Not all yaya's are built the same. Some come with years of experience and are quite experts in their field of childcare while some are barely out of their teens and are children themselves. So how do you make sure that the person you will entrust your child / children with are well-equipped for the task?
As a first-time mom I've been generally lucky in the yaya department. Even at 20-ish age, Z's 'ate' really knows a lot about taking care of babies as she has cared for her younger siblings in the past. She would always draw knowledge from how they do it in the province and at times would also advise me the kaugalian ng matatanda (practice of elders) in their place. Baby is grimacing? Oh, she's finding it difficult to poop. Baby is still crying after being nursed / fed, burped, changed, rocked, etc? She probably has gas! Baby is teething? Pin a dried squash bottom on her shirt. ...And things like that.
However - I also know that I shouldn't expect her to be perfect in every sense. And it wouldn't be fair to expect her to know how to deal with every scenario with child care, same with myself. And there's the baby factor too! No matter if you're on your first or your tenth child, there's no guarantee that you'll be breezing through with the next one. All babies are different, but there are basic needs that are the same across the board nursery.
Take for example when my baby bumped her head, on a wall. On a wall! And she shrieked and shrieked in pain. My hubby saw it first hand, the yaya heard it (the thud) while washing dishes but no one rushed to get an ice pack. Whaaat?! Another would be about food safety. Coming from having to refrigerate / freeze my expressed breastmilk, I had to learn how to handle my milk to keep it safe for Z. How long it should stay in the ref before going to the freezer, the maximum time it could stay in the freezer, how long it would be good after thawing, etc etc. And because breastmilk is essentially food for the baby, then these would also apply to regular meals we cook. Oh just imagine my surprise when I found out that for a couple of days, the squash she boiled and fed Z was just kept there on the saucepan the entire day...hello bacteria! I shudder at the thought. I explained the dangers of bacterial contamination if we keep doing that to which she replied, "nakatakip naman po. (it is covered)" ay caramba!
So there, since I figure we both will get a lot out of trainings, we will be investing in this one sponsored by Medela Moms on Toddler Care from 9-11 am and Basic First Aid from 1-4 pm this Saturday, December 13, 2014 at the Medela House.
I thank God for initiatives such as this. Super sakto ang timing and it's just what we need. Additional practical information for yaya and peace of mind for me, knowing Z is in good hands while I'm at work. Naks, level up ang yayas! :) And because we bought our pump from them, we'll enjoy discounted rates pa!
Okay so this is marketed as 'for yayas' but as a mom I know that there are times that yayas will come and go. So I'd rather attend with yaya and gain additional knowledge myself, be better equipped too to take care of my child (and future children) and give my hubby peace of mind too that I'm getting better with this aspect of mothering. Hahahahaha :) See you there! :)
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