POLICY: Children under the age of 1 year will sleep as safely as possible while in our care. A child has the right to a safe environment and deserves to have caregivers who will take every reasonable precaution to prevent accidents and injury.
PURPOSE: To ensure every child's safety.
To reduce the risk of SIDS, suffocation, and sleep related deaths.
To comply with Licensing Regulations.
PROCEDURE:
- See all requirements and recommendations written in section K-4 and K-5 regarding back-to-sleep and infant sleeping requirements.
- Parents/legal guardians of infants will be alerted to the center’s policy for back sleeping and be given the pamphlet “Back to Sleep” upon initial enrollment.
- Parents/legal guardian and staff will complete the Individual Infant Sleeping Plan form (LIC 9227)
- From the first day of enrollment, for every nap time, infants will be placed on their back to sleep.
- Infants will be placed on a firm, non-inclined mattress, with a fitted crib sheet, in a crib that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission safety standards.
- No toys, soft objects, stuffed animals, pillows, bumper pads, blankets, positioning devices, or extra bedding will be in the crib nor draped over the side of the crib.
- Sleeping areas will be ventilated and at a temperature that is comfortable for a lightly clothed adult. Infants will not be dressed in more than one extra layer than an adult.
- If additional warmth is needed, a one-piece wearable blanket sleeper or sleep sack may be used but a waiver must be submitted to licensing for approval due to the many types of sleep sacks available. Sleep sacks must not be weighted, not used as a swaddle, and cannot restrict the infant’s movement in any way.
- Infants shall never be swaddled; swaddling is prohibited by licensing.
- The infant’s head will remain uncovered for sleep. Bibs and hoods will be removed. Wearing a hat during sleep significantly increases the risk of SIDS and is prohibited by licensing.
- Infants shall not wear shirts/sweaters with strings on the hood.
- Sleeping infants will be actively observed by sight and sound.
- Infants will never be allowed to sleep on a couch, chair cushion, bed, pillow, car seat, swing, bouncy chair, or any other surface or product except for a crib or portable crib. If an infant falls asleep anyplace other than a crib, the infant will be moved to a crib right away. These soft surfaces and products are associated with the highest risk of SIDS and suffocation.
- An infant who arrives asleep in a car seat will be immediately moved to a crib.
- Infants will not share cribs, and cribs will be spaced 3 feet apart.
- Infants may be offered a pacifier for sleep, if provided by the parent/guardian.
- Pacifiers will not be attached by a string to the infant’s clothing and will not be reinserted if they fall out after the infant is asleep.
- When able to roll over both ways, the infant will be put to sleep on their back and allowed to assume a preferred sleep position. Infants who cannot roll over both ways shall be turned over to their back if they roll onto their stomach.
- In the rare case of a medical condition requiring a sleep position other than on the back, the parent/guardian must provide a signed medical exemption from the infant’s physician as described on the LIC 9227 form.
- While awake, infants shall have frequent, supervised Tummy Time play in order to strengthen their neck and back muscles and prevent SIDS and suffocation.
- The childcare center will support and encourage the use of human milk/breastfeeding/ chest feeding for infants. Breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of SIDS.
- The childcare program will maintain a smoke free environment.
Resources
Caring for Our Children, National Health and Safety Performance Standards, 3rd Edition.
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
The above regulations were retrieved from:
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