Confused about the new Sleep Guidance?
Trigger Warning- child death
The new Sleep Guidance ultimately wants to reduce risk of sleep-related deaths and hazards, and while it creates a need for new or different equipment an, the routines and storage implications that go with this, the most important thing is a safe, practical sleep environment.
As a childcare practitioner, a nanny in private homes, I undertook a Sleep Training Level 4 accredited when I was a a 24/4 nanny and plan to do updated training. It is imperative as caregivers we keep up-to-date with the regulations in all areas of our role.
After Genevieve "Gigi" Meehan sadly past away by sleeping face down on a beanbag and left for an hour and 37, her parents campaigned from stronger safeguarding.
The new guidelines are a lot clearer on:
>safer sleep arrangements for babies
>appropriate sleep space
>frequent checks
>children being within sight and hearing of staff
>considerations for individual needs
While a lot of what is being advised seems like common sense to a lot of us, the implications for nurseries and child minding settings are as follows: from the 1st of September 2026, the safer-sleep requirements were explicitly incorporated into the EYFS framework.
Babies under 12 month must be placed on their back in their own separate, clear, firm flat mattress. Cots, travel cots, Moses baskets rather than bean bags, nests etc with no pillows or bumpers, toys or soft items.
An implication for childminders is that if the baby falls asleep in the pram while out, even if the pram can be moved into a flat surface, when they get back to the setting, they will need to transfer the baby to a safer sleep space. If this is a cot, this might need to be made up either before they go out or when they return. Small settings have limited space so this is a routine that will have to be thought about, as well as how many babies they can realistically cater for safely.
While nannies are not currently governed in the same way (except maybe if you are OFSTED registered) safer-sleep advice applies to anyone caring for babies. I also believe parents should be up-to-date on this too.
Priya Kanabar (author of The Joys of Childminding) and I are doing an INSTAGRAM SERIES talking about lots of things, starting with a chat about the New Safe Sleep Guidance on Thursday 17th September at 8.30pm. Come and Join us.
@more_to_organising
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