TEENS TAKE ON ‘ROBOT BABIES’
TEENAGERS in some of the poorest parts of Cardiff are being given hi-tech “robotic” babies to deter them from becoming young parents. The RealCare Babies, which are made in the USA and cost £600 each, are described as the “world’s most advanced infant simulator” and are designed to be as lifelike as possible.
They cry when they need to be fed, rocked, or changed and will scream for several minutes if their head is being shaken or not supported correctly.
Each teenager tasked with looking after a baby, typically over the course of a weekend, wears a wrist tag with a sensor that records their every movement.
Information on how successfully the parents have cared for the 7lb doll is then recorded on computer software which crunches the data and gives them an overall score out of 100.
Six of the babies are currently being given to teenagers, usually in years 10 and 11 in secondary school, at the Riverside Warehouse youth club in Cardiff.
But the plan is to extend it into other parts of the capital – and even into prisons – providing funding can be secured.
Experienced youth worker Theresa Sullivan, who runs courses on the RealCare Babies, said the dolls give young people a real insight into the realities of looking after a child.
“To be honest I always hope that the ‘parents’ fail and that they have terrible scores,” admitted Theresa.
“If the babies have too many episodes of neglect or head rocks then they will cut out and, in effect, die. It just switches off and that’s it – the baby no longer works.
“I have had young people coming to me extremely upset when the baby has died and I’ve had one girl in floods of tears saying, ‘I’ve killed it, I’ve killed the baby.’ She was absolutely inconsolable.
“I asked her what she had learnt from it and she replied, ‘That I’m not ready for a baby.’ And I replied: ‘Well then, my job is done.’”
Theresa added many teenagers have unrealistic and idyllic ideas about babies.
“A lot of teenagers think a baby is all about dressing it up in their little Nike trainers, taking pictures of it on social media, and showing it to all their friends.
“But once they have the dolls and take them home they realise it takes a lot of time and effort to look after.”
Despite significant improvements in recent years the rate of teenage pregnancy among under-18s in Cardiff is higher than the Welsh average.
But in areas of higher deprivation the problem still remains.
“I worked very closely last year with a young girl who’d had an 18-month-old baby and was just leaving school so I do know it’s still an issue,” Theresa added.
“What we aim to do [as part of this course] is give the young people an informed choice.
“If they’ve gone through the programme and they’re exhausted and overwhelmed, just like all parents are, they are in a position to make a decision [about having a child] on an informed basis.”
Ahead of giving out the babies at youth clubs Theresa speaks to the participants about sex education, contraception, and alcohol and drug misuse which often lead to “risktaking behaviours”.
“We then show them how the babies work, go through all the care it needs, and why they must take this seriously as it’s as close to having a baby as they’re going to get,” she added.
“Once we are convinced they know how to handle the equipment properly – as they’re very expensive – then we give them out.”
She said the advanced computerised systems in the dolls recognise when the baby is being held, rocked or burped. It also records when the mum or dad is laying the baby down incorrectly.
The mum is also provided with a sensor which attaches to her breast to mimic the act of breastfeeding.
She added: “When I give the young people a baby I programme it so that it simulates what a real baby would do.
“There are 15 preset patterns that have been taken from real babies. There are five easy, five medium and five hard. I’m horrible so I tend to programme all of them on hard.
“There are little chips and devices in the clothing which can tell when the baby’s nappy is being changed and when their clothes are changed.
“Over the course of 24 hours it would probably feed about five or six times, it would need its nappy changing about the same amount, and would need winding and burping. They also demand to be rocked and cuddled.
“The computer then gives a detailed breakdown of all these activities, what time these activities took place, how long they took place for, and whether the young people gave the baby the correct care or whether they neglected it.
“If the baby’s head isn’t supported correctly it will scream for about two to three minutes until you have calmed the baby down.”
Theresa said the vast majority of people who take part are teenage girls and she has called for more young boys to participate. She also wants the courses to be rolled out across all schools in Cardiff.
“I think, along with a good standard of sexual education, the babies should be part of the school curriculum for everybody,” she added.
“Of all the young people I’ve worked with in the past 12 years of doing this course I know of only two people becoming mums in their teens. I’ve probably worked with more than 100 young girls.”
The RealCare Babies were funded by the Hau Fund, via the Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC).
There are now proposals to run the course in Llanrumney, as well as other areas of the city, and in Cardiff Prison.