If you’ve heard the buzz about the new RealCare Baby 4, you know it’s packed with exciting upgrades designed to enhance your students’ infant care experience. From responsive new features to expanded reporting capabilities, RealCare Baby 4 builds on the success of RealCare Baby 3 to make simulations even more realistic
But what if your classroom still has a mix of both RealCare Baby 3 and RealCare Baby 4 infant simulators? Don’t worry — you’re not alone, and the good news is: It’s absolutely possible to manage both models seamlessly. With a little planning, you can ensure all your students have meaningful, equitable learning experiences, no matter which Baby they’re using.
Below, we’ll break down the key differences between RealCare Baby 3 and RealCare Baby 4, then share practical tips for teaching with RealCare Baby simulators.
Key Differences Between RealCare Baby 3 and 4
Let’s start with a side-by-side look at what’s new in RealCare Baby 4 compared to 3:
See the chart up close here.
The bottom line: RealCare Baby 4 includes more features that generate extra data points — but most are not required graded events. With a few tweaks, you can easily balance expectations when teaching with RealCare Baby simulators.
Tips for Teaching with RealCare Baby Simulators in a Mixed Classroom
Here’s how you can handle RealCare Baby 4’s new features while keeping grading fair and consistent:
Play Time
- RealCare Baby 4: Automatically tracked and included in the report.
- RealCare Baby 3: Not tracked or included in the report
Your options:
- Offer it as extra credit to those using RealCare Baby 4
- Ask RealCare Baby 3 users to play with their Babies and discuss the experience afterwards (although there is no way for you to know those Babies were actually played with)
- Use Schedules 1-15 for both RealCare Baby 3 users and RealCare Baby 4 users, as these schedules do not include play time at all
Tummy Time
- RealCare Baby 4: Included and tracked in reports.
- RealCare Baby 3: Not tracked or included in the report
Your options:
- Require students place Baby on its tummy a certain number of times during the simulation.
- For RealCare Baby 4, this will be included as a data point on page 2 of the report.
- For RealCare Baby 3, you can have them record when they start and stop tummy time in the “notes” portion of the RealCare Baby Guide student app.
- Offer it as extra credit to those using RealCare Baby 4
- For both, you can give students tummy time writing prompts that they can answer and submit. For example, you could ask: “What is the recommended amount of tummy time for a 3-month-old?”
Talk Time
- RealCare Baby 4: Baby will babble back in response to speech. This is a data point – not a graded care event – on the report.
- RealCare Baby 3: Feature not available.
Your options:
- Require students to talk to their Baby a certain number of times during the simulation.
- For RealCare Baby 4, use this as extra credit for students who volunteer, or include it as part of their grade using your own rubric.
- For RealCare Baby 3, have students submit what they have said to their Baby and submit it in a journal with the date and time noted.
Loud Sound Exposure
- RealCare Baby 4: Reacts to loud sounds, records them as mishandle events and takes points away from the simulation grade.
- RealCare Baby 3: Feature not available.
Your options:
- For RealCare Baby 4, set the mishandle event’s weight to zero when programming Baby to be consistent with RealCare Baby 3.
- Offer extra credit for RealCare Baby 4 users.
Awake/Asleep Monitoring
- RealCare Baby 4 allows students to check if the Baby is awake or asleep through the RealCare Baby Guide app.
- This is for convenience only and doesn’t need to impact grading.
Using the RealCare Baby Guide App (Optional)
The RealCare Baby Guide app works with both RealCare Baby 3 and 4 for daily scenario responses and infant care notes — so feel free to use it consistently across your classroom.
However, RealCare Baby 4 users can access a few extra app features (like real-time simulation feedback and awake/asleep status). These are convenient monitoring tools but shouldn’t impact grading. You can ignore them without affecting student performance.
Notes in the App
Remember, you may use the notes field in any manner you wish with both RealCare Baby 3 and RealCare Baby 4 in simulation mode. Ideas for use include:
- Choose a writing prompt and have students journal about it and submit it.
- Require students to answer a daily question on infant care or health and safety.
- Ask infant developmental questions relating to PIES, tummy time, or safe sleep positions.
Scenarios in the App
Additionally, RealCare Baby 3 and 4 may interact with the daily scenarios. Once a day, when students access the app, a scenario will appear. Students can read and submit their answers in the space provided. As the instructor, you can use this as a discussion point, assessment, or whole class exercise. There are 50 scenarios included!
Using Your Existing Curriculum with Both Babies
Good news: If you’re already using the RealCare Baby curriculum, you won’t need to make major changes to teach with both RealCare Baby 3 and RealCare Baby 4. The core content is compatible with both models, so you can continue using the same lesson plans, activities, and assessments you’re familiar with.
Both simulators teach essential infant care concepts like basic caregiving skills and responsibility. The few new features in Baby 4, like tummy time and play time, can easily be incorporated as optional enhancements or discussion points. However, if you’re using the Basic Infant Care or Healthy Life Choices for Middle School Students curriculum, you may want to check out the updated versions that come with RealCare Baby 4!
More Grading Tips for Blended Programs
- Use the RealCare Baby Guide app features available to both models:
- Create a rubric for the daily scenarios submitted
- Use the notes section for data prompts of your choosing
- Use the notes section for proof of tummy time or talking to Baby for RealCare Baby 3 while using those features on RealCare Baby 4
- Use additional features on RealCare Baby 4 for extra credit or a more advanced experience for students wanting a more challenging experience
- Use the curriculum to provide more graded assignments that can be given to all students
Seamlessly Manage Both Babies in Your Classroom
Managing a classroom with both RealCare Baby 3 and RealCare Baby 4 might sound like a challenge, but with a few small adjustments, it’s completely doable. Your students will continue to build valuable infant care skills, no matter which Baby they’re assigned.
Curious to learn even more about what’s new in RealCare Baby 4? Check out these resources:
- RealCare Baby User Center
- A customer story about one Minnesota teacher who’s used every generation of RealCare Baby, including 4!
- RealCare Baby Implementation Guide
