Would You Leave Your Baby Alone in a Hospital Room?

[Cafe MichelleP]

Hospital Worker Tapes Pacifier to 4-Month-Old's Mouth

Posted by Jeanne Sager

We've all had those wicked little thoughts of things we'd love to do to our kids but never really would. You know: donating the wild toddler to the zoo, taping that pacifier to the baby's mouth so they will stop throwing it! Well, you'd hope no one would do that, but it seems someone thought it was a good idea to tape a binky to a baby.

Where it happened is almost as disturbing as what went down. The 4-month-old was -- get this -- at a hospital!

Before I go any further, if you're anything like me, I know your heart is in your mouth because you're worried about the baby. Good news. He's fine! He suffered no ill effects from having a pacifier stuck to his face.

That's no thanks, of course, to the imbecile who did this to him at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust in the UK. It's considered such a serious offense that the cops have been called in to investigate. Which leads me to wonder how they ended up in the medical field in the first place?

Ask any mom, and she'll tell you she won't leave her baby with just "anyone." You don't hand your baby to grocery store clerk or the waitress so you can make a run to the bathroom. But most of us will leave our kids alone in a hospital room for a short bit of time (enough to grab a cup of coffee or a quick shower) without thinking twice.

Of all the people we would expect our babies to be safe with it, it's medical professionals, the people who aren't just trained in proper care of kids but also tend to have heard a "calling" to help people.

But then stories like this pop up, and we're right back to trusting no one with our kids. Because it's one thing for someone to think jokingly that it would be so much easier to do something like tape a baby's pacifier in place. It's another thing entirely to actually do it.

Would you leave your baby alone in a hospital room?

Does this story make you more or less likely?

[meam4444]

 WOW!!  No, I wouldn't leave my child alone.  We've been in the hospital before, and my husband and I (along with other family members) make it work out that no child is left alone.  Now with that said, sometimes parents have no choice. 

[Melissa_anne]

I have left my daughter at the hospital to run out and get some food for her and i since the cafeteria was closed and the dr told me that he wouldn't put an IV in if she ate and kept it down.  but other than that, nope i dont leave her alone

[Sewsofun]

Thankfully ove never been in a situation where my child was in the hospital aside from birth but I can't imagine leaving an infant alone in a hospital. Older children sure only for a little while though.

[Ferrari]

I have left my daughter alone in her hospital room. She was sleeping. I didn't go without asking a nurse to keep an eye on her. My husband was home taking care of the other 2.
I'd think twice after reading this story.

[emilyelephant]

I never left her in a hospital room, but the only times we've been were when she was born and then 8 days old.  Luckily my boyfriend didn't have to work, so we were both there and could take turns leaving, although I never did anyway, but he brought food and coffee.

[Rachel0610]

I have never left any of my children alone anywhere you never know what could happen if you do something like this

[king04]

Amillianna is inpatient a lot and I never leave her side, it is always me or my husband no one else. For reasons like this, there is just some horrible people out there and you never know what they are capable of doing.