Latest news with #babysafety
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sydney childcare centre under investigation for taping toddlers' mouths shut
A Sydney childcare centre is under investigation after disturbing photos emerged showing toddlers with their mouths taped shut as part of a 'breathing exercise.' Heritage House in Wahroonga, on Sydney's north shore, faced compliance action in January 2024 after a parent discovered the photos in the centre's app. The mother was given access to the app, which provides updates on the children throughout the day, when she was considering enrolling her child at the centre. She was horrified when she stumbled upon a series of photos from the centre's 'baby yoga session,' which showed the toddlers with masking tape over their mouths. 'My toddlers started with 30 seconds tape mouth, look at them now. It is amazing, amazing,' an educator wrote alongside the photos, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The educator described the yoga session as a 'unique lesson,' explaining that mouth taping taught the children to focus on nasal breathing. 'The children gathered for a unique lesson combining breathwork, gentle yoga, and the tape-mouth technique,' they wrote. 'Guided to focus on nasal breathing, they playfully mimicked animals in yoga poses, learning to breathe deeply and calmly through their noses, fostering early mindfulness.' The mother, who works in the child protection sector, immediately submitted a complaint to centre and withdrew her son before he even started. Heritage House claimed the activity would never be repeated after it faced compliance action. The childcare centre explained the baby yoga session initially received 'positive feedback' from parents through the internal portal. led by an educator, who was also a qualified yoga instructor, the centre said the breathing exercise was a 'well-intentioned activity'. 'It is well known that yoga is a popular and well-supported activity in early childhood education, and our educator is a much-loved member by many past and present children and their families,' Heritage House said in a statement. The centre explained it decided to self-report the matter to the Department of Education for consideration after it became aware of the mother's concern. 'We accept that the department issued a warning, and as a result we took steps to ensure that the activity was not repeated,' the centre said. 'We take our duty of care seriously and are proud of the care, trust and reputation we've built over many years with our families and communities.' The trend of 'mouth taping' has gained in popularity over the last couple of years, with many social media users claiming the practice improves facial structure by promoting nose breathing. However, recent published studies suggest the trend provides little benefit and could potentially cause serious asphyxiation risks. A spokesperson for the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority confirmed no children were hurt during the activity. The spokesperson condemned the centre's actions and labelled the mouth-taping exercise as an 'inappropriate activity', claiming it should not take place at an early learning centre. The regulator investigated the matter, following a report from the mum, and issued a compliance action to Heritage House. The childcare industry has come under intense scrutiny after Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged with over 70 child abuse offences. His offences included the sexual penetration of a child and producing child abuse material. It is not suggested that Brown has ever worked at Heritage House.
CNET
12-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Prime Day Last-Minute Deal: Carry Your Baby Two Ways With This Hexa Carrier at 30% Off
As virtually any parent can tell you, carrying a small child all day kind of sucks. It puts a bunch of strain on your torso, shoulders and back, and kids never get smaller; they only get bigger. Save yourself some back and shoulder pain by investing in a baby carrier. These lovely little devices let you carry your child while distributing their weight, reducing strain for you. One such carrier, the Bc Babycare Hexa, is on sale for 30% off for Amazon Prime Day, but act fast. Prime Day ends today. It's a pretty solid deal for a higher-end baby carrier. We checked around and there are a ton of them on sale, many for under $50. However, most of those are your basic baby carriers with the normal amount of padding and customization. There isn't anything wrong with those, but if you've tried cheaper ones that didn't work, a more expensive one like the Hexa may be for you. It's on sale for $112, down from $160. That's a savings of roughly $50, which is pretty good for a baby carrier. So, the question is, what does this baby carrier do that's different or better than the $50 ones you can find all day on Amazon, even not during Prime Day? The biggest difference that we noticed is the two modes in which the carrier can be configured. The first is your standard baby carrier, where you plop the baby in and it holds them to your chest. In the other mode, the platform folds flat, letting you situate the baby facing you, facing outward, or even on its back. This "hip seat" configuration can also be done without the shoulder straps, using the waist straps to support all the weight. The carrier also features wide, padded straps with mesh material to help it breathe better. Bc Babycare In addition, the Hexa boasts extra width on all of the straps and extra padding almost everywhere. This helps distribute the baby's weight a little better, reducing the strain on your shoulders and back. I own a 10-pound bass guitar, and I can tell you that my 3-inch padded bass strap feels way better than my 2-inch unpadded bass strap. The same logic is applicable here as well. The wider, more padded straps really do help, especially during long excursions. Before I forget, these things also have a little fanny pack under the baby seat. That's always nice to have. Bc Babycare Hexa: $112 (Original price: $160) Speaking of weight, the Babycare Hexa boasts support for babies between 13.2 and 33 pounds. Babies typically reach 15 pounds around four to six months and 30 pounds around the 18-month to two-year mark. So, you'll get a little longer than a year and a half of usage before your baby grows out of it, longer if they're a slow grower. Based on our observations, 33 pounds is about average for the baby carrier segment, with some going up to 45 pounds and others being limited to 25 pounds. Looking for some final Prime Day deals? Sign up for CNET Deals texts. It's free, it's easy, and we'll do the work for you. If this isn't floating your boat, we get it. Over $100 for something you'll only use for a couple of years is a hard pill to swallow. If you want to shop around for your baby, we recommend checking out this list of excellent baby products, many of which are on sale for this Amazon Prime Day. The list includes strollers, bassinets, zip-off crib sheets, and even car seats. You should definitely click that link if you're about to be a first-time parent, if only to give you an idea of the things you'll need. Why this deal matters I have a niece and a nephew, and I've had the honor and privilege of toting them around all day on zoo trips, hikes, and waterpark days. So, I can appreciate what the Hexa brings to the table here. The thicker, more breathable padding, the option to switch to a hip seat, and all of that would've been wonderful to have. At its usual $160 list price, it's not cheap. However, at $112, it feels a lot more reasonable to me, especially if you plan on keeping it and having more kids down the line.
