Home > Professionals > Child Care Providers > State Legislative Efforts

 State Legislative Efforts

Twenty percent of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) occurs in child care settings. Although the incidence of SIDS in the United States has decreased with increased awareness of the risks of tummy sleeping, smoke exposure, soft bedding, and unsafe sleep environments, avoidance of these risk factors is not universally practiced in child care settings.  

Many states use child care regulations that were written before the initial policy statements of the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding safe sleep environments for infants. Even those more recently adopted regulations do not adequately address sleep safety for infants. Pediatricians need to become more proactive in promoting safety regulations in child care. Adoption of new regulations can aid in education of child care providers and, thus, improve the safety for infants in child care.  

For information about your state’s child care regulations on infant sleep positions, visit the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care website at http://nrc.uchsc.edu. 

Setting Policy on Infant Sleep Position (PDF) – provides information about developing and communicating to parents rules on how infants are placed for sleep in your facility/home. 

Advocacy through state child  care regulatory agencies and legislative bodies may be effective in more widespread awareness and avoidance of risk factors.