babytalk
Childbirth Education Resources
That Bring Out the Kid in Us
During the gift-giving season, our thoughts often return to childhood, when we remember some of those great toys we just had to have and how much fun we had playing with them!
Often, the best toys were engaging, relatively simple, and yet surprisingly educational. In fact, we didn’t even realize just how much we were learning while we were playing with them, and that’s a big part of why they were so appealing.
Growing up doesn’t mean that we or the audiences we teach have outgrown the need for fun, simple, engaging, and educational teaching tools, especially when it comes to childbirth and parenting education materials! That’s why some of our most creative, effective childbirth education resources may bring back a bit of the kid in you and your audiences when you teach with them.
Take a look at four of our appealing childbirth and parenting teaching tools that provide valuable educational lessons while potentially bringing back fond memories of your favorite childhood holiday presents.
Cervical Stacker™ Model
Colorfully fun, our Cervical Stacker Model is reminiscent of a popular first toy for babies: a set of multicolored stacking rings. For babies, these toys are a great way to develop hand-eye coordination and get familiar with different sizes and colors. An educational tool for adults, our Cervical Stacker Model features 10 stackable rings to explain the progression of cervical dilation and effacement. The 10 colorful rings represent 1–10 centimeters of dilation. The rings depicting 1 cm to 5 cm are blue, representing latent (early) labor, which is from 0 to 6 cm of dilation. To represent active labor, the rings from 6 cm to 8 cm are green, and the rings depicting 9 cm to 10 cm are pink to represent transition, which is from 8 to 10 cm. The varying thickness of the rings make them a useful tool for discussing effacement.
Even though the Cervical Stacker Model isn’t a toy, it’s a fun way to help students and expectant parents understand what happens as labor progresses!
Newborn Care Kit
Many of us remember a favorite baby doll we had when we were young. When children play with dolls, they develop fine motor and cognitive skills, social skills, language skills, and empathy. They also learn about hygiene when they bathe their dolls, and they can learn how to dress themselves by practicing first by putting clothes on their dolls.
Coming with multiple accessories and a colorful infant tub, our Newborn Care Kit may remind educators and their students of the dolls they had when they were young, but the kit is actually a thoughtfully designed set to demonstrate and practice basic care of a newborn in parenting, babysitting, and caregiving classes. Components in the kit include a 21"-long doll, liquid baby wash, shampoo, cotton balls, lotion, hooded towel, washcloth, bathtub, three disposable diapers, 12 moist towelettes, baby gown, three shirts, socks, receiving blanket, bottle, and bib. The kit also includes a bilingual English/Spanish Success With Breastfeeding Tear Pad and one laminated sheet from each pad in our Loving Baby Care™ Series of tear pads (bottle feeding, burping, diapering, sponge bathing, swaddling, tub bathing, and sleep safety). The sex and skin tone of the newborn model in the kit may vary.
SpinSmart™ Breastfeeding Wheel
We all enjoyed activities with spinning wheels when we were young, and our SpinSmart Breastfeeding Wheel is no exception, but it’s not a toy—the wheel is specifically designed to teach secondary and adult audiences about multiple aspects of breastfeeding.
The wheel is covered with eight topics about breastfeeding: getting started, breastfeeding benefits, breastfeeding support, how breastfeeding works, problem solving, myths and facts about breastfeeding, pumping and storage, and latch and position. Players can listen, laugh, and learn together as they spin the wheel and answer a series of multiple-choice questions. The wheel’s teaching guide includes 80 category questions and 11 bonus questions for more detailed discussion starters.
Plaque Hunter™ Demonstration Model
Who doesn’t remember a set of toy teeth? Maybe they could be wound up to make them chatter, maybe they had feet so they could walk, or maybe they had fangs on them and you could put them in your mouth as an entertaining gag.
Although it isn’t a toy, our Plaque Hunter Demonstration Model is an engaging instructional tool educators and parents can use to teach young people about the importance of proper brushing and flossing. The demonstration begins by rubbing invisible simulated plaque over the teeth and gums. Then, after the teeth are brushed, the presenter shines the included UV flashlight on the model. Any residual plaque illuminates a brilliant electric blue, making the point that casual brushing—and lack of flossing—is essential to help keep teeth and gums healthy. The model comes with simulated plaque, a toothbrush, a UV flashlight, and detailed presentation notes.
Find More Great Childbirth & Parenting Education Resources
From our Breastfeeding Hand Puppets to demonstrate proper and improper latch and proper tongue placement for breastfeeding to our Mini-Model Set with pocket-size models to demonstrate the process of labor and birth, Childbirth Graphics has a variety of effective and engaging teaching tools with a twist of childlike appeal! Check out our full line of childbirth education materials and models to find just what you need to reach your audience this holiday season and all year round!
The information contained in this article is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional.
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