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Keep Baby Safe at Daycare

By Andrea Alegria |
2008-07-30
| Vista Magazine

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Back to school (FOTO: ImpreMedia)

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BACK TO SCHOOL

Keep Baby Safe at Daycare

By Andrea Alegria

Parents all know that gut wrenching feeling that lingers long after dropping their baby off at a childcare facility for the first time. It’s the million questions and worries wrapped in a tight bundle at the pit of the stomach, summed up as one major concern: Will my child be kept safe and secure, happy and healthy in this place?

Here are a few things parents should keep in mind when it comes to safety.

1. Does the childcare facility have a license?
Get the history of the facility, and look into any and all past complaints, says Shirley Washington, spokesperson for the California Department of Social Services, the entity responsible for regulating and licensing all childcare facilities in the state. Parents should be able to go to the provider’s licensing office and review their licensing file, which includes important information like criminal records clearances for all staff. Licensing reports and substantiated complaint reports should be available for public review.

2. Is the place clean?
“Take a good look around and be very vigilant- this is your precious cargo you’re going to be leaving,” says Washington. Talk to the provider and ask a lot of questions. Feel free to drop in unannounced and look around at the overall environment of the place. Make sure there are no bottles of Clorox or cleaning supplies accessible to children, for example. Look outside - if there is a pool, make sure it’s fenced or covered. Look to see that baby gates are blocking stairs if necessary. Is the facility well ventilated and at a comfortable temperature? Ask if toys are sanitized on a regular basis. Make sure napping equipment, such as blankets and sheets, as well as children’s clothing and personal belongings are stored individually. Is there drinking water available?

3. How many teachers or helpers are there?
Child Care Aware, a program of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), advises parents to look out for adult to child ratios and group sizes as key indicators of quality and safety. Parents should ask how many children there are for each adult. The fewer the children for each adult, the better for your child and the more attention he/she will get. The younger your child, the more important this is. Babies need an adult to child ratio of no more than one adult for four infants, while four-year-olds can do well with a ratio of one adult for ten children. Make sure children are never left without the supervision of a teacher. Similarly, the smaller the group size the better for your child as it provides a calmer and safer environment.

4. What happens when my child is sick or becomes ill?
Ask about the Child Care’s policy regarding sick kids. Different centers have varying policies. When will a child be sent home? Will sick kids be isolated to protect healthy kids? Make sure parents are immediately notified of illness or injury more serious than minor cuts and scratches.

5. How safe is the play area?
Check the playground area. According to Scott Burton, president of Safety Play, Inc., and a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI), surfacing (material such as mulch, chopped rubber tires, rubber tiles etc.) is required on all playgrounds so it can absorb the impact when a child falls off of the equipment. Grass is not enough to protect your kids from injury or death. Burton says, ideally, a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) should audit each playground in order to identify all of the inherent hazards. Parents should ask to see a copy of a Certificate of Compliance from a third party CPSI. Additionally, tot swings should be no higher than eight feet; there should be no swings attached to gym sets; no hard or heavy swing seats; no sharp edges on equipment; no equipment is in disrepair; playground area is clean and well maintained; no equipment is located next to fencing; slides have a slow down curve at the end.

6. How safe are the equipment and furniture?
“Cribs are still the leading cause of nursery product related deaths in the country,” says Nychelle Fleming, spokesperson for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which conducted a study of over 200 Child Care providers nationwide and identified safety hazards. “Parents should make sure all products meet safety standards,” she emphasized. For example, if a soda can fits through the railings of a crib, the crib does not meet current safety standards, she said. Also, parents should look out for window covering cords (for miniblinds, Venetian blinds, and curtains) and make sure they do not have looped cords or chains that may cause strangulation. Check that vertical blinds, continuous looped blinds, and drapery cords have tension or tie-down devices to hold the cords tight. Also look out for recalled products. “Parents should check that no recalled products are used in their home or Child Care center. They should sign up to receive direct e-mail notifications on all recalled products at our web site: www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp,” says Fleming.

Getting There
Even before parents drop their kids off at a Child Care or Day Care center, they should be considering one of the most basic safety precautions: car safety seats.

“Car crashes are the greatest threat to a child’s ability to grow up,” says Lorrie Walker, training monitor and technical advisor for Safe Kids Buckle Up, a program of Safe Kids World Wide. “Car crashes are the most prevalent killers of children ages 3-14 in the USA so parents should always be diligent about using the right car safety seat, and make sure their kids are always safe while ridding in any vehicle, not just their car.”

Walker says a rear-facing car seat should be used from birth to at least age 1 and 20 lbs, and used in the back seat every time the baby rides in a car. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. A rear-facing car seat can be used longer if the seat has higher weight and height limits. If your child is older than age 1 and more than 20 pounds use a forward-facing car seat correctly in a back seat every time your toddler rides in a car. Use the right car seat with a harness for your toddler’s weight and height.

Many children will outgrow the harness of a forward-facing car seat at age 4 or 5. The next step for safety isn’t the adult seat belt. It’s a booster seat.

Many parents are surprised to learn that safety belts generally do NOT fit children until they are between 8 and 12 years of age. Children who need a booster seat but are only using an adult safety belt are at a much higher risk for serious injury in the event of a crash, says Walker.

“If you have a booster seat and don’t use it and then your child is injured in a car crash, how do parents sleep at night knowing they could have prevented this? We want parents to do things right from the beginning, ” she says.

In order to be sure that your child is ready for a safety belt, Safe Kids developed the Safety Belt Fit Test. Parents should test all children under 13 to be sure they are big enough to safely wear the adult safety belt without a booster seat.

Safety Belt Fit Test:
a. Have the child sit all the way back on the vehicle seat. Check to see if the knees bend at the seat edge. If they bend naturally, move on to the next step. If they do not, return to the booster seat.
b. Buckle the lap and shoulder belts. Be sure the lap belt lies on the upper legs or hips. If it stays on the upper legs or thighs, move on to the next step. If it does not, return to the booster seat.
c. Be sure the shoulder belt lies on the shoulder or collarbone. If it lies on the shoulder, move on to the next step. If it is on the face or neck, return to the booster seat. DO NOT place the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the child’s back!
d. Be sure your child can maintain that correct seating position for as long as you are in the car. If your child begins to slouch or shift positions so the safety belt contacts the face, neck or stomach, return your child to the booster seat until all the test steps can be met.
Parents can check for locations in their area where they can take their car seats for safety check ups by visiting the web site www.usa.safekids.org.

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