So…you’re going out for your first night on the town after your baby is born. Lots of emotions vibrating through your body. Who do you leave your baby with? Is it a family member, a neighborhood teen, a good friend or an elderly woman who comes with recommendations…?
I guess the big question is - will it be a positive or negative experience for you, as a new parent?
A recent survey commissioned by iVillage.com found one out of four mothers questioned had a negative experience with a babysitter. Surprisingly, ten percent of the mothers reported mistreatment of their child by a babysitter.
Perhaps even more surprising to me is how willing many parents are to leave their child with someone who does not know how to deal with potentially life-threatening situations.
- A full one-third of mothers polled said they do not believe their babysitter knows how to help a child who is choking!
- Almost half of those polled do not believe the babysitter knows how to perform CPR.
- Over ten percent of mothers do not believe their babysitter can handle any medical emergency at all!!
With how fast we all know accidents happen and emergencies occur, these stats are shocking!
Babysitter training classes are available at local organizations such as American Heart Association and American Red Cross. Talking first aid devices such as SafetyMate for the New Parent can help teenagers or any caretakers refresh the information they learn in those classes in between annual trainings. www.safetymate.com/home/index.html
We all know if you don’t “use it,” you “lose it.” Unless you are a paramedic who is performing life-saving actions or CPR every day, there is no real way to become expert at dealing with crises.
Information is power. Learn, re-learn, practice, teach others…
