasks that has been mastered

What is selective attention?

The capacity to decide what to listen to. Its very poor and its better for visual than auditory stimuli