Preparing for your registration visit booklet...help!

[lou246]

Hiya!!!

I've got my pre reg coming up and the inspector said I should have this booklet filled out, so I'm trying but am stuck on a couple of questions (so far)!!!

1. What messages about smoking do you need to give to children?
I'm not sure about this one in case the childs parents smoke and I wouldnt want to offend anyone!

2. How will you enable children to become independent and still keep themselves safe?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! But....i will no doubt be back for more help!!!

xxx xxx xxx

[kirste]

Hi,

I have only just started to fill mine in but for the second one you're stuck on I would maybe talk about 'calculated risks'. In a soft play environment the children need to climb - and fall to learn but at least they fall onto a soft mat.

Hope I'm on the right track and not giving you dodgy help - I'm sure someone will let us know x

Good luck!

[sarah707]

I am sure the child's parents accept that smoking is bad!!

even if they don't you have to give the message that it's not good and that children should not be exposed to it.

Maybe you could say that you will raise it as part of conversation and talk about how it smells bad and tastes bad and makes clothes smell etc... for older children you could talk about the effects it has on the body, but not really for little ones.

There is a smoke free campaign with an elephant - I have some sheets about it somewhere. You could find out more about that.

Hth :D

[lou246]

Many thanks for your replies x

[keeks]

1) Regarding the smoking I have been thinking a lot how to go about this. If a child's parents smoke you don't want the children to be worried about their parents being really ill and going to hospital. I put in my booklet that I will give the message that smoking is not good for you and particularly not for children to breath in smoke, but without causing children to be worried about their parents. I suppose this follows what Sarah says, but even older children will worry about their parents. I remember being petrified at the age of 8 that my dad would die from smoking, but he didn't manage to stop so I don't know what good it did me to know it was dangerous iyswim. Be interesting to hear what other people think!

2) I said I will encourage children to risk assess their own play by talking to them aobut how to keep safe and manage risk. We could do safety topics and also ongoing discussion as and when things come up. Children need to stretch themselves physically and take risks to develop physical skills, they just need the awareness of what the risks may be in different situations in order to make good decisions.

Good luck!!!
xxx

[samb]

I live in a flat and so we have no smoking signs in the communal areas which is something I pointed out to Mrs O. I told her that myself and husband do not smoke and we ask any visitors to smoke outside of our communal areas too. I told her I would ask people I know not to smoke near the children (which I do with my own anyway) and if I was near someone smoking (at a bus stop for example) I would stand so the wind was not blowing in our direction as I feel it is a choice that they smoke and our choice to move away if you see what i mean? I told her that as with other things you could not literally say to the children that it is wrong as then you are saying their parents are wrong but you could say that it is smelly/dirty/makes you cough etc and it is best to keep away from the smoke. Both my mindees have at least 1 parent that smokes. The 4 year old has brought up the issue of smoking and has said it is smelly. I agreed with her that it is smelly and we talked about smells we like and smells we don't. I do think you have to be careful on things like that as you do not want to upset the child with too much information or the parent by making them feel you are telling their child they are doing something "bad".