CONTENTSExamples in the guidance
Any examples in the guidance are provided as a starting point to show how services can meet (or exceed) the requirement. Services may choose to use other approaches better suited to their needs as long as they comply with the criteria.
PF19 Sleep facilities
Criteria
There is space available for the restful sleep of children who need it at any time they are attending.
Guidance
Homes need adequate facilities to cater for occasions when a child needs to rest or sleep. How a service provides these facilities depends on what suits the home layout and parent expectations. It is preferable that a separate room is available so that, when a child chooses to sleep, there is a quiet area provided.
Consideration needs to be given to the number of children attending each home and the probability of multiple children needing to sleep/rest at the same time, particularly if there is more than one child under the age of 2 in care at the same time.
Consideration also needs to be given to the location of the sleep space in the home so the educator can maintain effective supervision of other children while monitoring sleeping children. See HS8 Sleep monitoring.
PF20 Design of sleep provisions
Criteria
Furniture and items intended for children to sleep on (such as cots, beds, stretchers or mattresses) are of a size that allows children using them to lie flat, and are of a design to ensure their safety.
Guidance
This guidance should be read in conjunction with the guidance for the other criteria relating to sleep (Premises and facilities 19 to 22 (on this page) and Health and safety 8 to 10).
Furniture and items intended for children to sleep on (such as cots, beds, stretchers or mattresses) must:
- be large enough to allow all children to lie flat on their backs
- be of a design that ensures children’s safety.
In addition, they must:
allow children, who are able to, sit or stand safely when they wake (HS9)
allow adults to easily get children out in the case of an emergency evacuation (HS4).
If furniture and items do not meet these requirements, then they cannot be used.
When assessing the safety of sleep furniture and items, the following need to be considered:
- The development of the child (mobile or non-mobile).
- The height of the furniture in terms of falling risk – beds must be less than 700mm above the floor.
- The ability for clothing, bedding or the child’s head becoming caught presenting a strangulation hazard.
- The presence of any small parts that could be a choking hazard.
- The ability for fingers or limbs to become trapped.
Cots
A cot is designed for infants and is enclosed on all four sides so the infant cannot fall out. A cot is only suitable for infants who are able to be lifted out.
Cots must have no gaps or protrusions that could trap an infant or catch their clothing and have no sharp edges. The sides must be high enough to stop an infant climbing out and there should be no footholds.
Where cots are used, these should be sturdy, easily washable (PF21, below) and allow good airflow (HS9).
Mattresses need to fit firmly inside the cot to avoid gaps that an infant could get wedged in. Mattresses should not be too soft, as this is a risk factor for infant suffocation.
Portable cots
Portable cots can only be used in a home-based setting if they are used by a single child. As portable cots are made with a textile or mesh that allows for breathable air zones, they cannot be easily cleaned when used for multiple children (PF21, below).
Home-based services may use a portable cot if it:
- meets the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2195:2010 (Folding cots)
- has a mattress covered in non-porous material, and
- is used for only 1 child.
Children who are able to stand up are not to be placed in portable cots as the portable cot could tip over when a child stands, and the child could be injured.
Stretchers and mattresses
Stretchers or mattresses must not pose a suffocation hazard. Inflatable mattresses cannot be used as they allow a child’s face to be smothered, so cannot ensure a child’s safety.
Stretcher fabric must be taut and its wear monitored to ensure the stretcher does not sag with use over time.
Beds
Beds are single level sleep furniture where the upper surface of the mattress is less than 700mm above the floor. Children are able to get in and out of a bed without adult assistance.
Infants must not be placed in a bed as they may roll off the bed.
Bunk beds and elevated beds
Bunk beds are those where multiple beds are stacked on top of each other and the upper surface of the mattress is 700mm or more above the floor. Elevated beds are those where the upper surface of the mattress is 700mm or more above the floor.
Bunk beds and elevated beds cannot be used as beds as this height poses a falling risk and they are not of a design that ensures a child’s safety.
Risk mitigations such as increasing supervision or the use of safety matting do not meet the requirements of this criterion.
If there are bunk beds present in the home, they must not be used. The room with the bunk bed must be made inaccessible to children. It must be included on the hazard management checklist (HS11) for that home and the bedroom door must be closed each day.
If an infant is sleeping in a cot or portable cot, the infant must not be in the same room as a bunk bed.
Slings, backpacks, prams, buggies and car capsules
Items whose primary purpose is transportation, for example slings, backpacks, prams, buggies and car capsules cannot be provided by the home-based provider or educator as an item intended for children to sleep on as they are not intended for that purpose or allow children to lie flat.
Things to consider
Some home-based services like to have prams or buggies available for excursions, or to settle children when necessary. Prams and buggies are primarily designed to transport children when adults need to walk some distance. Although children often do sleep ‘in transit’ in a pram or buggy, this is not the primary purpose of the equipment. A buggy is therefore not the best place for a child to sleep if there is no need to transport them anywhere.
PF21 Mattress coverings
Criteria
Furniture and items intended for children to sleep on (such as cots, beds, stretchers or mattresses) that will be used by more than one child over time are securely covered with or made of a non-porous material (that is, a material that does not allow liquid to pass through it) that:
- protects them from becoming soiled
- allows for easy cleaning (or is disposable) and
- does not present a suffocation hazard to children.
Guidance
Children sometimes sweat when they sleep, and bed-wetting accidents do occur from time to time. Damp or soiled mattresses can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Mattresses must have a surface that is smooth, easily cleaned and impervious to moisture and does not present a suffocation hazard to children. The waterproof layer must cover at least the whole of the upper surface and all sides of the mattress.
It is essential plastic mattress covers are securely attached to mattresses. It is recommended that these waterproof covers are held in place with elastic or other such device. Any ripped mattress covers must be replaced immediately.
PF22 Bedding
Criteria
Clean individual bedding (such as blankets, sheets, sleeping bags and pillowslips) is provided for sleeping or resting children that is sufficient to keep them warm.
Guidance
Linen must never be shared between children. It must either be washed after every use or stored separately with the child’s name on it. Refer to the guidance for HS10 Storage of sleep furniture and bedding.
HS10 Storage of sleep furniture and bedding
As well as being warm, children should be safe while they sleep. Advice on safe sleeping to reduce risk of Sudden Unexpected Death of an Infant (SUDI) is available here:
