Sleep is an important aspect of a human’s life as this is when our bodies relax

and recharge ready for a new day of learning and development. Sleep is
especially important for young children, in particular those aged from birth to
two years as it is a “key pillar of health that affects daily functioning and
lifelong wellbeing” (Galland, Taylor, Elder & Herbison, 2012; Wong, Halaki &
Chow, 2013, as cited in Staton, Irvine, Pattinson, Smith, & Thorpe, 2015).
Children’s sleep patterns are “affected by the care environment both in the
home and early childhood education and care settings” (Jones & Ball, 2013;
Staton, Smith, Pattinson & Thorpe, 2014, as cited in Staton et al., 2015),
therefore the physical environment must be conducive to children’s needs and
should not be overstimulating.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)

outlines procedures and policies that must be put in place to ensure that
children’s rest areas are above standard. For example, educators should
“consult with families about their child’s individual needs and be sensitive to
different values and parenting beliefs… associated with sleep and rest” and
“effective sleep and rest strategies [should be in place to ensure that] a child
feels secure and safe at a service” (Australian Children’s Education & Care
Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2017). Complimentary to this, ACECQA also
outlines safe sleep and rest practices that constitute best practice for children
of all ages and more specifically, babies and toddlers.

When preparing infants for sleep and rest, educators need to first ensure that
the environment is conducive to sleep. “A safe sleeping environment [away
from noise should ensure] that all potential dangers have been removed and
the baby is sleeping…in a safe cot, on a safe mattress, with safe bedding”
(Red Nose, 2016). As well as this, a baby’s sleeping area should be free of
“hanging cords… electric blankets [and] hot water bottles” (Red Nose, 2016),
and heaters and electrical appliances should be kept well away and not
directly positioned close to or within the child’s reach (Red Nose, 2016). After
the environment has been cleared of potential hazards, the educator must
then ensure that the way in which the infant is put to sleep is safe and in line
with Red Nose’s - “the recognised national authority on safe sleeping
practices for infants and children” (ACECQA, 2017) - policies and procedures.

When preparing children for sleep there are a variety of steps that educators
need to take to ensure that children are safe. Some of these include making
sure that the child’s face is uncovered, placing the child onto their back when
first being settled, ensuring that the child is positioned with their feet at the
bottom of the cot (ACECQA, 2017) and ensuring that the correct number of
supervisors have been rostered to watch over the children - “birth to 24
months – 1:4” (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority
[ACECQA], n.d.). Educators should look for sleeping cues such as yawning,
rubbing eyes and/or crying (ACECQA, 2017) and should aim to minimise the
stress and discomfort of tiredness by putting the child down for a sleep as
soon as these behaviours become apparent.