CPN Case Analysis & Practical Application 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 4-year-old in your care refuses to eat lunch and throws food on the floor. What is the most appropriate professional response?
- Withhold snacks until dinner as a consequence
- Calmly redirect, offer a limited choice of foods, and avoid a power struggle (Correct answer)
- Insist the child eat everything on the plate before leaving the table
- Ignore the behavior entirely and clean up without comment
Correct answer: Calmly redirect, offer a limited choice of foods, and avoid a power struggle
Offering limited choices respects autonomy while maintaining mealtime structure and avoiding escalation.
Question 2: You notice bruising in a pattern inconsistent with normal play on a 3-year-old in your care. What is your first obligation?
- Confront the parents directly about the marks
- Document the injury with photos and report your concerns to child protective services (Correct answer)
- Wait and observe for additional signs before taking action
- Discuss the situation with a neighbor or friend for advice
Correct answer: Document the injury with photos and report your concerns to child protective services
Nannies are mandated reporters and must document and report suspected abuse to CPS immediately.
Question 3: A toddler in your care has a severe peanut allergy. At a playdate, another child offers your charge a peanut butter cracker. What do you do?
- Allow a small amount to test the child's reaction
- Politely but firmly decline and remove the allergen, then monitor the child closely (Correct answer)
- Give antihistamines preemptively before any reaction occurs
- Leave the decision to the allergic child's preference
Correct answer: Politely but firmly decline and remove the allergen, then monitor the child closely
Preventing allergen exposure is the primary safety measure; proactive removal protects the child.
Question 4: You are caring for two siblings, ages 2 and 6. The 6-year-old hits the 2-year-old. How should you respond?
- Separate the children and address only the 2-year-old's distress
- Comfort the younger child first, then calmly address the older child's behavior with a consequence (Correct answer)
- Immediately send the 6-year-old to their room without explanation
- Ignore it as normal sibling rivalry
Correct answer: Comfort the younger child first, then calmly address the older child's behavior with a consequence
Attending to the victim first models empathy, then addressing the aggressor's behavior teaches accountability.
Question 5: During an outdoor outing, a 5-year-old climbs a structure that seems unsafe. What is the best professional course of action?
- Allow climbing to promote independence and risk tolerance
- Physically remove the child from the equipment immediately without explanation
- Calmly guide the child down, explain the safety concern, and redirect to safer play (Correct answer)
- Call the parents for guidance before doing anything
Correct answer: Calmly guide the child down, explain the safety concern, and redirect to safer play
Calmly intervening while explaining the reason teaches safety reasoning without creating fear.
Question 6: A parent instructs you to put a 3-month-old to sleep with a blanket in the crib. You know this is a SIDS risk. What should you do?
- Follow the parent's instruction since they are the employer
- Comply during the parent's shift but remove it when they are gone
- Respectfully share current safe sleep guidelines with the parent and decline to follow the unsafe practice (Correct answer)
- Report the parents to CPS immediately
Correct answer: Respectfully share current safe sleep guidelines with the parent and decline to follow the unsafe practice
Professional nannies advocate for child safety and communicate evidence-based guidelines respectfully to families.
Question 7: A school-age child in your care tells you their parent hit them with a belt last night. What is your primary duty?
- Encourage the child not to speak about family matters to others
- Thank the child for sharing, validate their feelings, and report the disclosure to CPS (Correct answer)
- Contact the other parent to inform them of what was said
- Discuss the disclosure with the parent directly to get their perspective first
Correct answer: Thank the child for sharing, validate their feelings, and report the disclosure to CPS
Validating the child and reporting to CPS fulfills the mandated reporter obligation without compromising the child's safety.
CPN Case Analysis & Practical Application 2
A 4-year-old in your care refuses to eat lunch and throws food on the floor.
What is the most appropriate professional response?