When you leave your little one at daycare, you put your complete trust in them. But what happens when you see your little one tied in a daycare sleeping bag? Moreover, what if they are made to sleep on their tummy in a rather uncomfortable position?
It’s natural for any parent to be shocked at seeing their baby in this situation. And that’s exactly what happened to one mum of a seven-month-old.
Outrage over babies put in daycare sleeping bag
The Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) was investigating an incident at Miss Anne’s in Leavenworth. The department had received a report and some pictures of babies swaddled in daycare sleeping bags. Sometime in late March, the department contacted Tanya, a mum to a seven-month-old whose picture they had.
Tanya shares, “It was a picture of him in a sleep sack with his arms bound down and the sleeves of the sleep sack tied to the back with a ponytail holder and he was laid face down with his face pretty much in the corner. You know, I was in the military for 22 years. I don’t shake easily. This shook me to my core.”
After visiting the DCF office in Leavenworth, Tanya drove to the daycare. She picked up her son and since then, she has not sent him back to the daycare centre.
Another mum pulls out her baby from the daycare
Another mum that the DCF called is Deirdre Engle. Her daughter Elora was also put to sleep in sleep sack, similar to the way Tanya’s son was treated. The DCF was investigating her case as well.
Engle said, “First, I thought there’s no way that’s my baby, she looks so small! She’s laying on her tummy like she always does, but she looks uncomfortable. She’s tied up. My baby is tied up. She can’t roll over, she can’t sit up, if she were to cough up any of her formula, she’d choke. I got scared for her. She’s been at this day care since she was five weeks old. I’ve trusted these people for her entire life and I was wrong.”
She further expressed her outrage by saying: “Sleep sacks are used often. I got one for swaddling while in the hospital having Elora. Sleep sacks are ‘safer’ than blankets, if used correctly. Not using them correctly, they aren’t safe. Common sense would tell you not to tie a sleep sack up in the back of an infant and lay that infant down on her belly. But laws aren’t always common sense. I need the laws to catch up with the times. What’s being done? How do I make this illegal, not just an error in judgment?”
The DCF also called Jennifer New and asked her to check on things. The DCF told her that her baby was not in any of the pictures that they had received.
Daycare sleeping bag incident: Kansas Department of Health and Environment release a statement
“KDHE’s child care licensing protocol for investigating complaint allegations does involve contacting parents of children in care (as well as facility staff and other potential witnesses) when allegations and concerns relate to child care practices and/or the care and supervision of children. This does not mean every parent will be contacted, as contacts are made for the purpose of determining compliance versus notifying parents an investigation is underway.”
Baby sleep safety tips
Tips for swaddling babies | Image: file image
While parents may swaddle their babies at home, daycare centres are not allowed to do so. There’s a risk of the babies rolling over on their tummies. Here are a few tips from American Academy of Pediatrics to keep your babies safe.
- When you swaddle your baby, lay them on their back. Ensure that they don’t roll over when swaddled or placed in a sleeping bag.
- Check for signs of overheating in babies when they are swaddled. Sweating, damp hair, flushed cheeks, heat rash and rapid breathing are a few of these signs.
- Avoid loose blankets around your baby’s sleeping area. It could cover your baby’s face and increase the risk of suffocation.
Mums, if you leave your little ones in a daycare centre, make sure that the facility is following all the childcare rules and regulations. After all, you are entrusting them with the safety of your little munchkin, more precious than anything in the world.
Source: STL Today, Healthy Children
Images: Screencapped from STL Today
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