Dealing with Biting

Understanding Biting.

Biting is a common behavior among toddlers and can be a real cause of worry for parents. The good news is that theres lots you can do to reduce and eliminate biting. Many toddlers bite their parents, siblings and other children. Usually the parent’s or other child’s reaction lets them know that biting hurts and after experimenting with a few bites, they’ll usually stop. It helps the learning process if adult responds with a clear ‘Ouch, please don’t bite me, that’s wrong, biting hurts!’.

Toddlers will often bite because they’re afraid or frustrated and need to express their frustrations, fears and upsets. Young children may also bite as a defence, especially if they can’t talk. Sometimes a child may be trying to establish a safety zone around them and know the child that’s been bitten normally backs away. Children might also bite from sheer over-excitement or because they know it’s a way of getting what they want. Whatever the cause, it’s important to remember that your child doesn’t necessarily mean any harm, they just can’t find the words to express themselves.

Here are our top 6 tips for dealing with biting.

React. Be consistent and don’t send out conflicting messages. React swiftly, and keep a cool head. Don’t avoid the issue – children need to know immediately that what they’ve done is wrong. We adopt this approach in our crèches and we’re always consistent with our messages to children.

Observe. Watch for body language and get to know the signs and what the triggers are. One of the best ways is to act before your child has a chance to sink their teeth into anyone. Whisk your child away from the person they’re about to bite. If you’re in a group, remove them from the situation and explain that it hurts others and is not acceptable.

Teach. Help your child express themselves and when things have calmed down and help them find a less dramatic way to express their feelings. This works well with children who are biting as a defense. Talk them through how to tell somebody they don’t like something or how to make a stop sign. Ideally you want your child to come and find you if they are angry or frustrated so that they are out of the triggering situation.

Be Firm. When children bite to gain attention, dealing with it is trickier. After the first big talking to, don’t try to continue to reason or explain. Give a firm ‘no’ and position yourself between your child and the child who has been bitten as a barrier and turn sideways to the child who has bitten.

Sympathy. Give the child who has been bitten sympathy and the biter will realise that this is a poor way of getting attention and will let them know that their actions are not appropriate.

Praise. When you observe your child playing well with their siblings and friends, praise their positive behaviour. Be generous with your praise and be specific, praising your child for playing well, try saying ‘aren’t you kind and gentle to your little sister?’ or maybe say ‘you are playing really well today’

Understanding Nutrition

Our Cooks provide delicious and nutritious freshly cooked meals that encourage your
 child to taste as many new things as possible and help 
introduce them to the wonderful world of food.

Valerie is the cook for all our children in Giraffe Childcare Liffey Valley and it is obvious from talking to her that she just adores her job. She asks “how can it be called work when you enjoy it this much? I know I am here 7 years cooking for the children but I mean I should have been cooking for children years before as I just love it! And they appreciate it more than my own do!”

Mealtimes are an important and fun social time for children and provide 
an opportunity to relax with their friends and catch up on the
day’s events. We encourage children to help out at the table, serve
 themselves at snack times and they love experimenting with real
 cutlery.

Our menu has been carefully created in partnership with Cow & Gate and our kitchens use only the freshest meat and seasonable vegetables, we don’t add any salt, artificial flavourings or colouring and all our stock is home made. We’re happy to cater for vegetarian diets and any other dietary requirements your child may have.

Take a look at some of our menus
Summer Menu Autumn Menu Spring Menu Winter Menu

For babies and younger children, puréed and chopped meals are the dish 
of the days and we’ll work closely with Mum and Dad during your child’s 
weaning time so we are right in step.

All our cooks are trained and operate in kitchens approved by the HSE 
and are fully compliant with the H.A.C.C.P. (Hazard Analysis &
 Critical Control Points) food management system.

Our menus are compliant with the new legislation requiring that specific allergens such as peanuts, gluten, shellfish and dairy products, are clearly detailed.

All our recipes are available to mums and dads as we have had so many requests for their children’s favourite dishes.

Dealing with nappy rash

child_lying downSome babies sail through to toddlerhood with barely a blemish on their bums; some babies seem to be permanently covered in angry red welts. Most babies encounter some degree of irritation, usually between the ages of nine and twelve months, so what can be done to soothe the tenderness and prevent further occurrences?

Causes:

Nappy rash is caused by excess moisture lying enclosed on your baby’s skin. Regardless of (more…)

Snack ideas for toddlers


Toddlers need around 2-3 small meals and 2-3 healthy snacks each day to provide a variety of nutrients needed for healthy growth and development.
Foods such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, yogurts, wholemeal bread and unsalted rice cakes are all suitable snacks for toddlers (1-3yrs). However, here are a few additional ideas to make snack time more interesting while still ensuring they are eating healthy foods.

Beetroot & cream cheese dip

Ingredients:
425g can sliced beetroot, well drained (use beetroot that hasn’t been preserved in vinegar or salt)
125g cream cheese (or use 1 tin of Cannellini beans)
2 tablespoons shredded mint
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
Oatcakes, brown toast or vegetable sticks to serve
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Best served chilled

Healthy eating for our children

As all parents know young children are always on the go and need a wide variety of foods for growth and health. The best way to ensure that your child is eating a balanced diet is to offer a wide range of different foods each day.

Cereals, bread and potatoes -These foods are high in carbohydrate and provide energy your child needs to be active and play. Include at least one serving at every mealtime. (more…)

50 Unbelievable Facts About Earth

Brought to you by Giraffe Childcare Dublin

Planning for the Potty

Planning for the potty is all about timing… it’s when your child is ready! You will know when the time is right when your child has developed enough physical skills to be able to walk and climb the stairs, to wash their own hands, and are showing an interest in what is happening in the toilet. They also need to be ready to communicate and to take instructions from you, and be familiar with such words as ג€˜wee’ and ג€˜poo’ when they are doing them.

Some parents like to wait for a holiday to start the training but anytime is the right time if you feel your child is ready, it can even be tackled as a crash course over the weekend.

The first stage is to have the potty ready in the bathroom or toilet, with loo paper and wipes easily to hand, and a small step for your child to reach the sink to wash their hands. Talk to your child about how it’s going to work and maybe even have a trial run with a favourite teddy. Let them practice sitting on the potty as this is a skill in itself. If they refuse to sit on it, don’t force them. It’s probably not the right time to start. Always try to change your child’s nappy in that bathroom or toilet so that they associate the location with routine. When you are both ready, you can make a fuss of buying some special ג€˜grown-up’ pants with your child, and away you go!

Take your child to sit on the potty just before and about twenty minutes after meals and snacks. Stay with them and help if required. Be enthusiastic about any successes and keep to the routine of hand-washing afterwards. You may want to read or tell a short story as you wait for your child to go, or sing a song together.

Most children are interested in looking at their poo and there is no harm in that before you flush it away. Make sure you are not negative about the smell if your child proudly shows you what they have done! Use incentives to encourage your child ג€“ cuddles and a cheer can work wonders for your child’s learning process, and a sticker chart for successes can be fun.

Take your child to the potty before you go outside and when you come in, and you can use these opportunities for discussions with your child. When you first go out, keep trips quite short, and take a spare potty in a bag with a spare change of clothes for accidents.

Of course accidents will happen, but this is the way the child will learn to react to what is happening, so don’t punish them. Be very matter of fact about the accident and give it very little attention. Make sure you teach your child how to clean up after themselves. It will be a stressful time but if you do get angry or frustrated, don’t let your child see it. Always carry spare clothes, tissues, wipes and plastic bags ready for a change when required.

If you find your child is not having any success, maybe they weren’t quite ready to start so put them back into nappies and try again at a later stage. Don’t give up as some children may take up to six months to finally master the process, just keep positive and keep praising the successes. Your responses to your child’s behaviour when learning to use the potty will have a great effect on how successfully they learn.

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