Curriculum Topic: Group Activity, Teaching Strategy
Activity Type: Multi-topic, Labor & Birth, Newborn Care, Postpartum, Birth Planning
Purpose: Tactile teaching props for a multitude of different ideas or subjects.
Supplies: The Basket of Babies, a collection of six plush little dolls each wearing a different soft sleep sack that attaches by velcro at the shoulders. All the babies snuggly fit into a plush basket that comes with the dolls. The little babies are about 4 1/2 inches tall and very light. Each baby has a different skin tone to represent the diversity in a childbirth class.
Instructions:
- Divide up the class into six groups.
- Each group picks their choice of a baby from the basket and peeks inside to find the paper and reads it with their small group. You can use fewer babies, or buy two sets and have more.
- Then move on to the class activity when ready.
Set-Up:
It is recommended to use the babies to hold little pieces of paper inside their sleep sack. On the paper slips you can add the discussion points, scenarios or categories to cover in today's class.
Talking Points:
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While the babies are certainly nothing special, choosing a baby from the basket is a lot more fun than being handed a card or piece of paper, and there is just a bit of mystery in discovering what it says inside. Seeing many skin colors reinforces the welcoming environment I work hard to create. Choosing a baby gets some chuckles and smiles and the families are more likely to remember what they discussed after using this fun prop. Really, the sky is the limit on what you can do with your Babies in a Basket prop. If you purchase one set, you will need six topics. If you purchase two sets, you will need 12 topics. Use them in situations and activities that you already do in your childbirth classes that would transition nicely to this teaching tool.
Five Ideas for Your Babies in a Basket Activity
- When things don't go as planned — Have six unexpected outcomes for the families to discuss when things deviate from what they had hoped. For example, need to be induced, baby to NICU, breastfeeding challenges, going well past due date, disliked health care provider on call and more. Each group shares how they might handle that, what they might need for these changed plans, what partner can do and more.
- Labor variations — Labor can play out in many different ways. Consider offering up some potential trouble spots that a family may need to strategize through. I am thinking of back labor, precipitous birth, throwing up with every contraction, premature urge to push, water breaking and no contractions, labor that goes on for 24 hours or more and other tough spots. Help the families prepare for dealing with these common labor variations.
- Living with a newborn — Have families brainstorm the challenges that might come up as they transition to life with a newborn. Consider using examples such as baby doesn't want to be put down, baby wants to feed all the time, newborn won't stop crying or the baby is hard to wake for breastfeeding. Get the families thinking about how they might handle some of the more challenging newborn behaviors when they themselves are recovering and sleep deprived.
- Pregnancy discomforts — An opportunity to discuss and share common pregnancy discomforts, how to help relieve them and how to learn to live with them if necessary. Could be things such as swollen feet and ankles, heartburn, carpal tunnel, back pain, insomnia and more. People will find comfort in knowing they may not be the only one with this complaint and it will be helpful for them to hear how other people deal with the same issue.
- Decisions to make before baby comes — There are many choices to make before the baby even arrives. Discussion points around this topic might include choosing a pediatrician, circumcision, vaccinations, cloth or disposable diapers, childcare if returning to work, who will be at the birth and more. Despite baby being still in the future, getting some of the details ironed out before the baby comes can help reduce stress at the very last minute or after birth.
LINK: https://www.lamaze.org/Connecting-the-Dots/Post/series-brilliant-activities-for-birth-educators-fun-babies-in-a-basket-classroom-prop
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