Knock It Off, Dad!

[MotherNature]

DCG-7 mos just gets here, and is asleep. Great! Half the time she is. So he sets her down in the carseat on the couch & signs her in, just like every day. But every day as he says bye, he strokes her cheek. Sometimes several times until she stirs. Grrr! Let her freaking sleep! She's not going to realize you're leaving. I know, it's love and guilt that causes parents to want their kids to pine for them in their absence, but seriously she's 7 mos old. Also, let her sleep!!! because she's been teething and has had some rather nasty diapers this week & earlier in the week, vomiting. There's something viral 24 hrs going around here. I had it Monday & thought it was food poisoning but I guess not. Also, let her sleep!!! Because I was up all night with my son who was throwing up. He finally stopped around 3 am, and is still upstairs asleep. Have I mentioned that he should let her sleep? Does anyone else have parents that habitually wake their baby when they leave? It's the weirdest thing to me. I know he's not thinking 'You have her 10 hrs daily. I should let you ease into your morning after a rough night.' Ha!Ha!

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Yes, I use to have a dad that has to hug and love on his kids until they cry for him as he leaves. But, I have since trained him. He does one knuckles, one high five and walks out the door.
As for sleeping baby though- I would have to take her out of the car seat and lay her down anyway... so weather she would stay asleep or not would depend on how tired she was. I can not allow a child to sleep in a car seat. So yes, as annoying as it is to wake them, I can not allow the chance of them not waking up.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/parents-warned-not-let-babies-sleep-in-car-seats-5510875

[MotherNature]

Yeah, I can understand that. She's my first kid-only one for an hour or two, so she just sits right next to me.

[Unregistered]

Maybe just explaining it to him would fix the problem. My oldest was a super fussy baby. When I would go to drop him off I would take his outer clothing and things off and after a few days my provider asked me to just leave him sleeping in his car seat.

I was ok with it because he was a very high maintenance child and I knew that even letting him sleep he would probably be up and crying in less than an hour so it wasn't hurting him and I had enough trouble trying to get ready and out the door in the morning with a screaming kid, I could only imagine what patience it took for her to do that with the other kids as well.

[Unregistered]

I thought it was advised that we never accept a sleeping child in a carseat into care. They must be wakened before the parent leaves. A liability thing?

[Heidi]

I thought it was advised that we never accept a sleeping child in a carseat into care. They must be wakened before the parent leaves. A liability thing?

Yes, that is the advice. The premise is that if the child is actually unconscious due to the parent hurting them, we would take the blame.

[nannyde]

I would NEVER allow a child to remain asleep at drop off. I am not allowed to have them sleep anywhere but a crib or pack n play.

I need to assess that the child is awake and alert at drop off. You never know the day will come where a baby was shaken or slammed before they come. I don't want to miss any changes in consciousness.

I also need to touch them to assess their body temp. I need to scan them for any bumps or bruises or rash.

Nope. I want them WIDE awake when they arrive. Then they go to bed and put themselves to sleep for a morning nap.

[MotherNature]

oooh-good points, guys. I do touch her & she will stir. She's normally awake at drop off, but you all make a good point.

[TwinKristi]

Meh... I follow the rule of never waking a sleeping baby. Call me old school but I guess having a small daycare I don't worry much about parents abusing their infant to the point of being unconscious and then bringing them to daycare. I'm sure there's a slim (VERY) chance that it could happen but if this is a regular occurrence that's a little different. Babies NEED sleep. It would annoy me too if dad woke up baby every time he dropped off!

[nannyde]

Meh... I follow the rule of never waking a sleeping baby. Call me old school but I guess having a small daycare I don't worry much about parents abusing their infant to the point of being unconscious and then bringing them to daycare. I'm sure there's a slim (VERY) chance that it could happen but if this is a regular occurrence that's a little different. Babies NEED sleep. It would annoy me too if dad woke up baby every time he dropped off!

Does your state allow you to have them sleep in a car seat? It's not old school in Iowa. It's illegal.

[Blackcat31]

Does your state allow you to have them sleep in a car seat? It's not old school in Iowa. It's illegal.

Not to mention the safety risk alone. positional asphyxia.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests the even 20 minutes in a car seat is dangerous.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/1000464-arguments-against-letting-babies-sleep-car-seats/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positional-asphyxia-in-infants.html

They also state that placing a car seat on a soft surface such as a rug can cause the car seat to sit improperly causing reduced air flow to the infant.

Besides the legality, sleeping in a car seat is such a dangerous action that there is NO way that I would take that risk with someone else's child.

Nothing old school about that.

[CedarCreek]

I prefer to wake them up too. If a baby comes in a car seat, I immediately take them out, sleeping or not. Usually here, they need breakfast anyway.

[sharlan]

Meh... I follow the rule of never waking a sleeping baby. Call me old school but I guess having a small daycare I don't worry much about parents abusing their infant to the point of being unconscious and then bringing them to daycare. I'm sure there's a slim (VERY) chance that it could happen but if this is a regular occurrence that's a little different. Babies NEED sleep. It would annoy me too if dad woke up baby every time he dropped off!

Yes, babies need sleep, but at what cost to them and us?

We were told when my eldest grandson (6) was born to never allow him to be in a carseat if the car was not moving, not to use a stroller that used the carseat. We assumed it was because he was a premie and had breathing issues at birth. I learned here that it was because of the possibility of positional asphyxia.

There is a provider from the Sacramento area who is in jail because she left a newborn infant in a carseat to sleep and he died. Of course, there is a lot more to the story, but it all started when she allowed the infant to sleep in the carseat.

It may not be in our regs, but it is a dangerous practice, one that I no longer do.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Meh... I follow the rule of never waking a sleeping baby. Call me old school but I guess having a small daycare I don't worry much about parents abusing their infant to the point of being unconscious and then bringing them to daycare. I'm sure there's a slim (VERY) chance that it could happen but if this is a regular occurrence that's a little different. Babies NEED sleep. It would annoy me too if dad woke up baby every time he dropped off!

There are many practices that we use to do with children that are no longer deemed safe. I was never in a car seat and rarely buckled in. My brother died at 5 months in a car accident when he was squished between my mother (holding him) and the dashboard. My children were (are) always buckled in. We had cribs with slats that heads could get between... We are always finding out things to make it safer for us to watch children.
Babies do need sleep, and generally moving them does not wake them. A 7 month old is old enough to be up at drop off. Eat breakfast and then have a morning nap. I have even taken to the practice of no car seats in. They must unbuckle their child and carry them in. Especially young parents, tend to not pick up their kidlets but lug them in a car seat. I explain to them the importance of not having them in the car seat except for transportation. Not pushing them around WalMart etc.

[sharlan]

Does your state allow you to have them sleep in a car seat? It's not old school in Iowa. It's illegal.

There is nothing in our regs regarding infants sleeping in carseats. Just because it may be legal does not make it safe.