Stopped By Police For Having Baby In A Sling

When I first read this news, I thought it was quite ridiculous.

A father in Frankston, Australia was stopped by police and questioned about carrying his 12 month old daughter in a baby sling. Apparently, the police had received a complaint from someone saying this father was suffocating his baby. They checked and the baby was alright. In fact, she was comfortably asleep. The police proceeded to lecture the father and told him to take the baby out. The father of course refused because the baby was asleep and that was why he was taking that walk in the first place, to put the baby to sleep. They then removed a toy the baby was holding. They also told the father to use a pram in the future.

If you are wondering, what kind of sling was the father using? It was a Olives and Applesauce baby carrier. He was carrying the baby on his back. You can go over to this site to see the picture of him carrying the baby in this sling and also an interview done with him.

Why I find this news ridiculous? Well, when I think of the police, I think of them fighting crime and solving murders, not so much giving parenting advice. However, I do understand the situation in  Australia where  people are highly concerned about the safety of these baby slings after a recent death of a baby who died in a sling. (I wrote a little about it in this post of mine a while back). BUT that does not mean all baby slings are bad. The danger, I believe, is when you use a  pouch sling. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission have also sounded the warning for parents to be careful when using such slings. Always make sure baby has room to breath.

Anyway, some parents in Frankston, tired of being called "bad parents" for carrying the children in slings, staged a "demonstration". The headed down to Wells St. with their children strapped to their backs, hoping to send the message that baby carriers are safe when you use it properly.

So, do you use a baby sling? And if you do, how would you react if a police officer pulled you over and lectured you about it?