Simple Ways to Entertain & Boost Your Baby’s Development at Home
From American Academy Pediatrics:
During social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, you may be looking for new ways to entertain and play with your young child. Thankfully, all you need is loving attention and some basic household items.
Try these time-tested activities, suggested by age, and let the fun happen!
Newborn to 3 Months
Puppet Play. Make a hand puppet using a sock. Move it up and down and back and forth where your baby can see it, doing a silly dance and singing silly songs. You can even have the puppet give her kisses!
Footloose. Gently dance with your baby positioned over your shoulder. She will enjoy the movement and at the same time will learn to tolerate the slight pressure against her tummy.
Pat-a-Cake. Hold your baby’s hands and gently clap them together to play a game of pat-a-cake:
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man (Take baby’s hands through the motions)
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Roll it (Roll her hands around each other) and pat it (Clap)
and mark it with a B (Guide her finger to write a B in the air)
And put it in the oven for baby and me (Kiss your baby!)
Can’t Smile Without You. Lie down on the floor,tummy down facing your baby. Try to get her to smile by sticking out your tongue, smiling at her, and making other funny faces. You may even hear your infant’s first giggle!
4 to 6 months
Little Piggy Game. Hold your baby’s foot up and wiggle each toe while teaching the classic “This Little Piggy” poem in an animated, singsong way. Don’t forget to give your infant a tickle at the end!
This little piggy went to market (big toe)
This little piggy stayed home (second toe)
This little piggy had roast beef (third toe)
This little piggy had none (fourth toe)
And this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home (little toe)
Mustang Sally. Sit on the floor with your baby sitting on your raised knees. While holding on to her, slowly move your legs side to side and sing “Ride a Little Horsey.” When you say, “don’t fall down,” slide your feet forward!
Ride a little horsey
Down to town
Oops, little horsey
Don’t fall down!
Crocodile Rock. Hold your baby securely, tummy down on your chest. Rock your body from side to side and sing a song like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
| Homemade Toy: Stacking Baby BlocksCollect different-sized clean milk cartons, small boxes and toilet paper rolls. Stuff each with newspaper or tissue paper. Fold the ends down to create blocksand cylinders, then close them with masking or duct tape. Use a variety of fun colors of contact paper or duct tape to cover each block. |
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Free Fallin’. Stack up some blocks and encourage your baby to bat at and reach for them. Most infants absolutely love to see and hear the blocks tumble to the ground!
7 to 9 months
Fly Me to the Moon. Carefully lift your baby up over your head and back down while playing or singing a song like, “Fly me to the moon!” If your child seems fearful, move more slowly and talk in a calm, soothing voice.
See You Later, Alligator. With your baby seated in front of you, hide a rattle under a blanket or behind your back. Shake the rattle while hiding it and see what happens. If your baby loses interest once it’s hidden, reveal part of the rattle and ask, “Where’s the toy?”
If the Hat Fits. Sit just in front of baby, place a colorful hat on your head and say, “Look! The hat is on my head.” Then remove it and say, “Now the hat is off.” Next, put the hat on and off your infant’s head! Encourage your baby to reach for the hat for more play.
The Humpty Dance. Sit your infant on your lap, either sitting up or tummy down, and gently bounce your legs up and down. For more fun, do this while using a rocking chair!
10 to 12 months
Be-Bop Baby. Seat your baby upright on the floor, legs separated just enough to place a medium-sized ball between them. Show your baby how to roll the ball in your direction, then roll the ball back. Continue taking turns.
Marching On. While seated, stand your baby on your thighs. Hold your baby’s hips and slowly make stepping motions by moving your legs up and down, one side at a time. Sing your favorite song.
You Light Up My Life. Shine a flashlight on the wall. Once your baby sees the light, move it slowly from one side of the room to the other and up and down to encourage visual tracking.
| Homemade Toy:Baby DrumsCover an oatmeal box or coffee can with colorful contact paper and use plastic baby spoons as drumsticks. (Or, simply give your child a saucepan and a short wooden spoon.) |
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Beat It. Show your baby different ways to tap a drum using the palms of your hands, your fingertips, or a baby spoon. See if your baby can imitate you.
12-24 months
The Big Squeeze. Take colorful kitchen sponges and cut them into fun sizes and shapes to fit into your child’s hand at bath time. Show your little one how to sink a sponge underwater, watch it fill up, then hold it up and squeeze the water out.
| Homemade Toy: Toddler TambourineTape two sturdy paper plates securely together halfway around using colorful duct tape. Fill the tambourine half-full of dry cereal, tape the paper plates together the rest of the way, and shake! |
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Mr. Tambourine Man. Show your little one how to shake and tap a tambourine to make noise. Add more ways, like tapping it against your hip, over your head, and in various directions.
Poking Fun. Show your baby how to press numbers on an old phone or peck on an old keyboard. Glue different textures of fabric at the bottom of each section of an egg carton or old ice tray. Let your baby feel the various textures.
Remember
You have the knowledge and tools to make play a fun and stimulating part of your baby’s daily routine. Keep it simple, be flexible, and do what works for you and your child.
More Information
Newborns and COVID-19
From American Academy Pediatrics:
Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! And kudos for getting fully immunized against COVID-19 during your pregnancy. This protects you—and also passes along protective antibodies that may reduce your baby’s risk of COVID-19 infection. In other words, you likely gave your little one some immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from the moment they were born!
Still, you should strongly consider limiting your newborn’s exposure to others. People who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 spread the virus, especially the more contagious Delta variant. Also keep in mind that people aren’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19 until two weeks after the last shot.
How likely are newborns to get sick from COVID?
While serious COVID-19 infections in newborns are uncommon, some babies in this age group have become severely ill. Your baby’s overall fragile immune system, as well as their small airways, developing lungs and breathing muscles leave them more vulnerable to all respiratory diseases, including COVID.
When young infants do get COVID or other airborne illnesses, it’s often because a close contact transmitted it to them. This can happen even if the person or contact doesn’t feel sick.Ways to protect your baby from the virus
- Face masks. Non-household members over age 2 should mask-up, even if visiting the baby outside or in small gatherings.
- Physical distancing. Even though everyone wants to hold a new baby, you should insist unvaccinated visitors remain at least 3 feet from the baby. These measures should also be kept in mind when you go out of the house with the baby.
- Keep visits with your baby short. Also, limiting visits to under 15 minutes may also reduce your infant’s risk of becoming infected with COVID-19.
- Vaccines. Encourage family members and friends who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines to get fully vaccinated.
Remember
Having a new baby is a wonderful but exhausting time. Taking these common-sense steps can give you peace of mind that you are reducing your baby’s risk of COVID-19 infection. Vaccine trials are underway in infants 6 months of age and older. Keeping your baby up-to-date on all recommended vaccines is one of the most important ways to protect your baby’s health.
Safe Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the American Academy of Pediatrics;
As we’ve learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, going to school in person is how children and teens learn best. Many students also get vital resources they need to thrive at school. With a new school year starting this fall, though, many students will not yet be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccines. This leaves them at risk as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, continues to spread with variants that are more contagious and may cause more severe illness.
Steps to keep students as safe possible in school
To ensure students and staff can stay healthy—and physically together in school—here are key safety recommendations:
COVID-19 vaccines
All adults and children over age 12 currently eligible for COVID-19 vaccines should get fully immunized by the start of school year. People are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson’s.
Face masks
Everyone over age 2 years should wear face masks that cover the nose and mouth. This is a simple, proven tool to protect students unable to get the vaccine yet or who have chosen not to get it.
When they fit well and are worn correctly and consistently, face masks are effective and safe to wear for long periods of time such as during the school day. The vast majority of children, even those with medical conditions, are able to safely and effectively wear face masks with practice, support and role-modeling by adults. Talk with your child’s pediatrician about certain medical and developmental conditions that would prohibit mask use.
Physical distancing
Students should remain at least 3 feet apart within classrooms when possible. In general, CDC recommends people who are not fully vaccinated maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from other people who are not in their household. However, several studies from the 2020-2021 school year show low COVID-19 transmission levels among students in schools that had less than 6 feet of physical distance when the school used other prevention strategies, such as the use of masks.
When possible, schools should use outdoor spaces and unused spaces for instruction and meals to help with distancing. Activities like singing, band and exercising, for example, are safest outdoors and spread out.
Classroom routines
To help limit student interaction outside the classroom, schools should consider:
- Having teachers move between classrooms, if possible, rather than having students fill the hallways during passing periods. Block schedules (fewer classes in a given day and electives in shorter time periods) can help limit cross-over of students and teachers.
- Allowing students to eat lunches at their desks or in small groups outdoors instead of in crowded lunchrooms. Because of the need to remove face masks while eating, it’s best to keep unvaccinated students six feet apart during lunch.
- Leaving classroom doors open to help reduce high touch surfaces such as doorknobs.
- When the weather and air quality allow it, open windows and doors to improve air circulation. Strategically located fans, promoting circulation or decrease in stagnant air, can be utilized to enhance outdoor air circulation.
Testing
The CDC recommends screening testing be offered to students who have not been fully vaccinated when there are higher levels of COVID-19 cases in the community. Testing screening can also offer added protection for schools that are not able to provide optimal physical distance between students. Screening testing should be offered to all teachers and staff who have not been fully vaccinated. To be effective, the screening program should test at least once per week, and rapidly (within 24 hours) report results.
Diagnostic testing is recommended when someone has COVID-19 symptoms, or recent known or suspected exposure to the virus.
Temperature checks
Taking students’ temperatures at school may not be feasible. However, families should monitor students’ health and keep them home if they have a fever of 100.4 degrees F or greater or any signs of illness.
Exposure
Children appear less likely than adults to have symptoms and severe illness from COVID-19. Early studies also suggest those under age 10 may be less likely to be infected with and spread the infection. But, especially with new virus variants circulating, schools still need to plan for exposures.
If a student or staff member has close contact with someone with known to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, they should quarantine as recommended by local public health officials unless they are fully vaccinated. A person is known to be infected if they have a confirmed infection or illness consistent with COVID-19. Quarantine is typically at least 10 days from the last exposure or 7 days from last exposure with a negative test at least 5 days after exposure.
Symptoms at school
School nurses should take the temperature of anyone who feels ill during the school day. There should be a specific area to separate or isolate students who don’t feel well. To stay safe, school nurses should use PPE (personal protective equipment) such as N95 masks, surgical masks, gloves, and face shields.
- Cleaning, disinfecting & hygiene. Schools should follow CDC guidelines on proper disinfecting and sanitizing classrooms and common areas. Students and staff should be encouraged to wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer regularly.
- Ventilation. Schools should improve air flow as much as possible by opening windows and doors. Child-proof fans can help improve ventilation and blow potentially contaminated air out.
Buses, hallways and playgrounds
Since these are often crowded spaces, schools can:
- Give bus riders assigned seats and require them to wear a face masks while on the bus. Encourage students who have other ways to get to school, including walking or biking, to use those options.
- At school, mark hallways and stairs with one-way arrows on the floor to cut down on crowding in the halls. Assign lockers by group or eliminate use of lockers.
- Encourage outdoor activities such as using the playground in small groups. Playground equipment should be included in cleaning plans.
Other considerations
In addition to safety plans, there are other factors that school communities need to address:
Students at higher risk
Some students with chronic, high-risk medical conditions may need extra accommodations to stay safe. Talk with your pediatrician and school staff (including school nurses) to explore options for return to school, whether in person, blended, or remote.
Students with disabilities
School reopening plans may have a greater impact on students with disabilities. It may be hard to transition back to in-school learning after missing out on instruction time. Or they may have had less access to school-based services such as occupational, physical and speech-language therapy or mental health support counseling. Schools should review the needs of each child with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) before they return to school, and provide services even if virtual.
Immunizations and wellness exams
It is especially important for students to be up-to-date on all their immunizations, including the flu vaccine, during the pandemic. Doctors saw a drop in routine childhood immunizations during the pandemic. Getting caught up will avoid outbreaks of other illnesses that threaten to keep children home more.
Behavioral health and emotional support
Your child’s school should be prepared to support a wide range of mental health needs during the pandemic. This includes recognizing signs of anxiety or distress. Students may be grieving loved ones lost to COVID-19, for example, or feeling the stress of lost family income. The United States experienced more than 600,000 deaths from COVID-19. On average, each of these deaths impacts 9 people, and many of these 5 million grieving individuals are children. Schools also can help students with suicidal thoughts or behavior get needed support.
Organized activities
Sporting events, practices, and other extracurricular activities may be limited in many areas. In schools that do offer sports and other physical activities, special safety steps should be considered.
Screenings
Vision and hearing screening should continue in schools, when possible. These services help identify children in need of treatment as soon as possible so sight or hearing problems don’t interfere with learning.
Nutrition
Many students receive healthy meals through school meal programs More students might be eligible for free or reduced meals than before the pandemic. Schools should provide meal programs even if the school is closed or the student is sick and stays home from school.
Why safe, in-person school is so important
Schools provide more than just academics to children and adolescents. In addition to reading, writing and math, students learn social and emotional skills, get exercise, and have access to mental health and other support services. For many families, schools are where kids get healthy meals, access to the internet, and other vital services.
The pandemic has been especially hard for children with disabilities, children living in poverty, and children who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native. In an April 2020 survey, more than half (59%) of parents with lower incomes who had children in schools that were remote because of the pandemic said their children would likely face at least one of three obstacles to digital learning: lack of reliable internet at home, for example, no computer at home, or needing to use a smartphone to complete schoolwork.
Remember
Schools are safe, stimulating, and enriching places for children and teens to learn. Families, schools, and communities can work together to help ensure students can safely return to and remain physically together in school this fall, where they need to be.
Should your children take swim lessons if they are too young to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
From the American Academy of Pediatrics;
ANSWER
Yes, swimming is a great family activity. It’s good exercise and a life-saving skill. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends water safety and swim lessons for all children as a layer of protection against drowning. While a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children is not yet available, taking extra precautions can take help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure during swim lessons.
Choosing a swim program during COVID-19
When considering swim lessons for your children, look for programs that follow the same public health guidelines used to protect against COVID-19 during other children’s activities, such as school and sports. This includes keeping kids home if they are not feeling well, have had a fever within the last couple days, or have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 within the past two weeks. Also check that staff and visitors are screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
More questions to consider
- Are lessons held indoors or outdoors?
If possible, choose outdoor swim lessons. COVID-19 can spread easily in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. - How many students are in each class?
Check that the class size is small and the pool allows for participants to stay at least 3 feet apart. Also ask if there are separate entrances and exits to the locker room and pool area. This can also help reduce close physical contact. - Have instructors and staff received COVID-19 vaccinations?
Ask if instructors and staff are vaccinated. And even if they are vaccinated, they should still wear a mask outside of the pool. That goes for any child older than 2 who is not in the water, and also you and the entire swim school staff. Just be sure to replace your child’s mask if it is wet. - Are guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting followed?
Ask if the swim program follows all CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting all equipment and surfaces. Also check that hand sanitizer is available for kids and adults to use.
Other tips to help prevent COVID-19 transmission
- Skip the locker room. If possible, avoid using the locker rooms and other shared spaces. Have your child put their swimsuit on at home so they can head right to the class.
- Bring your own towels, drinking water and other items that may be needed.
- Get COVID-19 vaccines as soon as you can. Vaccination is the best way to control the pandemic and will make important children’s activities like swim lessons safer for everyone. Adults and children 12 years and older can be vaccinated now, and younger children will be able to get them soon.
A layer of safety
Enrolling your children in swim lessons is definitely a good idea, even if they haven’t had their COVID-19 vaccine yet. But keep in mind that swimming skills are only one layer to help keep kids safe in and around water. It’s important to remember that swim lessons do not make your child drown-proof.
Even though your child is in a swim lesson, be a water watcher—watch your child and watch for any child who may be in distress. Take CPR and First Aid classes which will teach you what to do for a drowning victim.
Remember
Everyone, including adults, should learn to swim. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that water safety and swim lessons can begin for many children starting at age 1. Check with your pediatrician to help you make the decision when to start swim lessons, and other ways to help protect your child against COVID-19.
Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause myocarditis?
From the American Academy of Pediatrics;
You may have heard news about a small number of adolescents and young adults who experienced mild cases of heart inflammation (called myocarditis) after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Most recovered on their own or with minimal treatment and rest.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been studying these rare cases to see if there is any link to the vaccine. This kind of ongoing monitoring is standard with all new vaccines to make sure they are safe.
Based on the latest evidence, myocarditis appears to be an extremely rare side effect—one that pales in comparison to the potential risks of COVID-19 infection. The CDC, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical groups, continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for people 12 years and older.
What is myocarditis?
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. It happens when the body’s immune system reacts to an infection or some other trigger. In more than half of cases, no cause is identified. Symptoms can include feelings of abnormal heart rhythms, shortness of breath, or chest pain.
The recent reports of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination were seen:
- mostly in older teens young adults
- more often in males than females,
- more often following dose 2 than dose 1, and
- typically within 4 days after vaccination.
What we do know: COVID-19 vaccines save lives
Especially with the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now circulating, the risks of being unvaccinated and becoming ill with COVID-19 are far greater than any rare side effects from the vaccines.
Thousands of children have been hospitalized, and hundreds have died after being infected with COVID-19. Some children who have recovered still experience lingering symptoms. In fact, getting infected with COVID-19 itself is much more likely to cause myocarditis than the vaccine.
Remember
Since December 2020, nearly a third of a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. They are proven to be very effective at preventing COVID-19 and are truly life-saving. If you or your children are eligible for the vaccine, I encourage you to plan to get it as soon as possible.
COVID-19 The vaccines are currently available for anyone 12 years of age and older. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to talk with your pediatrician.