What would you do if a university student wanted to bring her newborn to class?

[camaleon]

That is really. I have to make a decision regarding this. I need advice. I want to accommodate this student as much as possible but I am very aware of disrupting other students' learning experience.
What would you do?

Just say no.

If my DDS1, who is in his first year of university, told me a baby came to lectures, I would be on the telephone that instant to the Vice-Chancellor to complain!

I know him so there is no issue there!

My English teacher when I was in year 8 brought her newborn to class and taught with him sucking away. She was African, and I think it was normal for her; we were studying Chaucer, and she was a great teacher.

Buffy - you assume the students would say, "no". I think the best thing is to ask them. Its the students investment.

Courses for mothers with young children would be a good idea though. Not practical for every course provided by an institute but with the high fees, they would easily turn a profit.

Good point Frey.

When I was doing my postgrad degree one of the PhD students got pregnant and the college was going to turf her out of college accommodation (she was in married accommodation but in a block with the single rooms) because of the risk of the baby disturbing other students. The graduate community was very supportive of her even though we were the ones who would supposedly get disturbed and we persuaded the college to let her stay.

I wish I could have taken my DD into University- I have had to put the remainder of my MSc on hold

i wouldnt allow it - once you allow one you have set a precedence, where does it stop? what if all your students wanted to bring their babies with them the following week? you cant say no because you have allowed one, if you said no to all you leave yourself open to being accused of favouritism/discrimination.

Of course H&S rules come into it. what if the baby, with all its bits and pieces, were sitting by a door and a fire broke out and the rest of your class clambered to get out that door - who would be responsible for a baby getting injured or worse - would everyone be able to get out safely in a panic?

You can make the precedent quite clear. Agreed on a one-off basis, for specific instances, if the lecturer is happy and the other students agree (on my courses they'd tend to agree. Lots of mature students with children). And on the agreement that if the baby cries it goes out.

Not a general, all-children-welcome frenzy.

I will see how it goes next week and tell you about it.

It seems that those who had to share the classroom with a baby have not had bad experiences.

If it works it works. I cannot care less about the precedent to be honest. I would love this to be a precedent. I have fought my own battles with University regarding the H&S rules.

Peggyundercrackers, following your reasoning, anybody with restricted mobility should not be allowed in a public building. I have students in wheelchairs, many times sat by the door.

Buffy - I think the students would feel the same. I think all students with children would want the same treatment. Being accepting of one mother may cause a situation where you have to exclude others. This isn't a reason not to allow the baby in the lecture, necessarily. However, I think it will inevitably cause problems. You making a decision on what age is older enough for a child to be in a crèche, policy being made where birth certificates are required, etc.

I think parent/child courses may work as seperate entity.

Peggy, of course OP will need to do a risk assessment and think about fire evacuation, but I can't see it realistically being a problem - a baby in a sling is about as portable as it gets.
People used to use 'fire risk' as an excuse to exclude people with disabilities and thank goodness we've moved on front that. If the logistic issues around evacuating people with mobility issues can be worked out then a baby should be a doddle.

I think it would be kinder to explore some technological solutions -- skyping, podcasts, videos, etc. These are all relatively easy these days.

Life with a newborn is not always easy, your student may be shattered from sleep deprivation, have trouble navigating public transport, classtime might be baby naptime, etc and so on. Having the classes recorded in some way so she can access them when her schedule allows would be nice, I think. Also it may be less stressful than sitting through a mandatory presentation worrying your baby will cry and you'll have to leave.

On top of which, you don't have to worry about distracting the other students.

It's not that 'special'.

Anyone making a disturbance will be expected to leave, and asked to do so if the interruption persists, possibly with consequences for their long term participation in the course.

Exits must be kept clear, and bulky personal possessions should be stowed where appropriate.

These apply to all students - you don't need 'special' rules for mums. The arguments on this thread can be equally applied to disability, race and gender.

I don't understand the scenario really. If these presentations are so vital, then the suggestion that she just leaves if the baby fusses isn't really an option.

You can't rely on a newborn to be quiet.

Yes - but study by Skype is very isolating. The option is nice - the insistence isn't.

I'm failing to see an issue if even twenty babies come to a lecture. (presumably not everyone has a tiny baby!). It would create a critical mass of support, and, yes, it might trigger a drop in crèche in due course - but while the babies are small, quiet & slinged they make no more trouble than an adult.

(p.s. how about piercings? They attract attention and an clink annoyingly. Should they be barred from lectures?)

I agree, Eleanor. If the presentation is so important that she has to be there in person, then saying she'll leave if the baby fusses sort of defeats the purpose.

My friend's newborn vomited copiously after every feed. My own son grunted like a pig when he napped! these are not small distractions.

What is the actual aim here? It's not bringing a newborn to class -- the aim is for the mother to complete her education. There are ways for her to do that, thanks to technology, that have zero chance of distracting other students from learning, and may even make things easier for her.

I have had 4 babies who were pretty high needs.

A sling next to my chest with the occasional quiet suckle was their bliss place. I could reliant take any of them anywhere like that.

I think 99 times out of 100 the student will be able to benefit from the lecture.