Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to come before the baby is born or after?
We recommend coming prior to the baby's birth, under the theory that it's never to soon to learn how to recognize and handle a life-threatening emergency, although we take this opportunity again to stress how unlikely it is that one will occur. Also, much of the information we present - e.g., on car seat safety and crib safety - is pertinent from Day 1 of baby's life.
My friends have told me they forgot everything by the time the baby started solids. I'm worried that the same thing will happen to me.
We offer refresher courses each month for precisely this reason. Any time you feel you want to review any of the techniques you're welcome to come to a refresher session.
I'm told that bending over the manikin while very pregnant is less than comfortable! Any advice?
Not to worry - this is why at the Little Hearts CPR office we have chairs with good lumbar support and individual, height-adjustable tables. And plenty of room on the table for a snack as well as the manikin.
Our baby is 3 months. Can we bring her with us to class?
Babies under 2 or 3 months can usually be easily quieted (feeding works wonders!), so it tends to work out for them to attend. (Although if you think it will be distracting to your own learning process to have them there, I don't recommend that they join you.) Some babies need a lot of stroller rocking or parent bouncing in order to be soothed to a state of quietness. These movements, unfortunately, distract the other students (and the instructor), so if your baby is likely to need motion, bringing her wouldn't work--unless you're willing to step out into the hall with her until stillness and quiet reign. Many infants under the age of 3 mos. do attend with their parents and/or sitters and all goes well. Moms, of course, are welcome to nurse as they need to during class.
My baby is 18 months. Is it too late to take your class? Will the info still be relevant?
It's definitely not too late (!) and the info is completely relevant. We teach the skills for both infants (up to 1 year) and children (ages 1-8) to everyone, and during the class you will practice/drill whichever ones apply. Further, we target the safety info to all the age ranges represented in the class, and invariably, parents of toddlers are happy to be taught/reminded of issues they might have neglected to think about. In addition to infant manikins, we have child-size manikins for you to practice on.
I want my parents to attend, but they say they raised 3 kids and never took a course like this. Any advice?
This is a somewhat common response, and the best response in turn to your parents probably depends on the specifics of their personalities and your relationship with them. Feel free to phone us and we'll talk it through with you. Suffice it to say that we've never heard yet of a grandparent who wasn't glad, at the end of the class, that they had attended.
My sitter says that she took a course 9 months ago. Does she need to take one again?
Over the years, we've found that parents, let alone sitters, rarely review the CPR/Choking techniques at home, which is why we offer refreshers. Our general recommendation is that you send a sitter to a course that you know of and trust, but it is also reasonable to ask her to demonstrate to you that she has retained the skills she learned previous to her employment with you. In any event, we always recommend that refresher courses be taken every year to keep skills current.
Can my sitter take one of your refreshers? The original course she took was with someone else.
Our refreshers are available to anyone and everyone who has taken the Little Hearts CPR class within the past 12 months, but only to them.
My baby is 15 months. Is it too late to take your class? Will the info still be relevant?
It's definitely not too late (!) and the info is completely relevant. We teach the skills for both infants (up to 1 year) and children (ages 1-8) to everyone, and during the class you will practice/drill whichever ones apply.