The Tucker Childcare Center staff members initially thought the child was playing with a toy, then quickly removed the dead rodent from her mouth when they realized what it was.
Alanah’s mother, Brittany Barba, has withdrawn her daughter from the preschool and is watching her closely for signs that the infant might have been made ill from the incident.
“Lately, she’s been vomiting,” Ms. Barba reported. “Everything she’s eaten, she’s throwing it back up.”
Workers attending to Alanah during the incident used soap and water to wash her hands and her mouth, but the baby’s family members believe she should have been taken to the hospital as a precaution.
“Mice carry disease,” said her aunt, Nadyyah Miller.
Kiburi Tucker, director of the center, told reporters he was “really hurt” by the incident, adding, “It could have been my child.” Tucker insists the center has regular pest control visits, but said they would institute a new hygiene procedure.
Barba expressed relief that Alanah did not swallow the dead animal, saying, “God forbid … she could have died.”
