POLICY: Each infant will have a safe space for sleeping.
PURPOSE: To protect the health of the children and ensure every child’s safety.
To reduce the risk of SIDS, suffocation, and sleep-related deaths.
To comply with licensing regulations.
PROCEDURE:
- A crib or portable crib, meeting United States Consumer Product Safety Commission safety standards, shall be provided for each infant who is unable to climb out of a crib.
- Any recalled equipment shall not be kept on site and must be removed from the premises.
- Recalls can be found at: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
- When purchasing new cribs or other equipment, there should a card/paper included to complete your contact information and mail it to the manufacturer, so you will be contacted and notified in the event of a recall on your item.
- Cribs shall not limit the ability of staff to see the infant.
- Cribs shall not limit the infant's ability to stand upright.
- Stacking wall cribs or cribs stacked one on top of another, often referred to as tiered cribs, are prohibited and will not be used.
- Mattresses shall be:
- Firm and flat. Not inclined.
- Made specifically for the size crib in which they are placed.
- Covered with vinyl or similar moisture-resistant material.
- Wiped with a disinfectant daily and when soiled or wet, with a safe disinfectant that does not exacerbate asthma or respiratory conditions.
- Maintained in a safe condition with no exposed foam or coils.
- Covered with a fitted sheet that is appropriate to the mattress size, fits tightly on the mattress, and overlaps the underside of the mattress so it cannot be dislodged.
- Cribs shall be free from all loose articles and objects, including toys, blankets, and pillows. Infants may be offered a pacifier for sleep, if provided by the parent/guardian, and not attached to the infant with any string or strap.
- Bumper pads are prohibited and shall not be used. Any sale and manufacture of crib bumpers in the U.S. was banned as of May 2022. Crib bumpers are now classified as a banned, hazardous product due to the number of deaths associated with their use.
- There shall be no objects hanging above or attached to the side of the crib.
- NEVER place an infant to sleep on any other surface or product aside from an approved crib or portable crib.
- Unsafe products include infant bouncers, swings, car seats, inclined sleepers, Rock-N-Plays, Doc-A-Tots, pillows, couch, chair, bean bag, waterbed, adult bed/mattress, etc. Sleeping on these products and soft surfaces is associated with the highest risk of sleep related deaths in infants, due to SIDS, suffocation, and positional asphyxia.
- If an infant falls asleep anyplace other than a crib, the infant will be moved to a crib right away. An infant who arrives asleep in a car seat will be moved to a crib right away upon arrival.
References:
Caring for Our Children, National Health and Safety Performance Standards, 3rd Edition. https://nrckids.org/CFOC
California Health and Safety Code, Sections 1596.72, 1596.81, 1596.847
California Code of Regulations Title 22, Division 12:
Chapter 1, Article 6, Section 101239.1
Chapter 1, Subchapter 2, Article 6, Section 101419.2, 101429, and 101430.
Chapter 1, Subchapter 2, Article 7, Section 101439.1
Chapter 3, Article 6, Section 102425
Retrieved from: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/child-care-licensing/public-information-and-resources/safe-sleep & https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/letters-regulations/legislation-and-regulations/community-care-licensing-regulations/child-care