Odd Comment from Provider

[Silly Songs]

I follows generic FB page for providers. Someone posted with a question about what age to move children to cots. Most of the responses were in the 12-18 month range. A few said a bit older. All sounded on point.
One provider said she has a 4 MONTH old who likes to nap on cots !! What ????? Safe sleep not happening there. Someone commented about it, but so far not too many did. Parents really need to be vigilant.

[jenboo]

I follows generic FB page for providers. Someone posted with a question about what age to move children to cots. Most of the responses were in the 12-18 month range. A few said a bit older. All sounded on point.
One provider said she has a 4 MONTH old who likes to nap on cots !! What ????? Safe sleep not happening there. Someone commented about it, but so far not too many did. Parents really need to be vigilant.

Why isn't that safe sleep? My son slept a twin mattress on the floor from birth. I've had infants nap on firm mats. It's all within licensing.

[hwichlaz]

A firm well-ventilated sleeping surface.....a cot fits that bill. Not using cribs, but floor beds, is a well known Montessori concept/practice.

[Homebody]

I personally would be afraid of the baby rolling off of it. All my dc kids nap in a separate room from where I'm at, so there would be no way I could do that with a baby. I wonder if the 4 month old is in the same area as the provider and always within sight?

[Blackcat31]

Why isn't that safe sleep? My son slept a twin mattress on the floor from birth. I've had infants nap on firm mats. It's all within licensing.

A firm well-ventilated sleeping surface.....a cot fits that bill. Not using cribs, but floor beds, is a well known Montessori concept/practice.

Cribs are required in some states so a parent using a cot or floor bed etc is 100% not the same thing as a provider that does.

It may be acceptable (in some states) to use floor beds if you are a Montessori program but you’d think it they’d need to be licensed as such for it to be legal.

[jenboo]

I personally would be afraid of the baby rolling off of it. All my dc kids nap in a separate room from where I'm at, so there would be no way I could do that with a baby. I wonder if the 4 month old is in the same area as the provider and always within sight?

My son has slept on a twin mattress since birth. It is about 6in high. He rolled off maybe once as a baby and didn't even wake up. Their bodies learn to stay on just like ours do. I know when I had cots they were only a couple in off the ground.
Of course I wouldn't put an infant to bed on a cot in another room. It would only work if you were watching them for safety.

[jenboo]

Cribs are required in some states so a parent using a cot or floor bed etc is 100% not the same thing as a provider that does.

It may be acceptable (in some states) to use floor beds if you are a Montessori program but you’d think it they’d need to be licensed as such for it to be legal.

True. Assuming its approved by licensing, I don't see why it would be dangerous.
Im a big advocate of floor beds ��

[hwichlaz]

I personally would be afraid of the baby rolling off of it. All my dc kids nap in a separate room from where I'm at, so there would be no way I could do that with a baby. I wonder if the 4 month old is in the same area as the provider and always within sight?

My infant area is gated/fenced and covered in foam floor tiles. If a little one rolled off of their mat, they'd just roll onto foam floor tiles. However, when I nap them down like that, I use a cot. Their weight kind of lowers them a bit, so the edges are a teensy bit higher and they don't roll off. They can wake up and crawl/scoot/roll off, but it doesn't happen in their sleep. I have one mini crib in there, but when I'm short on crib space, I'll nap an 8 or 9 month old on a nap cot.

[Blackcat31]

My infant area is gated/fenced and covered in foam floor tiles. If a little one rolled off of their mat, they'd just roll onto foam floor tiles. However, when I nap them down like that, I use a cot. Their weight kind of lowers them a bit, so the edges are a teensy bit higher and they don't roll off. They can wake up and crawl/scoot/roll off, but it doesn't happen in their sleep. I have one mini crib in there, but when I'm short on crib space, I'll nap an 8 or 9 month old on a nap cot.

If your licensor came would you be cited for that or would it be acceptable by licensing?

Just from what I've read about CA FCC rules cribs are required infant equipment.

[hwichlaz]

If your licensor came would you be cited for that or would it be acceptable by licensing?

Just from what I've read about CA FCC rules cribs are required infant equipment.

They are currently only required in Commercial Child Care Centers, not homes.

I'm not sure what the wording of the new safe sleep regs will be, but I suspect I won't be taking anyone under 12 months after they come out anyway.

I also know, that Early Head Start uses mats and cots here as soon as they take their first steps. So I'm not sure what the exact wording is for licensed centers either.

[Alwaysgreener]

We are required cribs or pnp. I am not sure if I would be comfortable with the idea of a cot. My cots are regalo cots and they are not a mesh material and they are higher off the ground then the ones that are mesh. So no I would not use a cot for a child under 12 months, Nor would regulations allow it.

As for a mattress, I would never use them. They are against regulations for any child under 12 months plus if a child rolls off then they could also roll into the side of the mattress and suffocate, just like a crib bumper. And if they were pushed against the wall a baby could suffocate by rolling and falling between the wall and the mattress just like an infant could on the couch. This was all described to us in a safe sleep webinar that I had to take earlier this year.

[ColorfulSunburst]

True. Assuming its approved by licensing, I don't see why it would be dangerous.
Im a big advocate of floor beds ��

in my opinion, it is dangerous because any older kid can injure or kill an infant.
a floor bed at home is not the same thing as a floor bed at daycare.

[jenboo]

in my opinion, it is dangerous because any older kid can injure or kill an infant.
a floor bed at home is not the same thing as a floor bed at daycare.

I don't nap infants and toddlers in the same room. Obviously it is all going to depend on the situation. Infants always napped in the room with me and I would get up and check on the toddlers in the other room (kinda hard to explain the layout but its a living room and family room that are open but divided by one wall (no doors).

If I had infants and toddlers in the same room, I would never leave infants within the reach of other kids.

[hwichlaz]

in my opinion, it is dangerous because any older kid can injure or kill an infant.
a floor bed at home is not the same thing as a floor bed at daycare.

My inside and outside infant/toddler areas are gated with foam floor tiles. Any time I'm not right down on the floor with everyone, my pre-walkers are kept separate.

[Pestle]

Cribs are required where I'm at, but DD slept on a Pack 'n' Play mat on the floor as soon as we had a bedroom for her (around 6 mos). She rolls out of bed--still does at 6 years-- so we never used a toddler bed at all; just put the crib mattress on the floor, then went to a twin on the floor when she outgrew the crib mattress. We finally bought a bed frame a few months ago, but she keeps the spare mattress pulled out from the trundle space because, yep, she falls out in the middle of the night.

If you're doing a floor bed for your own child, you just have to be aware of safety hazards and thoroughly baby-proof the entire space, so it basically becomes one big crib. It's more work but it allows the children more space to develop their gross motor skills and self-soothing skills.