Safe Sleeping Practices - CareforKids.com.au®

Safe Sleeping Practices
The most important points to remember

A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that 20 per cent of SIDS deaths in America occur in child care settings.

The same study says that based on the time infants spend in care only 9 per cent of deaths should occur in child care services.

SIDS remains one of the leading causes of death for infants from one month to one year of age and sleeping infants and young children safely is a significant responsibility for those who care for other people's children.

It is vitally important for child care workers to ensure that children in their care are safe at all times and that service policies and procedures reflect evidence based research.

In addition, child care services are required to stay up-to-date with their safe sleeping policies in order to maintain accreditation with the NCAC.

According to SIDS and Kids the most important points for child care services to remember for safe sleeping are:

Sleep baby on back from birth, not tummy or side.
Sleep baby with face and head uncovered and free from bedding, pillows and toys.
Avoid exposing baby to tobacco smoke.
Provide a safe sleeping environment with safe furniture and bedding - no quilts, doonas, duvets, pillows in cot etc.
Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping environment next to the parents' bed for the first six to twelve months of life.

To assist child care service providers, SIDS and Kids has developed a resource kit that provides practical information to ensure that child care services employ sleeping practices that meet national best practice guidelines.

The SIDS and Kids Child Care Kit contains:

SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping

1 SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping DVD or video
1 laminated SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping poster
1 A4 laminated and one additional copy SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping Policy
1 SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping FAQs for Child Care Services
2 long version SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping brochures
2 short version SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping brochures
3 door hangers (to remind staff about SIDS risk reduction)
1 article by Moon RY & Oden RP (2003) Back to Sleep: Can We Influence Child Care Providers? Pediatrics Vol. 112 No 4 October 2003
1 Australian Physiotherapy Association's brochure: How to Protect the Head Shape of Your Baby
1 sticker - SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping Zone

Emergency Response and Support

1 laminated A4 Emergency Response Guideline for Child Care Centre staff
1 copy of guidelines for Child Care Centre staff following a sudden and unexpected infant or young child death
1 copy of each of the bereavement support booklets for the Child Care Centre Library: Treasured Babies For SIDS Families: some answers to your questions
To Family and Friends – you can make a difference
Always Your Child
Grandparent to Grandparent
What About the Other Kids
An article on children's grief by Dr Carol Irizarry

Purchasing the kit also entitles child care services to two years of ongoing support and information updates including:

The latest findings in the field of sudden infant death research relevant to Child Care
Training modules for both new and existing staff
Infant safe sleeping polices and procedures
Emergency response following the death of a child

For more information or to order a kit for your child care service click here.