Baby Ready + CPR Certification
Baby Ready + CPR Certification pairs our warm, hands-on newborn care class with a full American Red Cross certification course. The newborn care half (2 hours in person) covers feeding, diapering, bathing, safe sleep, soothing, and when to call for help. The Red Cross half (2 hours in person) is the Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED skills session, taught by a Red Cross certified Lead Instructor after you complete the Red Cross online learning at your own pace. It is designed for expectant parents and anyone who will care for a new baby, including grandparents and nannies.
The first weeks with a newborn bring a hundred small questions and a few big ones. This class answers them before baby arrives, so families head home feeling calm, capable, and ready.
AT A GLANCE
| LENGTH | Online learning at your own pace, plus 4 hours in person (2 hours newborn care, 2 hours Red Cross skills) |
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| AUDIENCE | Expectant parents, new parents, grandparents, and caregivers of babies from birth to 3 months |
| TAUGHT BY | Lead Instructors (American Red Cross certified instructors) |
| CERTIFICATION | 2-year American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certification |
| CLASS SIZE | Up to 12 participants |
| LOCATION | We come to you: your home, school, workplace, or community space anywhere in the DMV |
| MATERIALS | All equipment provided, including Red Cross training manikins, practice dolls, diapers, and swaddle blankets |
| TAKEAWAY | Every participant leaves with a newborn care reference sheet covering safe sleep, feeding basics, and when to call the pediatrician, plus a 2-year American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certification on successful completion of Part 7 |
OUR APPROACH
Every family feeds, soothes, and parents a little differently, and we support all of them. The tone is relaxed, practical, and judgment free. Our instructors focus on what matters most in the first weeks: keeping baby safe, recognizing what is normal, and knowing exactly when to get help. We also make one point repeatedly:
| There is no such thing as a silly question, and calling the pediatrician is never an overreaction. |
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WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO
Recognize hunger and fullness cues and know the signs a baby is getting enough to eat
Diaper, bathe, and swaddle a newborn and care for the umbilical cord
Set up a safe sleep space for every sleep, day and night
Understand normal newborn crying and use calm, safe soothing strategies
Take a newborn's temperature and know when to call the pediatrician or 911
Demonstrate infant and child CPR, AED use, choking rescue, and first aid to the American Red Cross standard, and earn a 2-year Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certification
Use a rear-facing car seat correctly and prepare the home for a new baby
Recognize postpartum mood changes and know where to find support
COURSE OUTLINE
Before class, you complete the Red Cross online learning at your own pace. The in-person session opens with introductions (10 minutes), includes a 10-minute break after Safe Sleep, and closes with questions (5 minutes). Parts 1 to 6 are the newborn care half; Part 7 is the Red Cross certification half.
PART 1 Feeding (20 minutes)
Participants learn early, active, and late hunger cues, why crying is a late sign, and how to tell when baby is full. We cover breastfeeding and bottle-feeding basics, including latch, paced bottle feeding, safe formula preparation, burping, and normal spit up. Families learn the signs a baby is getting enough: 8 to 12 feeds a day, at least 6 wet diapers a day by about day 5, and a return to birth weight by about 2 weeks.
PART 2 Everyday Care (20 minutes)
Hands-on diapering and swaddling practice on newborn-size dolls, plus umbilical cord care, bath safety, and what normal newborn skin and stools look like. Participants learn to swaddle snug at the chest and loose at the hips, and when to stop swaddling.
PART 3 Safe Sleep (15 minutes)
The ABCs of safe sleep: baby sleeps Alone, on the Back, in a Crib. We cover room sharing without bed sharing, keeping the crib bare, why couches, inclined sleepers, and weighted sleep sacks are unsafe, and how to avoid overheating. Participants practice spotting hazards in a sleep setup.
PART 4 Crying and Soothing (20 minutes)
Participants learn about the Period of PURPLE Crying, a normal phase when crying increases and peaks around 2 months. We build a soothing toolkit and a plan for hard moments, and every caregiver hears the most important message of the day: never shake a baby, and it is always okay to put a crying baby down safely and step away.
PART 5 When to Call (15 minutes)
How to take a newborn's temperature, and why a temperature of 100.4°F or higher in a baby under 3 months means calling the pediatrician right away. We cover jaundice, dehydration, feeding and vomiting concerns, and the signs that mean calling 911. Participants practice deciding what to do with realistic scenarios:
● Watch and wait. Baby is feeding, waking, and acting like themselves.
● Call the pediatrician. Fever, poor feeding, fewer wet diapers, spreading jaundice, or anything that feels off.
● Call 911. Trouble breathing, blue or gray lips, a limp or unresponsive baby, or a seizure.
PART 6 Car Seat, Home Safety, and Caring for You (5 minutes)
Rear-facing car seat basics and the pinch test, a safe home for a new baby, and protecting baby from germs. We close with postpartum wellbeing for every parent, including the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression and where to find support.
PART 7 Red Cross Certification Skills (2 hours)
Part 7 is the in-person skills session of the American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course. Before class, you complete the Red Cross online learning at your own pace. In the session, a Red Cross certified Lead Instructor leads skills practice and evaluation on training manikins.
The course covers infant and child CPR and AED use, choking rescue, and first aid for common emergencies. Participants who demonstrate every skill to the Red Cross standard earn a 2-year American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
WHAT THIS COURSE IS AND IS NOT
The newborn care portion (Parts 1 to 6) is hands-on education and practice, and it does not replace individual advice from your baby's pediatrician or your own health care provider. Part 7 is a formal American Red Cross certification course. The certification is earned by completing the online learning and demonstrating the skills in person, and it is valid for 2 years.
BEFORE BABY ARRIVES
A few things worth doing after class:
Save your pediatrician's after-hours number in your phone
Have your car seat installation checked by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
Keep a digital thermometer in the nursery
Share your safe sleep and soothing plan with every grandparent, nanny, and sitter
QUESTIONS
Please reach out any time. Lindsay Karr, Mindful Beginnings
lindsay@mindfulbeginnings.org | 703-987-5979 | mindfulbeginnings.org
Newborn care content is drawn from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the NIH Safe to Sleep campaign. Certification content is the American Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course.