Programme Outline

Getting to know the participants
00.00 - 07.35
In an informal setting, a group of young people between the ages of 13 and 15 discuss some of the issues relating to teenage pregnancy. Three of them are chosen to experience what it is like to look after a baby on their own for three days.

Zoe is 14. She likes babies and is an experienced babysitter. Sam, aged 13, feels confident about the task because he has helped look after a new baby in his family. Amy is 15 and has no experience of babies or babysitting. She says she would not want to be pregnant at her age, but that if she were, she would want to keep the baby.

The parents of the three babies that the teenagers will be looking after explain their motivation for being involved in making the programme. Karen and Tim were teenage parents themselves. Clare and Andrew think that looking after a baby is hard work and do not know how teenage parents cope. Justine, a health visitor, is involved for educational reasons.

Introductions and the trial run
07.36 - 09.31
Introductions take place and the parents show the teenagers how to carry out basic tasks such as feeding, bathing and nappy changing. The teenagers then begin a 24-hour trial run, with the parents on call. Eventually they will be on their own for two days, and the parents will only be able to see their babies on camera. The events are filmed and monitored throughout the entire house, and the parents can intervene if there is a serious problem.

The teenagers take over
09.32 - 15.30
The three teenagers work through the routine, carrying out all the tasks required when looking after a baby, watched by the parents. The babies demonstrate a range of behaviours and temperaments that parents have to learn to cope with. Feeding, projectile vomiting, crying, screaming, nappy changing and sleep problems are all shown in graphic detail. The teenagers learn about the importance of communicating with the baby, the baby's demands on time and energy and the effects of sleepless nights. The parents describe how they feel watching the process.