How would you feel if the day care put your baby to sleep on their stomach?

Question

The last few days the daycare girls have been putting my son to sleep on his stomach. I was upset because of the risk of SIDS. On his crib their is a sign that clearly states that he is too young to sleep on his tummy and that he must be always placed on the back to sleep. So I asked the girl why he was asleep on his stomach, and she told me because of gas and his fussiness. The next few days I began to notice the girls put all the babies regardless of age on their stomachs. Today my son was asleep on his stomach and I am very uncomfortable with that, not only does it pose the risk of SIDS but now I question the quality of the care this day care provides. They say if the baby is old enough to roll over on to their tummies then its ok but my son is only 3 months and I notice they put all the babies to sleep on their tummies. Are Daycares allowed to put babies to sleep on their stomachs? What should I do and say the next time this happens? (which will probably be tomorrow)

Answer 1

I would be so upset if this happened to me! Nobody has a right to put your child in harms way. I would report them to your local child welfare agency. I am not really sure if this is illegal or not, but they will at least get a talking to from some higher ups, and there is a good possibility they will get a suprise inspection.
I would also start looking for a better day care. Chances are, this is not the only dangerous thing they could be doing.

I am assuming that you have asked them to lay him on his back. They also have signs stating that babies should be laid on their backs. Then, they lied to you to make it sound like your son was a special case because of his fussiness. How many other things are they lying about?
Don't put your son's life in these people's incapable hands.
Best of luck to you!

Answer 2

I would tell them that if your child is being put to sleep on his stomach that you are going to find another child care. I would probably start looking right now because what else are they doing when you are not there. I majored in Early childhood education and i have seen some scary daycares that change the second the parent walks out the door. If you do stay I would pop in unannounced so that no one is expecting at different times of the day to see what is going on. This is a common practice and is welcomed and legal where I live. If you cant leave work maybe another relative could go visit your son to see what is happening.

Answer 3

Every state has their own daycare licensing rules and regulations. I have been a licensed child care provider in my home for 20 years. Here in Michigan, R 400.1912 Rule 12. (1) says "Infants, birth to 12 months of age, shall be placed on their backs for resting and sleeping." It further states that even when a baby can roll over on its own the initial sleep position is to lay the babies on their backs, but the baby can sleep in whatever position is comfortable. If a baby requires a different position other than back sleeping, a doctor's note is required. In Michigan, each person who has a child in a licensed daycare facility receives a copy of the rules and regulations. Our rules are governed by the Department of Human Services. You will want to investigate the rules of your state. Regardless if there is a specific rule on the books, if you want your baby to sleep on his back then you have the right to request that and to expect that the child care professionals will respect that request. While back sleeping has been linked to a decreased risk of SIDS, it is important to note that not all babies who sleep on their tummies die of SIDS, nor does it mean that a back sleeping baby will not die of SIDS. It was not too many years ago that babies were always put to sleep on their tummies and back sleeping was considered unsafe. My own children are 28, 25, 22, and 9. My older 3 were always put to sleep on their tummies and are perfectly fine and healthy adults. My 9 year old was a back sleeper because when she was born that was the recommendation. While back sleeping is the current recommendation, babies who prefer tummy sleeping can be safely put to sleep on their tummies in a sleeping space with a firm mattress and a tightly fitted sheet. As a parent and a child care professional, I suggest that when you drop your baby off at the daycare that you specifically request that your baby always be put to sleep on his back. If your request is ignored you may have to find a different daycare setting. If you find your state does have a rule on the books concerning back sleeping, then you may want to consider filing an infraction report on the daycare.

Answer 4

I live in NY, and my daughter's day care will not allow any babies to sleep on their stomach. They said that the state regulations for licensed day care centers in NY say that all infants must sleep on their back in a sleep positioner. My baby will start daycare this monday (yikes!) and will have to sleep on her back. At home, i put her on her belly b/c that is the only way she will sleep. I even asked my daycare if I could sign a permission slip allowing her to sleep on her belly and they told me "no". They said that the only thing they could do was to let her nap in a swing, which is OK with me b/c she naps in her swing at home!

I would be VERY concerned if the daycare was going against my wishes when it came to the care of my baby! Can you look into the state regulations? Maybe it's like NY, and what they are doing is illegal.

Answer 5

After the birth of my first son, I refused to cover him with a blanket, put him on his stomach, use a crib bumper, etc. My mother-in-law used to babysit, and every time we'd come home from dinner, the movies, etc., he'd be on his stomach. I was irate. Eventually (after the birth of my second son) I realized that they DO sleep better on their stomach, and they are more comfortable with a blanket.

Putting a baby to sleep on his stomach doesn't guarantee he'll die of SIDS. The thing with SIDS is, NOBODY knows what causes it...they're just trying to cover all the bases.

In your case, I would be very unhappy. They're completely disobeying your wishes. If he's fussy and cries when they put him on his back, too bad for them--you're paying them good money to take care of your child properly, and you think it's proper to lay him on his back, so they should respect your wishes. I'd go to the director or owner of the center and demand that they stop doing this. Unfortunately, there's really no way of knowing that they'll do it (unless the center has one of those web cams).

Answer 6

Change daycare. They should NOT be putting them to sleep on their stomach until they are at least 9-10 months old, even if they can roll over. I worked at a daycare and we knew better. If you have voiced your concern and they are not respecting your wishes, then you need to remove your son from their care and you need to tell them exactly why. You also might want to make an anonymous phone call to your state board so that they can make a surprise visit.

Answer 7

They are probably in violation of the licensing regulations and are endangering your child and the others. The only infants that should be on their stomachs are the ones that turn over by themselves. Talk with the director and also ask to see the regulations. Contact the licensing office even if it is not specifically mentioned in the regs. In the meantime make it quite plain that if this happens again you will remove your child- and follow through. Let the other parents know what is happening.

Answer 8

I dont know what state your in but I know in Wisconsin it is illegal to put them to sleep on their stomachs and if a parent wanted them to be put to sleep on their stomach then a consent is to be signed. As for gas and fussiness that is true, if you son is that type to have those syptoms, my daughter gets gassy bad and it always helped to put her on her stomach but when she was that little when her fussiness was done i'd lay her on her side. Ask the daycare girls to not do this and make it a point that you feel it isnt nessessary and do not want your son on his stomach if this continues tell them that you will be switching providers and do just that.

Answer 9

How would I feel? Probably like hurting someone at the daycare for putting my baby at risk of SIDS. If you have an alternative form of daycare, use it and call the state you live in's daycare inspector.

Answer 10

I think you are right to question what's going on and most likely should look for another day care. I don't base this primarily on the fact that they put him to sleep on his tummy but, more on their lack of respect for what you asked for and for their mainipulative way of answering you and putting off the question. I think the risk of sids death is low enough that that in itself is not rally the issue -- it's more that they were told what to do by you and specifically did what they wanted to do anyway and kinds of thwarted the question when they were confronted with it. I don't like that at all. I worked in day car for 12 years, mostly with infants. Find a place that listens to you and respects you and that you can trust. I wouldn't say you need to find a new place asap and get your kid out of there this instant, by any means, but, I wouldn't like to be treated the way they have treated you.