I do insist caregivers are up to date, yes. I myself am a nurse, so I am required to be, and, while my husband is not certified, we have frequent discussions on proper technique for cpr. He is well versed in basic first aid.
Our ten yr old is also well informed on what to do in an emergency, or if the little one chokes. Of course she is never a caregiver for her, but the more she knows, the better.
if family was my main source of childcare, i would absolutely ask that they be up tondate. i took a course when i was pregnant. DH is not current but he was a lifeguard for much of his teens so he has the basics and i went over what i learned with him
I only leave my child with a baby sitter or my MIL every once in a blue moon so I don't require it. DH and I both work in the medical field so we are certified. If I left DD in a full time establishment I would definitely want it to be a requirement.
I'm an instructor and I'm proud of DH, he regularly asks me to review it with him. MIL watches DS one day a week and I don't require her to be up to date. Otherwise, he's at DC 12 hours a week and they're all certified.
I actually taught a refresher course for my moms group yesterday, it was nice to see so many people concerned about keeping up their skills.
I meant if family was wanting to provide any form (no matter how casual) of solo "babysitting" - for me I will require all caregivers to be have been trained. It would be hypocritical of me to expect them to be up to date with their certification though as I let mine expire at the end of April.
In a couple of weeks I will take a refresher course with a moms group.
Dh and I had to take an infant CPR class before we brought LO home from the NICU. I am a soccer coach, so I do several classes a year. LO goes to a center and they are all certified. I don't require my parents or mil to be certified but there's a card on our fridge with step by step CPR instructions. I do not think its realistic to ask anyone who watches him for an our here or there to be certified.
Still thinking about this. I guess I won't require grandparents/aunties to be up to date but I do expect caregivers to have taken cpr and first aid at some point in the past decade. Refresher classes are 90 min. And we'd pay. If that's too much to ask then we stick around and they can care for baby while we're taking care of home/yard tasks.
Before I was a SAHM both CPR/basic first aid were job requirements. Even though I was still certified before DD was born I took a "friends and family" class offered by our hospital with DH because I didn't think he'd do it without me. I expect any caregiver to have up to date training (not necessarily a 'certification' but basic and correct knowledge and skills). That being said, I think CPR/choking/first aid are really important for everyone to know not only for an infant/child but even for older children and adults. Waiting for emergency personnel to arrive to perform these potential life saving efforts can decrease the chances for recovery or survival.
DH is CPR/first aid certified for his job and I was previously certified for my job before becoming a SAHM. We both took an infant CPR and first aid refresher course when I was pregnant. Since I stay at home, daycare isn't applicable, but there's only one other couple in town that we know well enough to leave DD with. Both are CPR certified for their jobs and they have three kids under six, so I feel pretty confident with them.
Re: First Aid/Cpr and family child care
I do insist caregivers are up to date, yes. I myself am a nurse, so I am required to be, and, while my husband is not certified, we have frequent discussions on proper technique for cpr. He is well versed in basic first aid.
Our ten yr old is also well informed on what to do in an emergency, or if the little one chokes. Of course she is never a caregiver for her, but the more she knows, the better.
LCT - 5.15.14 ~ 9lbs, 22.5 inches
I'm an instructor and I'm proud of DH, he regularly asks me to review it with him. MIL watches DS one day a week and I don't require her to be up to date. Otherwise, he's at DC 12 hours a week and they're all certified.
I actually taught a refresher course for my moms group yesterday, it was nice to see so many people concerned about keeping up their skills.
I meant if family was wanting to provide any form (no matter how casual) of solo "babysitting" - for me I will require all caregivers to be have been trained. It would be hypocritical of me to expect them to be up to date with their certification though as I let mine expire at the end of April.
In a couple of weeks I will take a refresher course with a moms group.
I am certified in First Aide / CPR as it's also a job requirement.
All the teachers in daycare are certified as well, but DH and grandparents are not unfortunately.