When 11-year-old Zak Shelton baby-sits his one-year-old sister, Crystal, he is prepared for a variety of emergencies. He is skilled in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the Heimlich maneuver, earthquake preparedness and diapering.
Zak, who lives with his parents and three younger sisters in Cardiff, is often called upon to baby-sit. He commands a hefty $3 an hour, but says that, just a short time ago, he wasn't baby-sitting at all.
That was before he completed the Super Sitters baby-sitting class at the Well Being, a center at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas.
"I took the class because I have a baby sister and I wanted to baby-sit her," Zak said. "It's fun playing with her, and I like when she falls asleep in my lap," he said.
Zak said he and a friend originally took the Super Sitter class after watching a Rescue 911 television show where a young boy used CPR to save his newborn sibling's life.
"I learned how to do CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, and what to do in case prowlers are around the house," Zak said. "I learned not to let my sister play with things that are too small, so she won't swallow them," he said.
Zak is like hundreds of North County preteens and teens who have enrolled in classes sponsored by hospitals and health education centers that teach baby-care basics. These are not the basics of yesteryear when baby-sitting meant plunking the kid in front of the television and raiding the refrigerator.
These nouveau baby-sitters are learning some pretty high-tech stuff, including how to relieve an obstructed airway of a choking toddler, what to do in case of fire or prowlers, which toys are appropriate and safe, and a sprinkling of child psychology. Some classes even touch on what to do if the baby-sitter suspects child abuse.
"We talk about not only taking care of yourself but others as well," said Rose Serna, the licensed vocational nurse who teaches the baby-care basics class at the Health Concern in Escondido. "We talk about what type of discipline to use and what kind of discipline not to use."
Serna said much of her class is devoted to talking about home safety. "I'll tell my students, 'Just because you come into a home, don't assume it's safe. Some of these parents are not educated, and it's up to you to make sure it's safe, at least while you're there.' "
Students also learn how to conduct themselves in a professional manner and present a positive image. Dressing appropriately for an assignment and learning to communicate with a parent are integral parts of the baby-sitting business, she says.
