BABY THINK IT OVER

In 2000 the Foundation purchased Baby Think It Over© infant simulators for the Health Department to utilize as part of a teen pregnancy prevention grant funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. Since that time, the simulators have been used as part of a five day curriculum that includes information on pregnancy prevention, self-esteem, goal setting, personal responsibility and decision making. The simulators were designed to provide a glimpse into the life of a parent by mimicking a real infant.  The babies cry at random times throughout the day, requiring feeding and comforting, which is provided by students through the use of a care key, which must be held in place from 5 to 35 minutes in order for the simulator to stop crying.  A baby cries if it is held in a position that it does not like or if it is handled roughly or abused, and registers abuse and neglect through an internal computer system.  The simulators continue to be utilized for teen pregnancy prevention education and reached over 200 students in 2005.