The past few days, all seven kids have been crying during nap time. Usually it's the same two kids that cry and that is easy to deal with. However, suddenly this week, everyone has decided that they will cry during the first half hour of nap time and then maybe they will go to sleep.
Most parents know that when a baby is crying at the beginning of their naptime it is because they do not want to go to sleep, no matter how tired they are. However, after self-soothing, they are able to calm themselves and eventually fall asleep. There is one boy who is a little over a year who likes to be cradled and rocked all the time, even when he is awake. Sometimes, when he is exhausted, he is able to fall asleep on his mattress without any swinging. Anyway, the moment he starts to cry, the new staff member runs over to pick him and put him in the swing. Or if someone else is crying, she will pick them up and hush them. From experience and classes, I know that it is better to let the babies cry for a little bit so they can learn to sooth-themselves and then after a little bit try to calm them. This method does not work every kid, but for over time, the child will gradually learn to calm himself.
The child that constantly likes to be rocked is blind. He is able to see different colors and flashes of lights, but not much more than that. He has his favorite toy that sings and flashes lights. It is like a pacifier. If he is not playing with his toy, he will cry unless there is someone with him to say "you toy is in front of you" or unless he is able to feel someone's presence. He likes to be hugged and kissed and picked up. My theory is that because he is blind and unable to see, he is literally lost in his own thoughts and his own world. (Whether or not babies have thoughts is a different issue). He feels alone and unstable. I imagine it is like waking up disoriented. Being held allows him to be more in touch with reality and to know that he exists. That people care. The swinging and cradling also allows him to be able to know that he is alive. Even last year the girl that was totally blind always cries unless she was rocked back and forth. The boy from last year who was mostly blind didn't like to sleep because he probably felt that he would be lost. Their feelings are completely understandable.
In addition, the kids' morning play usually consists of building blocks (both literal blocks and metaphorical ones that will help them develop their skills) and Legos. I know the reason the kids are playing specifically with these toys is so that they can develop their fine and gross motor skills. Because they are so little and their hands are so little, most of them have very little control over putting the block into a specific area and usually "get one in" by luck. But because I know that these toys are supposed to enhance their skills, I will usually find a toy that will help them practice their skills instead of toy that just sings and makes other animal noises.
There are many other things that I learned in university that I would not have known otherwise and the skills that I learned have helped me work with the kids more than I think.
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