Sleep and rest procedure

This procedure sets out how Early Learning Victoria centres support children’s health, wellbeing, and development by meeting their sleep, rest, and relaxation needs.

1. Purpose

This procedure is to be used in conjunction with the Sleep and rest policy. It outlines steps that educators, nominated supervisors and Early Learning Victoria as the approved provider must take to ensure the sleep environment for children is safe and appropriate:

  • sleep surfaces are firm and flat
  • the environment is well-ventilated and of a comfortable temperature
  • no items are present that could obstruct children’s airways
  • an adult trained in safe sleep practice closely supervises and monitors children during sleep.

2. Actions and procedures

2.1 Responsibilities of families

Families are responsible for:

  • communicating information or concerns about their child’s sleep and rest patterns, preferences and routines with their child’s educator in a timely manner
  • providing additional information as requested by Early Learning Victoria (for example, a medical report relating to sleep arrangements if their baby or child is not to be placed on their back for sleep)
  • ensuring clothing is appropriate for sleep times and does not have any loose items that could get tangled and restrict breathing
  • providing any safe sleep supplies or comfort objects that their child requires for sleep and rest (for example, a safe sleeping bag) and ensuring that these are clean
  • respecting the rights of educators to follow current best practice and guidelines, including recommendations by Red Nose Australia in relation to safe sleep practices.

2.1 Responsibilities of staff

Educators

All educators are responsible for safe sleep practices and environments for children in their care by:

  1. Safe sleep environments
  • ensuring that the environment is well ventilated and free from smoke, and that if any heating or cooling is in use, this is set to a moderate temperature and directed away from children
  • ensuring that children are put to sleep on a firm, flat surface, which should be a mat or cot in the first instance but may be another firm, flat surface of the child’s choice
  • removing any object that could pose a choking or strangulation hazard from the sleep space
  • ensuring that hot water bottles and heat packs are never used while children are asleep
  • ensuring no child is left to sleep in a pram, bassinet, cradle, or hammock
  • providing an environment that is conducive to sleep and rest with respect to sound, temperature, lighting and ventilation
  • ensuring that children are given clean and hygienic bedding. Bedding and mattresses are to be cleaned and laundered weekly, and stored separately for each child after uses between cleaning. If sleep mats are stacked, they will be cleaned before being stored after each use
  1. Safe sleep practices
  • maintaining constant supervision of children sleeping, including being within sight and hearing distance and monitoring for any changes in appearance or breathing through visual checks of sleeping position, skin and lip colour, breathing, body temperature, head position, airway and head and face – ensuring head and face remain uncovered. (If a child is sick, educators must supervise their symptoms closely and refer to the Incident, injury, trauma and illness policy.)
  • documenting children’s sleep times and completing regular checks every 10 minutes of their breathing and appearance (see Links)
  • communicating with families about their children’s rest and sleep
  • supporting children to develop individual sleep and rest preferences, including not to sleep, and respecting these in a manner that complies with safe sleep guidelines
  • providing children who choose not to sleep with access to space and resources to play without unduly disturbing children who are sleeping, and maintaining supervision of these children
  • respecting families’ preferences and upholding these where they comply with safe sleep guidelines
  • supporting children’s emerging ability to fall asleep independently
  • completing Red Nose online training and annual refresher training if occupying a Room Leader or Educational Leader role (see Links)
  • maintaining own occupational health and safety while putting children to sleep, cleaning and storing bedding
  • reporting any issues with safe sleep practice, environment or equipment to the centre director.

Educators working regularly with children under 12 months are required to pay particular attention to safe sleep practices and environments due to the elevated risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by:

  1. Safe sleep environments
  • ensuring infants are dressed appropriately for the room temperature. The infant should be warm but not hot to touch centrally. Bedding or clothing should be removed if the infant is hot to touch.
  • ensuring that infants’ faces and heads are uncovered
  • placing infants to sleep in a cot only until the child can sit up confidently, then transferring them to a mat on the floor to prevent children from climbing or falling
  • ensuring cots are located in a designated cot or quite area, are only placed against a blank wall (e.g., free from light switches and power points etc) and that cot sides are never left open while the cot is unattended
  • ensuring that there is 30cm clear space around the sleep surface with no items within infants’ reach
  • ensuring infants are never left to sleep in a bassinet, cradle, bouncer or hammock.
  1. Safe sleep practices
  • completing Red Nose online training and annual refresher training (see Links)
  • ensuring that covers are lightweight and tucked in securely at infants’ chest level
  • placing infants on their back to sleep. Children are supported to find a comfortable position once asleep.

Nominated supervisor

Nominated supervisors oversee the implementation of safe sleep practices and a safe sleep environment at their centre. They are responsible for:

  • making sure all educators are aware of their responsibilities
  • ensuring this procedure, along with information about children’s rest and sleep are readily available to families and communicated during orientation or enrolment, including clear expectations regarding when children will transition to a floor mat in line with this procedure
  • ensuring that a bassinet, bouncer, cradle or other tilted sleeping surface is not in the centre at any time while children are present
  • ensuring all Early Learning Victoria staff working in multi-aged rooms of 0-3 year old children, Room Leaders, the Educational Leader and Centre Director have current Red Nose training and that this is attached to their staff record
  • supporting educators to implement this policy, including where families’ requests do not comply with safe sleep requirements
  • ensuring sleep and rest risk assessments have been conducted every 12 months or after any change in circumstances that may affect children’s health, wellbeing or safety. The safe sleep and rest checklist can be used to ensure all elements of a safe sleep environment have been considered (see Links)
  • ensuring an adequate supply of cots, cot mattresses and bedding that meet Australian Standards (AS/NZS 2172 or any superseding standard) for the needs of all children attending the centre, and monitoring, replacing or increasing these as may be required
  • ensuring that any need to purchase additional cots is addressed by submitting a request to the area manager, including an updated cot plan showing where new cots will be located, and confirmed that the placement does not reduce the required amount of unencumbered space
  • informing Early Learning Victoria central of any additional requirements needed to provide an adequate sleep and rest environment for all children attending the centre.

Approved provider

The approved provider must take reasonable steps to ensure that the needs for sleep and rest of the children being educated and cared for at the centre are met, having regard to their individual ages, development and needs:

  • ensuring all parties are aware of and comply with their responsibilities in relation to safe sleep
  • ensuring adequate numbers of cots, beds and bedding that meet Australian Standards (AS/NZS 2172 or any superseding standard) are available for children with regard to the age and development of individual children attending the centre
  • ensuring that a bassinet is not at the centre at any time while children are present
  • ensuring that Early Learning Victoria centres have sufficient facilities for sleep and rest, including adequate space for safe positioning of cots and mats, and storage and laundry space for cots, beds and bedding when not in use
  • ensuring Early Learning Victoria centres are designed with areas to facilitate rest and relaxation, with consideration for soundproofing, ventilation, lighting and temperature control, balancing children’s needs for a sleep-conducive environment with ease of supervision
  • ensuring that centres are readily able to source any additional sleep equipment as required
  • monitoring and reviewing this policy in line with any regulatory changes and following any notifiable incident
  • providing staff with access to Red Nose training and time to complete this training.

3. Resources

4. Authorisations and review

This procedure is the responsibility of Early Learning Victoria. Contact: ELV@education.vic.gov.au

It was approved by the CEO, Early Learning Victoria on 26 February 2026.

Early Learning Victoria regularly reviews its policies and procedures. This policy is due for review on 26 February 2028 unless changes in legislation or Department of Education policy require it to be reviewed sooner.

Reviewed by Director, Early Learning ELV and Director, Quality ELV.

Education & training

Updated

Back to top