When we were about five weeks from her due date, my wife had the thought: “We should probably know what to do in case of an emergency.”
As soon-to-be first time parents, we were clueless when it came to caring for infants. Or so we thought.
An Infant CPR course was located, and she signed the two of us up. Upon attending, the immediate “this class is not for us” realization hit.
In today’s world, where warnings like “Do not use toaster while in the shower” or “Do Not Operate Heavy Machinery” on dog medicine seem almost comical, the unfortunate reality is that a lack of awareness appears to be prevalent in America. Amidst the trend of catering to the lowest common denominator, our experience in the Infant CPR course was quite telling. Although it contained 20 minutes of valuable information, it was wrapped in a two-hour package. This course seemed tailored for individuals with lower intelligence, perhaps teenagers becoming parents prematurely. It raises concerns about our societal responsibility, hinting that we may have relinquished accountability for our actions. It’s a stark reminder that films like Wall-E and Idiocracy might be closer to documentary than escapist satire. On a related note, for those interested in enhancing their knowledge and preparedness, one can explore obtaining CPR & First Aid Certification at https://cprcertificationnow.com.
Talking points included:
- Don’t shake your baby.
- Really, don’t shake your baby.
- Not kidding here, shaking is bad.
- You know what? We’re just going to go ahead and call the police, as you are obviously unfit baby shakers.
The baby-shaking angle was so important to them, they devised methods of subterfuge to help new parents make sure their babysitter wasn’t an accidental murderer.
“When interviewing potential care-givers, do not ask, ‘Will you shake my baby?’ because people will always say ‘no.’ You have to trick them. Come at the question sideways to see how they respond situationally, such as, ‘Say my baby is crying and won’t stop; how will you react?’”
Oooh, tricky! I bet that gets “I’m gonna shake the hell outta the thing until it shuts up!” from bad babysitters every time.
Bravo, instructor. Bravo.
*Slow Clap*
Beyond baby shaking, the idea danger lurked in every corner of the world was emphasized repeatedly.
Do you have special, foam corners on every edge of your furniture? Do you have special, foam corners for your doors, so they don’t slam on little hands? Have you put locks on the oven door, so your child doesn’t crawl in it?
(This last one made me raise my hand and ask, “But what if the kid is playing hide and seek?” I received a confused stare from the instructor—and an elbow to the ribs from my wife—in response.)
Heat was the secondary function of the device, however. First and foremost was preventive measures regarding head-bonking: you didn’t want your wee one to knock their noggin on anything, would you? This was too much for my wife, who raised her hand and spoke her mind clearly; “You know, when I was big enough to use the tub, I hit my head on the faucet once. Once. And then I learned not to do it again.”
The idea people can learn through trial and error was her point, and the thought we needed to pad everything in the house seemed absurd to her. My wife received her very own confused stare response from our instructor this time; apparently absurd questions weren’t common in this class.
Continuing: it wasn’t just the simplicity of the advice; the over-reaching nature of it was irksome. Every single item in the world was a murderous danger waiting to bestow evil upon a baby.
“Make sure garage door has sensors that allow it to open if something is under it!”
(But how will baby play Indiana Jones?)
“Never leave your baby alone in a car on a hot day!”
(Um, thanks, Einstein?)
“Keep your baby out of the sun!”
(Yeah, I’ve seen John McCain, got it.)
The repeated thought I had (in a very sarcastic way) was: “My God, how did my generation ever survive? Our parents didn’t have these nifty classes explaining parenting to them.” Before long, the Mrs. was playing Bejeweled Blitz on her phone, and I was scrolling through my Facebook on mine.
During the CPR portion, the phrase “push hard and fast” was repeated so often it was as if we were watching an instructional video on how to make a baby, not give one CPR. Also during the video, a snare drumbeat was played in order to time compressions. The doll made a wheezing exhalation noise when pressed, and did so at a tone that was similar to the snare. Discovering that, I added a polyrhythm to the beat, technically administering the CPR incorrectly, but which filled the room with a nice Brazilian samba. Thankfully, my wife wasn’t mad at me for my stupidity; she laughed as others stared disapprovingly.
(Her note: “I didn’t just laugh, I was crying and almost barfed I was laughing so hard.”)
The silliest portion of the video regarded instructions on how to call 911.
- Step one: pick up phone
- Step two: dial 911
- Step three: panic, and run in circles while sobbing
OK, the last part is a lie, but also very amusing; the video-actress called out in the most monotone, non-panicked voice, “Help. I need help. Baby? Baby? Please respond.”
Now, I can joke around, but if something is going wrong with my baby? Chances are my pulse will be elevated to unheard of levels and I’ll be doing all I can to keep it together.
So, maybe my wife and I weren’t the target audience for this class.
Maybe the white, tattooed-guy playing African Tribal Chief with his earlobes, or the Crunchy Granola couple who said, “We don’t believe in air conditioning”—yeah, or showering, shaving, or deodorant—maybe they got something from the course.
Because if they didn’t?
God help the future of our nation.