In today’s world, there are many factors that put infants and children at risk. These risks affect their physical, emotional, and developmental well-being. Throughout childhood our environment (images, relationships, etc) shape our thinking and act as the basis for the person we become as adults. Therefore it is vital to consider all aspects of a child’s life when considering the risks that they may be susceptible to. Some of these risks (abuse, abduction, neglect…etc) can be more obvious than others. In this paper, I will follow the age progression of a child (infancy to pre-teens) listing several unconventional factors that I believe plague the children of today. I will give factual evidence as well as expert opinions to prove my argument. I will also make recommendations for how parents can combat these risks in order to mitigate the effects on their child. The first risk I shall address is co-sleeping. This risk is associated with children from infancy to toddler age. Co-sleeping is another term for bed sharing; where the infant/toddler sleeps in the same bed as the parents. Co-sleeping has some benefits to the child (and mother) because the close approximation to the sleeping adult provides “infant well-being, ease and likelihood of breast-feeding, enhanced maternal-infant bonding, and constant infant supervision” (Connell-Carrick, 2006, pg 826). However co-sleeping can also be detrimental to the child because it “places children at risk emotionally and physically”
Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include:
Early childhood is the most important phase of development in one’s lifespan as the experiences during childhood sets the course for later stages of development. It has been noted that a mother’s actions during pregnancy may influence the development of an infant. The developmental influences include prenatal, perinatal and neonatal environments. (Santrock, 2002) Although babies come into the world with no say or control over which family they will be placed into, or the environment in which they will begin to live in, theorists agree that the first two years are crucial, with early emotional, physical and social development influenced by the infant’s biological and environmental factors (Sigelman, Rider, & De-George Walker, 2013). The
Some parents of infants think co-sleeping is beneficial, however; experts do believe that this practice is very dangerous. Every parent has the decision to co-sleep (sharing a bed with your baby), its weather they do or not that counts. There are reasons parents decide for or against, for example; if you’re a heavy sleeper, you might accidently roll over and suffocate your child. You might not realize that something like could happen, but it can. “Most parents just figure it will be easier for them, it’s not like every parent of a newborn is going to spend hours re-searching reasons not to co-sleep” (lifescience)
For as long as we can remember we are always told to never sleep with your baby that you could suffocate them by rolling over on them or what not. In a study by Davies, he found that prior to the 1700's co-sleeping was a normal thing around the world. It was not until the 1800's when the western society moved away from co-sleeping to an independent sleeping arrangement claiming the child will be too attached and have security problems; you will never get the child to sleep in their own bed; the child will not learn independence; or, the child could suffocate in various ways. Well, I agree
1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people's development from birth to 19 years.
Infant co-sleeping is a highly controversial topic of debate in our society. There are many valid reasons as to why infant co-sleeping is an appropriate practice based upon many different things, some to include research, culture and personal opinion. And there are just as many reasons to recede that claim and support that co-sleeping is detrimental to the health and well-being of an infant. Before the following research, as outlined in this paper, my personal opinion was based on the fact that I practiced co-sleeping with my son many years ago, back when co-sleeping was not such an issue. I felt comfortable with co-sleeping and supported co-sleeping. The reasoning behind this could have been the age factor as a teen mother, my cultural beliefs and also the comfort of knowing my child was close and I could access him easily if needed. As I learned more about co-sleeping and began my work in the field of ECE, I was encouraged to support the “Back to Sleep” movement and to share the cons of co-sleeping with the families I worked with based upon the beliefs of my employer. The following articles will highlight the many pros and cons of infant co-sleeping
Although taboo in Western culture, co-sleeping is making a comeback. After the retraction of previous statements against co-sleeping, Dr. Richard Ferber, child sleep guru, has now sided with a family’s decision to share a bed with their infants. Although the American Society of Pediatrics warns that sleeping with your infant can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the exact cause of SIDS is still unknown. The emotional benefits of sharing a bed with your baby can be enormous and some would argue that engaging in co-sleeping strengthens the bond between parent and child.
The goal of this essay is to look at the pros and cons of co-sleeping through the analysis of the benefits for both the baby and the parents, the evolutionary argument, and the risks and downfalls associated with the practice. Co-sleeping offers health benefits through additional breast milk intake, an improved attachment bond, and improving a child’s ability to fall asleep. However, the negatives include many risks, most of which can be avoided with proper care, but which put an infant in danger of SIDS. These can take the forms of suffocation factors, environmental hazards, and the lesser problem of sleep-dependency. I take the position that co-sleeping is healthy and natural, and that I would rather see it encouraged and not discouraged, but I also recognize that there are a variety of risks involved with the process.
One of the major points discussed is in sleeping in Houston is the deaths during bed sharing, the police say this is caused by suffocation during bed sharing and parents rolling onto their baby due to fatigue. This is countered in “Co-Sleeping research” By listing points that benefits, the argument for “Co-Sleeping” Such as babies are able to breastfeed during Co-sleeping another point is that the parent and the baby are highly responsive to each other movements also that babies rarely cry during the Co-Sleeping. During the time that I allowed my kids to sleep with, me the cried a lot, Furthermore, my children also breastfeed a lot. They would also wake me up so that they can play around. The children would wake me up to play with them, they
Throughout the duration of this course, we can establish that neglect is a form of child maltreatment. By definition, child neglect occurs when the child’s parent or caretaker fails to provide basic, fundamental needs to the child (e.g., physical, emotional, medical, or educational) (Miller-Perrin & Perrin, 2013). It is a maltreatment that commonly begins at an early age and can be built to something more chronic in his/her life (Hildyard, 2002). Initial neglect can result in short-term consequences such as anxious or disorganized style of attachment; recognizing and distinguishing emotion in others; and intelligence and problem-solving skills (Rhoades, 2017). However, the consequences can persist and develop long-term. This paper will investigate
One could say that child maltreatment continue one of the major issues that plagued our country, yet we continue to fail to bring this to the attention of the nation. According to the data from the Children’s Bureau, the number of children who belong in foster care remains prevalent, at least in Arizona. As of 2013, the number of children who stay in foster care is at 14,523 which is surprisingly high. In addition, the rate of child’s maltreatment continues to be high, in which 13,171 out of 75,722 children were the victim of different types of maltreatment, especially negligence and physical abuse. The consequences of due to these type of maltreatment can really affect the child’s success in the long term. Neglected children who have inadequate care due to parent’s carelessness are more likely to skip school and have poor grades. As for those who were exposed to physical abuse for a long time can resulted in various development and psychological setbacks, including anxiety, depression, and flashbacks in addition to physical effects. This is why every child required to have a good and safe family to look after
When it comes to parents sharing a room or bed with their newborn baby, there are many factors that came into consideration, many considers to raise an eyebrow and to think before concerning the ultimate decision for your newborn. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) states that babies shouldn’t sleep in the same bed as their parents. But should sleep close by their parents but doesn’t encourage bed sharing with an infant. The reason that AAP doesn’t encourage bed sharing with infants would be that a parent could inadvertently trap a baby in bed covers or in the space between the bed and the wall. Some studies suggest that co-sleeping could put an infant at a higher risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome),
Bed sharing has several advantages. Some of the benefits of sharing bed with kids are described above. In spite of this, it is fundamental to know that co-sleeping is not for everyone. Families who have other kids like toddlers should not share bed with infants and newborns because toddlers are very young to be aware of the baby's existence. Parents who smoke should avoid this sleeping practice because of the possibility of SIDS is higher. Finally, those who are intoxicated of drugs should never co-sleep with their little ones because they may unintentionally harm their little
In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to
In the independent model of parenting lots of praise is given. When I become a parent I plan to praise my child when they do tasks on their own. Praise will give the child confidence and perseverance to continue to do well. Children who never get praised may end up feeling like a disappointment or failure to their parents. It’s important for children to find their voice and not always have a parent speak up for them like in the interdependence model. I also believe it’s extremely important for a child to sleep in their own room. “The Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend co-sleeping because Western beds are not designed for that'd infant deaths are attributed to parents’ rolling over on the child.” (Brooks, 2013) Co-sleeping is not only