The Concept of Supervision.

We all know the importance of supervising our children and keeping them safe.  Some people do it better than others.  There are the mothers who are still in their PJ’s at lunch time and have managed to do not one scrap of

housework- then there are the mothers that work with military precision and everything gets done that needs to be done (I think I fall somewhere in the middle).  There is no problem with either of these types of mothers.  I just want you all to be able to do the things you want and need to do while keeping your kids safe and occupied.  I have mentioned in my ‘Safety in the Home’ series (burns, injuries and poisonings) the importance of supervision, but what is supervision and how do we do it?

 

There are different levels of supervision and they are all appropriate for their own situations, environments and age and developmental levels.

 

Contact supervision is where you have direct contact with the child.  You can feel the child is where he or she has to be.  This is appropriate for crossing the road, walking through car parks etc.  You need to be able to feel the instant that child tries to move away from you to prevent a devastating pedestrian accident.  Holding hands, using wrist straps or back pack style leads, getting the child to hold a pram or trolley are all methods of contact supervision.

Direct supervision- you have the child in your line on vision and know exactly what the child is doing.  The child is in the same room, or within a few meters of you when outdoors.  More importantly, the child is facing you.  If the child is facing away from you- you cannot be sure of what is going into the mouth or what object they are destroying hidden in their lap.

Indirect supervision- you can hear the child and have a vague idea of what the child is up to.  The child might be in the next room.  Women tend to be better than men at this.  I could tell my (then) husband exactly what the kids were doing when they were in another room and he wouldn’t even know where they were.  I know that when my kids are put to bed, that’s probably where they are going to stay and unless I hear noise, their beds are where they are.

Intermittent supervision-.you poke your head in to check on the child every now and then to make sure he/she is still doing what you last saw them doing. Great for older children who are aware of dangers and independent with activities.

Supervision by someone other than a responsible adult- When a child is left responsible for another child.  This is potentially dangerous.  I would never leave the house leaving a child under the care of another child.  On occasions, however, I will tell my son or daughter ( both 4) that I have to leave the room for a moment and ask if they can look after the youngest for me.  Now I know this only works when they are not acting silly, they are calm and in the mood to listen and be responsible.  They are proud of the responsibility of looking after their little sister and I am always within hearing distance.  I will do this only after the environment has been assessed for dangers, and it is a confined and safe environment.  NEVER around water!

 

Keep in mind the distance of your supervision.  You need to be able to reach a danger before the child can.  For example- when out in the front yard- can you run to the road before your child can? At the park- can you get to the park gate before you child can.

Be aware and place yourself in between your child and potential danger.

 

Before choosing your method of supervision, take into consideration the age of the child, the temperament of the child, the developmental level of the child, the mood the child is in, the environment, the potential dangers, and the activity you need to do.  You are the best person to know what your child will be safe with and how much responsibility they can handle. Your child might be a thrill seeker, climber, jumper, curious creature….a danger to themselves and a major source of stress for you as a parent, or on the other hand……….. may be placid and have a strong sense of fear.

 

 

Supervision tips.

Distraction: toys, videos.  There is nothing wrong with setting up your child with a favourite movie to have some quiet time or get housework done. So long as that child has a balance of your positive attention during the day.  I will often play with my kids with a certain activity for half and hour or so, then leave them to it.  They get mummy time and learn how to entertain themselves and play nicely together without my constant interference, and I have time to get jobs done.

Restraining: pram, jolly jumper, high chair.  I used to strap my baby into the pram and park her in the kitchen while I was cooking dinner.  She was supervised, kept safe from the other 2 children and I was able to prepare the family meal.  These restraining devices still require direct supervision.  It just means that you can get things done without chasing after a moving child.

Containment: close doors, safety gate, play pens, cots.  The child is in an area that has been checked for hazards.  Children still have the potential to choke on toys. This method should still be used with at least indirect supervision.  I often close the door of the bathroom when I am showering and have my kids playing on the play mat on the bathroom floor.   I know they are safe and I am able to talk to them.  When my youngest was smaller, I would put her in the port-a-cot to play while I cleaned and I knew the older 2 couldn’t get to her and carry her around when I wasn’t looking.  Make sure children cannot get out of front doors, garage doors and side gates and escape out to the road.  Our side gate is padlocked, the front door is key locked and no-one is going anywhere!

Involvement: the child does what you are doing.  The kids might come outside with me and pass me the pegs when hanging out washing.  One might mash the potato while the other gets the plates and cutlery out and the youngest is set up in her high chair already.  My son loves to uses the vacuum and my daughter loves to sweep- I use this to my advantage (not in a child slavery kind of way…LOL).  Kids love to help and they learn great lessons when given jobs to do.  Don’t rush and give them extra time to learn.  I know that having them help me takes longer at first, but I know they are learning how to look after themselves, they are occupied, safe and supervised.

Positioning: Set up activities in areas where you can supervise effectively:

I used to have my washing in the spare room opposite the bathroom.  When the oldest 2 were in the bath I could directly supervise and fold the washing at the same time. 

My kids love to dance.  When I am cooking dinner, the CD player is in the empty dining room (part of the lounge room) next to the kitchen and I can watch them dance when I am cooking dinner. 

The swing set is in view of the clothes line.  In nice weather they will come outside to play when I hang the washing or do the gardening.

 

 

~Be aware of your own distractions: *when your baby is cover head to toe in poo, you are not necessarily concentrating on where your toddler is (bring the toddler with you and confine).  *When the phone rings there may be a few minutes where you kids don’t have adequate supervision (invest in a cordless phone and NEVER answer the phone when your kids are in the bath).  *Going to the toilet (I have no problems with the kids seeing me on the loo).  *Breastfeeding baby leaves you in a more difficult position to supervise toddlers (use one of the above techniques).  *Sick children distract from supervising the other children.  There are many situations during the day where you supervision can lapse- but for every distraction there is a tactic to combat it.

 

~Day to day life with young children is a constant battle between keeping them safe and getting those jobs done that you have to do.  I know how hard it is- I am a single mum to 3 kids under the age of 5.  But I am also a paediatric nurse, so I am reminded every time I go to work of the importance of good supervision.  With a little thought and planning, it can be done- you CAN have a shower, you CAN hang the washing, you CAN have ‘me’ time, you CAN cook dinner safely.  And your kids can stay safe too.