New to Daycare - Always in the Swing

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  • misol
    Advanced Daycare.com Member
    • Jan 2010
    • 716

    #31
    Originally posted by nannyde
    The risk is your risk to take. As the sole provider of care for the child at that time the decision to allow a "preferred method of sleeping" is something only you can make absent any regulations telling you otherwise.

    I don't do what the children want. I do what they need. I also have to consider my livlihood and the future of my family. I wouldn't knowingly do something that would put a child at risk especially when there is a very simple viable option that is endorsed by solid research and the American Academy of Pediatrics. That option is to put them to bed on their backs on a firm bottom without ANYTHING in the bed with them.

    I put kids to bed completely wide awake every single day. Day after day after day..... month after month.. year after year. They go to sleep and sleep like little lambs. I can't understand the NEED for swings to lull babies to sleep. It takes such a small amount of time to get them used to motionless, wide awake.. put themselves to sleep sleep.

    I've had a number of babies who are "swing and motion" addicted when they come to me but a good solid routine with a ton of exercise and activity quickly changes their need to be put to sleep. Tucker them out... fill their bellies before nap... give em time to poop... and then put them to bed wide awake in a darkened room. Magic formula that works thru the years.

    Nan
    Point taken.

    Comment

    • emosks
      Daycare Member
      • Dec 2009
      • 289

      #32
      This hits a little too close to home...

      Comment

      • Crystal
        Advanced Daycare.com Member
        • Dec 2009
        • 4002

        #33
        Very sad This SHOULD be a wake up call.....I wonder if anyone will heed it.

        Comment

        • nannyde
          All powerful, all knowing daycare whisperer
          • Mar 2010
          • 7320

          #34
          Originally posted by emosks
          This hits a little too close to home...

          http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local...ging-seat-dies
          The other concern about sleeping in a seat is a baby's head leaning over to the side of the seat and getting their face nestled into the sides of the seat.

          It's just not safe to let them sleep in a seat... swing seat or car seat. They should be laying flat on their backs to allow gravity to do it's job and keep the head supported as much as possible.

          Even if the seat is completely reclined as far as it will go, it's not safe. You are still allowing them facial access to the sides of the seat. Also, some babies are strong enough to jut their heads forward but not strong enough to right it back into position.

          The other thing to think about is the motion of the swing alone could cause the head to jut forward or to the side. The bigger the arch of the swing or the faster you set the setting on the swing the more you are at risk for the infant head to jut to the side or forward.

          There are some situations where a doc may write a note to allow a baby to sit at an angle. Severe cases of reflux is one of them. Just remember that even WITH a note from a doc it doesn't give permission for the child to sleep unattended at an angle in a seat. You should always assume that even with directions to allow a child to sleep in a seat that you should supervise them AT ALL TIMES they are in a seat.

          Nan
          http://www.amazon.com/Daycare-Whispe...=doing+daycare

          Comment

          • jen
            Advanced Daycare.com Member
            • Sep 2009
            • 1832

            #35
            Nan, I completely agree...I had a child with reflux and his parents provided me with a medically approved "wedge" which kept his body somewhat upright in his crib. If a child has a medical issue or a bad cold there are other things that can be done without resorting to a swing or a car seat.

            Comment

            • Chickenhauler
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2009
              • 474

              #36
              Originally posted by mac60
              Who said anything about ignoring the law, doing time for negligent manslaughter.........I only said that the government gets into our business way too much.
              You did say (or at least until you decided to edit your posts) that a DC provider should be able to leave the child sleeping in the swing.

              That would be ignoring the law, which could very well open yourself up to manslaughter charges if a child were to die in your care while sleeping in the swing like that linked story.
              Spouse of a daycare provider....which I guess makes me one too!

              Comment

              • Unregistered

                #37
                All of the above comments

                I stumbled across this form while looking for reviews or something on infants swings for my infant room. I am a professional infant teacher for six years, and I have four children of my own. There are a lot of good points in all of these comments - and I have a few notes of my own.

                #1 infants sleep better in swings because they were just in a cramped space for a few months (mom), their knees in the belly all curled up. Yes, part of it is the motion, part of it is their legs being held up vs flat on a crib mattress.

                #2 Does the infant get gassy and / or spit up a lot throughout the day? this may be due to being in a swing! When the swing is moving back and forth (typically when it is swinging back and fourth vs side to side) the infant may take big gulps of air, when the air rushes across their face which will cause an upset tummy. If you have an infant that needs to sit up for XX amount of time after eating, a swing is a good option, but do not start the swing. Have you ever gone on a roller coaster after eating a five course meal, I would not suggest it! How do you think an infant feels after eating and being bounced or swung?

                #3 Every state has different rules as to where an infant can and cannot sleep, and for how long. There are a lot of good points listed above, the infant can turn their head into the side, which if they spit up they could in-hail the spit up.

                #4 Yes, parents have the say of what they do at home, but every state has rules that need to be followed, I looked up a few of the states I've seen and VA - I was appalled by the rules for a sleeping infant, they almost do not exist! (I like the spitting out the kid comment - too true!)

                Infants spend enough time in a swing, carrier, bouncers, bumbo seats, sit and plays, etc. not only does an infant need time on the floor to gain muscle strength for holding their head up, sitting up, crawling, etc. but they also need interaction with peers for social / emotional development and interactions with their teachers, to learn how to show proper emotions. Remember, you only know what a parent tells you. You do not know what the home life is truly like for these little ones, your smiling face and pleasant voice may be the only one they hear and see in a day, and if they are in a 'CONTAINER' for the majority of their day then they are not getting the attention they deserve are they??

                Here is a link to the National Instatute of Child Health and Human Development, which states that infants need tummy time and a few reasons why:


                #5 How much do you pay or does your center charge for the care of an infant for full time 40 hours a week, if your center is hourly just multiply the hourly amount by 40, I know it is case by case, typical cost around here is $240.00 a week so that is $960.00 a month, A MONTH! Just for their infant to sit in a swing for the majority of the day, seriously?! How often are they changed, fed and interacted with? If an infant is in a swing for the majority of the day, what are these parents paying for?! They could just as easy turn on the swing, go to work and have someone check on their child every hour or so if being in a swing all day long was what they wanted!

                Now, if a parent did that what would happen to them if someone found out??? Child services would be called, they could loose their child and end up in jail. So, what is the difference between a parent leaving a child home alone in a swing and having the neighbor look in on them every so often and a child care provider leaving them in a swing all day?? A child care provider receives a pay check for it and the parents do not go to jail.

                Now, someone mentioned if the child falls asleep in the swing and is moved, wakes up, put back into the swing, falls asleep, moving to crib attempted again, wakes up, repeat.

                WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU PUT THE CHILD BACK INTO THE SWING?! They are tired! Check their diaper, see if they need to be fed if not, why not ROCK THEM YOURSELF!? so that once they are asleep, you can place them in bed. Did they wake up? Yes? then try again! Practice makes perfect, and once they are tired enough they will sleep in their crib. They will not sleep in their crib if they are hungry, being bunched up in a swing or bouncer reduces hunger pains because of their knees being in their stomach. (try it, it is true) They will not sleep if they are uncomfortable, being on their back when they are not used to it AND having a wet diaper is a recipe for no sleep.

                I know, from a lot of personal experience that the first week, or two, or three are going to ****. there is no way to sugar coat it. you are training this child to sleep in their crib. Communicate with parents, if the infant is less then six months old (or cannot roll over) and is used to sleeping in a swing and will NOT sleep in their crib at day care, try a sleep sack, often it is because they are cold, others it is because they are used to their arms being snugged tight to them. There are swaddle sleep sacks for younger infants, however, if they are young (do not roll over) and need to be swaddled, you can simply keep their arms out of the sleeves (inside the sleep sack) and that typically does the trick.

                It is all about working smarter, not harder! If you have eight infants, and say two swings and two bouncer seats, that is still only four places for them to sleep. And have you ever seen a mobile infant try to launch a non-mobile sleeping infant out of a bouncer seat?? (mobile infant grabs top of bouncer by the head of the smaller infant and attempts to stand up or simply pulls down and then falls, sits or just lets go - the bouncer 'bounces' 4 - 8 inches) This COULD give the infant whiplash OR shaken baby if you have an older toddler and you cannot get there fast enough - say you are changing a poop blow out and have poop every where.

                What about the older infants that are constantly trying to catch the swing, or crawl under it and keep getting their heads whacked by the seat of the swing. "Maybe they will learn not to do that then" is NOT an acceptable answer! Shut the swing off and they are less likely to go to it, I did not say they would stop, I said, "less likely" you have to TEACH them to stay away from it, by moving them, over and over again, telling them "that is not a choice for you" or "let's make better choices over here by the blocks" TEACH THEM TEACHERS.

                Lastly, to the mom worried about her infant always being in the swing, talk to the teachers, if it does not change talk to the director, if it does not change they are required to have their licensing specialist information posted (if not call the department of health and human services, they will point you in the right direction) and make a complaint. IF it is getting to this point I would consider looking else were for care, because you are not paying that center your hard earned dollars for your infant to live out their days in a swing. Make it clear what you expect and make sure it is followed. If you need to check the web cam every 15 minutes for a minute or two, communicate this need with your employer and why, I highly doubt they would have a problem with it - if they do, perhaps dad, grandparents, aunts or uncles would help you check the web cam and write down where they saw your child when they checked.

                Regardless what you decide, do not EVER give up what you want for your child because you are afraid to speak up or because they tell you know / are not doing it. PUSH for it to be done, because you are the parent! If they tell you they cannot do something because it is against licensing rules, ask them to see it, or go online and search licensed child care standard for your state. You do not have to read the entire thing, download as a PDF and click the magnifying glass icon, then type in what you are looking for, you may need to try a few different key words, but you will find it, it just might not be what you want to read. If it is a center rule - did you get a parent hand book?? If not, request one. a center with cameras is going to have one, but it is probably generic.

                If needed, get a doctors note, if your child's provider agrees it needs to be done, a licensing specialist will not argue with it - remember to keep a copy of the note for yourself - just in case......

                Okay, I think I will stop here, as I could continue for hours. I am very passionate for both my profession and my role as a mother. To everyone that reads this, as your child grows remember to spend time with them, after they are walking and talking good it is easy to become busy with life and before you know it they are grown and moving out. Give them an extra kiss at night, an extra hug each morning. Read them the story they ask for, when it is after bed time and you are exhausted, because you are showing your child that even though you are bone tired from a stressful day at work that they come first.

                On the same note, do not be afraid to say no, to let them know when things are financially difficult, do not shelter them from reality. I am not saying throw them to the wolves, I am saying this because a child that feels they are second place begins to resent their parents and look for love in the wrong places. A child that does not understand that money does not grow on trees, is far less likely to understand they need to save their money in order to get what they want. A child that never hears no, becomes that spoil child screaming in the grocery store. Teach them to love, to save / budget, to know that they can have what they want, but it may take a while to get it. Chores around the house is a good way to earn what they want. A chore chart with regular daily, simple tasks is a great way to teach a good work ethic.

                Good luck, parents, teachers, future parents, grand parents and guardians. Because your life involves children, your life just became (or is) awesome. You are shaping the next generation, shape them well!

                Comment

                • Silly Songs
                  Daycare.com Member
                  • Jun 2014
                  • 705

                  #38
                  The original post is from 7 years ago. The child is most likely in elementary school these days.
                  You bring up some good points. Welcome to the forum.

                  Comment

                  • Josiegirl
                    Daycare.com Member
                    • Jun 2013
                    • 10834

                    #39
                    I haven't read through everything only because it is such an old post. But these are some of the issues I'm facing at the moment. I have a very sweet 4 1/2 month old and switch her from place to place through the day but do also cuddle/hold her a lot. (I love baby cuddling and cooing) But the sleeping is becoming a problem. I've talked with dcm as to how she does it at home. Says she lays in her crib and sleeps fine. I get a different story when she's with her dad(they live apart).
                    Some days she falls asleep in the crib, and can resettle if she wakes up. Other days(most days!) if I'm lucky she'll sleep 30 minutes then wake up and have no idea of going back to sleep so I get her up, trying to avoid all the nappers waking up. I know I have to 'get over' feeling like I have to get her up but I don't want to face 5 extremely grumpy fighting overtired kids for the rest of the day either.
                    Ex. yesterday she slept 3 half hour naps. The day before that in the p.m. she slept 2 hrs. because she settled herself down 2x and fell back to sleep.
                    I did notice she sleeps better if she rolls herself onto her side and cuddles into herself compared to flat on her back with her arms to her sides. As a matter of fact, so do I.

                    Any advice besides CIO because I'm not sure I can do that.

                    Comment

                    • Lovatic24
                      Daycare.com Member
                      • Jun 2014
                      • 97

                      #40
                      Have you looked into the zipadee zip? they were on Shark Tank. It was the only thing that helped my dcg sleep until she was 1 1/2. now she sleeps good on her own.

                      Comment

                      • hwichlaz
                        Daycare.com Member
                        • May 2013
                        • 2064

                        #41
                        I hate the no sleeping in a swim regulation. It's outdated and should be updated. It should specify no sleeping in a swing sitting up. Lots of swings have bassinett attachements now. My fisher price swing has a cradle position...that is identical to the fisher price cradle. I had my own kid sleep in it, and I'd just turn the swing off when she fell asleep so that she didn't become dependant on the motion for sleep.

                        Comment

                        • Cat Herder
                          Advanced Daycare.com Member
                          • Dec 2010
                          • 13744

                          #42
                          Originally posted by Josiegirl
                          Some days she falls asleep in the crib, and can resettle if she wakes up. Other days(most days!) if I'm lucky she'll sleep 30 minutes then wake up and have no idea of going back to sleep so I get her up, trying to avoid all the nappers waking up. I know I have to 'get over' feeling like I have to get her up but I don't want to face 5 extremely grumpy fighting overtired kids for the rest of the day either.

                          Any advice besides CIO because I'm not sure I can do that.
                          First, I may not be understanding exactly what you are asking.

                          At 4.5 months, here, there is no sleep schedule. If awake, infant is on mats with toys in his/her own center. If sleepy infant is placed in crib on back. If still awake after 20 minutes or clearly upset, infant is placed back on mats with toys in his/her center. Rinse/repeat (obviously meeting needs/care concerns throughout day for lurkers. :
                          - Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.

                          Comment

                          • Blackcat31
                            • Oct 2010
                            • 36124

                            #43
                            Originally posted by hwichlaz
                            I hate the no sleeping in a swim regulation. It's outdated and should be updated. It should specify no sleeping in a swing sitting up. Lots of swings have bassinett attachements now. My fisher price swing has a cradle position...that is identical to the fisher price cradle. I had my own kid sleep in it, and I'd just turn the swing off when she fell asleep so that she didn't become dependant on the motion for sleep.
                            Safe sleep rules say approved cribs and/or PNP's only.

                            NO cradles, no rock and plays, no bassinets.

                            Cribs MUST come with the manufacturers certificate of compliance too.

                            The swing thing probably isn't that huge of a deal for rule followers and those that are safety oriented but for those that aren't, swings are nothing more than death traps.

                            They provide an easy way to soothe baby and not really have to do anything. I can't believe the number of veteran providers that I personally know that will openly admit they allow infants to sleep in swings simply because that's the way they've always done it. Kind of like when you hear an older parent say "We didn't even have car seats and the kids are fine" line of thinking....

                            It's those providers that take the ability from everyone else to use common sense.

                            (None of that ^^^ was directed at you... I just happen to have had that convo with a veteran provider I am friends with just this morning when I asked how she was handling her all day crier baby)

                            Curious, I know California is pretty strict with some of their rules....does your licensing allow you to use your swing cradle as approved for safe sleep?

                            Comment

                            • Cat Herder
                              Advanced Daycare.com Member
                              • Dec 2010
                              • 13744

                              #44
                              Originally posted by hwichlaz
                              Lots of swings have bassinett attachements now.
                              They are not rated for sleep. For sleep the device must meet 16 CFR 1219 or 16 CFR 1220.

                              It isn't personal. It is liability and insurance law.
                              - Unless otherwise stated, all my posts are personal opinion and worth what you paid for them.

                              Comment

                              • Josiegirl
                                Daycare.com Member
                                • Jun 2013
                                • 10834

                                #45
                                Originally posted by Cat Herder
                                First, I may not be understanding exactly what you are asking.

                                At 4.5 months, here, there is no sleep schedule. If awake, infant is on mats with toys in his/her own center. If sleepy infant is placed in crib on back. If still awake after 20 minutes or clearly upset, infant is placed back on mats with toys in his/her center. Rinse/repeat (obviously meeting needs/care concerns throughout day for lurkers. :
                                LOL this baby is now 6 months old and won't fall asleep in the crib. I'll get her almost asleep, lay her down. Maybe she'll sleep 30-45 minutes. And I'm talking her p.m. nap. She will sleep 9-9:30 every a.m. so should clearly be tired by noon or so. I just found out dcps are transitioning her this week from a rock and play to a crib. Makes me furious because I specifically asked dcm weeks ago if she was falling asleep ok at night in a crib. Mom says oh yep, no problem! Of course then, I felt I was doing something wrong. Dcm kept saying she couldn't understand why she wasn't sleeping for me.

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