Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Partner: ______________
Directions: Part 1 is the seven rules. Part 2 is the safety walk: read the home, circle every hazard for a toddler, write the fix. Part 3 is the emergency card, filled 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 fictional. 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: put each object to the tube. Fits through = danger.
| Object | Fits through? |
|---|---|
| Large block | |
| Tennis ball | |
| Bottle cap | |
| Bead (grape size) | |
| Coin | |
| Marker cap |
Words in other languages:
| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| safe sleep | güvenli uyku | sono seguro | sueño seguro |
| choking | boğulma (nefes yolu tıkanması) | engasgo | atragantamiento |
| water | su | água | agua |
| stairs | merdiven | escadas | escaleras |
| emergency | acil durum | emergência | emergencia |
| address | adres | endereço | 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 it on paper. Circle every hazard for a toddler. Write the 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 (fictional): The Okafor family. 47 Maple Street, Apartment 2B, Brentwood, NY 11717. 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 I would say to the parent before they leave to get every line 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, write yes, yes with conditions, or no, and the rule that decides it.
| 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: ______________________