license to breed

Reno1978, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2006

Here's another: Please place your shoes, keys, belt, any other metal objects, and your infant children in the plastic bins as you pass through the airport security checkpoint. :uhoh3:

medsurgnurse, RN · Dec 21, 2006

Here's another: Please place your shoes, keys, belt, any other metal objects, and your infant children in the plastic bins as you pass through the airport security checkpoint.

Yeah, I saw that news article also. Even with the language barrier, why would you out an infant on a conveyer belt where people are placing objects.

Trauma Columnist · Dec 21, 2006

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

tvccrn, ASN, RN · Dec 21, 2006

Irregardless of which pet did this, I have some questions.

What was the baby doing on the floor in a car seat all night?

Why weren't those animals being fed?

If the Mom knew the ferret was out, why did she leave the baby basically unattended?

I have had dogs and I now have ferrets. I know ferrets wouldn't gnaw on anything if it's being cared for properly. They might nip or bite, but not chew on something.

I feel there is so much more to this case than just child neglect, there is animal neglect as well.

tvccrn

tddowney · Dec 21, 2006

When I heard about this, and the age of the dog--very young--that apparently did the chewing, I wondered if the puppy reacted to what seems to me to be a similarity in appearence between the baby's toes and the teats of the dog's mother.

Pure speculation on my part, I know.

At any rate, it is the parents who bear ultimate responsibility.

There are plenty of people out there who should be spayed or neutered, depending on plumbing configuration, at puberty. Too bad there isn't a reliable way to know in advance which ones will be the irresponsible parents.

bopps · Dec 21, 2006

Okay this story didn't make it to the news, but I experienced it first hand. One day a frequent flier mom comes into the ER with her infant (aprox six months old) son concerned because she came home from work to find that he had strange bruises on his head. Great the baby was alert and oriented but had a rather large bruise on his forehead. Fast forward PD and CPS are called. Baby is fine, but there is a lot of paper work to fill out.While mom is waiting, baby gets hungry so she decides to feed him corn chips!! Yup baby gags on chips, she comes running to me. Thankfully by the time she practically threw him into my arms baby spit chunks of corn chip up(the kid has no teeth). Meanwhile I lose my cool and give her a rather harsh lecture not feeding her baby foods he could choke on. Wait the story gets better. A few weeks later the same mom and baby come in to the ER. This time the infants CC was fever, and thankfully there were no bruises. While she is waitng for her infant to be seen baby gets hungry and she starts to feed him yup you guessed it, corn chips. This time baby really choked she panics and again I happen to be walking by her room. She throws a baby at me that is completely silent, mouth is wind open no airmovement. I yell for help and flip that precious baby over my arm and whack him five times on the back. Help came, but thankfully the chip became dislodged with the fifth solid whack. I was so angry at that mother. I was shaking as I lectured her a second time regarding proper foods to feed her child. Duh! :uhoh3:

MissJoRN, RN · Dec 21, 2006

We once had the same toddler present to the ER twice in the same day for two different accidental ingestions of different medications. Assuming the story was true... how dumb are those parents? What's a kid doing playing in the bathroom unsupervised at 10:30 PM, especially after one scare?

Gotta love paernts who think car seats are "contained child supervision devices"

medsurgnurse, RN · Dec 23, 2006

An update on this the story of the baby whose toes were chewed off.

Parents face jail after baby's toes eaten - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com

If they couldn't afford a crib, how could they afford a pit bull puppy.

TrudyRN · Dec 23, 2006

Okay this story didn't make it to the news, but I experienced it first hand. One day a frequent flier mom comes into the ER with her infant (aprox six months old) son concerned because she came home from work to find that he had strange bruises on his head. Great the baby was alert and oriented but had a rather large bruise on his forehead. Fast forward PD and CPS are called. Baby is fine, but there is a lot of paper work to fill out.While mom is waiting, baby gets hungry so she decides to feed him corn chips!! Yup baby gags on chips, she comes running to me. Thankfully by the time she practically threw him into my arms baby spit chunks of corn chip up(the kid has no teeth). Meanwhile I lose my cool and give her a rather harsh lecture not feeding her baby foods he could choke on. Wait the story gets better. A few weeks later the same mom and baby come in to the ER. This time the infants CC was fever, and thankfully there were no bruises. While she is waitng for her infant to be seen baby gets hungry and she starts to feed him yup you guessed it, corn chips. This time baby really choked she panics and again I happen to be walking by her room. She throws a baby at me that is completely silent, mouth is wind open no airmovement. I yell for help and flip that precious baby over my arm and whack him five times on the back. Help came, but thankfully the chip became dislodged with the fifth solid whack. I was so angry at that mother. I was shaking as I lectured her a second time regarding proper foods to feed her child. Duh!

Do you think Mom understands now about proper diet, about carrying some food and drink with her when she and babe are out?

I guess I don't quite understand your anger. Frustration, amazement, yeah, but anger has me somewhat puzzled. Education is the key and trying to make sure Mom has some resources for companionship and supportive friendships/family ties outside the ER. She sounds either inexperienced, depressed, dumb, or mentally slow, poor, lazy, a poor planner, or heaven knows what else. I think a visit from a home care worker or social worker might be very beneficial.

rn/writer, RN · Dec 23, 2006

Do you think Mom understands now about proper diet, about carrying some food and drink with her when she and babe are out?
I guess I don't quite understand your anger. Frustration, amazement, yeah, but anger has me somewhat puzzled. Education is the key and trying to make sure Mom has some resources for companionship and supportive friendships/family ties outside the ER. She sounds either inexperienced, depressed, dumb, or mentally slow, poor, lazy, a poor planner, or heaven knows what else. I think a visit from a home care worker or social worker might be very beneficial.

Frustration and amazement are okay the first time around. But after mom has been told (and SHOWN by the bad result) that feeding corn chips to a toothless infant is not a good idea and she does it AGAIN, anger makes quite a bit of sense. Yes, someone needs to take a further look into the circumstances, but giving a baby such inadequate care is just plain wrong, regardless of the contributing factors.

Reasons are not excuses. This baby still needs decent care and protection from stupidity.

rn/writer, RN · Dec 23, 2006

Here is a tragic example of parents making bad choices. I'm sure no one in this crash (I refuse to call it an "accident") set out to harm their kids. But harm them they did.

If you'll notice, there was a child in each vehicle. TV news reports stated that neither child was restrained. The three year old was lying down in the back of his father's Ranger. The baby was being held on his mother's lap. Both of these families were out and about at three o'clock in the morning. That raises all kinds of questions.

So sad, but infuriating as well because one intoxicated adult caused the wreck and two other adults did not properly restrain their child and now he is dead. Commision, omission--there is plenty of blame and grief to go around.

I hope other parents learn something from this.