The Georgia Early Learning Standards Activity Guides may - gapitc

Change Me, Please!
Observe each infant’s facial expressions or cries of discomfort that let you
know she needs a diaper change.
Pick her up quickly and take her to the changing area.
Follow all health guidelines for diaper changing.
As you change the diaper, make eye contact and say for example,“You let
Miss Maggie know that you had a dirty diaper. You made your face go like
this (wrinkle your nose and make a frown), and you cried. Miss Maggie will
help you get dry and clean again.”
Clean the changing area and dispose of the dirty diaper and other cleaning
materials according to the health guidelines.
Special Needs Tip
This is a good time to move the legs of a child with weak or tight
muscles. Talk with the parent or the child’s physical therapist
about how to do this.
As soon as they are ready, give your infants some control over their own
body and allow them to help with eating, dressing, and hygiene. You can also
modify these self-help tasks so that infants with a physical disability can help
too. For example, use a training cup with handles that you place the infant’s
fingers around, if he cannot grasp around a cup.
Whenever you feed, dress, and change a baby’s diaper, make eye contact and
use simple words to talk about what you are doing. Say for example, “I will
change your diaper, because it is wet. This wipe will feel good on your skin
and clean you off. Now you are dry and ready to play!”
Encouraging very young children in “self-help” means extra messes and extra
time.However,the clean up and patience required will pay off in positive skills
and a sense of accomplishment for the infant.
Encourage parents to send their infant in clothing that slips on and off easily
and is easy to clean.
Babies love to take off their own socks, booties, and hats. Once they learn
how to do this, it becomes a game and a challenge for teachers to keep track
of these items!
Fingers are best for infants to explore their first bite-sized foods!When they
are ready to transition, especially when they see older infants eating, offer
them a spoon and encourage any attempts to use it.
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