PD HS EE R1

  • Provide a dedicated place for daytime sleeping outdoors as well as indoors to suit the needs of individual babies.
  • Enable and allow babies to sleep when they need to and to wake up from naps naturally.
  • Provide ample seating both indoors and outside so that adults can sit comfortably with distressed, resting and alert babies.  Swing seats outdoors work especially well.
  • Keep the environment quiet and calm, so that babies can attend to the voices and natural sounds around them.
  • Plan to take account of the individual cultural and feeding needs of young babies in your group.
  • There may be considerable variation in the way parents feed their children at home.  Remember that some parents may need interpreter support.
  • Plan for feeding times to be slow and pleasurable.  A gentle rhythm to feeding times allows babies to anticipate what is coming next and feel relaxed.
  • Make the nappy changing and dressing area pleasant to be in for both babies and adults, so that changing becomes a time for one-to-one relationship building.
  • Trained staff can introduce baby massage sessions that make young babies feel nurtured and promote a sense of wellbeing.  Involving parents helps them to use this approach at home.