THE G2E project (Guidance to Engagement, an alternative education programme within the Vale Youth Service) have been working with some Year 8, 9 and 10 students at Barry Comprehensive School throughout the year.

Recently the students were given the opportunity to take a high tech RealCare® Baby3 simulator home.

These infant simulators are very advanced and have wireless programming and reporting capabilities. RealCare Baby engages users by crying to be fed, burped, rocked or changed and then ‘coos’ when its needs have been met.

The boys had to look after the ‘babies’ from Friday evening to Monday morning.

After safely returning their ‘babies’ the boys wrote down their thoughts about the experience, here are a few of their responses:

“It was very hard and I wouldn’t do it again.”

“Never again, it was very hard.”

“It was very hard, I wouldn’t do it again, but I think I did well.”

It is the first time the reality babies have been used with boys in the Vale and the Barry Comprehensive students rose to the challenge and did extremely well.

There were people who had their doubts if the boys could give the babies the same high level of care and attention that girls have in the past.

However, the boys were able to show a caring, responsible and paternal side and managed to not only match the care scores achieved by the girls but some boys even surpassed the best of scores achieved by the girls.