Terminology Used in Child Care

Child:

A child is a person between the stage of birth and puberty. Legally, a child is a person below the age of 18 or who has not attained maturity or the age of legal majority.

Neonates

Neonates refer to infants between the ages of 0 and 28 days. In children, this time frame is referred to as the neonatal period. In order to adapt to life outside the womb, newborns must undergo rapid physiological changes throughout the neonatal period.

Infancy

The age range from one month to one year is considered infancy. A time of rapid growth and development. A child's birth weight triples and their birth length (height) grows by 50 percent by the end of the infancy period. During infancy, proper nutrition, stimulation, and nurturing care are very necessary for optimum growth and development. A healthy infant is one who is growing and developing normally. Babies who are born prematurely or who suffer from serious illnesses may experience a delay in their physical development.

Toddlers

The toddler age range covers children from one to three years old. Because of their small legs and lack of developed abdominal muscle, toddlers may have a "duckling" or "pot-bellied" look. Physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development are all at their peak during the toddler years. They dive deep into their surroundings in an effort to comprehend how things work.  They grow in their understanding of social roles, advance in their motor skill development, and initiate their use of language.

Preschooler

Preschoolers are children between the ages of three and six. At this age, kids have a lot going for them: they're learning to take charge, they're becoming more self-reliant, they're developing better memory and concentration abilities, and they're becoming fluent in more than one language.

The preschool years, sometimes known as "the age of the magical thinker," are marked by a genuine belief that one's ideas may influence one's external environment. In the aftermath of tragic events, even though they had nothing to do with it, people may feel remorseful for having intended harm to others. Young children, especially preschoolers, are naturally curious and love to ask questions like "why?" and "how?" as they investigate the world around them. As a result, poisonings and unintentional injuries are surprisingly common among children of this age.

School aged children

Children aged 6 to 12 fall under the "school-age" category. During the school years, a child's physical, social, and psychological characteristics continue to develop. There are significant shifts in the way a kid thinks, interacts with others, engages in activities, develops their worldview, and even in uses of language.   Young people develop their capacity for abstract thought as they diligently acquire new abilities and compete for the admiration of their classmates, instructors, and parents. When a child participates in and achieves success in these tasks, it boosts their sense of competence and confidence. Whether it's due to their physical, social, or cognitive abilities, kids who struggle to learn or succeed at tasks often end up feeling inferior and disappointed.

Children of school age tend to place a high priority on school and school-related activities, suggesting that the school setting plays a crucial role in shaping their personalities and influencing their relationships.

Adolescents

Adolescents are those in the age range of 12-18. Latin for "to grow up" or "to develop into adulthood," adolescere is whence we get the word adolescence from. When speaking of a person going through adolescence, we refer to them as the adolescent. Adolescent transition is the time when a person is between the stages of childhood and maturity (ie transition from dependency to self-sufficiency). This is a time of profound transition for them on all levels: physical, cognitive, social, and sexual.

Pediatric

The term pediatric is synonymous with child health. Pediatric is a" branch of medical science" that deals with the medical care of children from conception to adolescence in health and illness.

Pediatrician:

One who practices medicine with a focus on children is called a "pediatrician" (child health) Pediatricians are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating children, from the common cold to cancer. They have extensive training in the physical, psychological, and behavioral requirements of children.

Pediatric Nursing (Child Health Nursing)

Care for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents throughout a continuum of health and illness is the focus of pediatric nursing, a "branch of nursing science." The field of child health nursing focuses on the wellbeing of children and adolescents from birth through adolescence and on ensuring that they reach their full potential as adults.

Pediatric nurse

A pediatric nurse is a nurse who specializes in kid care and who typically works in a pediatric hospital. A pediatric nurse's role is not limited to providing direct care to children; it also includes including the child's parents and other family members in the healing process.

Family-Centered Care

Family-centered care is based on the idea that a child's family is the one constant in his or her life and an important part of the child's health care. When planning for a child's upkeep, it's important to think about everyone in the family and their individual requirements.

Atraumatic Care

When it comes to children and their families receiving medical treatment, "atraumatic care" refers to the provision of therapeutic care in health care settings, by personnel (doctor, nurses), and through the use of interventions that eliminate or significantly reduce the emotional and physical distress that is often associated with receiving such treatment.

• Psychological distress:

Psychological distress may include anxiety, fear, anger, disappointment, sadness, shame, or guilt.

• Physical distress:

Physical distress may range from sleeplessness and immobilization to disturbances from sensory stimuli, such as pain, temperature extremes, loud noises, bright lights, or darkness.

The goal in providing atraumatic care is: "First, do no harm". Three main principles to achieve this goal includes:

1. Prevent or minimize the child's separation from the family
2. Promote a sense of control
3. Prevent or minimize bodily injury and pain. In the hospital setting,

The pediatric nurse can provide atraumatic care by:

• Fostering the parent-child relationship during hospitalization
• Preparing the child before any unfamiliar treatment or procedure
• Controlling pain
• Allowing the child privacy
• Providing play activities for the expression of fear and aggression
• Providing choices to children, and respecting cultural differences.