Parenting

Baby Dies After 3-Year-Old Sister Tried to Change His Diaper

ParentingPublished Dec 14, 2013
By Jeanne Sager
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Ohhhh. My heart hurts. A baby has died, and police say the last thing that happened to him was a diaper change -- by his 3-year-old sister. What a horrible reminder that toddlers can do irreparable damage -- even when they don't intend to!

According to police 6-month-old Feonyx Clarke was found by his mother in his crib. The baby had several clean diaper bags around him, along with baby wipes and a clean diaper. The boy's mom, Kristy, told police her daughter had gone upstairs that evening, but when mom went up to check on her, the little girl went to mom's bed and fell asleep, as toddlers do.

According to police, "suffocation" on the diaper bags is the possible cause of death. The inquest found his brain was starved of oxygen.

Sadly, this could have happened to anyone with more than one child. You can't keep an eye on them every single second of the day, especially not when you have more than one child. At some point, you have to go pee or take a shower!

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I don't know how many times I've heard parents fret about baby number two only to be assured "Oh, your toddler will HELP you." I always cringe when I hear it.

Are they really suggesting a toddler help with a BABY?

Yes, it's natural for toddlers to want to be helpful, and it's something we need to nurture in them. Unfortunately, every mom knows that their desire to be helpful and their actual ability don't always match up.

Ever had a 3-year-old "brush their own hair" or "put on their own clothes" only to have to do it all over again for them, as they kick and scream "Mommy, I do it myself!"? Welcome to parenthood.

Unfortunately, re-buttoning a shirt is one thing. But you can't undo harm -- even completely unintentional harm -- to a baby, as this case shows.

Moms, Dads, take this one to heart. Don't leave your toddler alone with a baby if you can help it. They mean well, but they don't always know what they're doing.

Do you worry about your toddler and baby together? What do you do to make things safer?

Image via Nanagyei/Flickr

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