By Amy Schweitzer. amy.schweitzer@theindependent.com. Published: Sunday, December 19, 2010 10:45 PM CST. HASTINGS -- The baby was 6 months old and had never had a bed of her own. She slept with family members or often on a pile of blankets on the floor.
Her mother loved her baby very much, but had been in an abusive relationship, was living with extended family and couldn't afford something as basic as a crib for her baby.
Luckily, Healthy Beginnings with Mary Lanning Memorial HealthCare in Hastings recently started a program called Cribs 4 Kids, which was able to provide the family with a Graco Pac-N-Play.
"The mom cried," said Susan Danehey of Healthy Beginnings. "She was very touched that someone would care enough to do this for her and her baby, who was born premature.
"She was very determined that her child feels loved, cared for and has a place of security that will be able to move with her."
Danehey said she knows of a 2-week-old baby who is sleeping in a cardboard box, and often a laundry basket is the best sleeping place that new parents can afford.
"They are doing the best they can," she said. "If you can't get a crib, then you can't get a crib."
But she said there have been several baby deaths and injuries in the community in the past years simply because babies are not sleeping in safe places.
Danehey said Cribs 4 Kids is a collaborated program under the Good Samaritan Health Systems to help ensure children have a safe place to sleep. Platte Valley Safe Kids Cribs 4 Kids is a cooperative project involving Safe Kids USA, SIDS of Pennsylvania and Graco Manufacturing.
"It's an awesome program and there is definitely a need for it in this community," she said, adding that she had been looking for a such a program for some time.
Danehey said the portable Pac-N-Plays are good for many of their clients because of the families' transient nature.
"Many of our families may be moving from home to home a lot," she said, adding that the Pac-N-Play mattresses are actually safer because they are more flat than a traditional crib's mattress.
Current studies show babies should be placed on their backs on a firm surface with no pillows or blankets. In the cold weather a wearable sleepsack can be put on the baby. In a recent study in Omaha, it was found that only 10 percent of the babies that died from sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS were in safe sleep situations.
"I think we could save so many babies if they just had a place to sleep," she said. Crib recipients also receive detailed information about safe sleeping and SIDS prevention practices.
The cribs cost about $160 in stores, but through the program Healthy Beginnings often can get them for about $60. They in turn ask the families to donate $25 to help with the cost, although they will not turn anyone away if they can't give the donation.
This is a needs-based program for families with no other avenue for providing a safe sleep surface, Danehey said. Referrals for the program have to come through a caseworker or home visitor.
Danehey said they were able to give their first crib Dec. 1, but mostly the program is in the fundraising phase. This program is in great demand as no other service of this type is offered in the community, she said.
To donate money to help buy more cribs for babies who have nowhere safe to sleep, contact Danehey at Healthy Beginnings, 715 N. St. Joseph, Hastings, NE 68901. She requested that donations be marked specifically for Cribs 4 Kids, as Healthy Beginnings also helps buy formula and diapers for needy babies.
For more information on the program, Danehey can be reached at (402) 461-5263.
Healthy Beginnings is run through Mary Lanning Hospital. It assists and teaches parents from pregnancy through childhood with multiple facets of education avenues.
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