Parents requests about their baby’s sleep routines at childcare will soon be ignored and overruled by staff, under a new national child safety crackdown.
In a bid to reduce cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, staff will ignore the wishes of parents who want their babies to sleep on their front or side, unless a valid medical reason is provided.
The Herald Sun report the strict guidelines will be enforced from October 1 by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority.
Parents who want staff to swaddle or wrap the arms of babies over three months old, or to wrap babies who are old enough to roll, will also be overruled unless they have a doctor’s endorsement.
Author and lactation consultant Pinky McKay said parents who hand over children to childcare staff “hand over the responsibility”.
“It’s good to think uniform standards are now in place,” she said.
“As the national authority on infant safe sleeping, Red Nose welcomes changes to the National Law and Regulations that require child care centres to have policies and procedures for sleep and rest of children and infants,” said Yvonne Amos, Red Nose’s General Manager Marketing, Communications and Income Development.
“This change will ensure consistency in child care centres across the country so that every child will be slept according to Red Nose’s safe sleeping guidelines, which have reduced the rate of sudden unexpected death in infancy in Australia by 80 per cent and saved 9,450 lives.”
SIDS recommends:
How to Sleep your Baby Safely:
1. Sleep baby on the back from birth, not on the tummy or side
2. Sleep baby with head and face uncovered
3. Keep baby smoke free before birth and after
4. Provide a safe sleeping environment night and day
5. Sleep baby in their own safe sleeping place in the same room as an adult caregiver for the first six to twelve months
6. Breastfeed baby
I am surprised to be honest. I thought safe sleep practices would always be followed first over a parents preference?
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