This is the one reason I won't let parents drop off a sleeping kid at daycare

It's a lot more sinister and common than you might think. 

A childcare worker has revealed the distressing experience that made her daycare change its policies about accepting sleeping children at drop-off. 

Initially, the woman assumed that her employer's policy was merely to maintain a consistent sleep schedule for the kids.

However, the truth behind it is far more sinister.

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Image: IStock

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The policy is to prevent child abuse and protect kids

The anonymous poster took to a popular forum to explain how she learnt that some abusive parents would harm and then drug their kids before dropping them off at daycare. They would then try and frame the daycare for their injuries. 

She then shared the shocking anecdote that left other forum members totally stunned. 

"I worked at a daycare and was told to never accept babies sleeping in car seats or sleeping children at all. So if a mum or dad brought a kid asleep, I immediately woke them up and pulled them out of their car seat," she began. 

"This made so many parents displeased with me but it’s policy.

"I used to think it was to help the kid be on a schedule then one day a grandma brought a baby asleep and he was not waking up at all, he would just raise his head, whimper and go back to sleep. Immediately my boss called 000 and the grandma was trying to downplay [it]. 'He had a rough night, he’s just tired'."

The sleeping baby was out of character 

Having cared for the baby previously, the daycare worker knew that he wouldn't sleep if he felt he was missing out on any activities. 

"We had music playing and kids loudly singing and dancing. In the chaos, grandma slipped out and at some point and someone called the parents," she recalled.

"Turns out granny had a history of giving kids stuff to knock them out when she babysat but this time she did it to a six-month-old and that’s why he wouldn’t wake up. I think they pumped the kid’s stomach and he had a stay at the hospital. Legal actions were taken and the family moved away."

The OP then clarified that the vigilant policy was put in place because her boss knew that abusers have been known to do things like this all the time, even with babysitters.

"They’d break the kid’s arm, dose them, dump them with the sitter who lets the baby asleep all morning then because the kid was with the sitter all day, it’s easy to blame them for the baby’s injury. Or worse, the baby died and they do this to blame the sitter," she said."

"I never knew this or would have expected it"

Parents were horrified by the account and other daycare workers vowed to take similar measures to ensure the safety of kids in their care. 

"Holy crap...I never knew this nor would I have expected something like this. Scary," one comment read. 

"I volunteer in my church nursery and we accept sleeping babies, I’ll have to talk to our director about this," wrote another commenter.

"Wow, so sad but good to know," said another. Then someone else shared that a sleeping baby may also be hiding shaken baby syndrome.

Then another parent said: "My daycare does this. It annoyed me when she was still an infant because I know I don't abuse my child, but I get it."

"WOW! This is something that has happened more than ONCE in human history?!! WTF!?! People are vile things!" remarked a different user. 

"The thought alone breaks my soul," expressed someone else. 

Originally published as This is the one reason I won't let parents drop off a sleeping kid at daycare