Should You Worry About Infant Abductions?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 07 Sep 2008 06:30 AM
When I gave birth in the hospital with each of my children, there were elaborate security measures to ensure that our baby didn't go missing. The baby wore anywhere from two to four security bands that would go off if the baby was taken past a certain point on the hospital floor. And both my husband and I had bands with numbers that matched the baby's. Every nurse that came to take the baby for tests or a bath had very specific photo IDs with names and titles printed in large type. Interestingly enough, with hospital security having increased so well and the number of babies being abducted from hospitals having dropped, there has been an increase (by double) in abductions taking place at home or in public places. This is according to an article published in the American Journal of Nursing. One of the recent cases of infant abduction occurred in Texas, when a newborn baby girl was snatched from her home by a woman who posed as a healthcare worker. Fortunately, the woman was caught, and the baby was returned to her mother. Most people don't think of their child being abducted right from their home. Taking certain precautions should ease your mind and reduce the risk. You can leave your doors locked, even when at home, and keep windows to your baby's room closed and locked as well. Make sure you know who is coming in to your home. Ask for ID from anyone you don't know, and never leave your baby alone with a stranger, no matter who they say they are. In reality, there are only a small percentage of babies who are abducted from homes. Only about 10 babies under the age of six months were abducted by strangers (the number is higher for abductions by family members). Of course that is still 10 too many. Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Related Posts: Is Air Conditioning Harmful for Your Baby? House Approves Legislation for Tougher Toy Standards Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  Kara (21275) 07 Sep 2008 08:51 AMI remember being worried about someone coming to take Kate away when she was a baby. I worried way too much. I don't worry as much about someone taking her away anymore but her getting out in the middle of the night! lol I have gates and locks but she's a smart girl. I don't know if she's smart enough to stay inside. Tashi (1013) 07 Sep 2008 02:10 PMI worry about kids being abducted, and I'm just an aunt. I see waaay too many kids out in public allowed to treat stores as if they're playgrounds or zoos. Those kids' parents seem oblivious to their running rampant all over. Or they don't care, and think nothing bad will happen to the children. Heaven forbid. I hope it never does. Even when my 14-yr-old nephew is with me, I make sure he stays by me. He may not like it, but look what happened to Elizabeth Smart (and she was in her own home). Thank goodness, she was recovered. I feel for kids whose parents aren't as vigilant in their kids' safety as they should be. If I see a child alone, no parent in sight, I promptly alert store personnel, for instance, so a family reunion can ensue.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 08 Sep 2008 05:49 AMKara, one thing that works for us is to place a small block of wood on a screw at the top of any door that we don't want little ones to open alone, such as the basement door. The block of wood can be swung against the door frame to prevent the door from being opened, but allows easy access for an adult. Tooter4Kids (5) 18 Sep 2008 10:43 AMAs a retired teacher, now for over 5 years, this issue continues to be close to my heart. (For soon I will be a grandmother for the first time.) I taught second grade for 34 years and always felt it necessary to discuss with children the importance of not talking to"strangers" and recognizing a stranger. Realizing that this is a "baby discussion group" I feel compelled to give you the link to my webpage that deals with Strangers, a social issue of our times. http://www.tooter4kids.com/strangers.htm I guess it is also important to add this to another site I have, which is http://www.sunflowerlanebabygifts.com I have had my Tooter4Kids.com site up for over 8 years now. I hope it is helpful to all. (A free site!) I did want to add articles for parents on my SunflowerLaneBabyGifts.com site and this just might be an article I would love to address. Infants are abducted but so are school age children. So as your infant grows you need to prepare your Toddler and then your school age child to be careful when out in society. I have 2 sons who have grown up, but I distinctly remember what John Walsh had gone through. I was a scared parent who didn't know how to protect my children, except by instincts. Now there are so many articles and books out there guiding us. Thank you for this forum. Please let me know how you enjoyed my site on Strangers. Community Tags baby safety, children, infant abductions, Kids Discuss this article
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