Please Help Me Educate The Church Nusery

[familyschoolcare]

Long story short the nursery staff at my church is not up on why not to put a sleeping baby in the carseat. Even if that is what mom would do.

My explaining that it leads to death has not stopped the staff from placing sleeping baby in the carseat just today.

I would like to know if anyone has a resource that explains the dangers in "small" and easy to understand words. the childrens ministery team (the ones responsible for making nursery related policy) Which I am on meets in a few weeks. I was going to see about educating them in a more effective way then.

Please help

[sharlan]

Print out info on positional asphyxiation and give it to them.

Print out the story that Crystal has been posting about the baby in Sacramento that died while in a carseat.

[Lucy]

Just curious why it has to be in small, easy to understand words?

[Meyou]

Just curious why it has to be in small, easy to understand words?

She told them it can lead to death in infants and they didn't "get it". They seem like they need a simplistic but direct message to the dangers.

Good luck.

[Kaddidle Care]

Do they even have a crib or P&P to lay the baby down in?

Any safety matters should be brought up with your Pastor Parish Relations Team. They will call an emergency meeting if need be to enforce whatever rule is necessary.

I don't take care of infants so I wasn't aware of this hazard myself. Children fall asleep in car seats all the time.

Perhaps their thinking is that Church is only for an hour or so. :confused: Perhaps they feel that they can keep an eye on the child while sleeping in the car seat for a short time.

(Personally if an infant is that small it probably should be in Church with his/her Mama. Especially if he/she is asleep.)

[nannyde]

http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/common/pdf/sleep_positioning.pdf

Reviews of infant deaths in passenger restraint devices, however, show that the majority of infant deaths in car seats are not occurring when the infant is being transported in a vehicle, but rather when the infant is being cared for indoors.

[MarinaVanessa]

I'm in CA and we have licensing regulations that prohibit us from having sleeping babies in carseats or swings. Do you have these regulations? It might be worth looking into because chances are that if you have these regulations then they will apply to church nurseries as well.

If worse comes to worse and they resist even if you tell them that it's against regulations you can say "Listen, I appreciate everything that you all do here however I am trying to help you and you seem resistant. You weren't aware of the regulations and I understand that but now that you know I have to tell you that as a mandated reporter I am being put into a bad spot here. It just isn't safe for infants to sleep that way and if you continue to sleep an infant this way I will have no choice but to report it."

Don't forget that the liability now extends onto you now because anyone working with children is considered a mandated reporter. If you don't report and something happens they get shut-down and you can find yourself in trouble for not reporting. I'd check with licensing to ask if there are any regulations about this and whether they apply to the church nursery.

I would print out as many different safety sheets as you can including regulations and show these to the ministry team at the meeting.

Here ara few things that I found:

Newborn and Infant Safety
http://www.sleepingbaby.net/infantsafety.pdf

Infant Sleep Positioning (Iowa)
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/com...ositioning.pdf

Family Resource Connection
http://www.newhorizonacademy.net/dow...eat_Safety.pdf

Safe Kids USA - Baby Safety Basics
http://www.safekids.org/assets/docs/...sics-guide.pdf

Safe Infant Sleeping Practices in Childcare (North Dakota)
http://www.ndhealth.gov/injury/Train...fe%20Sleep.pdf

ABC News Don't Let Babies Lie - In Care Seats
http://health.utah.gov/licensing/Inf...gBabiesLie.pdf

[Unregistered]

If the parents had them in the church, they'd be sitting in the seat too.

[familyschoolcare]

Just curious why it has to be in small, easy to understand words?

Because what I have done so far is not working

[familyschoolcare]

If the parents had them in the church, they'd be sitting in the seat too.

Yes, and the child/baby could still die.

[familyschoolcare]

I'm in CA and we have licensing regulations that prohibit us from having sleeping babies in carseats or swings. Do you have these regulations? It might be worth looking into because chances are that if you have these regulations then they will apply to church nurseries as well.

If worse comes to worse and they resist even if you tell them that it's against regulations you can say "Listen, I appreciate everything that you all do here however I am trying to help you and you seem resistant. You weren't aware of the regulations and I understand that but now that you know I have to tell you that as a mandated reporter I am being put into a bad spot here. It just isn't safe for infants to sleep that way and if you continue to sleep an infant this way I will have no choice but to report it."

Don't forget that the liability now extends onto you now because anyone working with children is considered a mandated reporter. If you don't report and something happens they get shut-down and you can find yourself in trouble for not reporting. I'd check with licensing to ask if there are any regulations about this and whether they apply to the church nursery.

I would print out as many different safety sheets as you can including regulations and show these to the ministry team at the meeting.

Here ara few things that I found:

Newborn and Infant Safety
http://www.sleepingbaby.net/infantsafety.pdf

Infant Sleep Positioning (Iowa)
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/com...ositioning.pdf

Family Resource Connection
http://www.newhorizonacademy.net/dow...eat_Safety.pdf

Safe Kids USA - Baby Safety Basics
http://www.safekids.org/assets/docs/...sics-guide.pdf

Safe Infant Sleeping Practices in Childcare (North Dakota)
http://www.ndhealth.gov/injury/Train...fe%20Sleep.pdf

ABC News Don't Let Babies Lie - In Care Seats
http://health.utah.gov/licensing/Inf...gBabiesLie.pdf

Thank you that is helpfull, I am in cal. also. I did not know for sure what the regs say about infants as I do not have any. The church is small enougph that we do not have to follow lic rules. However, I know that the two paid emplyees that head up childrens ministry whant to follow as much of them as resonable.

[MarinaVanessa]

If the parents had them in the church, they'd be sitting in the seat too.

The "golden rule" for infants in carseats and carriers (for parents, childcare providers aren't allowed to leave them in these) is that "Infants should always be visible and kissable in a carrier". If a parent had the infant in a car seat or carrier at church then the infant would be both visible and within "kissing" distance in case of problems. If the infant were left in a carrier or car seat at the church nursery I doubt they would have someone sit directly next to infant to watch over him/her only for the duration of his/her stay.

[Crystal]

Thank you that is helpfull, I am in cal. also. I did not know for sure what the regs say about infants as I do not have any. The church is small enougph that we do not have to follow lic rules. However, I know that the two paid emplyees that head up childrens ministry whant to follow as much of them as resonable.

If there is payment for services, then they are required to be licensed. Do they receive payment?

[familyschoolcare]

Do they even have a crib or P&P to lay the baby down in?

Any safety matters should be brought up with your Pastor Parish Relations Team. They will call an emergency meeting if need be to enforce whatever rule is necessary.

I don't take care of infants so I wasn't aware of this hazard myself. Children fall asleep in car seats all the time.

Perhaps their thinking is that Church is only for an hour or so. :confused: Perhaps they feel that they can keep an eye on the child while sleeping in the car seat for a short time.

(Personally if an infant is that small it probably should be in Church with his/her Mama. Especially if he/she is asleep.)

They have all the necessary equipment.

The church is too small to have a Pastor Parish Relations Team. The first officail place to take it up is with the children ministry team.

I agree that an infant that young this one is 10 months should stay in church with mom. However, mom (or rather grandma) thinkins that during the sermon the pastor should be the only one making noise.

Thanks you for all the iinsight as to what "they" might be thinking.

[DBug]

Having worked on staff in Children's Ministries at a church, I would suggest that you appeal to the lead pastor on the basis of insurance liability concerns. If you bring it to his or her attention, along with the point that the church's insurance policy may not cover the church if a parent sues in the case of a death resulting from something like this, he or she will very likely be convinced, and that will funnel down to the Dir. of CM which will then make it to the volunteers. Yes, it is sad, but mentioning the potential cost in $$ and in potential negative press tends to work wonders.