Information from the Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania ECELS Program

A recent study in Pediatrics, “Infant Deaths in Sitting Devices,” reviewed the safety of infant sitting devices. The study found over 300 sleep-related infant deaths from 2004-2014 happened in car seats, strollers, bouncers, swings, and other infant seats. Most sleep-related infant deaths in sitting devices occurred in car seats. Incorrect use of car seats led to most infant deaths in this type of device. Sleep-related infant deaths in sitting devices were more likely to happen when an infant was supervised by a caregiver or child care provider.

Car seats are safe and effective for infant travel.  Always remove an infant from a car seat after traveling. It is OK if an infant falls asleep in a car seat while traveling.  Transfer sleeping infants from a car seat to a safe sleep environment, such as a crib. If an infant is in a sitting device and falls asleep, move the child to a crib.  

Avoid using sitting devices as a substitute for a crib, bassinet, or portable crib/play yard. Sleeping in a seated position can restrict breathing and may lower blood oxygen levels in infants. Injuries and death have occurred when sitting devices fall from a surface or when straps entrap body parts.

Follow national best practice standards to prevent sleep related deaths in group care settings. Review recommendations in Caring for Our Children Standards 2.2.0.2: Limiting Infant/Toddler Time in Crib, High Chair, Car Seat, Etc, and 3.1.4.1: Safe Sleep Practices and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID)/SIDS Risk Reduction. Check your early care and education (ECE) program’s policies and procedures to make sure infant sitting devices are used safely.

Key Messages for ECE Program Staff and Families:

1. Use sitting devices for their specific purpose, for example, transporting, feeding or playing.  Avoid having infants sleep in car seats, strollers, bouncers, swings and other infant seats.
2. If an infant arrives at the ECE program sleeping in a car seat, move the child to a crib.
3.  Always put infants alone on their back for every nap or sleep time in an individual, safe crib.
4. Limit sitting in a high chair or other equipment that restricts movement indoors or outdoors to no more than 15 minutes. This time can be longer for feeding or while traveling in a vehicle. Infants need to be free to develop physical skills, explore the environment and interact with peers and adults.

Share this information with families too!

The North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant (CCHC) Association 2019 Annual Conference registration is open! The theme this year is “Planting the Seeds of Healthy Child Care.”

Conference details:

• Where: Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill, NC
• When: Monday, October 14 (half-day) and Tuesday October 15 (full day)
• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Betty Rintoul, Ph.D. “Adult Resilience: Building Your Bounce!”
• What: Agency updates, Breakout sessions, Annual CCHC Association meeting, and more…..

Click on the conference brochure for additional information. Hope to see you there!

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. Use the resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) to assist in communicating to healthcare professionals, parents, and patients about immunization during August and throughout the year.

Why vaccinate? Find out more in an Interactive Vaccine Guide.

Check out the June News from the NC Farm to Preschool Network (NCF2PSN). The purpose of the Network is to connect, educate, develop, and share resources between community and state partners, farmers, early childhood educators, and families to spark the local foods movement in early childhood education environments. June news includes:

• Farm to Preschool in Action
• Details about Go NAPSACC’s latest module, Farm to ECE. Learn ways to support ECE programs in serving local foods, gardening, and teaching young children where food comes from!
• Info about growing squash…..Let them grow, and grow, and grow!
• Menus and recipes
• Featured resources, conferences and events, and more!

A recent brief by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, states that NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) has the “best evidence for impact” on obesity prevention in young children.

Developed by the Children’s Healthy Weight Research Group at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, NAPSACC is an evidence-based program with a proven track record of reducing childhood obesity risk. It guides child care providers through a five-step process to help them create environments that foster healthy eating and physical activity.

Read more!

Check out May’s updates on the latest content, events, and more from the Center on the Developing Child! Included are:

• A new, practical, how-to video that shows adults and children serving and returning. Serve and return interactions are fun, easy, and an excellent way to build a strong foundation in a child’s brain for future learning and development.
• Based on the Center’s previously released full report, a new InBrief: Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems explores how insights can be used from cutting-edge science to improve the well-being and long-term life prospects of the most vulnerable children in society. Read more about how the following three principles can be used to apply the science to child welfare program and policy change and design, to improve practices and better serve children and adults.
  • Reduce sources of stress
  • Support responsive relationships
  • Strengthen core life skills

Learn more, read the Center’s May News!

Check out the May News from the NC Farm to Preschool Network (NCF2PSN). The purpose of the Network is to connect, educate, develop, and share resources between community and state partners, farmers, early childhood educators, and families to spark the local foods movement in early childhood education environments. May news includes:

• Farm to preschool in action at local early care and education programs
• Info about growing sunflowers…..Let them Grow, Super Tall and Sunny!
• Menus and recipes
• Featured resources and more!

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities.

Milestones Reached

Several important milestones in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases among infants worldwide worldwide have already been reached:

• Vaccines have drastically reduced infant death and disability caused by preventable diseases in the United States.
• Through immunization, we can now protect infants and children from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases before age two.
• Routine childhood immunization among children born 1994-2018 will prevent an estimated 419 million illnesses, 26.8 million hospitalizations, and 936,000 early deaths over the course of their lifetimes, at a net savings of $406 billion in direct costs and $1.9 trillion in total societal costs.
• The National Immunization Survey has consistently shown that childhood immunization rates for vaccines routinely recommended for children remain at or near record levels.

It’s easy to think of these as diseases of the past. However, the truth is they still exist. Children in the United States can—and do—still get some of these diseases.

One example of the seriousness of vaccine preventable diseases is an increase in measles cases and outbreaks that were reported in 2014. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases, with 667 cases from 27 states reported to CDC’s NCIRD. This was the greatest number of cases in the U.S. since measles was eliminated in 2000.

Learn more about vaccination from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)!