Since September 2026 the safer sleep requirements are written into the EYFS for childminders, where before you had to find them in separate guidance. You need to follow them, be able to explain how you do it, and agree each child's sleep routine with their parents.
What safer sleep means in practice
The core of safer sleep is putting babies down on their back, in a clear cot or travel cot with a firm, flat, waterproof mattress, with no pillows, bumpers, soft toys or loose bedding. Children should sleep in a room that isn't too hot, and never on a sofa or armchair. The Lullaby Trust publishes the detailed advice most settings follow, including on car seats and slings.
The EYFS also requires that sleeping children are checked often, and you must be able to see or hear them. In a home setting that usually means a monitor if they sleep in another room, and physical checks at set times that you record.
What your sleep policy should cover
- Where children sleep, and on what.
- How babies are put down, and what's in the cot.
- How often you check, and how you record it.
- How you agree each child's routine with parents, including comforters and naps.
- What you do if a parent asks for something unsafe, such as putting a baby to sleep on their front.
That last one comes up more than you'd think. My answer is that I follow safer sleep guidance for every child, and if a doctor has advised something different for a particular child, I need that in writing.
Agreeing routines with parents
Ask about each child's sleep before they start: how long they nap, how they settle, and anything they sleep with. The family form asks this, so you have it in writing before the first day. Review it as they grow, because a baby's routine changes every few months.
How it looks in your contract
From a GoChildmind contract
Sleep. Your child sleeps safely, following safer sleep guidance, and is checked often. Tell me their routine on the family information form.
Put your own details in, freeRead the full sample contract
Questions people ask
What if a baby falls asleep in a pushchair on a walk? Check the Lullaby Trust's advice for pushchairs and car seats, write down what you do in your sleep policy, and agree it with parents before it happens.
Do I have to record sleep checks? The EYFS says sleeping children must be checked often. Writing down the times you check is the easiest way to show you do it.