Some juniors and seniors have been serving as parents for a day in advanced health classes for over 10 years.
In early October, students were taught a very realistic method of caring for babies called “Real Care.”
Plus, for extra credit, you can also wear a pregnant belly or take care of a baby for a day or two. The first students came to pick up their babies at 8 a.m. on Oct. 21. This project aims to provide a fun and educational way to learn about proper baby care.
“When I was in high school, I carried around bags of flour and eggs to simulate what it was like to raise a child,” said Mrs. Anderson, an advanced health teacher. “This program provides a more realistic experience.”
Babies are so realistic because they are based on real babies’ schedules.
“The core of the program is parenting simulation using Baby Think It Over, a computerized infant simulator,” Mrs Anderson said.
To create these schedules, birth parents were given the task of recording the different types of care they provided over a 24-hour period. Every baby is different, and students do not know whether they will have a low-care baby or a high-care baby.
Once students selected the baby they wanted, they were given parent ID wristbands. The wristband must be scanned with a sensor on the baby’s shoulder or back before the student can provide the necessary care.
Photo by Avery Fowler.
But there’s no way to know what kind of care your baby will need. You may need to feed, change diapers or clothes, burp, and rock back and forth. Students must repeat each option in turn until they find the correct option. If you forget to scan your wristband, the program will not record it and you will lose additional credits. Many students approach a project thinking it will be easy, but are quickly misled.
Thanks to the wristband, you don’t have to take your baby out of the room or ignore it during the shower. This means waking up in the middle of the night, just like any real parent would, to a slightly irritated and crying baby.
“I ended up crying quite often during the night. I cried three times around 1 a.m., once at 3 a.m., and again at 5 a.m. It took me 15 minutes just to feed. I was so tired and had to do all the school work.” night,” senior Bry Hymans said.
There is also the risk of your baby crying. They are very sensitive and if their head is not supported somewhere while being held, they will start crying loudly for at least 2 minutes when shaken.
The morning after the students came to pick up their babies, they had the opportunity to spend some extra time with the babies, but that never happened.
“I always say the same thing: ‘Take the 24-hour experience. If you want to extend it, we’re happy to do that,'” Anderson said. There’s no one there. They’re running to return the baby the next day. Parenting is a 24-hour job.”
Despite the challenges, my students always come away feeling like they’ve learned what it really takes to raise a child, and they recommend it to other students.
“I would encourage other students to do it. I thought it was fun, but it was also embarrassing if they cried during class…I learned a lot about how to take care of a baby,” Hymans said. .
