lamaze babies?

[Violator]

I need some info on something a friend told me about...

He said that there are high school parent-preparation courses of some kind where they give the student a baby (doll) to "practice" being a parent. The doll has sensors or something that detect if it's been shaken...?

Are they called lamaze babies?
Do you have to simulate feeding them?
Do they simulate bodily functions?
Would hospitals hold these classes?
What kind of institutions would have these dolls?

Yes, these questions are totally serious...

[Fortean]

Yes, Violator! You too can play with dolls!

Rather than knocking out mothers-to-be with anesthesia, Dr. Ferdinand Lamaze sought to ease the delivery of babies by preparing pregnant mothers to relax and ease their pain during labor and the delivery of the baby. This became known as the "Lamaze method."

See: www.babycenter.com/refcap/640.html (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/640.html)

To prepare young parents for pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting skills, some hospitals, clinics, and schools offer courses on a multitude of subjects, (including holding, feeding, changing diapers, and CPR with special dolls).

For example, see: www.kmcnetwork.org/precio...gs/cbe.cfm (http://www.kmcnetwork.org/precious_beginnings/cbe.cfm)

The dolls might be called "Lamaze babies" by some students or instructors, but they'd only be practice dolls or training dolls. Having taken a course in CPR, special dolls were used that simulated a baby's lungs and chest, as few people are familiar with the delicacy of infants regarding CPR. Some CPR instructors have no sense of humor if you drop these dolls or shake them.

[Violator]

Thanks Fortean.
I'll check out those links.
I may have more questions later...

[julieyet]

I don't know about the dolls, but it sounds like you're almost describing part of a home economics course... only when I took it, it was an egg I had to look after. Usually offered in jr. high and/or high school.

[JoanEasley]

While hospitals offer classes in how to feed and diaper babies, the dolls you are talking about are meant to make teens aware of how much trouble it is to have to take care of a baby. It's to scare them so they hopefully won't get pregnant. Some schools make teens carry around eggs or sacks of flour. Others have the electronic dolls you're talking about that beep (or maybe cry) at all hours of the day to signify the need to be fed or changed or otherwise paid attention to. Message: This is the rotten life you'll be in for if you have a real live screaming baby to take care of when you'd rather be sleeping or having fun.

[Violator]

So these dolls would pretty much only be used in high school (and junior high school) classes? Hospitals wouldn't have them?

Am I correct about them registering if they've been shaken?

(I checked the links above and didn't find anything directly pertaining to these dolls)