A blog to work with our families to explain our safe sleep practices.

At Great Wood Farm the health and safety of our children is our top priority at all times. Our sleep policy and routines have always reflected the best possible practice set out by Government guidelines as well as guidance from The Cot Death Society and The Lullaby trust. As many of you are aware there are new government guidelines, introduced in September, to ensure all children are kept safe while they sleep at nursery. In light of this we have made a few changes to sleep routines across the nursery to ensure we continue to follow current guidance and you are assured your child is safe while they sleep in our care.

The new government guidelines set out clear requirements for the environment and bedding, positioning of children and supervision that must be followed. Some of the key points and changes are:

• All children under one will sleep in a cot, transitioning to a sleep mat when they are ready.
• Children over one will sleep on a firm, flat, water proof sleep mat.
• All cots, coracles and mats used at nursery meet the required standards.
• Clothing and bedding will be appropriate to the temperature and correctly fitted for the mat or cot.
• Children will be put to sleep in the safest position appropriate to their age and development. For example, children under two will be put to sleep on their backs, with their feet at the foot of the bed, with blankets tucked in securely.
• Rooms where children sleep will be kept between 16-20 degrees. Heating and investment in new cooling systems will ensure rooms where children sleep will be kept within this age range. Staff are trained to care for children appropriately during extreme weather conditions.
• Children will always have a staff member with them while they are sleeping and all children will be checked every 10 minutes while they are sleeping to ensure they are comfortable and safe. On occasion, a video monitor may be used when one or two babies over 6 months are sleeping, so that the supervision and safety of children who are awake is not compromised.
• Children will not generally be woken from their sleep.

You may be asked to provide new bedding for your child to ensure they have the safest sleep at nursery and meet the new requirements. Families will be asked to provide:

• a cot sized fitted sheet (60 cm x 120 com)
• a cot sheet (60 cm x 120cm) or correctly sized 1 tog sleeping bag.
• a lightweight waffle or cellular blanket (70cm x 90cm)

This is to ensure blankets and sheets can be tucked securely under three side of the mattress to ensure they cannot move to cover a child’s face while they sleep.

Babies who previously slept in coracles will now sleep in cots until 12 months old and then transition to a sleep mat when family and staff feel they are ready. Coracles may still be used to graduate this transition, once babies are over 12 months old. Children over 12 months old will sleep on a sleep mat, and must have blankets that can be securely tucked under the mattress until 2 years old.

To keep children under two safe the new guidelines state that beds will be kept clear of toys, pillows and loose bedding. We understand that many children benefit from a familiar comfort item while sleeping at nursery and so children over 12 months may have a safe size, shape and weight comforter that staff can remove once they are asleep. Your child’s key person will let you know if your child’s comforter is too large and support your child’s transition to a safer item.

Many babies sleep best when held, in a carrier or in their buggy or car seat, and you may worry that they may not get the sleep they need if they are unable to follow these routines. It has long been best practice for babies to sleep on a firm flat surface so our baby room staff have much practice in working collaboratively with families to successfully transition children to sleeping safely at nursery. You may even find it helps their sleep at home.

Some children have home sleep routines that differ from those required by the new guidelines and some children’s sleep routines at nursery will change slightly. We understand the worry that they may be distressed, miss out on precious sleep or disrupt their evening and night sleep routines. We are here to work closely with you to ensure the best and safest sleep for your child at nursery and at home and will ensure any changes to routine are made as smooth as possible. We have always worked closely with families to support children’s individual routines, while also ensuring they get the most benefit and experiences from their nursery days.

We understand that sleep is a challenge for many families and that limiting day sleep may appear to be the answer to sleepless nights. However, they may be many reasons why a child is not sleeping and many young children continue to wake in the night until they are 2 or 3 years old. Sleep is pivotal to children health and development and both the NHS and The Lullaby trust state that children aged 6-12 month need 15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, and children aged 12 – 24 months need between 12 and 15 hours. In some cases, families and key persons may agree a specific sleep routine or sleep limit for a child. However, if a child is extremely hard to wake up or appears very tired after being woken, they will be put back to sleep.

One disappointment for us is that we will no longer be able to use our outdoor sleep hut, due to the temperatures often being outside of the 16-20 degrees required. We are firm believers in the benefits of time spent outdoors and the health benefits of outdoor sleep for babies are well documented. However, we recognise that not all nurseries are as knowledgeable and staff suitably trained to ensure the practice is consistently safe. We are planning a fun and exciting revisioning of our sleep hut as a space where babies can enjoy the benefits of fresh air and outdoor time while awake, even when the weather makes this a challenge. We look forward to sharing this with you soon.

We hope reading this has helped you understand why some changes will be happening, and reassured you that every possible consideration is made in ensuring your child’s comfort and safety while sleeping at nursery. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to your child key worker and room leader with any questions or concerns and as your child’s sleep needs and routines changes as they progress through the nursery.

All new families are offered a tour of our nursery and facilities, including the sleep rooms. If as an existing family you would like to view the new sleep room and provision in light of these new guidlines, please ask your child’s room team who will be more than happy to show you around. We have attached some photos of our lovely sleep environments that we are extremely proud of.