Appendix III: FEELC Infant Safe Sleep Policy


FEELC is committed to providing infants with a safe place to grow and learn. For this reason, FEELC has created a policy on safe sleep practices for infants up to 1-year-old. We follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide a safe sleep environment and reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The staff, substitute staff, and volunteers at FEELC follow the recommendations for safe sleep from the AAP and meet or exceed the NC Child Care Regulations for safe sleep.

Safe Sleep Practices:

  • All infants are put to sleep on their back in their assigned crib as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) devices such as wedges or infant positioners will not be used unless a completed Alternative Sleep Position Waiver is on file. A waiver notice will be posted on the infants crib.

  • While infants will always be placed on their backs to sleep, when an infant can easily turn over from back to front and front to back, they can remain in whatever position they prefer to sleep. FEELC staff will make a note of the infant meeting this developmental milestone and inform parents and the other staff.

  • When infants are in their cribs, they will be within sight and sound of staff at all times.

A staff member will record visual checks on the sleeping infants aged 12 months or younger every 15 minutes on a Sleep Chart. The Infant/Toddler Sleep Chart will be kept for one month after the reporting month. We will be especially alert to monitoring a sleeping infant during the first weeks the infant is in childcare. We will check for:

  • Normal skin color.

  • Normal breathing by watching the rise and fall of the chest while sleeping.

  • Signs of overheating flushed skin-color, increased in body temperature (touch the skin)

  • Restlessness

  • Steps will be taken for the infant to avoid overheating, the temperature of the rooms where infants sleep will be monitored and will be kept at a level that is comfortable, which is between 68-75F degrees. There will be no excess bedding, over-dressing of children. Infants will not be swaddled and swaddling apparel is not allowed. This includes all products/items with the word “swaddle” in the name or description. We do not allow garments that restrict movement. Sleep Sacks will be allowed for infants 12 months or younger. Once the child is 13 months old, they will no longer use a sleep sack and will transition to using a blanket while napping.

  • All parents/guardians of infants cared for in FEELC will receive a written copy of our Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep Policy before enrollment. They will review the policy with staff and sign a statement saying they received and reviewed the policy. All questions will be discussed and reviewed with the director.

  • When an infant is awake they will be removed from cribs immediately and have supervised “tummy time.” This will help babies strengthen their muscles and develop normally.

Safe Sleep Environment:

  • Our program will use Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines for safety-approved cribs and firm mattresses.

  • The crib will have a firm mattress covered by a tight fitted sheet and will be free from mobiles, loose bedding, toys, and other soft objects.

  • Infants will not be placed to sleep on any soft surfaces.

  • Only one infant will be placed to sleep in each crib. Siblings, including twins and triplets will be placed in a separate crib.

  • The crib will have NO toys, blankets, pillows, wedges or other infant positioners, pillow like toys, bumper pads, quilts, sheepskins, loose bedding, towels, wash clothes, stuffed toys, or other objects. Nothing may be placed with a sleeping infant aged 12 months or younger.

  • We do not allow any weighted blankets or weighted clothing in the crib.

  • FEELC will allow pacifiers. Please NO soft toy, ties or strings attached to pacifier. Bibs and pacifiers will not be tied around an infant’s neck or clipped on to an infant’s clothing during sleep.

  • Infants who use pacifiers will be offered their pacifier when they are placed to sleep. If the pacifier falls out of the sleeping infant mouth during their nap the pacifier will be removed.

  • Pacifiers will be cleaned between each use, checked for tears, and will not be coated in any sweet or other solution.

  • Infants that fall asleep in a location other than their crib will be promptly removed and placed in their crib on their back

  • Infants will be promptly removed from car seats by their parent/guardian at drop off. Infants 12 months and younger are prohibited from sleeping in sitting devices, including but not limited to, car seats, strollers, swings, and infant carriers. Infants that fall asleep in sitting devices will be moved to an appropriate sleep place and placed on their back.

  • No smoking is permitted in the infant program.

Training:

  • All infant and toddler staff, administrative staff, rotating staff, and volunteers at FEELC will be trained on safe sleep policies and practices every 3 years by attending an ITS-SIDS training workshop.

  • Every September all of FEELC staff, administrative staff, rotating staff, and volunteers will review FEELCs Infant and Toddler Safe Sleep Policy.

  • Documentation that staff, administrative staff, rotating staff and volunteers have read and understand these policies will be kept in each individuals file.

  • Before they are allowed to care for infants, all staff, administrative staff, rotating staff and volunteers at FEELC will be trained every 3 years in First Aid and every 1-2 year(s) in CPR so they know how to respond to an unresponsive infant/toddler.

  • FEELC will complete “How to Respond to an Unresponsive Infant” practice drills every six months. These will take place in June and December of each year. Each infant classroom will maintain a log of the drills.

Who The Policy Applies To:

This policy applies to all staff, administrative staff, rotating staff, parents/guardians, and volunteers when they care for infants at FEELC.

Communication Plan for Staff and Parents:


Parents will read and discuss this policy with FEELC’s administrator when they are enrolling their child in FEELC. There will also be a copy provided in the parent handbook. Parents are asked to follow this same policy when the infant is at home. These policies will be posted in prominent places. Information regarding safe sleep practices, safe sleep environments, reducing the risk of SIDS in child care as well as other program health and safety practices will be shared with families and all FEELC staff 14 days before any changes go into effect. All FEELC staff has reviewed, discussed, and signed a copy of the SIDS policy. The policy will also be provided in the FEELC staff handbook which is located on this FEELC website (http://www.firstenvironments.org/).

 
Policy Effective Date:

This policy was adopted: 4/27/12
Effective date(s) 7/17/14, 3/19/15, 2/11/16, 11/13/17, 2/14/19, 12/23/2021

Revision date(s) 7/3/14, 3/4/15, 1/24/16, 10/27/17, 1/31/19, 12/9/2021

 

Form:

Acknowledgement of Infant and Toddler Safe Sleep Policy (PDF)

 

Any individual who has questions about the FEELC Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep Policy may contact FEELC Director, Beth Lake by email at blake@firstenvironments.org or phone at (919) 541- 1461.

 

Last updated: 9/6/2022