Children's Well-being in Relation to Current Frameworks

Discuss children's well-being in relation to current frameworks

All the frameworks of the UK recognise that keeping children healthy and ensuring their emotional security are essential for their well-being. In England Statutory framework of EYFS for children from birth to 5 years old is required to follow. The Children’s Society (2018) in the UK has recognized that 5-10% of children have low well-being; this means that children may not be having their basic needs. All schools in UK must follow the EYFS, including childminders, preschools, nurseries and school reception classes. The EYFS framework gives mums, dad’s confidence that in spite of everything of where they choose their child’s early education, they can be assured that the same statutory commitments, and principles will be given to their child’s learning and development experience. 

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Your responsibilities include to create an environment which will contribute positively in children’s well-being and that is inspected by Ofsted or an agency. The early years providers need to focus on how children develop their relationships and if they feel happy, free and secure in the provided environment. It also includes how many physical safe activities you provide them with, how you take care of their hygiene, food, how nutritious it is and how you prepare them for future transitions.

You need to make sure that the activities are appropriate for the individuals according to their levels and they should be assessed and revised regularly.

Therefore, all these things need to have a routine time so that children can adopt to a continuity and settlement while having safety and health.

In Scotland Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is responsible for improving care and education for children. Childcare is very costly in the United States. The average annual cost of full-time care for an infant in centre-based care ranges from $4,863 in Mississippi to over $21,000 in parts of New York

Healthy eating

Healthy eating in childcare play an important role in the growth and development of children and in the development of future eating habits. In a long day, menus should aim to meet a significant amount of a child’s daily nutrition requirements such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, lean meat, fish, chicken, milk, yogurts and cheeses should be provided to children in care, including a range of textures and tastes, appropriate to the developmental stages of different age groups. We should also encourage them to drink water and milk throughout the day, sweet drinks such as juices and cordials are not necessary. Sweet foods such as cakes, biscuits, lollies, and chocolates should not be served on a regular basis in childcare.

Child protection and safety

Protecting a child involves understanding and addressing, youth, and caregiver functioning in physical, behavioural, social, and cognitive areas. It is essential that NSW Health workers identify, consult and respond to instances where a child or young person is at risk of significant harm (ROSH). There are some reasons for children and young people to be at risk of significant harm like, Domestic and family violence, Physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse and Neglect.

Exercise

Children need to be active and healthy every day to promote their healthy growth and development. Kids who establish healthy lifestyle patterns at a young age will carry them, and their benefits, forward for the rest of their lives. Regular exercise helps develop child’s movement skills. Physical activity has benefits at every age, and helps kids to keep their heart and lungs strong and healthy, become more flexible, Develop strong bones, keep healthy body weight, lower the risk of several diseases and health problems, Improve their mood and self-esteem, and do better in school.

Healthy environment

A comfortable environment is a key in EYFS, which recognises that children need a supportive environment around them to build efficient emotional development. It is widely recognised that if children cannot be given their expected milestone in their environment, then their other areas of development may also be impacted. Therefore, it is fundamentally important for child carers to include smaller activities throughout the day to try to increase children’s emotional well-being and ensure that they are given a supportive platform within the setting.

5.2    Plan to meet the needs of child aged 0 to 7 years in relation to:

• Diet

One of the best things we can do for a baby is start him or her off with healthy, nutrient-rich foods. At every age and stage, you cannot go wrong when you help your child learn to appreciate a healthy diet. For the first 6 months, breast milk is all a baby needs to meet his or her nutrition needs because Breast milk contains a unique mix of fatty acids, lactose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other important factors that combine to make the perfect infant food. It has everything a baby needs for easy digestion, brain development, and protection from illness and infections. In between four to size months babies start weaning like they initiate their journey of solid foods. It starts with thin runny purees and further leads to solids. Later, the children from 1 to 4 years old get their energy and nutrients from healthy snacks and proper meals which should be prepared according to the guidelines for early years settings in England. The factors for young children that you need to keep an eye on while preparing for the diet of the children are as following

Age: Young children compare to the elder ones have a different requirement of sufficient nutrients and calories as in their case you will be interested into weaning them. Therefore, you need to consider the age and plan diet accordingly how much and what they need for growth and maintenance. For example, Breast-feeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient way to support optimal growth and development for 4–6 months after birth. You also need to respect the wishes of their parents about what kind of solid or liquid foods they want to prefer.

Stage of development: You need to take into consideration the stage of their development. The young children compare to elder ones have different nutrients and energy requirements. For example, we should try to maintain breast-feeding of a child for about 12 months.

Variety of foods: Teach and allow children to experiment by introducing them with a variety of food. Let them develop taste buds for different foods. Do not overfeed infants and young children

Balance of nutrients: Taking into consideration that the food, which provides energy to children, has carbohydrates, fat and protein and the energy requirement for an individual depends on his size, age, growth, gender and level of activity. So make sure to balance the diet right. There are Estimated calories needed by children range from 900/day, for a 1-year-old to 1,800, for a 14–18-year-old girl and 2,200 for a 14–18-year-old boy and so on.

Intake across the whole day: Keep an eye on child’s food and liquid intake is distributed across a whole day. You need to plan their time for eating and drinking and in the meanwhile if they are thirsty r hungry, make sure that you have healthy range of snacks available.

Allergies, intolerances, medical conditions and special diets: You also need to take into consideration if any child has some allergy, food intolerance and any medical condition such as coeliac disease or diabetics and plan the feeding accordingly.

Religious or cultural requirements: You must get information from parents about their religion or culture and if they have any dietary restriction.

Develop social skills: The mealtime should be treated as a social event where babies should be encouraged to participate. If they are old enough let them help you with setting the table and keep reinforcing the social skills and behaviours associated with eating or drinking.

• Personal physical care needs

Personal care needs are part of a child’s overall health and wellbeing and if not met properly, the children can fell sick. The personal hygiene care routine includes changing, cleaning, dressing and feeding for young children. The baby’s nappy area should be thoroughly cleaned so that there is no chance of infection spreading. He should be cleaned and dressed up properly whenever required. While feeding them sterile and prepare the feed according to the NHS prescribed method.

Overall, all the children’s well-being require to take into account the care of Hand and face washing: The skin of children needs to stay clean all the time so that they are safe from the risk of cross infection.

• Rest and sleep provision

For babies under 0-7 years, nap or rest time is an important component in their day. On average, a young baby needs 14 to 15 hours of sleep over 24, but this can vary from one child to the next. Most of the New-borns and young babies become drowsy while they are feeding, but babies of 6-7 months may also learn how to keep themselves awake. There are some signs of tiredness of babies like staring, jerky movements of the arms and legs, clenched fists, frowning, yawning, irritated behaviour including crying.

Some children around 4-7 are not good sleepers, or they may find it difficult remaining quiet. For those who are not napping, puzzles and books offered at their mats or activities provided in separate area can be useful. There are some signs of tiredness for children under 4-7 like loss of interest in toys or playing, fretfulness, yawning, separation anxiety, irritated behaviour including crying, eye rubbing

• Personal hygiene routines

Children's personal hygiene change according to their early childhood stages. Hand washing is one of the most important self-hygiene tasks that preschool-aged children need to master. Young children who are beginning to care for their own toilet needs and who spend time with other young children in a school or day-care setting can easily spread all sorts of germs. Caregivers should teach children in a very concrete and interesting way that how germs spread, and how we can easily kill them by washing our hands.

There are some good hygiene for children like washing hands, covering their mouth when they cough, having regular baths or showers, brushing and flossing teeth etc.

5.3    Plan to meet the needs of a child aged 7 years or older in relation to:

• Diet
• Personal physical care needs
• Rest and sleep provision
• Personal hygiene routine

• Diet

Most of the young children (ages 2-7) are fussy eaters who prefer to eat familiar food perhaps at home and in childcare. They may refuse foods based on colour or texture, or play at the table and not want to eat. HOWEVER, also in this important time that shapes lifelong eating habits, we should respond in a positive way to help them move through this temporary phase with healthy attitudes and a pang of hunger for variety.

Almost 5 to 15 percent of children in school are over weighted, and even some girls and boys do not participate in physical activities in or out of school this is because they did not develop an understanding of a healthy diet when they were younger. The teen should eat at least five servings a day of fruits and veggies. They should choose a variety of protein foods, like lean meat and poultry, seafood, beans, soy products, and nuts. Eat whole grains (like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal), which provide fibre to help you feel full. Eat breakfast.   

There is an updated guide of portion sizes published by the British Nutrition Foundation which describes portion sizes and according to that, there has to be 5 portions of starchy food, 5 of fruit and vegetables, 3 portions of dairy and 2 of proteins. 

• Personal physical care needs

At the age of seven years old or older, children should be independent in their Hygiene, Dressing, Clothing Care, Health Care, and Problem Solving like an accident, illness, or medical condition, etc.  If you are caring for an older child then you should help them with some manners to maintain their dignity, like hairbrushes, toothbrushes, hand towels cannot be shared.

• Rest and sleep provision

Children around seventh older, require a proper amount of sleep in order to grow to their full potential. Studies have shown that children who regularly get enough amount of sleep and rest have good learning memory, mental and physical health; on the other hand, children who do not get sufficient rest and sleep can have symptoms of high bold pressure, depression, and hyperactive behaviour. Sleep studies show that if a child is sleep deprived they may not develop and learn to their full potential and their physical health could be compromised too.

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Children between 5 and 12 should get 9.5 hours sleep at night, but most need 10 or 11 hours each night. Sleep is an individual thing and some kids need more than others are. One more reason to get enough sleep is that, if children do not, they may not grow as well. Researchers believe too that little sleep can affect growth and your immune system, which keeps you from getting sick.

• Personal hygiene routine

Children need to keep themselves clean to remain healthy. Most of the children can take care of them and their hygiene routine but on the other hand, children with SEND need support according to their needs. For example girls, these days are reaching to puberty and menstruating earlier than usual and so we must be prepared for such children and guide them.

5.4    Explain strategies to encourage healthy eating

Now a day’s dental decay, anaemia and rickets are media’s heading. This is all because, we are not offering healthy and balanced diet to the children. Every child according to his or her age needs a healthy and balanced diet, but not everyone likes everything. However, as a caretaker or parent, we should try different techniques to encourage children to have a healthy diet. There are some strategies that will help to cheer the children.-

• We should eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast can lead your child hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.
• Foods that look more attractive have more appealing to children. Therefore, we should let children choose fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned) at the store.
•  Do not get discouraged if your child rejects to eat a new food the first time, but rather try it again someday with different recipe.
• We should try different locations while eating, like try to go to a picnic in a park or choose different locations in your garden; this will help to encourage the fussy children.
• Children are black-and-white thinkers and learn best through hands-on activities. That is why we should let them make a salad or help with a stir-fry, then to tell them that vegetables are healthy pales for health.

In short, Parents and caretakers are the image children will mirror. Try to eat healthfully, be active, get enough sleep and commit to other healthy behaviours you want to see in your child

With these strategies in mind, you will not have to sell healthy or nutritious eating to your child; it will evolve over time, naturally.

Role model

Parents and caretakers are the image children will mirror. We should try to eat healthily, be active, get enough sleep and commit to other healthy behaviours that we want to see in a child. With these strategies in mind we do not need to have healthy or nutritious eating for a child, it will evolve over time, naturally.

Presenting food in appealing ways

If there is an ingredient that a child is particularly fussy about then it will be the texture or the colour that is putting them off rather than the taste, so present it in a different way. If vegetables are a problem, for example, try adding them into pasta sauce or soup; add fruit into a smoothie or a milkshake, and try chopping food into different shapes such as sticks, cubes or even stars.

Freedom of choice

Involving children in their food choices can be very helpful, like they can be involved during the supermarket shop. If you grow your own fruit or vegetables, young children can help with planting and picking. Older children can help produce a meal plan for the week and get involved in tasting the food before it served.

Eat meals together as a family as often as possible.

We should try to make mealtimes pleasant with conversation and sharing, not a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.

Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals.

 These activities will give you hints about children's food preferences and an opportunity to teach children about nutrition. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help prepare.

5.5    Identify reasons for special dietary requirements

There are two kinds of people in this world, poor and rich, poor those who have so little food that they are thankful to have any food to eat at all. Other people (rich) choose to eat some types of foods for many different reasons. The reasons can be religion, culture, where they live in the world, beliefs about what is food and sometimes people cannot eat some foods because they make them sick.

For example, Muslim people do not eat pork and on the other hand, Hindu people do not eat cows and many do not eat meet at all and call then vegetarian.

Some people can get very sick if they eat certain kinds of food.

Maybe they are allergic to that kind of food like, egg. Peanuts, shellfish or cow's milk.

Maybe their bodies cannot digest that kind of food, like gluten, which is found in wheat.

Maybe they have a condition that needs them to have a special diet, such as the ones below.

Lactose intolerance

Kids with this disorder need to limit or not eat at all. These children cannot eat product that has milk or dairy products in it. Lactose is the sort of sugar found in milk products.

Diabetes

Kids with diabetes may need to pay extra attention to the amount and types of carbohydrates they eat, because they have to keep control of their blood sugar levels to stop them getting sick.

Coeliac disease

These children need to have a gluten-free diet. Gluten is in many foods and it was difficult to find what to eat until recently. Look for the gluten-free products in the supermarket and look out for gluten-free recipes that you can make for these children.

Cystic Fibrosis

Kids with this disease need to have heaps of calories to help them with their disease. Fats and vitamins can easily go out of their bodies, so they need to eat lots to make sure they keep enough for their bodies to work well.

References

• Bellatti, Andy. “Healthy Meal Plans for Kids.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 20 Sept. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/healthy-meal-plans-for-kids.
• Department of Health & Human Services. “Childcare and Healthy Eating.” Better Health Channel, Department of Health & Human Services, 31 Aug. 2011, https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/childcare-and-healthy-