*Content warning*: This article briefly discusses Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood (SUDC), including themes surrounding them. As professionals it is important that we are aware of these conditions, however, please read this article at your own pace and put your own personal wellbeing first. Carefully consider whether you are in the right space for this topic or you need to step away from it and revisit it at a more appropriate time. Links to further support and advice can be found at the end of this article.

 Guidance update

On the 20^{th of} April 2026, the Department for Education (DfE) in collaboration with the Lullaby Trust published new guidance for all early year’s staff surrounding safer sleep (a link to this guidance can be found at the end of this article). This newly published guidance reiterates the importance of providing babies and children with a safe sleep environment within your setting. This publication comes ahead of planned updates to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework in September 2026.

Why safer sleep is important

All babies and young children should be provided with a safe sleep environment to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in babies up to 12 months of age, and Sudden unexpected death in childhood (SUDC) in children aged over 12 months. SIDS and SIDC is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or child where no cause is found, and the baby/child appeared to be in good health with no underlying health conditions identified. Both SIDS and SUDC is linked to safer sleep because it most commonly happens when a baby/child is sleeping. With increased awareness and better practices around safer sleep (supported by research), the number of cases has fallen significantly over the past 30 years. However, statistics provided by the lullaby trust still highlights that 188 babies die from SIDS every year in the UK, with 87% of those cases happening within the first six months of a baby’s life.

Although the exact cause of SIDS and SUDC is not fully known, there have been some common factors identified that can increase a baby’s risk. Which include:

• Being born prematurely (before 37 weeks).
• Low birthweight (less than 2.5kg or 5.5lb).
• Exposure to smoking in pregnancy.
• Sleeping with babies and children on sofas or chairs (due to a risk of accidental suffocation if the baby/child slips between cushions/soft furniture or a parent/adult rolls on to them).

It is very rare for a baby/young child to die from SIDS or SUDC in early years settings as there is existing guidance to support and promote safer sleep. This highlights the importance of ensuring that you implement and adhere to all the relevant guidance, as the consequences of not doing so can be devastating. The latest guidance published by the DfE (2026) reiterates and clarifies the steps that should be implemented to ensure that you continue to provide the safest sleep environments as possible for every baby and child in your care. In the next part of this article, I will summarise the latest safe sleep guidance that you should be implementing within your own current practice.

Summary of the latest Safe sleep guidance

The latest guidance is specifically aimed at children under the age of two years of age. However, the same principles should be applied to older children to ensure that they are continuing to sleep in a safe environment which is supervised by practitioners.

Under the latest guidance providers must ensure that:

• Babies aged 12 months and under must only be placed to sleep in a cot, this includes carrycots, moses baskets and travel cots.
• Babies and children should be placed down on their back in their own separate sleep space on a clear, flat, firm surface such as a cot, bed or suitable mattress on the floor.
• Sleep spaces should only contain a firm, flat, waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding which is firmly tucked in around the child no higher than their shoulders to prevent head covering. However, a well fitted baby sleep bag may also be used.
• Where blankets are used, the baby should be placed feet-to-foot at the bottom of the cot, with blankets tucked in.
• Cots must not contain extra items such as toys, pillows, loose bedding, bumpers, wedges or straps as infants and young children could easily become entangled in them and increases the risk of suffocating.

• Sleep comforters may only be used for children aged over 12 months.
• Babies and children should not get too hot or cold. The recommended room temperature for babies (those aged 12 months and under) is 16 – 20˚C. To check if a baby or child is too hot or cold, feel their chest or the back of their neck (hands and feet will usually be cooler, which is normal). If their skin feels clammy or sweaty, remove one or more layers of clothing or bedding. You should use your professional judgement during extreme temperatures.

• Evidence suggests that babies (those aged 12 months and under) are at a higher risk of SIDS if they have their heads covered, therefore baby’s heads should never be covered.
• Babies under six months of age must always have an adult with them in the same room for every sleep and all children must be frequently checked when they are sleeping.
• Children should always be within sight and hearing of staff when sleeping. A baby monitor can be used for children over six months of age IF it shows a clear image and audio of them so that they can be seen and heard at all times.
• Once babies can move from their back to their front and back again by themselves, they can find their own sleeping position. However, continue to place them on their back to sleep.

Sleeping whilst travelling

The DfE (2026) has additionally recognised that there may be activities or events where you take a baby or child out of the setting such as on a walk or requires them to travel in a vehicle to an event. In response to this the DFE (2026) has also included guidance on how to keep babies and children safe if they are sleeping while travelling. The latest guidance states that:

• Babies aged 12 months and under that fall asleep whilst travelling must be transferred to their cot once they return to the setting.
• Children aged over 12 months that fall asleep whilst travelling should, where possible, be transitioned to their own separate sleep space on a clear, flat, firm surface such as a cot, bed or suitable mattress on the floor upon return.
• If a baby or child falls asleep whilst travelling in a car seat, they must also be transferred to their separate sleep space as soon as they return to the setting.
• Supported by NHS guidance, any hats and extra clothing should be removed as soon as you come indoors or enter a car, bus or train, even if it means waking the baby.
• A lie-flat pram or lie-flat pushchair should not be their main separate sleep space.

Children with SEND

The guidance published by the DfE (2026) is generic to cover all babies and young children. Although you must follow the guidance, there may be some exceptions for some babies and children with more complex SEND/complex medical needs. For example, I worked with a child with significant and multiple disabilities and life limiting conditions, and it was not deemed safe for him to sleep on his back as it restricted his airways and increased the risk of silent choking on his own saliva. Under the direct medical advice and guidance of his consultant, he was to be placed on his left side when sleeping and a practitioner had to always be present to monitor him while he was sleeping. Similarly, one of my own children was born with a rare genetic neurological condition and had an unsafe, un-coordinated swallow reflex. Like the child I had previously worked with, my child was also unable to sleep on her back and had to sleep on her side to prevent her from choking on her saliva or vomit.

This part of the article is just to highlight that for some babies and young children, alternative guidance needs to be followed, HOWEVER, this should only be done if the guidance is provided by health care professionals working with a child and is required to keep a child safe. In these cases, you should follow all health care plans and have specific risk assessments in place for each individual infant or child. Furthermore, alternative sleeping arrangements should only ever be implemented for medical/health reasons under the direction of a health care professional and should never be implemented if it is just parental preference. I have worked with many parents who wanted their baby to sleep on their front or side, or to be rocked to sleep in a pushchair. In these cases, I had to reiterate our setting safer sleep policy and clearly explain why we implemented and followed it. I would additionally state that alternative sleeping arrangements could not be accommodated based on parental preference due to the safety implications and associated risks of not following them.

Conclusion

As professionals, we never like to think about worse case scenarios or the things that could go wrong when caring for infants and young children. However, we have a statutory role and responsibility to keep all children healthy and safe while in our care. To assist us in doing this, it is vital that we consider and follow safer sleep guidance, as highlighted within this article. Furthermore, the DfE (2026) have stated within their latest guidance that they are planning further updates to the EYFS framework in September 2026 regarding safer sleep. Therefore, it is important to review these changes as soon as they are published to ensure that you remain compliant with the EYFS framework. This guidance is specifically aimed at early years practitioners working within settings. For parents, you can signpost them to their midwife or health visitors for more specific and relevant information about safer sleep at home.

While it is not common for SIDS or SUDC to happen within an early years/nursery setting, it can still happen. If you are caring for infants and young children within your setting, it is vital that you read and follow all safer sleep guidance. Although sometimes SIDs and SUDC can happen suddenly and without a reason, by increasing your knowledge, awareness of it and taking the appropriate measures as outlined in the latest safe sleep guidance (DfE, 2026) it can help to decrease the risks further.

Furthermore, when you work with infants and young children with more complex SEND/complex medical needs, who may also have life-limiting conditions, the risks can increase. It is essential that you not only follow the safe sleep guidance, but additionally you need to follow all the guidance from other health care professionals when required to ensure you keep children with more complex SEND and complex medical needs safe, especially when they are sleeping.

The death of an infant or child while in your care, regardless of the reason will be devastating, and will stay with you. If it does happen, you need to look after yourself and seek further support and counseling from other services and professionals (see below for links). Even as you come to the end of this article take a moment for yourself and practice some self-care before going back to working with your children. Take another moment to watch them play and notice how they make you smile, reminding you exactly why you do the job that you are doing.

For further advice and support

DfE (2026) Safer sleep guidance: Help for early years providers : Safer sleep

The Lullaby Trust: Safer sleep information | The Lullaby Trust

NHS guidance on safer sleeping: Keeping your sleeping baby safe

NHS information on SIDS: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - NHS

NHS support on grief/bereavement: Get help with grief after bereavement or loss - NHS