You may be surprised to find its more common than you think for daycares and childcare facilities to use products that have been recalled. It doesn’t mean the daycare doesn’t care about the children or that they are intentionally using unsafe products. For some, it may mean they never received notice about the products or a formal recall was never issued. In some instances, it may be recommended not to use specific products, but they haven’t been recalled.
Infant Sleepers
A prime example of this situation is with the recently recalled inclined infant sleepers. When the situation first became public, many parents and daycare workers assumed the infant deaths were caused by improper use of the sleepers. Even after it was revealed that the positioning was responsible for some of the deaths, many people never received the information.
The way it works now is that parents and daycare centers must check online or read information about safety issues for infant products. If they don’t know about the issues, they won’t know to remove those products from use.
What Parents Can Do
It’s concerning for parents of young children to worry that their trusted daycare may be using unsafe products with the children. It’s nearly impossible for any parent to go around and check every item in a center for peace of mind.
What parents can do is ask the daycare person they meet with when touring a center what process they use to know about recalled or dangerous products. Find out if they accept donated toys or other items or if they purchase everything new. Perhaps they check websites that provide information on recalled products. If they fill out the registration form on large products, they would receive notice of any recalls on those products.
Parents can also spread the word when they hear about a recall. They can tell their daycare teacher and other parents to ensure everyone is aware of the dangers associated with the product. While this won’t guarantee that every daycare room is completely safe, it will help those who are in charge to know about the risks associated with dangerous products.
Statistics show that 1 in 10 daycare centers still use the inclined infant sleepers even though the entire product category has been deemed to be unsafe. That number is alarming for parents who may wonder if their daycare is the one in ten. But being aware of this issue will help more of them speak up to their daycare teachers and warn others of potential dangers for infant and toddler products. If you’re concerned about any products your daycare may be using, don’t hesitate to say something.
