Bringing Your Baby or Young Child to a Visit at Western New Mexico C.F.: Practical Rules
Bringing a baby or young child to a visit takes extra planning—search procedures, clothing rules, and contact restrictions all come into play. Here are the practical rules that tend to catch parents off guard at Western New Mexico C.F.
Bringing an infant? Plan to change their diaper right before the visit. Western New Mexico C.F. requires this, and the change must happen in front of a correctional officer who's the same sex as the parent doing the changing.
- ✓ Arrive with enough time to handle a required diaper change before you check in for the visit.
- ✓ Pack extra clean diapers and wipes so you’re not scrambling right before you go in.
- ✓ Bring a spare outfit for your baby in case the change is messy or takes longer than expected.
- ✓ Expect the diaper change to be done with an officer present.
- ✓ Be ready for the officer to be the same sex as the parent/guardian doing the diaper change.
Clothing rules depend on your child's age. Kids 8 and older must follow the adult visitor dress code (based on gender). Dress them the same way you'd dress yourself for entry.
Kids 7 and under follow the adult dress code too, but with a couple of allowances. They can wear short pants as long as the shorts are no shorter than three inches above the knee. For babies: all children, including infants, must be fully clothed at all times. A diaper alone doesn't count - your infant needs clothes over it.
- ✓ Dress kids 8+ to match the adult visitor dress code.
- ✓ For kids 7 and under, keep shorts at least three inches above the knee.
- ✓ Make sure infants are fully clothed (a diaper alone isn’t allowed).
- ✓ Pack a spare outfit and an extra diaper so you can fix a spill or accident without risking a dress-code issue.
During Contact Visiting, physical contact is limited. You're allowed a brief hug and/or kiss at the beginning and again at the end - that's it. Plan for a quick hello and goodbye, not ongoing hugging throughout.
Here's one rule that matters a lot: during Contact Visiting, the incarcerated parent can hold their own children. If that's your goal for the visit, plan your child's comfort and clothing with that in mind.
Note: All in-person barrier visits are non-contact unless you’re immediate family and you’ve provided proof of kinship. If you’re expecting contact rules to apply, bring whatever documentation you may need to show that relationship.
Be careful about handing things over in the visiting room, even "for the kids." Only photographs and letters can be transferred, and those must be inspected and approved by the Visiting Room Officer first. Snacks, toys, diapers, comfort items - none of these can be passed during the visit.
With little kids, the biggest challenge is keeping things calm while following room rules. You won't be able to pass items back and forth to solve problems on the fly - only inspected photos and letters are allowed. Get your child settled and supervised from the start.
- ✓ Keep your child close and supervised so the visit doesn’t get derailed.
- ✓ If you’re attending a barrier visit and you’re immediate family, bring proof of kinship in case it affects whether the visit is non-contact.
- ✓ Don’t plan on handing the incarcerated parent any items during the visit - only photographs and letters are allowed, and they must be inspected and approved.
- ✓ Save physical affection for the beginning and end of the visit, where a brief hug and/or kiss is permitted during Contact Visiting.
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