Safety for Sitters : Hospital Teaches Basics of Baby Care

A picture of a baby reaching for a pin cushion flashed on the wall in the hospital.

“Oh, my God!” shouted a girl in the audience, putting her hands over her mouth.

Others gasped.

For three consecutive days, serious baby sitters, ages 11 to 14, gathered after school at Mission Bay Hospital to learn the science of baby-sitting.

The six-hour course, known as “S.O.S.--Safety of Sitting,” was designed by a registered nurse at the hospital to train baby sitters in safety and emergency procedures.

“There is a need for good sitters,” said Chris Savage, creator and instructor of the course. “The main thrust is teaching them to avoid emergency situations.”

Presentations on safety are made by a police officer and a firefighter. The sitters are instructed to call the police if they are scared and to “stop, drop and roll” if they or the child catch fire.

Savage instructs the sitters on how to handle a choking victim, how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation on infants and how to change a diaper.

Since the course began two years ago, about 200 baby sitters have taken the sessions, offered four times a year, Savage said. The fee is $5 per student.

A picture of a diaper-changing table flashed on the wall.

“Where is the best place to change a baby?” Savage asked.

Twenty hands shot up.

“On the floor, or on a bed,” said Brenda White, 12, of Pacific Beach.

Brenda, who said she has been sitting for her baby brother for the past three years, said the course will enable her and other members of her Girl Scout troop to earn their first-aid and child-care badges.

Savage then offered instructions on bathing babies.

“Never leave a baby unattended in a tub,” Savage warns. “And make sure you pat the baby dry--bacteria can grow in their folds and wrinkles.”

Some of the sitters said the course has helped them to see mistakes that they have made.

“I’ve learned never to tell a kid that their medicine is candy,” said Debbie Newell, 11. “It will just make them want to take more of it.”

Thomas Jacobs, 13, the only male in the course, said he has been baby-sitting for one year. He is taking the course to improve his employment prospects.

“People trust you more when you have this certification,” Thomas said. “I love kids, and I love having that extra spending money.”

Many, like Becky Levy, 11, of Clairemont, said they were indifferent about the money but that the course has given them much confidence.

“I know now that I can handle an emergency,” Becky said. “I love baby-sitting, and I know that I can be a better sitter.”