WIC Office

rainbwbby1 · May 2013

Lurker: I took a friend of mine to the WIC office today. While I was waiting, I read the posters on the wall. One of the posters said that cosleeeping increases SIDS by 40 times. It went on to liken cosleeping to child abuse and said that you should call the child abuse hotline to report these activities. Needless to say I was upset at reading this. My friend cosleeps with her 11 month old and I plan to cosleep with my baby.

notreallyirish · May 2013

I coslept with my son for 3 years and I think it is a great practice and safe if practiced under the right conditions. I read books and articles, prepared a safe environment in my bed, and I don't have any risk factors such as alcohol or drug use or obesity. Under those conditions it's a great thing. However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep. Even the most prominent advocates of cosleeping, like James McKenna, do not advise it under unsafe conditions among at-risk populations. The borderline scare tactic approach is unfortunate, but when the risks are there they ARE great.

Runaway22 · May 2013

The risks are great when done under unsafe circumstances, but to liken cosleeping/bedsharing to child abuse as a rule? That is taking it way too far. Are we going to start calling CPS on people who do BLW as a rule because some people might not be smart about it and give their kids things they might choke on?

Not cool, WIC Office. Advising against it is one thing, but calling it abuse is over the top and frankly, inaccurate.

rainbwbby1 · May 2013

joirish:
I coslept with my son for 3 years and I think it is a great practice and safe if practiced under the right conditions. I read books and articles, prepared a safe environment in my bed, and I don't have any risk factors such as alcohol or drug use or obesity. Under those conditions it's a great thing. However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep. Even the most prominent advocates of cosleeping, like James McKenna, do not advise it under unsafe conditions among at-risk populations. The borderline scare tactic approach is unfortunate, but when the risks are there they ARE great.

I guess I can understand that. It was mainly that fact that cosleeping was likened to child abuse. I know I live in the south where the majority of people think that cosleeping is wrong. But, I don't believe it to be, when done correctly.

kcisthebombdotcom · May 2013

rainbwbby1:
joirish:
I coslept with my son for 3 years and I think it is a great practice and safe if practiced under the right conditions. I read books and articles, prepared a safe environment in my bed, and I don't have any risk factors such as alcohol or drug use or obesity. Under those conditions it's a great thing. However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep. Even the most prominent advocates of cosleeping, like James McKenna, do not advise it under unsafe conditions among at-risk populations. The borderline scare tactic approach is unfortunate, but when the risks are there they ARE great.
I guess I can understand that. It was mainly that fact that cosleeping was likened to child abuse. I know I live in the south where the majority of people think that cosleeping is wrong. But, I don't believe it to be, when done correctly.

I would rather people not cosleep at all than do it the wrong way. I don't think this poster was wrong at all given the location. A poster stating the ways to do it right/don't cosleep if you meet these conditions would take up a whole lotta room.

jeapplegate · May 2013

Hi, Lurker here....Several babies die every year in my city due to unsafe sleep practices. The posters were very appropriately targeting a specific demographic. Since it is a life or death issue I whole heartedly agree with the abuse parallel to drive home the gravity and cast a wide net in identifiying these unsafe sleep familes. The population that is practicing safe co-sleep on the other hand I feel can very easily be distinguished and are in no danger of a custody threat is someone were to call child protective services.

Runaway22 · May 2013

jeapplegate:
Hi, Lurker here....Several babies die every year in my city due to unsafe sleep practices. The posters were very appropriately targeting a specific demographic. Since it is a life or death issue I whole heartedly agree with the abuse parallel to drive home the gravity and cast a wide net in identifiying these unsafe sleep familes. The population that is practicing safe co-sleep on the other hand I feel can very easily be distinguished and are in no danger of a custody threat is someone were to call child protective services.

As someone currently receiving state assistance (aka part of a "specific demographic") and as someone also practicing safe bed-sharing, I couldn't disagree more. A poster advising against bedsharing in the WIC office is understandable. Calling bedsharing child abuse under your "wide net" strategy is not only over the top but downright offensive and wrong.

It's a tragedy when babies die because of bad choices or lack of information on the parents' part. But I would hate to have CPS get involved in my relationship with my LO because some poster at the WIC office incorrectly labeled my sleeping arrangements as child abuse.

Merried_2008 · May 2013

I'd love to see a copy of this poster. I tried to do a quick google search but don't really know what I'm trying to find.

rainbwbby1 · May 2013

Merried_2008:
I'd love to see a copy of this poster. I tried to do a quick google search but don't really know what I'm trying to find.

I thought of taking a pic with my phone, but they had signs saying "NO CELLPHONES". I would hate to be targeted by someone just for cosleeping especially since I have researched and plan to do it safely.

carladillon · May 2013

"Under those conditions it's a great thing. However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep"

Um....what?!?

salt78 · May 2013

joirish:
However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep.

Oh. That's not judgey or offensive at all.

skibunny59 · May 2013

carladillon:
"Under those conditions it's a great thing. However, a large portion of the population they are dealing with at WIC likely does not meet those conditions and it is safer for them not to cosleep"

Um....what?!?

I don't get it. I don't understand what WIC has to do with not being able to safely cosleep.

eav2c · May 2013

My son and I have coslept for the last 8 months. He is in early intervention because he is epileptic and his therapist, who is childless, made a big point to let me know how awful and unsafe cosleeping is. If it weren't for cosleeping, I would have not been able to properly and quickly respond to my sons seizures. Honestly, I thinks its hysterical that that it is suggested that cosleeping is child abuse. Uh, no.

Runaway22 · May 2013

nowababy:
I think it's somewhat offensive to assume that just because someone is receiving WIC or other benefits, that they could not possibly comprehend a more nuanced explanation. Just because someone isn't currently educated on a topic doesn't mean they don't have the capacity to be educated. And the WIC office is the perfect place to provide that education. A poster like that is not helpful. It's especially wrong to liken it to abuse.

The more I think about it, the more I think the poster is out of line, even if it didn't call co-sleeping abuse.

The fact is, people are going to do it anyway. It would be better to educate them on how to do it safely than to tell them not to. People don't tend to heed absolutes like that.

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