Examination of state regulations regarding infants and sleep in licensed child care centers and family child care settings.

BACKGROUND

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 prone infant sleeping, smoke exposure, soft bedding, and unsafe sleep environments, avoidance of these risk factors is not universally practiced in child care settings. Advocacy through state child care regulatory agencies and legislative bodies may be effective in more widespread awareness and avoidance of risk factors.

OBJECTIVE

To determine what individual state regulations for licensed child care centers and family child care settings exist regarding: 1) sleep positions for infants under 6 months old, 2) crib safety, 3) bedding safety, and 4) smoking in the facilities.

DESIGN

A descriptive survey of regulations for licensed child care centers and family child care settings in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

RESULTS

Fifteen states use regulations adopted before publication of the first policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics on infant sleep position and SIDS in 1992. Six states require child care centers to place infants nonprone. Sixty-three percent of states require cribs in child care centers to meet at least 1 safety standard, and 45.1% require this in family child care homes. Six states have provisions limiting the use of soft bedding in child care centers, and 4 have such bans for family child care homes. Seventy-one percent of states prohibit smoking in child care centers during hours of operation; 17% of states have similar requirements for family child care homes.

CONCLUSIONS

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.