Each day in NSW an infant younger than four weeks old will be removed from the mother, according to government data provided to Parliament.
The data, released in response to a question from the opposition DOCS spokeswoman, Pru Goward, shows the number of very young babies being taken into care has risen by almost 70 per cent in two years.
In more than half of all cases, the infants removed also had siblings who had been taken by DOCS and placed with other families.
''They are removing children as soon as possible,'' Ms Goward, said, ''before they are too damaged. It is better to be safe than sorry seems to be the policy.
''But the civil liberties issue is one that cannot be ignored: are they simply creating another stolen generation?''
The surge in removals follows the disclosure last year that more than 150 children who died in NSW in 2008-09 came from families that were known to the department. Fifty-five per cent of these children lived in homes where there had been reports of domestic violence.
The crackdown was the result of DOCS following up leads from NSW Health staff about mothers having problems, especially with drug and alcohol issues, said a spokeswoman for the Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney.
''Problems affecting parents, such as mental health concerns, drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence, are the primary factors behind the increase in reports.''
The government came under pressure after it was revealed DOCS had not intervened soon enough to save young children such as Dean Shillingsworth, whose body was found in a suitcase in a lake in Ambervale in October 2007, and a seven-year-old girl who was found starved to death in her bedroom in Hawks Nest in November that year.
''If children are at risk of harm - and babies are so much more vulnerable - then they should be removed,'' Ms Goward said.
''But it is remarkable to see NSW increasing the numbers where every other jurisdiction is determined to reduce them.''