Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Partner: ______________
Directions: Part 1 is the seven rules. Part 2 is the safety walk. Read the description of the home. Circle every hazard (anything that could hurt a toddler). Write the fix. Part 3 is the emergency card. Fill it in from the family's information box. Part 4 is four "should you take this job" scenarios. The exit card is at the bottom. The home and the family are made up. This is not medical training. The American Red Cross Babysitting Basics course is the next step.
Part 1: The seven rules
| # | Rule | Why | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Never leave a young child alone. Not for a minute, not to answer the door. Take them with you. | A minute is enough. | an eye on a child |
| 2 | Safe sleep: a baby sleeps on their back, in a crib or bassinet, on a firm flat mattress, with nothing else in it. No blanket, no pillow, no stuffed animal, no bumper. | Anything soft can block breathing. Back is the only safe position. | an empty crib, baby on back |
| 3 | Never shake a baby. Ever. If a baby will not stop crying: put them down safely on their back in the empty crib, step out for two minutes, breathe, check them, then call the parent. | A baby's neck and brain cannot take it. The damage is permanent. | a crossed-out shaking motion |
| 4 | Small objects and choking foods stay out of reach. Anything that fits through a toilet paper tube can choke a child under 3. A child under 4 eats sitting down with an adult watching. No whole grapes, hot dogs, hard candy, nuts, popcorn, or chunks of raw carrot or apple. | The airway is the size of a straw. | a tube with a coin next to it |
| 5 | Water and stairs: never look away. A child can drown in two inches of water. The bath is never left, not for a towel. Stairs get a gate or a hand. | Two inches. Two seconds. | a bathtub, a gate |
| 6 | In an emergency, call 911 first for anything you cannot handle. Know the address. Know the parent's number and a backup. Then call the parent. | The dispatcher needs the address first. | a phone with 911 |
| 7 | Know when to say no to a job. Short jobs, a child old enough to talk, a parent you know and can reach, a house you have seen, daylight or early evening, no infants overnight. | Ready is a real thing. | a thumbs up and a thumbs down |
The tube test at your table: hold each object up to the toilet paper tube. If it fits through, it is a choking danger.
| Object | Fits through? |
|---|---|
| Large block | |
| Tennis ball | |
| Bottle cap | |
| Bead (grape size) | |
| Coin | |
| Marker cap |
Words in Spanish:
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| safe sleep | sueño seguro |
| choking | atragantamiento |
| water | agua |
| stairs | escaleras |
| emergency | emergencia |
| address | dirección |
911 works in any language. Say "I need help" and stay on the line.
Part 2: The safety walk
You are babysitting a 2 year old named Eli at his home for the first time. Walk through the home on paper. Circle every hazard for a toddler. Write each hazard and its fix in the table. There are at least twelve.
The living room. A couch with a throw blanket. A coffee table with a glass bowl of hard candy, a TV remote, and a set of keys. A floor lamp with the cord running across the walkway to the outlet. A bookshelf with a heavy vase on the top shelf and no wall strap. Two uncovered outlets behind the couch. A basket of Eli's toys, including a set of large blocks and one small bouncy ball.
The kitchen. A stove with a pot on the front burner, handle turned out. A dishwasher, open, with knives pointing up in the basket. Under the sink, a bottle of spray cleaner and a box of dishwasher pods, the cabinet with no latch. A bowl of grapes on the counter at the edge. A plastic bag from the store on the floor. A dog's water bowl by the back door.
The bathroom. A bathtub with two inches of water still in it from the morning. A bottle of children's medicine on the counter, cap on. A hair dryer plugged in next to the sink. The toilet lid up. A bath mat.
The bedroom. A crib with a soft blanket, a pillow, and two stuffed animals in it. A window with a blind cord hanging down to crib height. A dresser with a lamp on top and drawers that slide out easily. A nightlight.
The back door and yard. A back door that does not latch. Three steps down to the yard with no railing. A bucket half full of rainwater by the fence. A small plastic slide. A gate to the street, open.
| # | Hazard | Room | The fix (something a babysitter can do now) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 8 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 |
Hazards found: ______ Water hazards found: ______ Stairs: ______ Choking: ______ Poison: ______
Part 3: The emergency card
Fill this out with the parent before they leave, every time.
The family's information (made up): The Okafor family. 47 Maple Street, Apartment 2B, Harbor Hills, NY 11700. Cross street: Third Avenue. Parent: Dana Okafor, cell 631-555-0147. Backup: Uncle Ray Okafor, 631-555-0192. Child: Eli, age 2, no allergies, no medicine tonight. First aid kit: hall closet, top shelf. Parents will be at a restaurant on Main Street, back by 9:30 p.m.
| Line | Fill in |
|---|---|
| Address (street, apartment, town) | |
| Cross street | |
| Parent's name and cell | |
| Backup adult's name and number | |
| Child's name and age | |
| Allergies and medicines | |
| Where the first aid kit is | |
| Where the parents will be and when they are back | |
| Poison Control | 1-800-222-1222 |
| Emergency | 911 |
Stretch: what would you say to the parent before they leave, so that every line gets filled? ________________________________________________
Stretch: the parent says the baby "always sleeps on her stomach, she likes it." What do you do? ________________________________________________
Part 4: Should you take this job?
For each job, write yes, yes with conditions, or no. Then write the rule that decides it. "Yes with conditions" means yes, but only if something changes.
| Job | Yes / conditions / no | The rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| A. A neighbor's 6 year old for two hours on Saturday afternoon while the parent is next door. | ||
| B. A 4 month old baby overnight while the parents go out of town. | ||
| C. A 3 year old and a 5 year old for four hours on a Friday evening; the parent is at a work event and reachable by phone; you have been to the house twice. | ||
| D. A friend's cousin, ages unknown, at a house you have never been to; the friend says "just come, it is fine"; no parent's number given. |
Exit card: 3-2-1
3 of the seven rules: ______________ ______________ ______________
2 things that must be on the emergency card: ______________ ______________
1 job scenario I would say no to, and why: ______________________