Grow and Go experts discuss: Healthcare in the ECEC setting

We know that nutrition is crucial in the first five years of life as children explore food and develop tastes, habits, and behaviours that they will carry through to adulthood. 

 

Every day early childhood educators support breastfeeding mothers, provide nutritious meals, create a positive mealtime environment, and promote learning through food and nutrition activities.

 

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Educators also need to be familiar with typical signs of feeding concerns, understand health professionals’ different roles, and work with health professionals in any child’s nutritional care to ensure the best outcomes.

 

To explore this topic further, we spoke with Professor Helen Truby, Dr Clare Dix, and Stella Boyd-Ford from The University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences. The Grow&Go Toolbox team recently released a new podcast that offers expert information on early childhood nutrition. Each episode focuses on a different nutrition topic and provides practical tips and advice.

 

In addition to the podcasts, the Grow&Go Toolbox team has co-created a range of resources with families and health and education professionals, including digital and paper-based resources that educators can use to assist with common queries and issues encountered during mealtimes in ECEC. 

 

Common signs of nutrition concerns

 

The following signs may need further assessment by a health professional, they may indicate possible allergies or intolerances, reflux or feeding problems:

 

• chronic reflux
• tummy aches or vomiting
• explosive or smelly stools
• hives or rash after feeding
• inconsolable crying, arching of the back, crying and wriggling during meals
• frequent choking, gagging or coughing on milk or during meals
• missing feeding milestones (staying on purees past 7 months, difficulty changing textures)
• refusal of changes to meal presentation or flavour
• avoiding whole food groups or textures
• reports of feeding difficulty in different environments
• disruptive behaviour during meals 
• poor weight gain
• being significantly smaller than peers
• difficulty playing or keeping up with peers

 

If you come across any of the above, speak to the child’s family and suggest getting support from a health professional.

 

Which allied health professionals can help?

 

Many health professionals can help with feeding issues; the most common are dietitians, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists.

 

Each has their area of expertise:

• • Dietitians specialise in feeding and eating for healthy growth and development, managing special diets for children with additional health needs. 
• • Speech pathologists specialise in communication, swallowing, and eating skills, helping with problems related to sucking, swallowing, breathing, latch and positioning for babies, interpreting baby’s behaviours during feeding, and assessing mouth, tongue, and lip functionalities. 
• • Occupational therapists specialise in helping people be independent in daily activities, for nutrition this could mean setting up a positive feeding environment, finding the right furniture, utensils, and equipment for mealtimes, addressing problems with holding the head up or sitting up, toileting issues, and selective eating habits in children.

Helping families find a health professional

The Grow&Go Toolbox has created the Find a Health Professional tool. This tool aims to help families find which health professionals to speak to and where to access them locally. You can refer families to the tool or help them navigate it to find a health professional to support them. 

You could also use your centre’s newsletter to share information about health professionals—perhaps a short bio or introduction to your local pharmacist, maternal, family, and child health nurse, or supply the link to Find a Health Professional from the toolbox? Finding the right health professional can be challenging!

Working with health professionals

Ideally educators would work in partnership with health professionals to ensure consistent and coordinated care for the children in their service. Of course, this can only be done if the parent has provided consent for you to discuss their child’s health with a particular clinician. Some centres have visiting occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech pathologists. These providers can answer questions relating to the child’s care. Additionally, parents should be asked if they would like centre staff involved in the child’s stakeholder meetings or case discussions to provide information and communicate with the team.

 

These tips, and many more, are shared in the Grow&Go Toolbox Podcast episode titled Healthcare in the Early Childhood Education and Care Setting. Access it on YouTube here, or via Spotify here.

 

Resources that support this episode include:

 

• Find a health professional tool

 

For more advice or support visit the Grow&Go Toolbox at www.growandgotoolbox.com or follow us on social media.