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Unregistered 03:05 PM 02-03-2017
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:
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/about/...tummytime.aspx

#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 SUCK. 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!
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