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Another factor is genetics which may influence the health and development of the baby. This is because some illnesses are inherited through genes. For example Down’s syndrome, this has been resulted from a chromosomal abnormality. The baby can have problems such as heart defects and chest infections. Illnesses such as meningitis can cause epilepsy and hearing problems, whilst asthma is long term and the baby may need to have asthma pumps. The baby may have a poor appetite, constipation and may be feeling miserable, when they are ill. Their weight and height may be below average, if they have not been developing correctly due to illness.

Antenatal factors also influence the development of the baby, as during the pregnancy the mother may have taken illegal drugs or alcohol. This can cause the baby to develop an addiction; due to this they will have to be weaned off of it. Infections can also pass through the umbilical cord such as rubella, which can leave the baby deaf or blind when born. When the baby is being delivered, there may be complications which can affect the baby’s health such as lack of oxygen. This can be caused by the umbilical cord becoming entangled. As a result of this, the baby can be left with permanent brain damage.

Using analgesic drugs during labour is also a risk. E2-Describe how indoor and outdoor environments can be made safe, reassuring and stimulating. The indoor environment can be made safe by making sure the children are never left alone, as this can cause accidents. There should always be the correct staff to baby ratio, which is 1:3. Whilst the baby sleeps, the practitioners should be aware of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and keep the baby at the end of the cot. Risk assessments should also be made inside and outside. ‘It is important that the environment children are playing in is regularly checked, before and during activities. (Tassoni P 2007 p193) Outside, the gates should be locked and the practitioner should follow the correct policies and procedures. There should be activities which are age / stage suited and that are supervised at all times. The indoor environment can be reassuring by having a key person who the baby will bond with. The practitioner can make sure the babies have individual routines, by working in partnership with parents, as they will find out about their child’s personal needs. They can adapt their voice and body language so the baby will feel comfortable.

The baby can also have a comforter when they are upset and have gradual settling in procedures. Whilst outdoors, they can be exposed to new experiences slowly. The practitioner can also support the baby if upset by strangers, as they are aware of them from 6 months. The environments can be made stimulating by having a variety of activities which build the babies sensory development, fine and gross motor skills. For example a treasury basket which has different natural objects in, this will encourage the baby to use their different senses. The displays can be low down so the babies can interact with them by touch.

Whilst outdoors, the practitioner can take the babies to parks and let them explore nature. This will bring new natural textures to the baby. E3- Describe the expected stage of development of babies at the chosen age and how they may be expected to develop in the next two month of life. The age group I am choosing to look at if the development of babies at 7 months. At this age a baby would be expected to roll from front to back, and may be able to move along the floor with tummy raised, this shows signs of trying to become mobile and wanting to start further exploring of the world around them.

They will also be exploring toys in new ways, by shaking and banging them, and will be becoming accurate when using fingers to feed themselves, this shows good development of a child’s hand eye coordination skills. At 7 months, the baby’s language will also be developing, they will becoming more responsive to speech and will start to understand different voices and uses of different tones in speech, such as a low stern voice is negative and high pitched singing voice is positive and happy.

Socially and emotionally at this age a baby will be very aware of praise and will let you know when they are happy or sad. At this young age, babies develop rapidly and a great change happens between the age of 7 months and 9 months. By nine months, the baby should be able to turn around whilst crawling, and move themselves around the room, they will also be starting to try and climb stairs. They may also be able to feed themselves very small things such as peas using a pincer grasp.

Hand movements will have more co-ordination and may be able to point to things that they want; this shows a vast level of development in the babies hand eye co-ordination. By this time, babies should be able to say two-syllable words such as ‘dad dad’, they may also have said their first word but it may be unclear at this stage. Their understanding will also be improved; they should understand instructions such as sit down. At the age of nine months, children will be very attracted to the feeling of different textures, they will also be very interested in toys that make sounds.

The social and emotional development will also have moved on since seven months, at this age babies will be starting to show interest in other children their own age, they will also be unwilling to share toys and may try to hide them from other babies. At this age children will also start to show empathy, they may become upset or distressed if they see that children or adults around them are upset. By looking at this comparison between seven and nine months it is clear that babies develop very quickly at this early stage, the first year of development is very important to a child’s overall development.

E4- Explain how two different play activities/experiences can support the overall development of babies at the chosen age and how they may be expected to develop in the next two months of life. Water play 7 months Bath time is a time where babies can explore new textures, for example bubbles, water, shampoo, soap and towels. Bath time is also good for babies senses as bubbles may smell, also soap outside the bath may be hard but when water is added it goes all slippery. Baths help babies get used to a care routine and they start being aware of cleaning themselves. Care routines help the babies’ personal social and emotional development.

Hand and feet painting 7 months Hand a feet painting, for babies between the ages of 7 months, is a great way to let explore the parts of their body. It is important to use non-toxic paint as at this stage babies still enjoy putting things in their mouths. The paints could be contrasting colours i. e. purple and yellow. Babies will enjoy feeling the paint and feel it squish between their fingers and toes. This activity will help their fine motor skills and their creative development. E5- Describe the role of the practitioner in meeting the particular needs of babies in the chosen type of setting.

As a practitioner working in a nursery setting, your responsibilities will include establishing a relationship with both the babies and the parents, especially those babies you are a key person for, this will mean that you have to be open and friendly with parents and allow them to feel involved with their child. This can be done by including them in things like the babies learning journey; this is a collection of photos and observations of the child. By involving the parents, they get to see what their baby is achieving and you can gather information from the parents to add to the journey.

EYFS supports this ‘Parents should review their child’s progress regularly and contribute to their child’s learning and development records’ (EYFS 2007) The key person system is a good tool within childcare as this helps to form bonds between the parents and the practitioner, this is especially important with babies as the care routines will need to closely match those from home, by working with the parents to develop a routine that works alongside theirs, this helps provide the baby with the continuity that is so important at an early age.

It is also good to have a key person as it gives the baby someone to bond within the setting, this is crucial to babies as they need to form a strong bond as soon as they can. Bowlby said that babies needed to form a strong bond in the first few months of life. If this bond did not occur then ‘they may find it hard to develop strong relationships in the future’ (Tassoni P 2007). This shows that the key person is a valuable person to the baby as well, as they need to form bonds with them in the time they are away from their main care giver.

E6- Show how child protection and procedures in the setting protect and safeguard babies. Confidentiality- Confidentiality is important in all childcare settings. All settings should have a confidentiality policy as it allows practitioners to have knowledge on how to deal with details regarding the child’s health and welfare. Practitioners should know how to store and file any documents etc regarding the child’s personal details and any information about the family background or home.

Practitioners should maintain a professional approach when working with families and parents, all information must not be passed on to anyone unless it is of the best interest to the child to do so. Information should only be shared with need to know people. If a practitioner of the setting hears or sees anything suspicious or concerning, they should record the incident and show this to a safeguarding manager or the manager of the setting. In some circumstances it may be necessary to call a professional to deal with the matter if a case is serious such as child abuse etc.

Entry to setting- All settings need to be secure and safe for families and babies. Most settings will have either a lock on the gate or an intercom system on the entrance to the setting. It is also common for settings to have a bell, and only people related to the child or professionals should be allowed to enter the setting. Practitioners and other members of staff should have a key to the setting or in some cases they may be issued with a card or pin number to enable them to enter the setting.

Visitors should either sign in at reception or office and wear a badge or name tag so that everyone in the setting is aware of who they are and why they are in the setting. There should also be a register kept of the babies in the setting so that the staff is aware of who is in the building at any one time and who should be collecting each baby and when. Hygiene- Babies have smaller immune systems so it is very important that the setting is hygienic. Food surfaces and nappy changing areas need to be thoroughly cleaned after every use.

When clearing up bodily fluids, practitioners must wear disposable gloves to reduce the risk of transmitting infections or diseases. Food should be stored correctly i. e. refrigerated or kept at the right temperature. Equipment should be safe to use and be maintained correctly and any chemicals or cleaning fluids should be kept out of reach of children. It may also be necessary to have at least one member of staff who holds a hygiene certificate to ensure that hygiene needs are being met. OFSTED will check hygiene in settings.

Sleep- It is important for the setting to have at least one designated area for babies to sleep or rest in the setting. Most settings will have a room for babies to sleep in and cots or sleeping mats are provided. This area or room should be kept at the correct temperature to ensure that the babies will not get too hot or too cold. It is possible for babies to die in cots if the room is too hot (this is called cot death). It is also possible for babies to die of hypothermia is the room is too cold. Settings should have a thermometer or some form of temperature gauge to measure the temperature.

The babies must be supervised at all times and feeding may be necessary according to the child’s routine. Sleep should be a part of the babies routine, so it may be important to follow each child’s individual routine or record any sleeping/feeding patterns. E7- Explain the importance of well-planned care routines and the key worker/ D1- Consider how care routines can enhance the overall development of babies from birth to 12 months. A well planned care routine is very important when caring for babies as it will help to keep the continuity between home and setting.

To have a well planned care routines for babies, key workers need to work well with parents Working together with the parents to try to match the care plan will be the best way to do this, as your care plan should always meet the needs of the baby rather than expecting your baby to reach the needs of your care routine. Key workers are practitioners who work closely with a number of allocated babies and parents. ‘A key person will help the baby or child to become familiar with the setting and to feel confident and safe within it. ’ (EYFS 2007, p. 5) Babies can gain many things from their care routine, as they will become used to the routine and they will start to be able to predict what is going to happen next. For example, after they have had a sleep in the afternoon they may know that as soon as they wake up it is feeding time. Having this knowledge of what should happen and seeing it acted out will help babies to learn to trust in you and feel safe and settled. This in turn will help the baby to develop socially and emotionally as they will feel safe to express themselves and to bond with you.

When key workers plan a care routine, they need to work with the parent to gain relevant heath and dietary information. For example, if the baby has eczema, the key worker would need to know as she might plan a baby massage which would use body products that are suitable to that baby’s skin. When planning, key workers also need to consider the age and ability of the baby for example new born babies can’t hold their head up compared to a seven or eight month baby who can crawl. Key workers also need to ensure that they have the correct equipment for example nappy changing every baby will have their own nappy, disposable or cloth, creams etc.

Parents will already have formed a routine at home, their routine maybe very rigid so it is important that the key worker forms a routine that both suits, him/herself, the parents and most importantly the baby. Routines need to have some flexibility as everyday life changes and babies need to learn to adapt. Sharing information with parents and meeting confidentiality procedures is necessary to developing a good care routine that works with the baby’s home routine, you need to be able to share information with the parents as they will know things about the baby that will help you care for them as an individual.

Confidentiality is also very important because parents need to feel they can trust you so that they feel safe to tell you information about their baby that may be personal. Care routines can help develop a baby’s over all development, by planning activities such as sensory time will allow you to promote the babies holistic development. During sensory time, they will be able to explore materials and learn about new objects which will help to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the worlds.

By doing this, they will be using their senses and this will help them to develop them and learn to use them more accurately. Meal times can also help with social and emotional development as they can have their meals with other babies in the placement and this will give them the chance to become used to being around peers from a young age. They may try to interact by babbling and may begin to understand language or facial meanings and link these to understanding.

Talking to babies whilst you do any aspect of their care is also important as they will listen to your voice and start to learn words and become more familiar with speech, by telling them what you intend to do and what you are doing, they will be able to start associating words with activities and objects, such as ‘lets change your nappy Theo’ or ‘Do you like the fluffy blue blanket? ’. This will help the baby to understand the meaning of this routine and by describing items such as the blanket, the baby will start to recognise what things are.

Also, asking questions allows them to talk to you, whatever the stage of speech development they are at, this one sided conversation gives them the ability to practice conversing. This skill is a skill they will need when they start speaking and is the first stage of their speech development. C1 -Discuss the importance of an environment that is safe, reassuring and stimulating. It is important for the environment to be safe as it is a government and legal requirement. This is because the Childcare Act 2006 affects the ‘adult to child ratio in rooms, the qualification levels of staff. (Tassoni. P 2007 p117) These are embedded in the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. (2008) The environment must also be safe as this prevents the baby having accidents. The parents will feel reassured, if they feel their baby is in a safe environment. This means that they will want to continue to send their baby to the setting. It will also help the baby’s development, as they will have the opportunities to learn. If not the baby may not develop skills such as fine and gross.

A reassuring environment will make the baby feel secure and settled. As a result, the baby will want to attend the setting and will learn more from it. B1- Evaluate the role of the practitioner in promoting an inclusive approach when working with babies and their families. It is the responsibility of the practitioner in a setting to ensure that an inclusive approach is maintained when working with babies and their families. Information posters and booklets should be provided in the setting regarding services to different families.

These services could include for example, SureStart, HomeStart, information on childcare services, information on health services and information regarding help for families of different cultures/ethnic minorities. Such information could help parents make the right choices for their child regarding their child’s health and wellbeing as well as education. It is important for the practitioner or key worker to be aware of any care routines for individual children. For example there may be a specific routine for a child’s sleep or eating patterns.

A child may also require medication for infections or diseases such as asthma etc. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to carry out these routines and ensure that there is good communication with the parent. It is always important to have good contact with the parent to ensure that any information is passed on and shared with the right practitioners/professionals. The parent may need to know such information as what the child has done during the day, behaviour patterns, eating patterns, sleep patterns, toileting and interaction with others etc.

The parent may also need to know information regarding the setting such as opening times, and the practitioner may need to know who is collecting the child or information regarding the child’s family background and preferences. This is in order to ensure that the child is safeguarded at all times. A child may also have allergies such as a nut allergy that the practitioner needs to be aware of. Failure to note such information on a child could result in serious health issues that could damage the child’s safety and wellbeing. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to make regular observations of each child.

These observations should then be shared with parents and other professionals. Such observations can help provide opportunities for the baby’s development and to highlight any problems with development. Also such observations can help prevent physical abuse etc. Any marks, rashes, cuts or bruises can be discussed with the parent and if such marks keep reappearing these need to be discussed with the parent. A1- Reflect on the influences of theoretical perspectives of development and attachment on current practice in settings working with babies under 1 year of age.

Theoretical perspectives of development and attachment have many influences on current practice when working with babies. One of the main theorists relevant to this area of development is John Bowlby. His attachment theory explains how a child needs to form a strong bond as a baby. If the baby does not form attachment to the parent, they will struggle to form attachments later on in life; he also suggests that a lack of attachment could even lead to such problems as alcohol addiction. ‘Attachment is an instinct in babies.

They must form an attachment by the time they are 12 months old otherwise they may find it hard to develop strong relationships in the future’ (Tassoni P 2007) Bowlby believed that a bond should be between the mother and the baby ‘the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment’ (Bowlby, 1951, P 13) In todays society, it is more difficult far a mother to stay at home and form such a strong bond between them and their baby as many mothers have to go back to work soon after giving birth.

Mary Ainsworth believed in John Bowlby’s attachment theory, however she modernised his theory. She believed that babies have the ablity to form attachment to several people such as grandparents and other people who are close to the direct family. This theory has affected current practice by helping settings introduce the key person system, this is part of the EYFS. The key person is a member of the staff in a setting who works closely with individual children to make sure that the child is able to form a strong bond with at least one member of staff in the nursery.

The key person also works to form a bond with the parents to ensure that the parent is involved in the child’s time at the nursery. Forming bonds with the parents is also a very important part of working with children, so the EYFS encourages these bonds to be made with the parents as they are the child’s first educator. ‘A key person talks to parents to make sure that the child is being cared for appropriately for each family’ (EYFS 2007)