The sudden wailing of a newborn child wakes you up at three a.m.  At first, it is terrifying , but then you realize you have to take care of your new responsibility.

The baby is now is a huge part of your life, and can greatly interfere with your school, family and social life. Having children is a huge responsibility that some students should realize since half of them barely do their homework on a daily basis.

Realcare babies are given to students who take the Intro to child development class in ninth grade.  The baby is also given to seventh grade classes, but the ninth grade course goes more into details.

“They start from the beginning. It begins with prenatal development, labor and delivery, talk about theories behind child development, and the reflexes we see in children,” ninth grade teacher Vida Szabat said.

Children with children.  That is a scary thought. The real care babies are a tool to teach the reality that situation brings.

“It is very difficult.  It turned on at three in the morning and there was no time to do work.  It is kind of hard to rock a baby and do schoolwork,” ninth grade student Makenna Whitfield said.

Realcare babies are given out to students for four days and nights.  There are two options for students to chose from level two or level three babies.

The realcare two babyrequires the basic needs such as changing diapers and feeding.  The realcare three baby is temperature sensitive, carseat sensitive and outfit sensitive on top of the other requirements.

The realcare baby has to be between 68 and 82 degrees.  The temperature can not be too high or too low or points will be deducted. The baby can not be in the car seat for too long.  If a child is in car seat or lying down for too long it will cause a flat spot.  The flat spot makes less room in the skull and gives the brain less room for grow.  

The realcare baby is an option for taking this class. The alternative is making a four day lesson plan for Pre-K, Kindergarten.

“The lesson plan must consist of four math lessons, two music lessons and two art lessons that follow the standards for that age group,” Szabat said.

The Intro to child development class has been around for about  10-15 years.  This class helps students learn the responsibilities of parenthood.  There are many aspects that affect a young student’s life.   

Teenage pregnancies are one of the leading causes of young teenage girls to drop out of school. It could be too difficult if a young girl has to juggle her work and a child.

The realcare baby is a lesson to all the students who take this class.  It shows the struggles every parent goes through when a child is introduced to a person’s life.

This class is a real life class that teaches real world lessons. This type of class is also beneficial to a lot of people who want to go into a career that involves children.  A teacher of any grade level, teacher provider, child protective services and anything dealing with pediatrics would benefit from taking classes like that.