The virtual baby

Dd is studying child development as one of her gcse options. Part of the course involves looking after a virtual baby for a weekend. These dolls were created to show young adults some of the reality of having a baby. Of course you don't get lots of the horror, no poo, no vomit, no worryingly unexpected high temperatures or rashes. But you don't get much of the fun either, no squishy cuddles, no laughs, no smiles, no kicking feet. But you do get to experience the thing all new parents get, a lack of sleep.

DD has always been very keen on children. She adores babies and kids, so I was surprised at her reaction to the baby.

Day one, the baby is set to react like a newborn. It wakes and sleeps at all times of the day and night, it constantly wants feeding or changing (they have nappies with little sensors in, so the computer in the baby can tell if you actually changed the nappy) but unlike real babies it's never especially cute. It seems that they are mostly annoying or boring. The first night the baby did not want to sleep at 9pm, DD's normal bedtime, by the time she was ready for bed it was 10pm, I wen to bed then too. The baby woke in the night, waking me each time too, at midnight, 2am, 3.45am, 5am and then again at about 6am. I had to go to work and I left an exhausted and pissed off dd at home.

During the day the baby continued to be needy and DD continued being annoyed. By the evening I was actually concerned for the fake babies safety and took it into the hall for a while to rock it as it cried. Poor DD she was determined by this stage that she would never have children!

Day two the baby is set to behave a few weeks older. Last night the baby slept more, but still woke several times. The joy of nappy changing on a virtual baby is the lack of poo, the non existent risk of an explosive nappy and the need to change all the baby's clothes plus bath it and change all the cot sheets. But on the downside there are no cheeky grins or raspberries. DD is finding it hard to 'like' the virtual baby. It gives nothing back to the virtual parent.

The day went better though, the baby was more settled and fed and cried less.

Day three. Last day to be a mum. DD was into her stride by now, recognising the various cries and sorting the baby's problems really quickly. Sadly she still doesn't really get anything from it - it's very automated now, just a quick feed, burp, nappy change, no eye contact no snuggles.

When she woke on the morning the baby was due to be returned she said "oh wow I had a great nights sleep!" and I asked if the baby had slept though, "No, she replied but it only woke once at 1am it was bliss" haha I think maybe she will make a mum after all.

Our view of the virtual baby is that as it's designed to show children what a real baby is like and put them off parenthood too early it sort of works. But it's a bit of a cheat, it gives you the noisy bits of the baby but that's really all it does, there is no mess, no making up of feeds, (no breastfeeding and subsequent sore nipples!) no bathing. And there are no real nice bits at all, no cuddles, no smiles, no kicking feet or grabbing your finger. One thing she did say "This would be so much easier with someone to help" It's a reasonable tool but i think maybe I should borrow a real baby for DD ... anyone need a break ... for a few minutes? Before she gets annoyed and gives the baby back?

Life, the final frontier

DD and I just sat down and went through her 'options' booklet from school. She is 14, and suddenly her life is moving from fun and papier mache animals for homework,into the realms of serious study, exams...work.

It's exciting, a leap into the world; but it's scary too, what if she makes the wrong choice or hates what she chose?

And even if she gets all the results she needs...what next? Things have changed a lot since I left school, and the careers advice I received was terrible anyway.

Which is why I was excited to hear about vInspired.

Vinspired is a charity dedicated to helping young people from all walks of life reach their potential. In the past 5 years vInspired have created over 1 million opportunities for young people to volunteer, laying the foundation for future enterprise and employment. A way to get that vital experience that many employers look for.

Over one in five young people aged 16-24 is out of work. So it’s no longer good enough just to have good grades to get into further education or get a job – young people need to get experience in the workplace. vInspired can help; but that's not all, they have put together a Job Jumpstarter Pack.

The vInspired Job Jumpstarter Pack gives simple but effective tips from how to make an application, to practice interview questions, all based on insight from businesses across the UK and what they are looking for from prospective applicants.

The FREE pack contains:

• CV templates and tips to make a great first impression.
• An interview checklist, test questions and answers to come across as confident and competent.
• Application form advice to get noticed for the right reasons.
• Advice on building a LinkedIn profile to build networks
• How to get voluntary experience through vInspired, giving you the experience to get your dream job
• Plus inspiring real life stories from people who’ve been in your shoes, plus online awareness advice and more

Simply Visit http://jumpstarter.vinspired.org/  to get a copy. (and I'll be honest - lots of adults will find this really useful too! )

While DD doesn't quite need to worry about a job yet, I can see it's going to happen very very soon, so it's great to find stuff like this is out there,especially free!

Have you had to face this with your kids yet? Do you have a plan? If you have any other suggestions or links to useful information, do add them in a comment. Thanks