Tag Archive for: children

The Dangers of Kissing Babies & How Parents Can Protect Them

The natural instinct of many adults is to kiss the new baby of a friend or relative. Yet many are unaware of how potentially dangerous kissing an infant baby can be. Indeed, in the worst scenarios, the child could be permanently damaged or even lose their life. As many adults are simply unaware of such dangers, today’s article exposes the risks that a simple kiss can represent to a newborn or infant baby and why it’s essential for parents to take precautions to protect them.

“A nationwide survey of 2,300 new and expectant parents … found that 54% would let friends and family kiss their newborn baby, unaware of the risk of serious infection.” — The Lullaby Trust

Babies Have Immature Immune Systems & Are More at Risk

Immune systems are complex things and, despite babies being passed a level of protection via their mother’s milk, it can take some time before babies’ immune systems are advanced enough to fight off infections that an older child is naturally protected against. In the first few months of a newborn baby’s life, they have immature immune systems and therefore they are far more susceptible to infections than older children and adults. What’s more worrying, though, is that being exposed to certain viruses and microbes can cause irreparable harm to them — and even death.

“Even infections that cause mild symptoms such as a common cold in adults and older children can be life-threatening for babies” — The Lullaby Trust

The ‘Blood-Brain Barrier’

Without getting too technical, the Blood-Brain Barrier (‘BBB’) can be thought of as a thick, semipermeable membrane of special cells that protect the brain. In tandem with allowing oxygen and nutrients to be delivered from the bloodstream to the brain, it helps to retain good things inside it. Importantly, the BBB also helps to keep out germs, diseases, toxic substances, and other potentially damaging impurities from entry into the brain.

The ‘Blood-Brain Barrier’ Takes Months to Mature

Here’s the important thing in respect to babies: in newborn and infant babies, the blood-brain barrier is not fully developed and their immune systems are still being trained. And, although born with a blood-brain barrier, that barrier needs further time to develop as it continues to tighten, thereby protecting the brain more during a child’s early life. That’s incredibly important to grasp because infections in the brain can be potentially catastrophic and especially so for babies under the age of 4 months.

An infection that could cause mild symptoms in older children and adults could be life-threatening for newborns.

What’s the Worst That Can Happen to Compromised Babies?

A baby whose brain is compromised by an infection crossing an immature blood-brain barrier can suffer potentially catastrophic consequences. A brain infection can lead to brain inflammation, brain swelling, brain damage, loss of consciousness, stroke, seizures, epilepsy, and potentially even death. It’s critically important, therefore, to protect children from such potential risks, especially in their first few months and during their first year.

“The younger the baby, the more vulnerable they are to the harmful effects of infection.” — NHS

The Risks from Kissing Babies

So, what has all this got to do with kissing babies? Well, because the BBB in babies and young infants is immature, the risks of infection to the brain are far higher. General germs, viruses and colds are, of course, a concern along with illnesses that cause ill health, diarrhoea or vomiting. However, active cold sores are a particular worry to parents who are aware of the safety issues around kissing babies. That’s because the virus that causes cold sores is actually the herpes simplex virus, which can be passed to the baby through a simple kiss on the head. It’s a very common virus and, indeed, most adults carry the HSV-1 variant of the virus but don’t realise they do. For adults, it causes cold sores but can also cause genital herpes (HSV-2).

“The herpes simplex virus can be passed to a baby through a cold sore if a person has a cold sore and kisses the baby.” — NHS

If infected by neonatal herpes, a baby could become seriously ill or even die, particularly if the infection spreads to the infant’s internal organs. This is therefore a serious issue that parents need to be aware of and take measures against. And it’s all the more important in the earliest part of a baby’s life due to the immaturity of their immune system and BBB.

“A baby is most at risk of getting a herpes infection in the first 4 weeks after birth.” — NHS

Cold sore infections are most contagious when the blisters they cause burst, and remain a danger until fully healed. Therefore it’s important never to let anyone with such a condition touch or kiss a baby.

Measures Parents Can Take to Protect Babies

Parents who show signs of infection and any visitors (who could, in theory, be carrying anything) should follow some simple rules to help newborns and young infants stay safer from harmful infections.

  1. Wash hands before touching babies.
  2. Never kiss a newborn baby or infant, particularly on the head, except when you’re their parent or main carer and are in good health.
  3. Even if you are their parent or main carer, avoid kissing them and wash hands before breastfeeding if you have recently been unwell or, of course, if you have any kind of infection.
  4. Parents/carers with cold sore blisters or other herpes-related lesions should cover them whenever they’re around babies.
  5. Parents/carers should alert family members and other visitors about the risks, especially when babies are at their youngest.

“Despite the risk, 63% of new and expectant parents would feel uneasy asking visitors not to touch their baby, worried that they’d offend someone, hurt their feelings, or be labelled an overprotective parent.” — NHS

Telling family and friends why you don’t want them to touch or kiss a baby can feel awkward. However, the risks are huge to babies, so such requests are essential. In view of this, The Lullaby Trust has produced the following video, which can be shared by parents to make communication about this issue less difficult:

With the right approach, it’s possible for friends and family to meet your new baby while taking steps to help prevent infection.

Weekday Childcare for Babies & Under-5s in Streatham

Little Cedars is a nursery & preschool offering high-quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rates Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderLittle Cedars is a wonderful nursery and preschool in Streatham. We’re recognised as a ‘good provider’ of childcare and early years education by Ofsted and, as such, give babies and children under five a fabulous start in life. What’s more, we also support a wide range of free childcare options for eligible children through several of the Government’s childcare funding schemes. So, do consider us if you are looking for a high-quality weekday childcare service in Streatham or live in nearby locations like Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Tooting Common, Tooting, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury or Colliers Wood.

Consider a childcare place at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham today. Choose an option to get started:

SAFETY NOTICE

The information in this post is produced in good faith but should not be relied on as medical advice. Parents should do their own research to gather all the facts. You know your child best so, if you believe they may be unwell, trust your instincts. If you suspect they are unwell or may have an infection, it’s important to seek urgent professional medical advice — for example, from your midwife, health visitor, GP, NHS 111, or hospital A&E department.

The Power of Sport in Early Childhood

Whether they’re naturally sporty or require a bit of practice, most children enjoy sports of one type or another at some point in their young lives. Some may take to a specific sport right away while others may identify a sport that they see potential in much later on. Two things are certain with sport though: firstly children can only discover a sport they enjoy if they try a few out for size and, secondly, sport of any kind is likely to benefit them in a number of ways. With the latter in mind, today’s article investigates some of the ways that sport benefits children in their early years.

Some of the Benefits of Sport in the Early Years

“Sport has such an incredible power to have a hugely positive impact on children’s lives. It increases their physical and mental well-being, helps them achieve at school and teaches important life skills such as working as a team, developing the confidence to try new things and taking leadership.” (Minister for Sport and Civil Society, 07/19)

Sport Offers Something for Everyone

One of the good things about sport is that it comes in so many different forms. Examples include anything from skateboarding, hockey and water sports to football, table tennis, gymnastics and squash. These examples are all very different and that’s a good thing. Essentially, it means there is generally a sport to suit everyone — it’s just a case of trying out several to see which is the best natural fit. With that goal in mind, encouraging young children to sample a wide range of different sports, ball games and sporty leisure activities is highly recommended. Once a child finds a sporting activity they love, it can potentially open up a whole new world to them.

Levelling the Playing Field

That wide range of different sports is a great leveller. With there being some kind of sport for most children, they’ll have something that gives them enjoyment, a sense of achievement and the feeling that they belong. For those children who previously felt a bit different and perhaps an ‘outsider’, including those with special educational needs, that feeling of belonging is important.

Improving Social & Interpersonal Skills & Communication

The above brings us nicely to another benefit of sport; that of improving social skills. When a child plays a sport with other team members or even opponents, they will naturally learn to improve communication and, through doing so, also hone skills like teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, strategy, and cooperation. These are skills that will stand them in great stead as they grow towards their teenage years and ultimately adulthood.

What’s more, of course, taking part in sports and being part of a team is a fabulous way to make deeper bonds with peers, form long-term friendships, and build an expanding friendship circle. Having decent bonds with others will enrich children’s lives and is a major key to childhood happiness.

Life Skills

It’s also important for children to learn from both success and failure in sports (and in life). Learning skills like good sportsmanship, winning or losing gracefully, resilience, and perseverance are highly useful life skills to master. Similarly, sports and being a part of a team can help instil discipline, responsibility, punctuality, and the importance of playing by the rules. All such skills and lessons will be important and useful throughout life as well as academically.

Cognitive Development

The strategic thinking, communication, teamwork, cooperation and problem-solving aspects of sport will also help children to develop cognitively. As well as being a workout for the body, sports can often also be a workout for the brain. As such, children’s mental agility will also increase. This can only be positive in the classroom and in daily life. Indeed, studies show that memory, concentration and academic performance are all significantly improved when children take part in regular physical activity.

Improving Health, Fitness, Agility & Mobility

Some of the more obvious benefits of taking part in sports, including in the early years, include improved fitness, improved strength and stamina, improved motor skills, and better coordination and balance. All these things will, in turn, improve the lives of children in their daily activities as they grow older.

An active lifestyle and regular active play during sports sessions will also help children maintain healthy bones, muscles, and even weight. With childhood obesity rates now at alarming levels, sport is a simple, fun, and easy activity that will help in the fight against such an important issue.

“The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that children do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, yet just 20% of boys and even fewer girls (14%), are meeting this target, despite 95% of children saying that they enjoy being active.” (Public Health England)

Better Sleep

There’s nothing quite like the exertion of physical energy to tire little ones out. Letting them play sports, ball games and run around is therefore a sure-fire way to help them sleep well at night and, if applicable, during daytime naps. And, as we know, high-quality sleep is incredibly important for children and adults alike, allowing the body and mind to recharge in many different ways.

Sports Activities are Great Fun!

Let’s not forget the most obvious but perhaps overlooked benefit of sports — they are great fun for children. Running, playing in teams, and getting involved in a wide variety of energetic activities etc. are an intrinsic part of any happy childhood. Sports allow children to play in incredibly active ways, often over wide spaces that give them a feeling of immense fun and freedom.

Good for Mental Health & Well-Being

Letting off steam through sport and active play will also act as a healthy stress-buster. Letting loose on a sports field and running free will lift spirits and help children shake off any anxiety they may have felt in the classroom or at home. As children’s sporting skills improve over time, they will also get a better sense of self-esteem, accomplishment, and confidence. These, too, are important for their mental health and well-being.

“Evidence shows that children and young people who are more active have more confidence, higher self-esteem, less anxiety and stress and better social skills – attributes that can help them deal with the challenges they face in daily life. Positive attitudes towards physical activity have also been associated with children being happier.” (Public Health England)

A Possible Career in Sport

Those children who excel at or learn deeply from sport also get additional opportunities from the activity; a possible career in sport. Opportunities include anything from coaching and physiotherapy to places in professional teams that get featured on TV and radio. And, of course, the most talented may even end up winning gold at the Olympics! Indeed, many of the sports stars that we hear about began their interest at a young age. The career potential of sport is simply immense.

Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

High-Quality Childcare Near Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood

Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderLittle Cedars is a nursery & preschool offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Streatham boasts many opportunities for sport as children grow. From sports clubs, an ice skating rink, and the world-class Crystal Palace sports and athletics complex, to the famous football stadium at Selhurst Park, many centres for sport are located just a stone’s throw from our Streatham nursery. For children who get into sports at an early age, such venues offer incredible opportunities for both leisure and even possible future careers. Given some encouragement and the right opportunities, perhaps even some of our own little ones could end up as future sporting stars!

If you would like to explore a possible nursery or preschool place for your child at Little Cedars Nursery, please get in touch today. You can apply for a place, request a guided visit, or ask any questions using the options below:

Spooky Kids' Activities for Halloween: Fun Ideas for 31st October

Children love getting into the spirit of Halloween!The arrival of October means it’s time for children and families to prepare for Halloween! Arriving on the 31st of the month, it’s a firm favourite for any childhood and gives children the opportunity for uniquely spooky fun, games and dressing up. Indeed, Halloween offers a wonderful variety of activities for children to take part in and that’s exactly what we look at in today’s article. Stand by, then, to prepare the household for some spookylicious Halloween activity ideas for kids!

Dress up in Spooky Halloween Costumes

A white bedsheet with two eye-holes suitably positioned makes for a wonderfully-effective ghost costume.Children adore dressing up for Halloween. The spooky nature of Halloween costumes really appeals to them, especially if they get together with friends and compare outfits on Halloween evening.

A huge range of wonderful Halloween fancy dress costumes is available to purchase. However, your child can have even more fun and potentially save costs by making their own Halloween outfit. It’s both great fun and a wonderfully creative activity. Here are a few ideas but bear in mind, of course, that any fabric cutting should be done by adults or, for older children, under their supervision:

  • A white bedsheet with two eye holes suitably positioned makes for a wonderfully effective ghost costume. Kids will love wearing these and leaping out at unsuspecting family and friends!
  • Black sheets or clothes are easy to make into witch or wizard outfits. Add pointy hats made from card.Similarly, black sheets are easy to make into witch or wizard outfits. Alternatively, use black clothing and, if it’s no longer being worn for anything else, it can even be given ragged edges for extra effect. Add pointy black hats made of cardboard or paper and the costumes are complete.
  • Clothing that’s no longer needed is a great canvas on which children or parents can paint the bones of the body, so children wearing the costume look like spooky walking skeletons. Some black and white face painting will complete the effect by creating a ‘skull’ face!
  • Home-made spider costumes are also feasible using black clothing, stuffed jumpers (for the body) and extra spider legs made from black tights stuffed and attached to the child’s belt.
  • Similarly, children can dress up as pumpkins simply by using an orange top or t-shirt, suitably decorated in paint so children look like walking, talking Jack-O’-Lanterns!

As you can see, these home-made Halloween outfits are fairly simple to accomplish, without the need for much, if any, expense. This activity is also one that really gets children’s creative juices and a sense of fun flowing.

Display Some Spooky Halloween Decorations

Set the atmosphere with spooky decorations!If you want your child’s Halloween experience to be truly spooktacular, encourage them to decorate the house – whether inside or out – with all manner of ghoulish decorations and ghostly paraphernalia. Home-made spider webs can, of course, be made using string, thread or stretched-out cotton wool. However, such decorations can usually be purchased inexpensively from supermarkets, which typically have cheap Halloween decorations around October each year. Spiders can be home-made by children from wool or black pipe cleaners, or similarly bought commercially along with shop-bought decorations depicting skeletons, ghosts, bats and suchlike. You can also buy LED lights, including strings of lights, that look like Halloween pumpkin lanterns. Such lighting is great for extra atmosphere!

Make Spooky Food & Drink

Children love cooking and decorating biscuits and cookies for Halloween!If your household is carving pumpkins for Halloween this year, perhaps save some of the flesh and use it to make a spookylicious pumpkin soup for the family to eat come Halloween evening time. There are plenty of excellent recipes online and children can help make the soup, under supervision for safety purposes.

Children of all ages also generally love cooking biscuits and cookies, so why not encourage them to make some that are Halloween-themed? Perhaps try ghost-shaped and bat-shaped cookies with decorating in black and white icing (see example).

Drinks can also be themed by children by painting Halloween imagery onto paper cups – it’s another simple Halloween children’s activity that’s both fun and creative.

Supermarkets are also sure to sell Halloween-themed party food, drink and accessories as Halloween approaches, so there’s usually lots for children and families to choose from.

Host a Spooktacular Halloween Party!

Combine the Halloween fancy dress costumes, spooky decorations, and themed food and drink by hosting a Halloween party!Children can combine Halloween fancy dress costumes, spooky decorations, and themed food and drink by hosting a Halloween party for friends and family. Such preparations are sure to set up a wonderfully spooky atmosphere in which children will have immense fun comparing outfits and getting into the spirit of the event. Add Halloween-themed games, play ghostly music and take turns to read ghost stories and the evening is sure to be one to remember! It’s also a great conduit through which children can socialise and perhaps grow stronger bonds.

Trick-or-Treating Activity

Children will absolutely love tricking-or-treating and it's sure to result in much giggling and laughter!Take the Halloween activities to an extra level by arranging a group trick-or-treat session, under adult supervision, for children in your street. They will absolutely love this activity and it’s sure to result in much giggling and laughter if it goes as planned. However, be sure to check with each neighbour before the day. In that way, they can opt out if they prefer not to get involved. For those that do take part, most neighbours usually go the ‘treat’ route but be ready for the possibility that a few may opt for the ‘trick’ option, in which scenario the children under your supervision will need to be ready with a fun but harmless trick. Some forethought and creative thinking may be needed there, with care being taken not to allow children to overstep the mark.

Also, be sure to buy suitable sweets or gifts for children who may trick-or-treat and knock on your door (age-appropriate, of course).

Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin patches make great family photo opportunities around Halloween time.Pumpkin patches are often wonderful places for children and families to spend a few hours in the run-up to Halloween. In such places, your little one can explore amongst hundreds of pumpkins and other gourds of different sizes and shapes. And, if they find one they take a liking to, they can usually be purchased to take home, or might even be included in the price if the venue has an entrance fee. Pumpkin patches often also have other Halloween-themed activities at this time of year, whether it’s displays where you can take memorable snaps of your child amongst the pumpkins, wheelbarrow rides for children across a pumpkin field, pop-up refreshments with Halloween-themed food and drink or pumpkin-decorating workshops, they’re always great fun for children. They really help to make Halloween the special time of year that it is.

Pumpkin patches are usually found on farms and agricultural locations, so you may not have one locally if you live in a big city like London. However, some may be a short train, bus or car ride away. Either way, try Googling ‘pumpkin patches near me‘ and see if any of the results throw up a pumpkin patch that’s within reach.

Decorate Pumpkins & Make Jack-O’-Lanterns

Family preparing a Jack-O'-Lantern pumpkin.Once you’ve sourced a suitable pumpkin for your child, it’s time for the really fun part — pumpkin carving and decorating! While the carving part may not be suited to children of a young age (knives are super-dangerous), they can usually help, under supervision, with scooping out the flesh and then, the most fun part of all, decorating. Pumpkins can depict faces, spiders, owls or any spooky imagery you or your little one can imagine. And, even if they may be too young to carve the holes,Examples of carved pumpkin Jack-O'-Lanterns. they can still decorate using paint or markers, or simply enjoy Mum or Dad getting creative on their behalves.

Once ready, the spooky pumpkin(s) are ready to display indoors or out once it gets dark. Adults should supervise if lighting the pumpkins with real-flame tea lights, or better still look out for flickering LED fake candles, which will be the safest option. Children will love looking at these pumpkin lanterns (also known as Jack-O’-Lanterns) glowing in the dark and they will really set the Halloween atmosphere.

The smallest of children can decorate oranges or yellow/orange bell peppers, so there's no need for dangerous carving.TIP: Kids don’t even really need a pumpkin; the smallest of children can decorate oranges or yellow/orange bell peppers! They look really cute and an added bonus is that they avoid the need for any carving.

Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham, London SW16

We hope today’s article gives children and families some good ideas for Halloween this year. These days, it’s simply a wonderful opportunity for children to have fun, socialise and get creative with friends and family. It’s also a unique milestone in the calendar each year and something children can really look forward to.

A Nursery Place for Your Baby, Toddler or Preschooler in Streatham

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderTrust your weekday childcare to a ‘Good Provider’ (it’s official!). We are a high-quality nursery and preschool located in Streatham, London SW16, offering a first-class early years education and childcare service to babies, toddlers and preschoolers under five. We may also suit if you’re located in Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury or Colliers Wood. What’s more, we support free childcare through various Government schemes, making childcare more affordable for eligible families.

Request a place for your child, a tour, or more information below — we look forward to hearing from you:

Sowing & Growing Wildflowers - A Nature-Based Activity for Kids

This nature-based activity benefits the children taking part, the natural environment, pollinators like bees and butterflies and even humanity as a whole.In today’s guide, we outline a simple but powerful nature-based activity that will be both fun and educational for children and under-fives. This one is all about how to sow wildflower seeds. Once growing, these will bring beauty and wonder to any setting. The activity will also complement our recent Butterfly-Spotting Activity for Kids as it should result in exactly that kind of little visitor to the child’s world — along with bees, insects, hoverflies, damselflies, and possibly even dragonflies and birds. Sowing and growing wildflowers really is very simple and the results will be beneficial in a multitude of ways. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to approach this excellent children’s activity and learn why it’s so worthwhile.

The Benefits of This Nature-Based Activity

This type of nature-based activity benefits everyone and everything, including the children taking part, the natural environment, little pollinators like bees and butterflies and even humanity as a whole. Let’s take a quick look at some of those benefits:

  • Growing wildflowers is a fun and educational activity for children, including under-fives.Children benefit very much from spending time in nature, as we outlined in our article entitled “Nature & Its Incredible Importance to Children” last year. There is an incredible array of benefits associated with spending time in nature, so click the bold blue link above to learn more if you haven’t already read that enlightening article.
  • The activity will not only be fun for children, but it will also be educational. It’ll teach them about the circle of life, reproduction, care of the environment, care of and empathy for living things and also they will learn new skills and interests. It could even lead to a life-long hobby or career!
  • The wildflowers themselves will, of course, benefit as it gives them a home and somewhere to propagate/reproduce.
  • Pollinators like bees, butterflies and other insects will enjoy feeding on the pollen found in the wildflowers once they bloom. Pollen is absolutely essential to their survival.
  • The pollinators are thus called because they pollinate both the wildflowers and other plants and crops. By pollinating them, it allows them to reproduce new generations. That’s essential to the natural world and all the creatures in it. Crop reproduction is also, of course, essential to our own survival.

Choosing Seeds With Your Child

Children can help with the wildflower selection process and may enjoy doing so. There are several factors that may help children decide which to grow and parents can help steer children if needed. Factors may include:

  • You can choose which wildflowers your child will grow using various factors like colour, style and whether the wildflowers will attract pollinators.Colour(s) — Children can help decide whether to grow wildflowers of just one colour, a limited 2- or 3-colour palette or perhaps multiple colours. If parents have an existing colour theme in their garden or plant area, they may wish to point children in a particular direction, so as to keep that colour theme going.
  • Type and style — Children may also take a shine to a particular type of wildflower. A good example might be poppies, which mostly have the same style of flower but are available in different sizes and colours.
  • Compatibility with wildlife — Choosing wildflowers is a great opportunity to teach children that their choices have real-world effects on nature and the environment. For example, nudging children towards wildflowers that are pollinator-friendly, i.e. attracting creatures like bees and butterflies, is a great lesson to give them. It also adds an extra facet to the entire activity as they will later benefit from being able to see such adorable visitors coming to their wildflowers.
  • Cost and availability — Cost and availability are additional factors as some wildflower seeds may be harder or more expensive to obtain than others. Again, parents/caregivers can explain such factors to children and it will teach them further valuable lessons.

Where to Get Seeds for Your Child

There are several places to obtain wildflower seeds and they need not cost much, if any, money:

  • There are several places to obtain wildflower seeds and they need not cost much, if any, money.Free wildflower seeds can be harvested from existing wildflowers — either from your own wildflowers if you have them, or from those found in the wild along hedgerows and similar (N.B. only do so in moderation and for personal use). Timing will, of course, be critical because seeds will only be available at certain times of the year, i.e. when the wildflowers have “gone to seed” at the end of their flowering period.
  • Seed swap schemes may also be available in your neighbourhood or, if not, perhaps a scheme could be started amongst friends or with other parents at your child’s nursery or school.
  • Free or almost free seeds can sometimes be available from charities, organisations and even commercially if you get the timing right. Try a Google search for “free wildflower seeds UK” and you may be pleasantly surprised by the number of sources that will happily send you free wildflower seeds for your child to grow. Others, like Just Bee Honey, will send you free wildflower seeds if you cover the cost of postage (some simple terms apply).
  • Commercially-sold wildflower seeds are also, of course, readily available to buy from local outlets, supermarkets and online. If searching online, perhaps try a search query like “wildflower seeds for children” or “bee-friendly wildflower seeds for kids” or similar. You will be met with lots of options to choose from, so filtering down to pollinator-friendly wildflower seeds and those that are suitable for children to grow will help to narrow down the huge range of choices.

Safety First

This type of activity should be supervised by a responsible adult, paying particular care regarding hazards (e.g. ponds), potentially poisonous plants/seeds, and hygiene (e.g. contaminated soil, germs, etc.). Adults can also consider teaching children about the identification and mitigation of such dangers during the activity. They will thereby also learn about self-care, personal hygiene, risk assessment and suchlike. Children and adults should wash hands etc. with soap and water following completion of this activity. Learn more safety tips for children here.

The Activity — Instructions

Once you have obtained seeds, the rest is very easy and children will enjoy and learn from taking part in the various activities involved.

Teach the Importance of Timing

Timing is an important factor because you/your child will need to plan and know when the wildflower plants and flowers will actually appear. Apart from over winter, wildflower seeds will typically take between 60 and 80 days to grow and begin blooming. Start sowing no earlier in the year than March. Mid-to-late March is good as spring will arrive around the third week of that month here in the UK and it will therefore be nicer for children outdoors. Your child can sow seeds as late in the year as mid-October or even early November if there is no snow or frost, but they should be aware that planting the seeds that late in the year mean that they will not grow until spring of the following year.

If they want to attract the most butterflies to their flowers, then a good time to sow seeds is mid-May as peak butterfly time is 60 to 80 days later.

Choosing a Location to Sow the Seeds

Wildflower seeds can be sown in flower beds, pots, containers, window boxes or indeed on lawns if a ‘wildflower meadow’ type scene is preferred. The following guidelines for sowing should help but also read any specific instructions on seed packets if these have been purchased.

Simple Option:

Sowing a Wildflower ‘Meadow’

The most simple way to sow and locate seeds is to create a wildflower meadow.Sowing seeds on existing lawns that you/your child want as a wildflower meadow is simply a case of scattering seeds on the lawn, ideally spaced out in such a way that they don’t have to compete with each other once they start growing. Then ensure that the area of lawn is kept moist by either rain or, if there is no rain, regular sprinkling from a watering can fitted with a sprinkling head (a.k.a. ‘rose head’). Children may need to remind adults not to cut the lawn thereafter, of course!

Advanced Option:

Sowing in Soil – Just 6 Easy Steps

For sowing in locations where there is soil rather than grass, a little preparation will be required.

  1. Identify your intended spot, whether that’s an area in an existing garden flower bed, flower pots or containers, window boxes or grow bags on a patio or balcony. A fairly sunny spot is recommended.
  2. Ensure the soil is free of weeds. Children can help with weeding, if necessary, so long as they have guidance from an adult and are mindful of safety and hygiene considerations.
  3. The top inch or two of soil should be loosened, for example, using a rake if it’s a flower bed.
  4. Help your child to sprinkle seeds evenly so they’re not spaced too close to one another, otherwise, they’ll have to compete once they start growing. Sprinkling carefully from a height will help, e.g. by raising an arm, and/or simply sprinkling one pinch at a time with care.
  5. Once scattered, it’s best to ensure the seeds are embedded in the soil otherwise they could be blown away or even eaten by wildlife. Therefore the soil can be patted down so it’s no longer loose. This will help keep seeds in place.
  6. Lastly, your child will need to be reminded to keep the area moist through regular watering, while taking care not to over-water.

Then wait for nature’s magic to happen!

Wait and Watch Out for the Wildflowers

Children will love seeing bees, butterflies, and other insects visiting their home-grown wildflowers.Children will love it once the wildflowers begin to grow and later bloom. They’ll also love seeing bees, butterflies, and other insects visiting and the results of the activity may indeed give them a great sense of accomplishment. The whole process and the results are quite magical when you think about it.

Don’t Forget — the Final Step for Children

Once the wildflowers are past the prime of their flowering stage, remind children to look out for the appearance of seeds and seed pods. You can either teach your child to leave these to self-seed for next year or help them to safely harvest the seeds. These can be stored somewhere safe and dry, ready to repeat the entire process next time.

All in all, this nature-based activity is a perfect way to demonstrate the circle of life to children.

Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

A High-Quality Childcare Service in Streatham, Southwest London

Little Cedars is a nursery & preschool offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderWe hope you have found this nature-based activity useful and of interest to your little one. Little Cedars Nursery represents an outstanding choice for weekday childcare, offering a high-quality early years education for babies and children under five. We are a nursery, as well as a preschool, in Streatham, in Southwest London, so may suit families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. We nurture all children under our care so that, by the time they leave us, they have become the very best versions of themselves and are as ‘school-ready’ as they can possibly be. We also support all Government-funded free childcare schemes.

Why not arrange a guided visit with your child, so you can see the setting in action? Ask us questions, see how your little one fits in and, if you like the nursery/preschool, we’d love you to apply for a place for your child. Please select a button to get started:

While Little Cedars Nursery is based in Streatham, it’s also conveniently close for families in and around Tooting Common, Tooting, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common, Furzedown, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.

The Power of Positive Language for Under-Fives

We explore the issues around negative language and the simple solution represented by positive alternatives.In today’s post, we explore the benefits of using positive language around under-fives. All too often, it’s tempting to say ‘No!’, ‘Stop that!’ or even ‘Don’t Eat That!’ and similar around little ones. This is particularly true when you want them to cease the offending activity urgently or are simply exhausted if it’s been a challenging day. There are good reasons for such negative commands, of course, not least that of their safety in many cases. However, such commands can sound stern and cause stress for the little ones. What’s more, if a child hears too much negative language and cannot understand why they’re not allowed to do a particular thing, problems can begin to arise and, indeed, the issue can become insidious. It may even result in worsening behaviour. Let’s explore, therefore, the issues around negative language and the simple solution that’s available in the form of positive language.

What’s Wrong With Saying No?

There’s nothing wrong, per se, with telling your child not to do something. More often than not, such a ‘negative’ command is given from the need to protect a child — it’s for their own good. The issue is more about how you say it (we’ll come back to that later).

There’s nothing wrong, per se, with telling your child not to do something. It’s more about how you phrase it.

Once babies have become toddlers, they start to explore their surroundings and want to be into everything. It’s all such an adventure for them! However, while it’s fun for them, it’s our job as parents to protect them, and their peers, from harm. When setting boundaries our maturity and experience tells us when things are dangerous. Toddlers just haven’t got that sense of potential danger, though. They therefore may not understand that we are saying ‘no’ or ‘don’t do that’ for their own good.

The words we choose can significantly influence our children’s behaviour and achievements.Sometimes, though, constantly hearing ‘no’ can spark tantrums, particularly if a child doesn’t understand the reason they are not allowed to do something. They can feel particularly frustrated when they receive a succession of negative commands and, in the end, may feel they simply can’t do anything right. This can lead not only to stress for them, but also to possible low self-esteem. Furthermore, if they hear ‘no’ and other negative language too often, they can begin to ‘tune out’ to it. They could then go on to develop challenging behaviour due to this, their confusion and frustration. Stress levels can then rise for the parent too, the infant can pick up on this and it can become a real vicious circle. It doesn’t have to be that way, though …

What to Do Instead – Using Positive Language

The best way to counter a negative result from negative language is to try to use positive phrasing (we’ll come to some examples shortly). The words we choose can significantly influence our children’s behaviour and achievements. So, by changing our tone and choice of words, we can show toddlers an alternative action to what they originally intended to do — all achieved in a positive way.

Positive, encouraging words help children to feel happier about situations. Also, by the child choosing a more positive action, it can make them feel empowered. When they follow positive words and requests, it will bring about a sense of achievement for the child. Suddenly, from their perspective, they chose the ‘right’ course of action rather than coming away feeling that they did something wrong. Gradually, the whole environment at home can become calmer and more positive too. What a contrast this is to the negative alternative!

Examples:

Don't do this.Stop shouting!Do this insteadPlease use a much softer voice.
Don't do this.Don’t hit people!Do this insteadPlease use gentle hands, so your don’t hurt someone.
Don't do this.Do not take his toy!Do this insteadLet’s find another toy to play with until your friend has finished playing with it. There are plenty to choose from.
Don't do this.No, you cannot have a treat!Do this insteadPlease eat your dinner. If you eat enough of your proper food, you can have a treat afterwards.
Don't do this.Stop running!Do this insteadPlease stop running otherwise you may bump into something or hurt yourself. Let’s walk together and we’ll get there safely.
Don't do this.Don’t throw that ball in the house!Do this insteadShall we take the ball into the garden to play? It’s much safer as things won’t get broken outside.

Remember to praise them when they have followed your suggestion and made the right choice.

Tips:

  1. Be clear, with simple explanations.
  2. Provide alternative options — explain what they can do instead of what they can’t.
  3. Let them know what behaviour you want to see from them.
  4. Sometimes use a “yes you can, but later” approach.
  5. Praise them when you see them choose the better alternative.

Before long, your child will catch on and both parent and child will be be more at ease and each will be happy with the results. Indeed, our childcare professionals at Little Cedars Nursery often use this kind of approach — and it works!

High Quality Childcare in our Streatham Nursery & Pre-School

Give your child the best start in life with childcare from Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good Provider of childcare services.Little Cedars offers under-fives a first class early years education in a safe, homely and nurturing environment. We are an excellent nursery and pre-school in Streatham supplying a first class childcare service to families near Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common and Furzedown as well as Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.

Please let us know if you’d like to register your baby, toddler or preschooler for a place at the nursery/pre-school. We can show you and your child around, confirm fees, answer any questions and clarify any Government childcare funding options. We’re here to help, so please get in touch:

Little Cedars Nursery: Super-Charging Children for Success!

Good nurseries & pre-schools benefit under-fives, families and society as a whole once you take a closer look.A childcare nursery should not be thought of only as a crèche, playgroup, or simply somewhere that looks after babies and children while parents go to work. Good nurseries and pre-schools like Little Cedars are so much more than that. It’s incredible just how much they benefit under-fives, families and society as a whole once you take a closer look at everything they do — and that’s exactly what we’re doing today…

Somewhere Safe for your Child, While You Work

Yes of course, in the most simple analysis, a childcare nursery or pre-school is somewhere for babies, toddlers and under-fives to be safely looked after in a parent’s absence. And, as a high quality, Ofsted-registered childcare setting, Little Cedars Nursery will only employ trusted, trained and fully-vetted staff to look after little ones. All the appropriate safeguarding measures will also be in place in a professional childcare setting such as ours. This allows parents to continue with their careers, safe in the knowledge that their little ones are being cared for well, in a safe and trusted place.

A Home-From-Home Environment & Beneficial Interaction

Regular positive interaction with adults helps children's brains to develop optimally.What’s more, staff at childcare settings like Little Cedars will form close bonds with little ones. Studies show that regular interaction with adults helps children’s brains to develop optimally. Did you know that a million new connections form in a child’s brain every second when you interact with them?

“A child’s brain forms a million new connections every second when you interact with them.”

Our early years practitioners will also ensure that children feel at home at the nursery/pre-school right away. The home-from-home atmosphere and warm, deeply caring staff mean that your little one also knows that they are safe, loved, valued and is being looked after well.

A Good Early Years Education

Good Ofsted-registered nurseries/pre-schools like Little Cedars give under-fives a full early years education.Good Ofsted-registered nurseries/pre-schools like Little Cedars also give under-fives a full early years education. That’s important to know. Through a learning and development programme that’s customised to each individual child, we ensure they achieve their own personal bests in all areas of the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum. Despite their young age, areas of their learning are huge in scope. They include communication, language, literacy, mathematics, art and design as well as physical development and understanding the world as a whole. Children’s personal, social and emotional development is also nurtured fully.

Through this comprehensive and tailored approach to learning and development, children benefit, far into their older years, in many profound ways. A good early years education is therefore incredibly important and beneficial to children and, indeed, many studies back this up.

Nurturing a Love of Learning

This early years education is also done in a way that’s fun, with learning mainly through play, in such a way that children love learning! They naturally explore, investigate, question and ultimately learn more throughout their lives because their early years education has nurtured a natural will to learn in them. That’s gold dust for little learners!

Social Development & Fun With Friends

Having fun and making friends are hugely important parts of any happy childhood.Part of children’s personal, social and emotional development comes through active play with other children that they meet and get to know at the nursery. This is firstly great fun, of course, and that’s a hugely important part of any happy childhood. However, they’ll also learn many things through play. Without socialising with others, it would be more difficult to improve social skills, for example. Only by being around other children will they learn to account for the feelings of others, learn to respect one another and ultimately form close bonds, trust and friendships. Many such friendships will indeed continue long afterwards, as children move to schools at the age of five.

Improvement of Physical Skills

Children benefit from good nurseries and pre-schools like Little Cedars in other ways too. As well as helping them educationally, cognitively, emotionally and socially, children benefit physically from a good early years education. The learning and development programmes and activities at Little Cedars Nursery, for example, help children to master physical skills. They gain strength and fitness as well as improving coordination and motor skills. Both fine and gross motor skills will improve through both planned and free-play activities available at the nursery. This is all part of the plan for each child at the nursery. Indeed, everything at the nursery, whether it’s an item of equipment, game or activity, has a purpose.

Preparedness for School

Another key aim of good early years childcare provision is to prepare children thoroughly for school.Another key aim of good early years childcare provision is to prepare children thoroughly for school. Why? Because well-prepared under-fives are statistically likely to do much better at school — and beyond — than those who didn’t receive a good early years education. By preparing and educating them in their early years, children will be able to hit the ground running the moment they start school at the age of five. Grades will be better and they will then have more choices and opportunities when the time comes to apply for further education in their teens.

“15-year-olds who had attended some pre-primary education outperformed students who had not by about a year of achievement.” (OECD report, 2011)

Super-Charging Children for Success

A good early years education super-charges children for success!It’s almost as if children are super-charged for success — the benefits of a good early years education are surprisingly long lasting. Some studies even show that the benefits last into people’s working lives, improving salaries (a US study even puts a figure on it), boosting careers and thereby also enhancing a person’s standard of living — well into adulthood. That’s incredible, when you think about it.

Independence and a Healthy Self-Confidence

Another part of a good early years education is for children to learn to be more independent and self-confident. That’s another thing that good nurseries like Little Cedars helps to nurture. We’ll help point them in the right direction, for example with solo tasks, group activities, personal hygiene skills, toilet training, good manners and much more. All of these skills will stand them in good stead in the real world, including when they leave us to start school around the age of five.

Early Warning of Any Issues

Nursery & pre-school staff are in a prime position to spot any issues early and to make appropriate actions without delay.Working so closely with babies, toddlers and preschoolers allows us to continually monitor their individual progress. In so doing, we are in a prime position to spot any issues early and to make appropriate arrangements to mitigate them if needed. For example, we may spot that a child is finding reading challenging. If so, we can put extra effort and time into improving the situation for the child. On occasion, that may even include talking to parents about the possible intervention of a specialist of some kind, or it could simply be that they need to practise specific activities to overcome the issue. The earlier challenges or any special educational or developmental needs are spotted, the sooner the child in question can be helped.

Our Early Years Education Benefits Families & Society Too

As well as hugely benefiting children, the high quality childcare and early years education from providers like Little Cedars Nursery also helps families and society in general. Parents are freed up to go back to work and boost household incomes, boosting the family’s standard of living. Society also benefits from early years education through upward mobility, lower welfare dependency, reduced poverty levels and even lower crime rates. Learn more about the benefits of an early years education here.

An Outstanding Childcare Service in Streatham

Little Cedars Nursery is in Streatham (also close to Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood)

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Ofsted rate Little Cedars Day Nursery as a Good ProviderRated by Ofsted as a good early years provider, Little Cedars Nursery gives babies, toddlers and under-fives the very best start in life. Why not come for a guided tour with your little one — or simply apply for a nursery place for your child.  Our nursery and pre-school is in Streatham near Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common and Furzedown. We’re also conveniently close to Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood. Choose a button below to get started with your nursery application or tour — or for help with any queries.

Nature & Its Incredible Importance to Children

Nature is incredibly beneficial to children.It’s amazing how much nature benefits children, particularly in their early years when they’re finding out about the world around them — and also learning about themselves. There have been many studies into the importance of nature, to youngsters in particular, and the studies all reach a similar conclusion — nature is incredibly important and beneficial to children. Today we’ll explore the topic and learn why children should regularly access the natural world.

Multiple studies show that nature is incredibly important and beneficial to children.

Nature’s Benefits for Children, Particularly in their Early Years

So, let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of nature to children, especially in their early years.

Time spent in nature, even for just a short time, has been shown to restore children’s cognitive abilities, improve attention spans and boost mental resilience. Studies even showed this to be the case when just a view of nature was available from the classroom. For this reason, experts have suggested that education settings will benefit children more if they are made into more ‘green’ environments in terms of there being flowers, grass and trees nearby.

Another study showed that test results from children were improved after they’d spent time in a woodland environment. Improvements were seen in both accuracy and speed of answers. That’s an amazing result, when you think about it!

Stress is reduced through exposure to a natural environment.Stress is also reduced on both a mental and physiological level through exposure to a natural environment. In studies, stress hormone and blood pressure levels both improved after exposure to nature, helping children both physically and emotionally. Nature seems to be a great way to recharge children’s batteries and lower stress and anxiety, as well as improving attention, engagement and academic performance. That includes improvements in important skills like reading, writing and mathematics.

In a further study from the U.S. in 2019, children growing up around more natural surroundings were — incredibly — found to have improved earnings potential. They even put a figure on it, being almost $30k more in earnings over the course of their lifetimes, simply because they grew up closer to nature.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg, though. The list of additional benefits to children, associated with being around nature, includes:

  • Improvements in general fitness, motor skills (both fine and gross) and coordination. Children are usually extremely active and engaged when out in nature and such exercise is very good for them.
  • A better quality of sleep after spending time out in nature.
  • Children discover new skills like leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and even risk-assessment.Improved social skills and even wider circles of friends due to the opportunities offered through outdoor play and adventure.
  • Playing out in and around nature will often also help children discover new skills like leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and even risk-assessment.
  • Creativity also gets a massive boost from nature as children experience different activities, objects, materials and opportunities to allow let their imaginations run riot.
  • Nature is also a feast for the senses, so sensory opportunities are enormous in such environments. These can teach children so much, but should obviously only be undertaken under close adult supervision.
  • Children’s feelings of empathy are also often enhanced through contact with nature. With all of the flora and fauna around, children will soon learn to care more about the wellbeing of other living things.
  • Nature can also encourage children to think on a much deeper level then their usual play allows. For example, they may start to think about about creation, life, their place in the world, their impact on the planet and ultimately about what’s really important.
  • Children who spend time in nature often live greener lifestyles.The new skills, knowledge and freedom that nature gives children also helps them to become more self-confident and independent individuals.
  • Children who spend time around nature also often go on to have greener lifestyles, to protect the planet that they’ve come to appreciate.
  • Many also go on to have lifelong appreciations for the Great Outdoors, its incredible array of environments, plants, trees, insects and animals.

Nature is a great gift and children should be given every opportunity to explore it, learn from it and enjoy everything it has to offer, both spiritually and physically.

Nature for Children in Streatham & Tooting

Little Cedars Nursery has some wonderful facilities for the children. These include an area where they can grow vegetables and also a small animal enclosure, each representing a great way to introduce children to nature on a smaller scale.

We’re also fortunate to be located just a stone’s throw away from large open spaces including Streatham Common, Tooting Common and Tooting Bec Common.

Even in built-up cities like London, immersion in nature is possible e.g. through parks & commons.Even in built-up cities like London, immersion in nature is possible via gardens, parks, commons or, if you’re lucky to have them near you, nature reserves and nature gardens. There are many of these dotted around London, including several not far from our Streatham nursery. So, whether they visit with parents, carers or as part of an outing organised by Little Cedars Nursery, children can benefit from everything that nature has to offer, virtually on their doorstep. With everything it has to offer them, nature is thoroughly recommended for children (and adults) of all ages.

Looking for Good Nurseries or Pre-schools in Streatham?

Little Cedars is a wonderful nursery & pre-school in Streatham, offering high quality childcare services near Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.Nature has so much to teach children.If you’re searching for the best nurseries or pre-schools in Streatham, do take a look at Little Cedars Nursery. We’d love to show you and your child around and offer a high quality childcare service for babies and children aged up to five. The nursery is very near Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common and Furzedown. It is also close to Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood, so may be convenient if you live or work in any of those locations.

Please choose your preferred contact method below to apply for a nursery place, book a tour or ask any questions — we’ll be very happy to help:

The Benefits of Pets & Regular Animal Interaction to Children

Today we explore the benefits of pets and animals for children and outline animal-related initiatives that we're undertaking at the nursery/pre-school in Streatham.Sooner or later, many parents will consider the possible benefits of pets and whether their child should grow up with one. Mostly, the answer is positive because growing up with a pet can benefit children in many important ways — and really enrich their lives. However, looking after animals is a huge responsibility, not least to the animal itself, so should never be taken on lightly. Today we explore the topic and also outline a couple of animal-related initiatives that we have undertaken at our nursery/pre-school in Streatham.

“Although no pet should be the sole responsibility of a child, they can learn to take on certain responsibilities (such as feeding or refilling water bottles) with the aid of a supervising adult.” (1)

The Benefits of Pets & Regular Interactions with Animals

Children are naturally drawn to the cuteness of pets.On a simple level, pets are incredibly cute and great fun to be around. As such, most children are naturally drawn to them.

At a deeper level, animals and pets can teach children a huge amount about nature, the similar sentience of non-humans and ultimately also about themselves. Looking after and living with animals can teach children countless skills and new pieces of knowledge. It can also encourage feelings of responsibility, empathy, compassion, loyalty and happiness — indeed, a pet can be the very best friend a child or indeed adult could ever dream of having. They can be a huge source of comfort when a child needs it, for example when facing one of life’s many challenges. Pets are someone a child can confide in, knowing they can trust them to keep their secrets safe. In fact, children often form deep bonds with pets, often just as deep as they would be with a brother or sister. More often than not, pets simply become part of the family.

A pet can be the very best friend a child could ever dream of having

A pet can be the very best friend a child could ever dream of having.Familiarity with animals and closeness to pets also teaches children respect for other individuals (whether human or non-human), including recognition of the consequences of their actions towards them. It shows them how to care for others too. It can also teach them patience (e.g. when training) and even some of the harder lessons about life cycles.

Animals such as dogs also encourage children to get out and about on walks, perhaps out in nature, which is all good for both heart and soul. Regular playing, walking and interaction with pets can positively transform physical things like blood pressure and chemical levels in the body as well as helping children when they’re feeling down or lonely.

Considerations

Regular playing, walking and interaction with pets can positively transform both physical and mental health.Introducing animals like dogs and cats to the household is quite a life-changing thing. After all, they are the kinds of animals that pretty much become one of the family and, as such, require significant time, care and attention for their own wellbeing. They also often live freely within the house and require access to the garden and, for dogs, regular walks outdoors. They are quite an undertaking, so the decision to introduce one needs careful and thorough consideration. Many animals form deep, lifelong bonds and you will become their family just as much as they become yours. So, that lifelong commitment is an important one — they are absolutely not unfeeling objects to be treated like just a toy.

We have our own chickens that children can care for at the nursery in Streatham.Pets like hamsters, rabbits, budgies and guinea pigs require less space in the household, of course. Indeed, some types of pets can be housed outdoors in suitable hutches. They’re also small enough to be temporarily moved elsewhere, for example to a friend or neighbour when you go on holiday. However, despite them being small, they too have their own needs and wants, including your care and regular attention. Giving them this, however, will be rewarded and children who spend significant time with any pet will soon begin to pick up on each one’s distinct personality and any likes or dislikes. Treat them well and pets will become trusting and friendly. Dogs, in particular, are incredibly loyal when treated well.

The important thing with all types of pet, though, is to ensure that your child understands that they’re not a toy and they have real feelings and needs of their own. Taking on a pet requires commitment, money for food and bedding etc. and a significant investment of time.

Research First

Children at Little Cedars nursery & pre-school will be able to watch fluffy chicks grow into adult chickens.Just like humans, animals need care, proper food, fresh water, friendship, comfort and stimulation. If they don’t get these essentials, they may lead miserable and potentially even foreshortened lives. So, before a family takes on a pet, it’s best to thoroughly research the particular type of animal and exactly what they will require, from food, nutrition and bedding to stimulation (games, exercise etc.), contact with others and medical needs. Families should find out about all these things before taking an animal on. For some types of animal, for example dogs, even the breed and background is important. That’s for the wellbeing of both the pet and the family itself. Remember too that some animals will need training, for example toilet training in the case of cats, dogs and perhaps even ‘house’ rabbits. Some dogs may also require behaviour training. Everything needs factoring in beforehand including things like who will look after the pets while adults are at work, what happens when you go on holiday, who will exercise the dog, clean out the rabbit hutch regularly, feed the rabbit or clean the budgie cage.

Chickens & Butterflies at Little Cedars Day Nursery, Streatham

We also have our own rabbits, Miffy and Bella, at Little Cedars Nursery.At Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, we believe that children will learn a huge amount through contact with animals. For this reason, we have our own chickens and rabbits at the setting — and the children adore them! Our rabbits are named Miffy and Bella and indeed naming them naturally encourages children to treat them like individuals rather than something to play with.

We are hatching some fertilised eggs in an egg incubator.We are also raising some new chickens from fertilised eggs that we currently have in an incubator. We’ll teach children all about the life cycle of chickens with these. Once they hatch, children are sure to love the adorable little chicks that will emerge and they’ll be able to watch them grow up from fluffy chicks to adult chickens. When old enough, the chickens will join our existing, fully-grown chickens that we keep for the children in our animal enclosure outside.

Children are able to care for the various animals that we keep and this gives them valuable life lessons as well as being enjoyable and educational. It also means that the animals get love, attention and stimulation, which is so much better than being stuck in a closed hutch all day.

A newly-hatched butterfly, that recently left its cocoon, at the nursery.We also have a caterpillar/butterfly enclosure indoors at the setting. Through this, children can follow the incredible life cycle of butterflies, starting off as tiny eggs, hatching into caterpillars, building cocoons and eventually emerging as incredibly beautiful butterflies. This is an amazing metamorphosis for children to witness and teaches them so much about the wonder of the natural world as well as the individual needs of some of its creatures.

Little Cedars Nursery & Pre-school in Streatham

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school in Streatham, near Furzedown, Tooting, Balham, Norbury & Colliers Wood

Little Cedars is a nursery & pre-school offering high quality childcare in Streatham, near Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Tooting Broadway, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood.If you are looking for the best childcare nursery or pre-school in Streatham area, please do consider Little Cedars. We offer high quality childcare on weekdays for babies and children aged up to five years old. We’re also conveniently located if you are looking for good nurseries or pre-schools in Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Streatham Common, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury or Colliers Wood.

Please use one of the buttons below to apply for a place for your child, arrange a visit, to call us or to ask us any questions — we’re here to help:

Rough Guide to Raising Children as Vegetarians

Today we look at the types of foods and nutrients that are essential for children as part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.In our last post, we asked “is a vegetarian diet safe for your children?” and, in essence, the answer was yes, so long as they get all the nutrients they need. What’s more, we discovered a huge range of benefits of vegetarianism. These included significant benefits to both health and to the planet. In today’s post, we’ll follow up by looking at the types of food groups, vitamins and minerals that are essential for children as part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.

Infant Milk

While little ones are still drinking milk and haven’t yet moved onto solids, it’s fairly simple. Breast milk will obviously contain just about everything a baby or toddler could want, with one possible exception: Vitamin D. The NHS recommends that breast-fed infants should take a Vitamin D supplement, which is available in easy-to-administer drop form.

For those children still drinking only breastmilk or formula milk, it's straight forward.For those on dairy-based formula milk, it’s pretty much plain sailing too. Because vegetarians — as opposed to vegans — are OK eating dairy-based food, formula milk is generally fine for them. The most popular types are based on cows’ milk, although several other animal milks are also available. So long as dairy-based formula milk is high quality, given in the right quantities, consumed at the right intervals and is age appropriate for the child, it contains all the nutrients and vitamins needed. That’s without the need to give additional supplements too.

There are an incredible number of different types of formula milk, including specialist varieties and others that are not based on dairy milk at all. Formula milk is a huge topic in its own right, so we have now published our separate Quick Guide to Milk for Babies & Infants here.

The 4 Essential Food Groups After Weaning

Once they’re weaned off milk, a well-balanced diet for children will include food from all four of the main food groups. These are:

1. Dairy

It’s important that dairy products for children are all pasteurised, basically for the good of their health and wellbeing. Infants can have whole (full fat) cow’s milk mixed in with food or added during cooking, but must not use it as a drink until they’re a year old. We’ll go into much more detail in our milk guide next month. Dairy products are wonderful sources of calcium, Vitamin D and other nutrients.

2. Fruit & Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are generally full of vitamins, minerals like potassium and fibre.Fruit and vegetables are really a given because they pack so much goodness, including many vitamins, minerals like potassium and also fibre. Fresh vegetables and fruit are ideal but, failing that, frozen, tinned and even dried varieties are also OK.

3. Starch

Starchy foods provide energy by breaking down glucose as well as providing a range of nutrients like iron, calcium, folate and B vitamins. They are also another source of fibre, which is important for digestive health. Starchy foods include pasta, bread, potato, grains and cereal like oats. Wholegrain varieties are generally best for human health.

4. Protein

Protein is a little more complex for vegetarians, simply because they don’t eat the most obvious sources of it — meat, fish and seafood. However, there are lots of sources of protein, as we’ll see shortly. Protein is essential as a key building block for the body. It builds muscles, bones, hair, nails, tissues and organs as well as providing Omega-3 fatty acids, iron and amino acids. Health professionals recommend that children and adults get protein from a variety of different sources and have at least two portions of protein per day.

Sources of protein that are suitable for vegetarians include:

  • Houmous is a good source of protein but choose a smooth variety to avoid choking.Tofu, also known as bean curd, which is made from soy.
  • Lentils and pulses, including peas, beans, chickpeas, sugar snaps etc.
  • Houmous, made from chickpeas, is also therefore a good source of protein but ensure only the smoothest variety is given to infants, so as to avoid possible choking.
  • Grains contain protein, but should be served in ground form for very young infants, again so as to avoid possible choking. Examples include oats, barley, rice and quinoa. Quinoa is unique in containing all nine essential amino acids.
  • Nuts are also a great source of protein but should be served to infants in smooth ‘butter’ form to avoid choking risks. Examples include peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and walnut butter (a great source of Omega-3).
  • Seed butters are also great sources of protein.
  • Lastly, there is also a cross-over between dairy products (see above) and protein because cheese and yoghurt also contain protein.
  • For vegetarians who are OK eating eggs, these are also an excellent source of protein as well as Vitamin B12.

Please note: although great as a source of protein for adults, Quorn is not recommended as a regular meat replacement for children. While it’s great for protein, fibre and making them feel full, it’s low in fat, so will not offer sufficient energy release to children during their early years.

Special Mention: Iron

Iron is incredibly important as part of a healthy, balanced diet for children as well as adults. However, there are certain foods that block its absorption into the body. These include:

  • Tea.
  • Some whole grains and legumes i.e. those that contain ‘phytates’.
  • Dairy foods that contain ‘casein’.
  • Eggs and dairy foods containing a specific type of calcium.

In order to counteract this, firstly ensure that the child has a varied diet. In addition to this:

  • Vitamin C should be included in the meals as this binds to any phytates, which otherwise block the absorption of iron.any pulses, seeds or grains should be sprouted, cooked or soaked before consumption (as appropriate);
  • any foods that block iron absorption should be consumed separately to main meals;
  • Vitamin C should be included in the meals as this binds to any phytates, thereby neutralising their effect on iron absorption. Citrus fruits, berries and juice (diluted 1 part juice to 10 parts water) are rich in Vitamin C, as are vegetables including broccoli, spinach, greens, asparagus, tomatoes and many others.

We hope that this rough guide to bringing up children as vegetarians has been useful. If so, we recommending reading the NHS’s guidelines for bringing up a healthy child on a vegetarian or vegan diet here. It is also always wise to obtain advice from your child’s health visitor, midwife, doctor or other healthcare professional.

Vegetarian & Vegan Food at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham

Little Cedars Nursery is in Streatham, near Tooting, Furzedown & Balham

Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for at Little Cedars Nursery. These and any other special diets are supported fully by our in-house chef, who prepares food freshly each day as part of our healthy eating regimen at the setting. Little Cedars is one of the best Streatham nurseries and pre-schools for babies and under-fives. It’s also near Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Streatham Park, Furzedown, Tooting, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Common, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood. To register for a nursery place for your child, to arrange a visit or to ask any questions, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help:

The importance of parental involvement in education

It has long been accepted that the involvement of parents in a child’s education and development is incredibly important, with many benefits for the child. It’s even more beneficial when involvement begins in the child’s early years. Helping children right from nursery means that they’re more likely to get their education foundations set up well. For example, a good foundation in reading and writing will help improve just about every other topic of learning going forwards. That’s why, at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, we encourage parents to involve themselves in their children’s learning, right from the start.

Parental involvement in education is shown to lead to a more rounded education and better grades overall. An improved comprehension of topics in turn leads to improved outcomes for the children involved. For example, the pupil may end up with a wider choice when it comes to choosing a university. It’s the same for their career path too, like a domino effect, increasing chances of a more successful career. The importance of parental involvement in a child’s education can therefore not be overstated.

“Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial.” (Conway & Houtenville study, 2008)

“Students with […] parents operating in supportive roles are 52% more likely to enjoy school and get straight A’s than students whose parents are disengaged with what’s going on at school. This is especially the case during the earliest years of schooling, […] when students with active parents are almost twice as likely to succeed.” (Pinantoan, 2013)

Benefits of Parental involvement in education

The benefits of parental involvement in education include:

Improved focus on school work; Better social skills;
Greater comprehension of topics;Improved self-esteem;
Better grades;A more positive, optimistic attitude;
Enhanced organisation skills;The child becoming a more confident and rounded individual;
A higher level of responsibility in the child;A stronger bond between parent and child;
Lower truancy rates;Better communication skills;
Improved behaviour;A wider choice of topics being available e.g. when it comes to further education;
A greater capacity in the child to keep trying;Acceptance, potentially, at better university courses;
Moral support, making learning more pleasant for the child;A wider skill set for the child;
Encouragement when it’s tough e.g. when tests are near;Ultimately all of the above can lead to more opportunities for success, for example a better career with higher pay.

Studies have shown that parental involvement in a child’s education results in benefits regardless of parents’ education levels, their socioeconomic status or ethnic/racial background¹.

“Parental involvement in children’s learning improves children’s morale, attitude, academic achievement in all subjects and promotes better behaviour and social adjustment. It also helps children to be productive, responsible members of society.” (Centre for Child Well-Being, 2010)

How can parents involve themselves in their child’s education?

Parents can involve themselves in their child’s education in a number of ways. Discussing the child’s strengths and weaknesses with teachers and nursery staff is important. Actively engaging with educational settings at parent evenings and by joining school boards is also beneficial. A collaboration between parents and educational settings can lead to measurable improvements in a child’s academic and physical performance.

The educational involvement of parents while at home with their child has an immense, long-term, positive impact.

Parents can help their children educationally in a number of ways. This can include something as simple as proactively listening to their child reading at home. Similarly, helping the child understand and improve in areas where they are struggling at school is of huge benefit. Helping children with homework and encouraging them with sports activities are other great ways to support them.

Educational support from parents can come in many forms. This includes teaching directly, of course, but also mentoring, to support, encourage and inspire the child. Importantly too, parents must ensure that the child has a home environment that facilitates and encourages learning. They should also express high, but realistic, expectations for their child in terms of possible achievements and career paths.

Helping children throughout their school years works best when it’s approached in a natural, caring kind of way rather than enforcing it as a strict ‘discipline’. It could even be thought of as a kind of teamwork, in practice. This approach means that the child is encouraged, not forced. They will genuinely feel helped and given moral support. Home educational help then motivates the child in question, rather than being made to feel like a chore. And, of course, overall comprehension of topics is greatly enhanced when a parent takes their time to explain things in a relaxed home setting.

“When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view in the child’s mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family’s life.” (Mapp K. and Henderson, A., 2002)

Contact Little Cedars Day Nursery to learn more

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support your child through nursery, pre-school and beyond, we’d be delighted to discuss it with you. Your support can hugely improve your child’s potential outcomes. Call us on 020 8677 9675 or come in and see us when the coronavirus crisis is over (arrange an appointment online here) and we can chat it through. We are a nursery and pre-school based at 27 Aldrington Road in Streatham, London SW16 1TU (click the link above to see a location map). We’re ideal for parents looking for nurseries and childcare services near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham.