Sydney childcare centre under investigation for taping toddlers' mouths shut
Heritage House in Wahroonga, on Sydney's north shore, faced compliance action in January 2024 after a parent discovered the photos in the centre's app.
The mother was given access to the app, which provides updates on the children throughout the day, when she was considering enrolling her child at the centre.
She was horrified when she stumbled upon a series of photos from the centre's 'baby yoga session,' which showed the toddlers with masking tape over their mouths.
'My toddlers started with 30 seconds tape mouth, look at them now. It is amazing, amazing,' an educator wrote alongside the photos, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The educator described the yoga session as a 'unique lesson,' explaining that mouth taping taught the children to focus on nasal breathing.
'The children gathered for a unique lesson combining breathwork, gentle yoga, and the tape-mouth technique,' they wrote.
'Guided to focus on nasal breathing, they playfully mimicked animals in yoga poses, learning to breathe deeply and calmly through their noses, fostering early mindfulness.'
The mother, who works in the child protection sector, immediately submitted a complaint to centre and withdrew her son before he even started.
Heritage House claimed the activity would never be repeated after it faced compliance action.
The childcare centre explained the baby yoga session initially received 'positive feedback' from parents through the internal portal.
led by an educator, who was also a qualified yoga instructor, the centre said the breathing exercise was a 'well-intentioned activity'.
'It is well known that yoga is a popular and well-supported activity in early childhood education, and our educator is a much-loved member by many past and present children and their families,' Heritage House said in a statement.
The centre explained it decided to self-report the matter to the Department of Education for consideration after it became aware of the mother's concern.
'We accept that the department issued a warning, and as a result we took steps to ensure that the activity was not repeated,' the centre said.
'We take our duty of care seriously and are proud of the care, trust and reputation we've built over many years with our families and communities.'
The trend of 'mouth taping' has gained in popularity over the last couple of years, with many social media users claiming the practice improves facial structure by promoting nose breathing.
However, recent published studies suggest the trend provides little benefit and could potentially cause serious asphyxiation risks.
A spokesperson for the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority confirmed no children were hurt during the activity.
The spokesperson condemned the centre's actions and labelled the mouth-taping exercise as an 'inappropriate activity', claiming it should not take place at an early learning centre.
The regulator investigated the matter, following a report from the mum, and issued a compliance action to Heritage House.
The childcare industry has come under intense scrutiny after Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged with over 70 child abuse offences.
His offences included the sexual penetration of a child and producing child abuse material.
It is not suggested that Brown has ever worked at Heritage House.
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