No Bouncy Chairs
April 23rd 2012
In California, the Department of Social Sevices (AKA Child Care Licensing) has mandated rules for Home Daycare's and Child Care Center's, prohibiting the use of baby swings, walkers, bouncy chairs, exersaucers, and children can not be placed in a crib or pack-n-plack if awake. I was floored when I heard this. Baby swings and maybe walkers we understand because with great effort and even less supervision they can possibly be tipped over, but banning the other ones is absurd. This essentially means we can either hold the infants or put them on the floor, or in the words the licensing agent, "we can place them in car seats" - car seats!? I imediately wrote a letter to the California Senator in hopes of reversing such rules. I was told to contact Senator Mark Wyland at (916) 651-4038 (phone), (916) 446-7382 (fax), senator.wyland@sen.ca.gov (email). His website is http://senate.ca.gov. The following is the letter I sent to his office. If you contest as well please do the same.
San Diego Social Services who license child care facilities have been given a rule to enforce that makes no sense and is completely impractical. I would like to put my two cents in, in hopes of getting the rules changed or eliminated. The misguided rule is no exersaucers or bouncy chairs in daycares. I was told this rule was put in place because kids could be put in them all day. That's ridiculous. I can think of another 100 places kids could be put all day. This is operator error and not the fault of the "bouncy chair". A rule that hinders the good-work of many only to prevent the misguided-work of a few is wrong.
Bouncy chairs and exersaucers serve a real purpose in a child care setting where you have a large mix of different age children. (1) Holding 4 infants is not a reality for one care giver with only two arms. (2) Each device in question keeps them off the floor. The floor is a dangerous place for an infant when there are older kids running around all day. Placing them in cribs is not a realistic option either - that is if we wish to keep clients. (3) Floors spread disease. (4) Infants begin to eat soft food at 4 months or so. At this age they cannot sit in a high chair. Reclining bouncy chairs are the perfect transitional option. (5) Colic infants are significantly soothed by the motion of a bouncy chair. (6) Exersaucers are perfect transitional tool and extremely stimulating to an infant that can't yet crawl and go along way to keeping them happy. Happy babies make for a more pleasurable daycare experience for all involved. (7) By banning these devices you are essentially preventing infants from going outside. Placing 4 infants on the grass is not a realistic option when you have 8 rambunctious toddlers running around them. (8) Placing an infant in these devices lets them feel like part of the group. Seeing at eye level. Being part of the story time and etc. This works to greatly appease their sensitive emotions. Whereas being on the distant floor makes them feel separated and vulnerable. Which they are in said position. Floor play plays an important part in an infant’s day. But should not play the predominant role. By banning said devices you are encouraging this position is the predominant position of an infant’s day. (9) Child care facilities with many children and less caregivers need the ability to be flexible and to cater to any all situations that are demanded of it. The infant exersaucer and infant bouncy chair are an indispensable tool in the often unpredictable day of a child are provider. Therefore the rule should be reevaluated immediately to help ensure the smooth working order of all daycares and preschools alike. « Back to Blog
