What are the EYFS safer sleep requirements for childminders from September 2026

What changed on 1 September 2026

The Department for Education published new versions of both EYFS statutory frameworks, one for childminders and one for group and school-based providers, and they came into force on 1 September 2026. According to the GOV.UK page for the frameworks, the main changes are updates on safer sleep, a requirement to have regard to guidance on children's screen use, a ban on childcare where banned dog breeds are present, and other safeguarding clarifications. The frameworks apply in England.

Safer sleep was already part of the EYFS, but the earlier frameworks linked out to NHS guidance rather than stating the rules. The Department's safer sleep FAQ, published on the Foundation Years website, says the wording was changed so that the requirements are written into the framework itself. It explains why: there have been cases of children dying from unsafe sleep practices, 188 babies die from sudden infant death syndrome in the UK every year, and toddlers are also at risk of suffocation from soft bedding or soft furniture.

For a childminder this mostly confirms what good practice already looked like. The difference is that the rules are now explicit, in one paragraph, and that a few common habits, such as floor beds for young babies, are now clearly ruled out.

The requirements, line by line

Paragraph 3.86 of the childminder framework opens with a rule for every child: babies and children must be placed down to sleep safely. The detailed requirements that follow apply to children under two years old.

1. Place children down on their back in their own separate sleep space on a firm, flat surface, such as a cot, bed or mattress on the floor.
2. Babies aged 12 months and under must only be placed to sleep in a cot.
3. Sleep spaces must contain only a firm, flat, waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding tucked in firmly below the shoulders, or a well-fitted baby sleep bag used according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
4. Where blankets are used, place the child feet-to-foot at the bottom of the cot with the blankets tucked in.
5. No extra items in the cot: no toys, pillows, extra blankets, bumpers, wedges or straps.
6. Children should not get too hot or cold; the recommended room temperature for babies is 16 to 20C.
7. Children's heads must not be covered.
8. Babies under six months must always have an adult in the same room for every sleep, and all children must be checked frequently while sleeping.
9. Children must always be within sight and hearing of staff while they sleep.

The framework also says practitioners must read the NHS advice on sudden infant death syndrome, and points to The Lullaby Trust for more on safer sleep.

What counts as a cot, and what does not

The Department's FAQ defines a cot as a cot, carrycot, Moses basket or travel cot, and lists the British Standards providers may find useful, including BS EN 716-1:2017 for cots and travel cots and BS EN 16781:2018 for sleep bags. It is explicit that floor beds, also called coracles or sleep pods, do not meet the requirement for babies aged 12 months and under, because of safety concerns about floor beds with lowered sides for that age.

Children over 12 months can sleep in their own separate sleep space on a clear, flat, firm surface, such as a cot, a bed or a suitable mattress on the floor. Buggies, pushchairs, prams and lie-flat pushchairs should not be the main sleep space for a child of any age, and nor should a sling or carrier.

Journeys are where a home setting most often slips. The FAQ says a baby aged 12 months and under who falls asleep while travelling must be moved to their cot once you return, and that a child of any age who falls asleep in a car seat must be moved to their separate sleep space as soon as you get back. The NHS advice adds that hats and extra clothing should come off as soon as you come indoors, even if it wakes the baby.

Checks, monitors and the under-six-months rule

The framework does not set a fixed interval for checks. The Department's FAQ says how often to physically check a sleeping child is for the provider to decide using professional judgement and the individual needs of each child, but every child must be checked frequently and be within sight and hearing while asleep.

Babies under six months are the exception to any flexibility: an adult must be in the same room for every sleep. For older children, the FAQ allows a baby monitor that lets you see and hear the children at all times, but says frequent checks are still required. In a house where the cot is in another room, that rule shapes the whole nap routine.

On rolling, the FAQ and the NHS give the same advice: keep placing babies on their back to sleep, and once a baby can roll from back to front and back again on their own, they can find their own position. Sleep comforters are allowed only for children over 12 months, and the FAQ says there are no planned changes to the use of dummies.

Temperature, bedding and sleep bags

The 16 to 20C range comes from the NHS, which recommends checking a baby's temperature by feeling the chest or the back of the neck, removing a layer of clothing or bedding if the skin is hot or sweaty, and never letting a baby sleep in direct sunlight or next to a radiator or heater. The Department's FAQ says providers should use professional judgement during extreme temperatures.

On bedding, the FAQ accepts a mattress with an integral waterproof coating or a separate waterproof layer. If a sheet is used it must be tucked in securely, and a fitted sheet is preferred because it is less likely to come loose and cover the baby's face. Lightweight blankets must be tucked in below the shoulders, and the FAQ notes that a cellular blanket keeps a baby warm while letting air through.

Common safer sleep slip-ups at home

Letting the nap finish in the buggy or car seat after the school run. The FAQ is clear that babies 12 months and under go into their cot on return, and that any child asleep in a car seat is moved as soon as you are back.

Using a floor bed or sleep pod for a young baby, or putting a comforter in the cot of a baby under 12 months. The framework and the Department's FAQ now rule out both. Relying on the monitor alone. A monitor helps with sight and hearing for older children, but checks still have to be frequent, and an under-six-month-old needs an adult in the room.

Losing track of when each child went down. Parents also want to know when and how long their child slept. TinyReport records nap start and end times with a tap and puts them on the day's one-page report for parents, but it is a record of the day, not a replacement for the checks the EYFS requires.

This guide summarizes the Department for Education's EYFS statutory framework for childminders and its safer sleep FAQ as published for September 2026, together with NHS advice. It is not safety, medical or legal advice for your setting. The EYFS applies in England only. Read the framework and the NHS and Lullaby Trust guidance yourself, and contact Ofsted or your childminder agency if you are unsure how a requirement applies to you.

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