AuPairCare’s infant Specialized Care Program
My husband and I went out on a date night the other night – to see Coldplay at the Hollywood Bowl! Alas not having any family on the same continent, or even a list of childcare back-ups (we don’t get out much!), we needed to locate a babysitter ASAP. As I imagine being the case with all new parents, our requirement was not only a good babysitter, but also someone who had solid experience with the peculiar breed that is babies!
This got me to thinking about how cool it is that AuPairCare has addressed this particular parenting concern and I believe are the only au pair agency to do so. The Infant Specialized Care Program dictates than at an au pair must have at least 200 documented hours working with children under two years of age, also these au pairs have expressed an interest in caring for infants. Infant Specialized designated au pairs complete a week long training designed by childcare specialists at AuPairCare’s Training Academy in New York. The classroom is set up as a nursery and each au pair is given a baby (doll obviously!) to care for during the week. Au pairs are given training in the following areas of baby care in the “American Way” (especially cool, I think, is the training in infant massage, baby sign language and the American heart Association certification in Infant First Aid and CPR):
1. General household safety and hygiene
2. Communicating with parents about infant care (including the use of a Daily Diary)
3. Infant care basics (feeding, bathing, changing, transportation)
4. What to do in an emergency
5. Creating and monitoring baby’s daily routine
6. Infant stages of development
7. Games and activities to stimulate infant mental development
8. Caring for multiples
9. American parenting techniques
10. Coping techniques to handle stress as an infant caregiver
11. Baby massage and infant soothing techniques
12. Infant sign language
13. Certification in Infant First Aid and CPR
People often ask me why I don’t have an au pair. And if I did, what would I like most about having one? I don’t have an au pair because like a lot of people in LA I have a small house without an extra bedroom (we are already stuffed to the gills as it is, with an office on the dining room table!). However, if I did have room, ah how I would love it! It would be so great to be able to go out for date nights more than once per year! Also, it would be great not having to scramble for a babysitter who can not only corral my 9 yr. old, but also competently handle baby’s routine. I wonder… perhaps I could oust my son to a tent in the back yard…?!
Visit http://www.linkedin.com/company/aupaircare to join AuPairCare’s infant specialized care program.
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