After Her Baby Dies Due To A Simple Daycare Decision, This Mom Will Forever Be Haunted

Aug 29, 2018 by apost team

A mom is speaking out about the death of her daughter -- a death that was preventable.

Lisa Smith has a beautiful family. She, her husband, and her two baby boys seem to make up a traditional family unit. But this family has suffered a tragedy. Before Lisa had her sons, she was the mother to a daughter. Mia was 17 months old when she died at daycare in 2015. Even though it's been years since her death, her mother has been outspoken in her effort to remind people that the tragedy was preventable.

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The daycare provider didn't wake her up or have the little girl sleep in another place. Letting Mia nap caused the little girl's death. Lisa says she received the call when she was at work, telling her that Mia didn't wake after her nap.

Lisa says neither she nor her husband knew that Mia slept in her car seat. Their assumption was that the baby slept in a crib. When she died, there was an empty crib just feet away from her that the daycare staff could have used instead.

Just a few weeks before Mia died, she transitioned from an infant car seat to a larger car seat for toddlers. The seat remained in the vehicle.

When the daycare provider put Mia in a car seat, they used one that belonged to them. The parents weren't told about the practice and had not supplied a seat that fit Mia's size. They didn't give permission for the practice to happen. Lisa says that she even knew about the danger of children sleeping in car seats, so she and her husband were very careful to take Mia out of the seat when she slept.

When a baby sits upright, it's possible for their airway to become restricted. They then suffocate. This horrifying tragedy can happen to babies in bouncers and car seats because most babies aren't strong enough to hold up their necks. Their chins might be pressed against their necks while they sleep, which cuts off air. In other cases, the strap of the car seat blocks the airway.

This all-too-common incident is called a silent killer. Babies can die while they sleep, giving no sounds that alert their caretakers to their distress. Of all the infant deaths that happened between 2004 and 2008, an awful 48% of car seat-related deaths were due to positional asphyxia. Even more terrible, 75% of swing-related deaths were caused by the condition.

Lisa didn't know Mia slept in a car seat until she was told by police. She believes there are too many parents and caregivers who aren't aware of the dangers of a car seat nap. That's why she's speaking out.

This story is absolutely heartbreaking. Lisa is brave to do the important work of sharing the dangers. What do you think?