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Join the thousands of parents already raising smarter, happier babies with our online baby classes: The Active Babies Smart Kids series. Click here. GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Find us at: GymbaROO-KindyROO Dr Jane Williams and Bindy Cummings Sensory overload is often referred to as overstimulation. It happens when a baby or young child is flooded by more experiences, sensations, noise and activity than the developing brain can cope with. While sensory stimulation is an important way babies learn about themselves and the world around them, in this article we talk about why some infants will easily become overstimulated and how you can prevent this from happening. You can also watch our online video series of baby classes for babies from birth. This video series helps parents understand what is the right stimulation to give their babies and when is the right time. Our series comes highly recommended by paediatricians, early childhood experts and the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Association. While a baby’s brain does develop very rapidly from birth, life outside the protected environment of the womb is much louder, brighter, more active and less predictable. During the first months, a newborn’s brain is learning how to sort, analyse and respond to all this new information, and initially it does so, one sense at a time. If a baby is overstimulated the brain will quickly become overloaded. Sensory overload may result in agitated crying and unsettled behaviour. Your baby may turn his head away from you, his movements might become jerky, and he may clench his fists, wave his arms or kick. Some babies respond by completely shutting down and going to sleep because they are so tired and overwhelmed. Newborns also have a very strong survival reflex response. The Moro reflex causes them to cry if they are overstimulated by loud noises, bright lights, sudden movements or too much stimulation. The Moro response also causes the body to produce the ‘flight or fright’ hormone, cortisol, raising blood pressure and causing babies’ skin to go red and to sweat. Babies who are overstimulated for long periods have continuously high levels of these stress hormones flowing through their brains and research tells us that they are at risk of ongoing emotional and developmental difficulties. So, while some stimulation is important for development, it is best done in short bursts with rest periods in-between. If your baby is exposed to overstimulation, it’s very important to provide her with a calm environment so stress hormones can return to their normal levels. When you come along to GymbaROO-KindyROO, you will notice that stimulating activities are punctuated with periods of calm. So, massage (a calming activity) is followed by exercise (a rousing activity), which is followed by a nursery rhyme (a calming activity). This way babies have time to relax and the brain has time to compute the sensory inputs without becoming distressed. Importantly, we also understand that the brain responds to SLOW movement much more efficiently and easily than fast movement. Slow movements give the developing brain time to work out what’s happening and how to respond appropriately. Fast movements often confuse the sensory systems, and rather than stimulate the wiring and the firing of the brain, it just stops responding until it can make sense of what’s happening again. GymbaROO-KindyROO’s 10 principles of infant stimulation
While sensory stimulation is an important way for a baby’s body and brain to learn about itself and the environment, a baby can very quickly become overloaded when too many sensory messages overwhelm the brain’s ability to understand and respond. Slow, intermittently stimulating activities that are practiced at home on a daily basis are best for your baby’s brain in the first months of life. Our GymbaROO-KindyROO classes are all about helping parents to learn what is the right stimulation to give their babies, at the right time. You can watch, learn and join in with the right kind of activities and games from birth with our Active Babies Smart Kids online series and you can join our highly recommended GymbaROO-KIndyROO classes once your baby is six weeks of age. Dr Jane Williams (PhD, BMgt, RN(Paeds)) is the Research and Education General Manager for GymbaROO and KindyROO. Dr Williams is one of Australia’s leading experts on baby and child development. More on Dr Williams here. Bindy Cummings (B.Ed(Human Movement) Hons) has worked as a teacher, child development consultant, early childhood development lecturer, teacher trainer and INPP & iLS consultant. She is the co-creator of GymbaROO’s Active Babies Smart Kids online series, has authored many published articles on child development. She is working on the content and development GymbaROO’s portal and online training programs, and the creation of new online programs for parents and children. More on Bindy Cummings here. Active Babies Smart Kids – Online Baby ClassesGymbaROO-KindyROO’s online series of baby classes is taking the parenting world by storm! It is highly recommended by doctors, paediatricians, early childhood experts and the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Association. This series is being called: “The essential guide for parents”. Join the thousands of parents already playing with their babies from birth, in the best way for brain and body development and laying crucial foundations for future learning. What happens in the first year, not only matters, it matters a lot! Introductory video below. Click here: Active Babies Smart Kids online series of baby classes Try the first episode FREE: Tummy time + baby fun and development class 1 GymbaROO-KindyROOThousands of parents, babies and children are presently involved in our programs and creating rising stars. GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Come join all the fun and learning! “GymbaROO – The best decision I ever made for my child.” Classes from 6 weeks old – 7 years GymbaROO KindyROO Enjoy the following GymbaROO-KindyROO articlesGymbaROO-KindyROO: Who, what, where, why and how Why GymbaROO-KindyROO kids excel – academically, emotionally, socially, in leadership roles and in sport All about GymbaROO-KindyROO’s online baby classes for parents and babies: Active Babies Smart Kids How to raise a smarter, happier baby Why active babies make smart kids Become a GymbaROO-KindyROO franchisee It takes only one hour during pregnancy to make a massive difference to your baby’s future intelligence and happiness 10 ways to give your baby a great start. Tummy time for baby’s healthy development. An important warning for all parents of babies. Baby milestones: A journey, not a race. ‘Baby Seat’ devices and propping your baby to sit. Please avoid. Click here for more GymbaROO-KindyROO article choices What should the nurse teach the mother about caring for an infant with signs of overstimulation?What should the nurse teach the mother about caring for an infant with signs of overstimulation (SOS)? to decrease stimulation and encourage the baby to suck the breast. Signs of overstimulation are the infant's response to stress.
What would be the best technique to use when assessing the neonate for jaundice?Can be checked by pressing one finger on a baby's forehead or nose (called "blanching" the skin). If the skin is jaundiced, it will appear yellow when the finger is removed.
Which action would the nurse take when weighing a newborn?1) Leave the diaper on for comfort. 2) Place a sterile scale paper on the scale for infection control. 3) Keep hand on the newborn's abdomen for safety. 4) Weigh the newborn at the same time each day for accuracy.
Which recommendation would the nurse make to the parents of an infant with a diaper rash?The best treatment for diaper rash is to keep your baby's skin as clean and dry as possible. If the rash doesn't go away with home treatment, your health care provider might suggest: A mild (0.5% to 1%) hydrocortisone (steroid) cream twice a day for 3 to 5 days. An antifungal cream, if your baby has a fungal infection.
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