Keeping Your Infant or Toddler Healthy

A healthy child has the energy to grow and learn. You may rightly be concerned that in a group setting your child will be exposed to germs and all kinds of illnesses. As with safety, high quality child care programs, therefore, focus on preventing problems before they can occur.

Prevention involves two main strategies: screening children for potential health problems and checking daily to make sure that health measures are in place.

Screening for Health Problems

Arranging for your child to receive regular check-ups and scheduled immunizations is one of the most important things you can do to keep your child healthy. Caregivers/teachers should keep a watchful eye on your child each day and let you know if they have any concerns.

Checking for Good Health Practices

On a daily basis, programs should check to be sure that good health practices are in place. For example, caregivers should

• Make sure toys and equipment are germ-free
• Sanitize the diapering and toileting areas
• Follow personal hygiene practices, especially washing hands
• Make sure the sleeping and rest areas are clean and comfortable
• Carefully monitor the eating areas for cleanliness
• Plan healthy meals and snacks
• Prevent the spread of disease by washing hands and disposing of tissues in covered trash cans

Handling Illnesses When They Occur

Despite even the best efforts, you can expect that your child will get sick several times a year. A high-quality program should have policies that follow the state "sick child" guidelines. As a general rule, your child should not be at the program if any of the following conditions are present: fever, uncontrolled diarrhea or coughing, vomiting two times or more within 24 hours, breathing difficulties, mouth sores, rash with fever, and pinkeye. In these situations, you'll probably want to take your child to a health-care professional as soon as possible.

Teaching Good Health Practices

Finally, to keep your child healthy in child care, quality programs model and teach good health practices. These include washing hands regularly, eating a balanced diet, brushing teeth after eating, sneezing and coughing away from other people, and using tissues to blow noses and then disposing of them in a trash can.