TOLEDO, Ohio — After the recent homicides, allegedly committed by caregivers, of two children in Sylvania -- Aria Genna on Oct. 14 and Declan Hill on Oct. 7 -- local domestic violence experts said it is vital for someone to manage and have control over their own behaviors before dealing with others, especially children.
Donna Seed, the interim deputy director at Lucas County Children Services, and her team help families make sure their children are in the safest environment possible.
They deal with problems in families from the doorsteps all the way through the intake to make sure a child has a safe home. Seed said a child's parents are usually their biggest role models.
"The fathers in our life teach us how men will be in our life and the mothers in our life teach us what we will expect as a female gender," Seed said.
Other parents may want to make sure the worst will never happen to their own children. ProMedica Prenatal Educator Megan Schlageter-Walter said parents are not always the culprit in situations of child abuse.
"It is about education and instilling confidence in parents and caregivers," she said. "That is the one you can't miss because oftentimes it's the caregiver and not the parents," Schlageter-Walter said.
Schlageter-Walter said ProMedica's five-week classes can help expecting parents and ones who just gave birth.
She said an important lesson involves looking recognizing signs of postpartum depression, anxiety and psychosis. These conditions are not just tied to the mother, but can be associated with all support persons and can turn into abuse if not managed properly.
Schlageter-Walter said being a parent is always going to be difficult, but learning how to manage oneself can be the difference between life and death, especially in stressful situations like handling a baby that is crying.
She said the best decision is to leave the baby alone in a safe crib or with someone trusted if managing the crying becomes especially difficult.
"Step out and make a call and do whatever you need to do, because your safety and your baby's safety come first," she said.
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sylvania police have seen an increase in domestic violence services and disturbances as mental health is becoming a greater concern, Chief of Police Danilynn Miller said.
safebaby.org provides additional resources, along with a 24/7 crying baby helpline at 866-243-2229.