What is childhood illness?
Relates to conditions where is the a marked declining of a child’s health status which is also an indicator of declining nutritional patterns.

Most frequent dietary problems in children:

• Underweight/poor growth/failure to thrive
  Causes:
  - Medical reason
  - Diet too high in fibre or too low in fat
  - Insufficient vitamins and minerals
  Management:
  - Provide nutrient rich food(full cream milk, cheese, meat, eggs…)
  - Increase frequency of eating
• Overweight/Obesity
  Causes:
  - Too many fat-rich and sugar-rich food
  Management:
  - Provide balanced diet
  - provide fulling snacks of fruits and sandwiches
  - Establish regular pattern of meals & snacks
• Poor formation of teeth, bones, and dental disease
  Causes:
  - Lack of calcium and flouride
  - Too many sugar-rich or acid-rich food
  Management:
  - Consult dentist
  - Increase high calcium-rich food
• Lack of iron/anaemia/lethargy
  Causes:
  - Vegetarian or non-red meat eater
  - Insufficient intake of iron-rich food
  - lack of vitamin C
  Management:
  - Increase red meat intake
  - Increase vitamin C intake
  - Increase food intake
• Constipation
  Causes:
  - Insufficient natural sugars
  - Insufficient liquid intake
  - Insufficient fruit and vegetable intake
  Management:
  - Increase range and quantity of fruits, vegetables
  - Increase fluid intake
• Mild diarrhoea
  Causes:
  - Due to high intake of sugard or fruit juices
  Management:
  - Limit sugar consumption
  - monitor intake of fruits and high fibre food
  - Ensure high intake of water
• Food fads/food refusal
  Causes:
  - Dislike certain food or refuse to try new food
  Management:
  - Prevent any form of conflict
  - Remove offending food without fuss, do not offer alternative
  - Ensure snacks are not low nutrient, high sugar or high fat
  - Do not fill up with other food

If there are children that require special diet attention due to certain medical conditions, care details must be obtained from medical specialist on details and implications of dietary provision, likely reactions, emergency procedures. Example od physical distree and illness:

• Food intolerance such as lactose intolerance
• Food allergy
• Gastro-intestinal disorder
• Coeliac disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Phenylketnuria(PKU)
• Diabetes
• Tooth decay

Common illness in children:
- Cold/flur
- Chicken pox
- Dry mouth
- Painful throat/sore mouth

What is food safety?
Food safety deals with the practices and strategies of preventing foodborne illness where it involves proper food purchasing, food storage, handling and cooking.

Food Purchasing
- only buy good quality, fresh and undamaged food
- buy from sources that are inspected for health and sanitation
- do not buy expired food
- if food requires refrigeration, make sure buy it refrigerated
- avoid buying fish and poultry that labels with “frozen, defrosted”, as you have no idea about the freshness
- do not buy dented canned food
- only food with proper packaging
- check food label to ensure buying the right food, with the right ingredients and before the expiry date

Food Storage
- proper warpping
- proper labelling
- proper temperature
- proper arrangement
- protection from contamination

Refrigerated Food
- meat and poultry should be well wrapped to avoid contaminate other food
- freezer bag/aluminium foil can help to prevent freezer burn and quality loss
- label with date of purchase for easy tracking to prevent wastage
- frozen food must be refrigerated quickly
- thawed food should be used within 24 hours
- eggs should be store in refrigerator intheir cartons
- clean utensils must be used
- cooked food to be dated
- reheat food at minimum of 160 degree fereignheit
- store cooked food in covered container less ths 2″ high
- full refrigerator may have contamination risk

Unrefrigerated Food
- store in clean rodent-free areas with doors to cover the storage area
- store at a height of minimum 8″ above the floor
- first in first out
- non-perishable items(flour, sugar, salt) to be stored in air tight container once it’s opened

Food Handling
- anyone with illness, injuries, sores or infections should handle food
- food handle should not be in charge of diaper changing
- wash hands with right techniques
- never thaw food in room temperature but in the refrigerator, microwave oven, or placing water proof plastic bag and submerge into cold water and water to be changed every 30 minutes
- wash hands before handle food
- apron must be clean
- take food handler course
- do not use the same chopping board and knife for vegetable and poultry/seafood
- trim nails, tie back hair
- always reheat food with a minimum of 160 degree fereignheit and soup until rolling boil

Environment Care
- ensure work surface/area is clean
- wash top of tins before opening
- waste bin must be tightly covered
- utensils must be clean
- clean towers and cloths
- keep animals and insects away

Food Poisoining
Infection of gastro-intestinal tract caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water by bacteria, viruses, toxic, chemicals, metals, or poisonous plants. Symptoms can be vomitting, nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and fever. It can cause severe dehydration and life threatening.

What is a balance diet?
Eating full range of nutrients that found in variety of food which produces a good fuel resource providing the body with the energy needed for all its different functions and purposes.

Healthy eating means getting the right overall balance, not bannung or promoting specific food to enable body to grow, repair, fight infections and support healthy, energetic lifestyle.

What is food group?
Use to inform people about healthy balanced eating without require them to have significant or specialised knowledge about the subject of nutrition. It will make us simpler to plan meals and keep an eye on eating patterns.

Food group 1: Breads, other cereals and potatoes
- Rich in carbohydrate, starchy, high energy food
- Naturally contacin vitamins and minerals
- 5 daily servings
e.g. 2 tablespoon of rice/pasta, 1 slice of bread, 2 small oatcakes

Food group 2: Fruits and vegetables
- High in vitamins and minerals
- High in fibre
- Low fat except avocadoes, seeds, nuts
- 5-6 daily servings
e.g. 1 fruit rich in vitamin C, 1 glass of vegetables or fruit juice, 1 green vegetables(2 tablespoons of peas), 1 table spoon of raisins, 2 tablespoons of sweet corns, raw vegetable sticks


Food group 3: Milk/dairy products
- Rich in protein, saturated and unsaturated fats, calcium and milk sugars
- 3 daily servings
e.g. 1 glass of full fat milk, 1 pot of yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of grated cheese

Food group 4: Meat, fish and high protein food
- Rich in first class/high nutrient value proteins
- 2 daily servings
e.g. portion of baked beans, fish fingers

Food group 5: Fat rich and sugar rish food
- Smallest proportion
- Filling burt low in essential nutrients
- High in energy
- High level of refined sugar
- Highly processed
- Small portion is allowed but don’t eliminate it totally
e.g ice cream, chips, sweets

What is nutrition or dietetics?
Nutrition is a term used for science or study of food and how the body uses the constituents of food.

What is food?
- cover virtually all substances that we eat or drink and can include both solid and fluids
- including nutritional supplements
- does not include drugs or medications
- provide nourishment and energy to enable the body to function such as grow, reproduce, move, maintain its temperature, repair & renw tissues, prevent & fight infection, recover from injury/illness, eliminate & excrete waste products
- provide energy
- either originate from vegetation or animal sources
- eaten raw, cooked, on its own or along with other food

What is nutrients?
- collection of components that occur in food which are necessary to sustain life, growth, and health.

Types of nutrients:

• Carbohydrates – energy for growth, body maintenance and all movement, e.g. rice
• Protein – growth and repair of body tissue, e.g. eggs, meat
• Fats – maintain body temperature, e.g. meat
• Minerals(e.g. Calcium, Magnesium, Iron) – body functions and metabolism, growth of skeletal system, bone strenght, nerver regulation & control, enable energy production, e.g milk, seafood
• Vitamins(e.g. A, B, C, D, E, K) – support & regulate cellular processes, growth, prevent diesease, and repair tissues, e.g. fruits
• Dietary fibre/roughage – food residues that body needs but does not absorb for gastro-intestinal function and other health benefits, e.g. vegetables
• Water – not strictly “nutrient” but is life essential for cellular function, prevent dehydration and onset of systemic problems

What is safety?
Safety relates to the condition at workplace(Nursery) and applies to the pursuit of a state where the risk of harm has been eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level. There will not be accident when there is safety.

What is Accident?
It’s an undesired event, giving rise to death, ill-health or injury. It also infers a chance occurance that us accompanied by no control or responsibility.

Accident caused by 2 factors:
1. Unsafe behaviour/act
2. Undafe conditions

Caregivers must realised that most injuries to children can be prevented by having control(prevention) and responsibility(protection).

What is hazard?
Hazard is an article, substance or situation that has the potential to cause harm or damage. Example of hazards:
1. Water
2. Chemical
3. Lighting
4. Noise
5. Electricity
6. Toys
7. Heights
8. Flooring

What is risk?
Risk is the likelihood of harm occurring. The severity of outcome can be zero, low, medium or high. When the severity is high, this should have the highest priority.

It is impossible to eliminate all hazards to avoid accident but it is possible to reduce the risk to acceptable level where the hazard won’t turn into accident.

Why moral, legal and economics is closely related to health and safety?
1. Ligislation requirements (ensure it is as safe as possible)
2. Vicarious liablity (everyone related must be responsible)
3. Moral obligation (taking care of your neighbour)
4. Fines for non compliance to regulations
5. Economic impact (direct/indirect cost eg. insurance, medical fee, legal fee…)

Operator of nursery must:
1. Ensure safe workplace e.g good lighting, flooring, exit, access
2. Provide safe equipment and plant e.g repair any damaged things that can cause accidents
3. Ensure work safety e.g competent workers
4. Introduce safe procedure for oeprating tools/equipments
5. Provide adequate supervision, training and instructions e.g training, constant medical check-up
6. Provide appropriate PPE(Personal Protective Equipment)
7. Set health and safety policy
8. Comply to rules & regulations set up by the authority

Caregivers must:
1. Take care of his/her own and others’ safety
2. Comply with the rules
3. Use PPE
4. Report to top management about the hazards
5. Report all accidents

To ensure safety at all time:
1. Good management control
2. Implement OSH(Occupational, Safety, Health) policy
3. Identify hazards and associated risks then minimise or eliminate them
4. Promot OSH at all levels

Safety policy should be:
1. Clearly written
2. Include guidelines, checklist, injurty reports, strategies, practices
3. Limitations
4. Suggest methods of communication

Basic elements of safety policy:
1. General Statement of Intent (What)
2. Organisation involved (Who)
3. Arrangement (How)

4 major goals of high quality child care:
1. Maximize health status
2. Minimize risk
3. Use education as tool
4. Recognizing importance of guidelines

General child care safety policies should cover:
1. Creating safe environment – use all risk management and injury prevention tools(role modeling, education, observation, supervision)
2. Injury prevention management – safe enviroment for the child to learn, play and develop
3. Developing a safety plan – prevent risk & promote safety
4. Implication for caregivers – should use preventive and protective measures

Basic emergency response procedures:
- Knowledge of first aid is essential
- Should have basic first aid training
- Organise for emergencies, and plan according especially for children with special needs
- Emergency numbers and information should be easily available
- First aid kit must be available
- Understand the 10 steps for emergency response in right orders

What is caring for a child?
It relates to meeting the health, safety and nutritional needs of a child in a care by parents or caregivers.

Health relates to the physical condition of both body and mind of a person, including the social and emotional well-being of the person.

Good Health is the result of:

• Reducing unncessary risk
• Preventing illness
• Promote well-being of the individual

To create such atmosphere and environment, caregivers need to focus on:

• Safety
• Nutrition
• Health

If the three above are not present, the child will be:

• Lacking of good health practices
• Living in unsafe environment
• Having poor nutrition

WHO defitnition of Health:

Health is a state of complete social, mental and physical well-being and not merely the absense of disease or infirmity.

Being health means that the likelihood of imminent or future ill health is minimised and there is a state of mental and physical fitness.

A risk factor in health and well-being of children can come from any area of the environment:

• Physical environment
  - Mother’s health, child’s health
  - Clean, safe and healthy home
  - Safe attractive school, neighbourhood
  - Available community facilities should be attractive and safe
• Social & emotional environment
  - Relationship with parents
  - Relationship with immediate and extended families
  - Relationshp with teachers, peers, and neighrbours
  - Sense of belongings, self-esteeem/confidence to operate in the greater community
• Economic environment
  - Family could afford child
  - Economic/work status of parents
  - Economic status of neighbourhood, services available for assistance
  - Economic status of greater community services for assistance for assistance
• Cultural environment
  - Ethnicity
  - Cultural practices of family
  - Neighbourhood ethnicity and cultural practices in school, churches, neighbourhood…
  - Sense of belonging / acceptance / ethnicity& cultural practices of great community

Healthy environment is established and maintained by:
Health promotion – checking for immunization, proper hand washing & diapering techniques, providing adequate nutrition, arrange for hearing, vision and dental screening tests.

Child protection – promoting safety practices; safett seats in travel, checking toys & other equipment for hazards, providing low-risk environment

Disease prevention

Risk is a likelihood of harm or danger occuring. Knowledge of risk and risk management are effective ways to protect and prevent the chance for danger/difficulties to occur

Result of health risks:
- Illness, infection, disease, mental illness
- Developmental difficulty
- Death

Result of safety risks:
- Accidents
- Disability
- Death

Result of nutritional risks:
- Developmental delay
- Growth retardation
- Poor health and lack of resistance to infection or disease

Risk management strategies to remove risk factors:
- Health promotion
- Safety protection
- Nutritional education

To maintain well-being of children, risk must be managed properly through compliance of standards and guidelines set for child care facilities, training and staffing.

Well-being is measured by wellness, degree of activity, resiliency, proper growth, at-level development and genral vitality.

4 Basic Goals for high quality child care programs:
- Maximise health status of the children
- Mnimise risk to health, safety and well-being of children
- Utilise education as a tool to promote health and risk reduction for both children and adults
- Recognise importance of guidelines, standards, and laws as they apply to health, safety and well-being of the children(child care) E.g. Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994