Clothing and dressing plays an important role in children s learning and development. Strategies to support positive outcomes for children include:
1) Dressing children to promote their health, safety and well being Children s clothing can have a significant impact upon their health, safety and well being This can relate not only to the types of clothes that children wear, but also to when and how these are worn. A child s age is also an important consideration for child care professionals when they determine how a child s clothing may affect their comfort and safety 2) Temperature.
It is important that children are not over or under dressed, and that clothing suits the temperature. The smaller the child the more easily they can become chilled or overheated. Natural fibres such as cotton are generally cooler than acrylic fabrics
Babies and younger toddlers should be dressed warmly for sleep, and children should be checked regularly to see that they are covered if they are not dressed warmly enough to sleep comfortably without covers. To check if a child is warm enough, touch the tummy or back rather than hands or feet, as this gives a truer indication of the child s body temperature 3) Sun protection. Children need protection from the sun. Tightly woven fabrics such as t shirt material, long sleeves and long trousers offer good protection. Hats are essential and should have soft brims to allow for movement and provide for maximum protection.
During infancy Infants are very susceptible of the impressions of cold therefore, a suitable clothing of the body, is imperative to their enjoyment of health. The principles which ought to guide a parent in clothing her infant are as follows: The material and quantity of the clothes should be such as to preserve a sufficient proportion of warmth to the body, regulated therefore by the season of the year, and the delicacy or strength of the infant s constitution. In their quality they should be such as not to irritate the delicate skin of the child. In its construction the dress should not be irksome to the infant, causing it to cry The clothing must be changed daily. It is eminently conducive to good health that a complete change of dress should be made every day. If this is not done, washing will, in a great measure, fail in its object, especially in insuring freedom from skin diseases. During childhood The clothing of the child should possess the same properties as that of infancy. It should afford due warmth, be of such materials as do not irritate the skin, and so made as to occasion no unnatural constriction. In reference to due warmth, it may be well again to repeat, that too little clothing is frequently productive of the most sudden attacks of active disease; and that children who are thus exposed with thin clothing in a climate so variable as ours are the frequent subjects of croup, and other dangerous affections of the air passages and lungs Dressing children to support their play and learning
Clothing can either support or hinder children s experiences and development. Clothes that fit properly, without being too loose or tight, allow children to move freely and comfortably and participate freely in experiences .The clothes children wear can significantly affect the development of their self help skills.
So, Clothing and dressing is a key part of every person s daily life experience. Clothing can provide protection from hazards and the elements, it can support or hinder participation in certain activities, and it can be a key aspect of an individual s expression of their culture, taste and personality.
Author Resource:
Chaitanya is serving Vision Infonet in key positions. He is an expert in medical transcription, medical billing services and involved in the development of Web-based EMR. Please visit http://www.mdcareplus.com and http://www.vinfonet.com