If you grew up with a steady stream of babies in the family, then at some point or another you were probably tagged to babysit. Whether it was for a younger sibling or a different relative, helping out was par for the course.
As teenage sitters – been there – you get trained, but much of the job is learned through experience. You learn how to think on your feet and come up with your own way of relating to, and taking care of, little ones. Handling babies means lots of attention and multitasking. Fifteen-year-old J’Ann Sorhaindo certainly figured out a system.
When J’Ann’s aunt Claudia asked her to watch her 2-month-old daughter Ava, she gladly helped out. She already had tons of experience babysitting younger family members as part of a large family. J’Ann is one of 17 grandchildren. She’s also certified in CPR, and was her aunt’s first choice. Plus, she would only be away from the house for a small amount of time.
Because J’Ann is so responsible, it wasn’t a shock for Claudia to get a text update about Baby Ava from her. What was surprising however, was the content of the texts. J’Ann let auntie know that she was hungry and wanted to make a sandwich. She had to figure out a way to avoid hunger and keep eyes on Ava at the same time.
Her solution? Placing the baby snugly in the front of her shorts, tucked in like a joey. The pictures speak for themselves! J’Ann’s younger sister took several snaps of her making a sandwich as the baby was calmly sitting in her makeshift pouch. She sent them all to Aunt Claudia to assure her she was on the job. Claudia shared the pics on Facebook with friends and family and her post quickly went viral.
“So I had to run out the house for a quick min, so I asked my niece to babysit Baby Ava. A few min later I received a text saying that J’Ann wanted to make a sandwich but didn’t want to let baby Ava out of her sight. Lord send help this was her solution…creativity at its finest.”
Claudia found the getup hilarious and was grateful that J’Ann was following her instructions. Ava definitely looked content. The sandwich was made. All was well. Leaving a young baby can be hard on a mom, even if it’s just for a few minutes. For Claudia, apprehension gripped her because she lost a baby in 2011.
A medication mix-up at a hospital caused the death of her 3-month-old daughter Jenelle. Through Ava’s birth and the support of her family, she’s been able to find some healing. J’Ann’s unique babysitting technique helped to bring some laughter into her life. Claudia told the Today Show:
“They have helped me so much — if it weren’t for my friends and family I might have gone crazy. (When my daughter died) doctors offered me depression medication and I refused it because having a family like mine — I won’t have the chance to ever get depressed.”
Current and past teenage babysitters: what unusual tricks did you use when on the job? What do you think of this multitasking solution? Do any of you have fun and creative babysitters in the family? Share with us in the comments!