Table 1.

Vulnerable Baby Scale^*

Question	Options for reply
1. How often do you check on baby while he/she is asleep at night?	Not at all /Rarely / 1–2 times each night / Several times each night / Every half hour or so
2. If baby was awake and playing, what’s the longest you would leave baby alone without being able to hear him/her?	Not at all / 5 minutes / 15 minutes / half an hour / an hour or longer
3. If a friend came over to visit and they had a cold, would you…	Not allow them in the house / Not allow them in the same room as the baby / Allow them in the same room but ask them not to hold the baby / Make them wash their hands before picking up baby/ Allow them to pick up the baby as they are
4. How often does baby seem to get stomach pains or other pains?	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “All of the time,” 1 being “Not at all.”
5. How concerned are you that baby is not as healthy as he/she should be?	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “I think of it all of the time,” 1 being “Not concerned at all.”
6. When you compare baby ‘s health to that of other babies do you think he/she is …	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “A lot less healthy,” 1 being “a lot more healthy.”
7. How often do you find yourself worrying that your baby may become seriously ill?	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “I think of it all the time,” 1 being “Not concerned at all”
8. How often do you find yourself worrying about crib death or SIDS?	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “I think of it all the time,” 1 being “Not concerned at all”
9. If you left the baby with someone else how likely would you be to make contact with that person while you were away?	On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being “ Yes, definitely,” 1 being “No, not at all”
10. In the last two weeks how often have been in contact with a doctor or nurse about baby, not including well-baby checks or shots?	Not at all / Once / Once each week / Twice per week /Daily or more

^*Adapted from Kerruish²⁵