Safe sitter program teaches safety and life saving skills teens should know

Instructors Kristi Dahl and Iris Merryweather with Graci and Randi Tubbs

My two girls Randi 14 and Graci 12 are at the age where they can stay home alone and  now babysit. My sister just had a baby boy and has a two year old little girl, but before they can start babysitting for her kids they thought it would be good to take a babysitting course.

We heard from a friend about John Hopkins All Children's Hospital and their one day Safe Sitter Essentials program at their Education & Conference Center 701 4th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. It is offered several times a year from 9am to 4 pm for $55. The program is limited to 16 students, so you need to register early. The spots fill up fast. The class is offered to boys and girls from 11-14.

My girls recently took the class and loved it. They both told me they feel so much more confident about working with young kids after taking the class. As a parent, it eases my mind knowing they feel this way so when they are offered a babysitting job they will be able to handle it.

The two instructors Kristi Dahl and Iris Merryweather have been teaching the course for years together. At the end of the day parents were invited to a short ceremony to hear what the kids learned and to see them receive their certificates .

After the instructors went over what they learned  and hearing my girls tell me all about their day at the class, I was so happy my girls attended the program. It's something I wish I would have had as a teen. They learned how to change a diaper, feed a baby, not to warm a bottle in the microwave or it could burn a baby's esophagus, what to do with kids if they are having temper tantrums, how to do CPR on a child and infant and what to do if a child is choking. These are great skills everyone should know.

What's great about this course is they got hands on instruction and practiced on CPR manikins CPR and the choking rescue. What a great way to learn and feel confident so if you ever needed to perform CPR you would know how to do it. My girls know how important CPR is as a little over a year ago their grandpa had sudden cardiac arrest and the man who performed CPR helped save his life. That man had just learned CPR, so it can happen and you need to be prepared.

The instructors also had an infant simulator to show what happens to the brain of the baby when you shake a baby for just a few seconds. They also went over some reasons babies and children cry and what to do. And if you feel frustrated  or can't calm the baby to put the baby in the crib or playpen and to call the parents.

These skills are not only for kids who want to babysit, but they are life teaching skills and lifelong skills. The next class is September 29, 2018. To see a list of all the upcoming classes or to sign up your child for this class go to their website at HopkinsAllChildrens.org/safesitter or email at kdahl4@jhmi.edu.