Baby Sling Warning from CPSC

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning that caregivers should be cautious if using sling type carriers for infants younger than four months. This warning is due to at least 14 deaths in recent years that were deemed to be caused by the slings.

CPSC says,

Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

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Chill Out: Helping Young Children Calm Themselves

Often during the winter months tempers start to flare. It’s best to take the children outside to “run off steam,” even in chilly weather, but inclement weather sometimes forces everyone to stay inside.

An excellent book that can really help is Preschool Classroom Management: 150 Teacher-Tested Techniques by Laverne Warner. It provides suggestions to prevent behavior problems before they happen, and it gives solutions to help the children learn to control their own emotions, allowing them to make positive decisions and to learn effectively.

Warner cites these techniques to help children calm themselves when they are about to erupt into tantrum-like behavior:

Calm the child by talking to him/her in a soothing manner and by holding him/her close, if necessary.

Take deep breaths with the child. Say to him/her, “You seem to be stressed. Let’s close our eyes and take deep breaths together.” (This helps the teacher relax also, which will help you be able handle the situation in a more positive way!)

Take the child by the hand, and walk away from the stressful situation. Say, “When I feel stressed, I walk around for a few minutes. That usually calms me down.”

Teach the child a soothing song to hum or sing to himself when he feels mad.

Introduce group activities that will help all children to eliminate stress, such as lying on the floor and breathing deeply, closing eyes, and using a calming visual imagery, such as flowers, puppies, or swings. This technique is very successful in teaching the child to have a plan for when they are stressed or angry.

Have a rocking chair in the classroom that children can use when they feel stressed. This could be a small child’s rocking chair in an area that can be a private place away from the high traffic areas of the room.

Ensure that children are adequately fed and that they don’t get thirsty. Meeting their physical needs eases stress.

Follow the usual classroom routine. Stress often occurs when children are not following their normal habits and schedules.

Puppets can be used to have a calming effect on children. The puppet can talk to the child softly and explain that it understands that the child is angry. The child and the puppet can “talk to each other” about what to do.

Remember that some of the stressful events in the children’s life are beyond the control of the teacher. Be sure to talk to parents about helping children avoid stress. The suggestions above may be helpful to the parents as well.

Source:
Warner, Laverne. (2004) Preschool Class room Management: 150 Teacher Tested Techniques. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.

Written by Pam Raffurty, Director