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Cot Only for 12 Month Babies: Nursery Bedding Policy for East London

date 21/09/2026
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A nursery bedding policy sets out age-specific safe sleep rules: babies aged 12 months and under must sleep only in a cot, carrycot, moses basket or travel cot, never a floor bed or sleep pod. The cot itself stays clear, holding just a firm waterproof mattress and lightweight bedding tucked below shoulder height, or a well-fitted sleep bag. Staff supervise constantly, with an adult in the room at all times for babies under six months and regular sight-and-hearing checks for everyone else.

TL;DR:

  • Babies aged 12 months and under must sleep only in approved cots, carrycots, or moses baskets that meet British safety standards, with no exceptions for floor beds or sleep pods.
  • Nurseries strictly prohibit pillows, duvets, bumpers, and soft toys in the cot to minimize risk of suffocation or entanglement, allowing lightweight bedding or sleep bags instead.
  • Staff conduct constant supervision for infants under six months and frequent sight-and-hearing checks for older children, adjusting check frequency based on age and condition.
  • The safe sleep temperature range is 16–20°C, with staff dressing children appropriately and avoiding overdressing or double wrapping to prevent overheating.
  • Policies are reviewed annually or when statutory guidance updates, with staff trained regularly to ensure consistent implementation and safety compliance.
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Table of Contents

Nursery bedding policy checklist: what parents can expect

Most written policies follow the same practical shape once you strip away the legal wording. Here is what The Sunflower Nursery and other compliant providers typically confirm before a child’s first nap:

  • Cots only for babies aged 12 months and under, no exceptions for floor beds, nests or pods.
  • Named, fitted sheets and a well-fitted sleep bag are welcome; loose blankets, pillows and cot bumpers are not.
  • Comforters may be introduced once staff judge it safe, usually reviewed on an individual basis rather than by a fixed age.
  • Light layers are best. Overdressing or double-wrapping a baby under a blanket raises the risk of overheating.
  • Supervision scales with age. Younger babies get closer, more frequent checks than toddlers.

Room temperature guidance from the Department for Education’s safer sleep FAQ sets the target range at 16–20°C, which is why staff dress children for the room rather than the weather outside.

What are the age-specific bedding rules for babies and toddlers?

The term “cot” under EYFS guidance means a cot, carrycot, moses basket or travel cot, and nothing else. From September 2026, statutory guidance confirms that babies aged 12 months and under must only be placed to sleep in one of these. Floor beds and sleep pods, however comfortable they look in a catalogue, don’t meet this standard for that age group.

Nurseries check equipment against recognised British Standards before it comes anywhere near a sleeping child. The main ones referenced in safer-sleep guidance include:

  • BS EN 716-1 for cot construction and safety.
  • BS EN 16781 for baby sleep bags.
  • BS 7177 for mattress fire and safety performance.

Once a child moves into the toddler room, usually somewhere between 18 months and two years, staff use professional judgement to decide when a transition to a low bed is appropriate, always guided by developmental readiness rather than the calendar. Babies who nod off in a pram on a walk get transferred into a cot as soon as practical, never left to complete a nap in transport equipment.

Why do nurseries keep a “clear cot” policy?

A clear cot holds one thing: the sleeping child. Nothing else goes in. This is the single rule parents ask about most often, and the reasoning behind it is straightforward once explained properly.

Permitted in the cot:

  • A firm, flat mattress with a secure waterproof cover.
  • A named, fitted sheet, changed and laundered daily.
  • Lightweight bedding tucked in no higher than the shoulders, or a well-fitted sleep bag matched to the room temperature.

Never permitted:

  • Pillows, duvets and quilts.
  • Cot bumpers, soft toys and comfort blankets left loose in the cot.
  • Wedges, positioners or any strap-based sleep aid.

The Lullaby Trust’s safer-sleep guidance for early years settings explains why: loose or soft items increase the risk of a baby’s airway becoming covered or of entanglement during sleep. Where a blanket is used instead of a sleep bag, staff position the baby feet to foot, so tiny feet touch the base of the cot and there’s no way to wriggle down under the covers.

Pro Tip: If your child has a comforter at home, ask staff when it can join the cot. Most nurseries wait until a child is settled and past the youngest age bracket before allowing loose comfort items overnight.

How do staff supervise children while they sleep?

Supervision isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule. It scales sharply with age, and the EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers is explicit about the baseline.

  • Under six months: an adult stays in the same room for every single sleep, no exceptions.
  • Six months to two years: staff carry out frequent physical checks and keep children within sight and hearing.
  • Room conditions: staff monitor temperature against the 16–20°C benchmark and watch for flushed cheeks, damp hair or a sweaty back, the classic signs of overheating.

How often a “frequent check” happens is left to professional judgement rather than a rigid timer, because a child who has just settled needs a different rhythm to one who is unwell or unusually restless. Staff log checks and any concerns as part of daily practice, which also feeds into the individual sleep plans discussed further on.

What can I bring, and what might the nursery turn away?

Packing for nap times is simpler than it sounds once you know what actually gets used.

  1. A named fitted sheet sized to the nursery’s cot, ideally cotton and easy to launder.
  2. A well-fitted sleep bag rated to the room temperature, with no hood and a snug neck and armholes.
  3. A lightweight blanket, only if the nursery’s policy allows loose bedding for your child’s age and it can be tucked in below shoulder height.
  4. A comforter or dummy, subject to staff assessment and usually reserved for children past the earliest cot-only stage.

Items commonly refused include anything without a clear British Standard marking, bedding with rips, loose threads or worn elastic, and cot bumpers regardless of how they’re marketed. If a staff member turns something away, it’s rarely arbitrary. It’s almost always because the item falls outside BS EN 716-1, BS EN 16781 or BS 7177 compliance, or because it simply doesn’t fit the cot securely enough to stay safe.

Where is the policy written down, and how is it personalised?

The full wording lives on the nursery’s own policy and procedures documentation, which parents can request or read online before their child even starts. Alongside the general policy, most settings ask parents to sign a declaration covering individual sleep arrangements, particularly where a child has a medical need, an allergy, or a cultural preference around bedding.

  • Medical and allergy needs get risk-assessed and recorded in an individual sleep plan, agreed jointly with parents and, where relevant, health professionals.
  • Providers are permitted to use professional judgement for individual cases, but only once that judgement is documented and consented to.
  • Settling-in sessions and daily handovers give parents a natural point to raise questions, and online journal updates keep the conversation going once a child has started.

If anything changes at home, such as a new comforter or a change in nap length, telling staff at drop-off means the written plan gets updated the same day.

What happens when a child falls asleep in a pram or car seat?

Children rarely nap on cue, and a toddler who falls asleep on the walk into nursery, or a baby who drops off in a car seat during the morning school run, is one of the most common real-world scenarios staff manage. Nursery bedding policy covers this precisely because prams, car seats and buggies are not classed as sleep spaces under EYFS safer-sleep guidance.

The standard procedure runs like this: if a child arrives asleep, staff wake them gently during handover rather than letting the nap continue in the pram or seat. Once settled into the room, if the child needs more sleep, they’re transferred into a proper cot, carrycot or moses basket, following the same clear-cot rules as any other nap. The Lullaby Trust warns specifically against pods, nests and car seats as sleep surfaces, because the inclined, unfixed nature of that equipment raises the risk of airway restriction if a baby’s head slumps forward.

Steps for transferring a sleeping child safely

Clothing management matters just as much here. A child who arrives in a thick coat or snowsuit after a car journey gets that outer layer removed before transfer, since overheating risk climbs fast once a child is dressed for outdoors but sleeping in a warm room. Staff also check shoes are off and any bulky accessories, hats, mittens, scarves, are removed before a child settles, both for comfort and to avoid any loose item near the face during sleep. Parents who drop off a sleeping toddler shouldn’t expect the nap to carry on undisturbed in the buggy. It’s a deliberate safety step, not an oversight.

How does staff training keep the bedding policy consistent?

A written policy only works if every member of staff applies it the same way, every shift, every room. New starters at a compliant nursery go through safer-sleep induction before they’re ever left solely responsible for a sleeping child, covering the cot-only rule, permitted bedding, and what a supervision check actually involves in practice.

Ongoing training tends to cover a few recurring areas: recognising the British Standards markings on cots and sleep bags, understanding why floor beds and pods fail EYFS requirements for the youngest children, and practising how to record checks accurately rather than just performing them. Room leaders and key workers usually take on responsibility for checking that bedding brought from home meets the policy before it ever goes near a cot, which is why the person greeting you at drop-off often asks direct questions about a new blanket or comforter.

Competency isn’t a one-off tick box. Most settings build safer-sleep refreshers into termly staff meetings, particularly after any statutory update, so that practice doesn’t drift as staff turn over or as new equipment comes into use. A nursery that can show clear induction records and regular refresher training is one where the written bedding policy and daily practice actually match.

How does staff training keep the bedding policy consistent? — overview diagram

How often does the bedding policy get reviewed and updated?

Policies aren’t static documents filed away and forgotten. Nurseries typically review safer-sleep policy at least annually, and immediately whenever statutory guidance changes, such as the EYFS updates taking effect from September 2026.

A review usually checks three things: whether the wording still matches current EYFS statutory framework requirements, whether any incident or near-miss in the setting has flagged a gap in practice, and whether new equipment, cots, mattresses or sleep bags, still meets the relevant British Standards. Manufacturer recalls or updated BS EN specifications can prompt an out-of-cycle review even mid-year.

Parents aren’t usually left to guess when something changes. Updates tend to filter through via the same channels used for daily communication, a note on the online journal, a mention at pickup, or an updated copy of the policy shared during the next settling session. If a nursery can’t tell you when its bedding policy was last reviewed, that’s a fair question to ask before enrolling, since a policy that hasn’t moved since before the September 2026 changes almost certainly needs updating.

What do staff do if there’s a choking or overheating emergency?

Every safer-sleep policy sits alongside a clear emergency response plan, because prevention reduces risk without ever eliminating it entirely. Staff trained in paediatric first aid know the signs to watch for and the steps to take without hesitation.

For suspected choking, staff are trained to recognise the difference between a child coughing effectively and one who cannot make a sound, and to act immediately using back blows and, where needed, abdominal thrusts appropriate to the child’s age. This is why prohibited items like loose bedding, small toys and cot bumpers matter so much: removing the hazard in the first place is always safer than reacting to it once a child is in distress.

For overheating, staff are taught to check for flushed skin, rapid breathing, or a baby who feels hot to the touch at the back of the neck, then to remove layers and, if symptoms don’t ease, seek urgent medical advice. Because the room temperature guidance sits at 16–20°C, staff treat any child showing these signs as a priority even before symptoms become severe. Every setting keeps emergency contact details, a first aider on-site during all opening hours, and a clear escalation route to call 999 where a child’s condition doesn’t improve quickly. None of this replaces the safer-sleep basics covered earlier, it exists precisely because those basics, followed properly, are what stop most emergencies from happening at all.

Nursery perspective: balancing safety with settling

Safety comes first, always, but that doesn’t mean rigid rules and a settled child are at odds. Consistency is what actually helps babies and toddlers settle into nap times, and a clear, predictable bedding routine gives a child the same cues every single day.

Settling-in sessions exist for exactly this reason: staff introduce a child gradually to their sleep space, learn their individual soothing preferences, and agree handover details with parents before a single full day begins. If a child struggles to settle without a particular comforter, staff will discuss it and, once safe to do so, work it into an individual plan rather than dismissing it outright. Compliance and comfort aren’t competing goals in practice, they’re the same goal viewed from two different angles. Any parent who wants the fine detail is welcome to read the setting’s written policy in full or raise it directly with staff.

— tariq

Book a visit and read The Sunflower Nursery’s policy in full

Some nurseries publish their full safer-sleep and bedding procedures to guide parents, and settle children based on their individual sleep needs. Local nurseries may strive to align written policies, staff training, and daily nap routines closely rather than keeping them separate.

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You can read the complete written procedures on the policy and procedures page, including how individual sleep plans and medical needs are handled. If you’d rather ask a question directly, staff at either location will talk through comforters, sleep bags or any allergy consideration before your child’s first session. Settling and induction sessions can be arranged through the half day and free sessions page, and general enquiries about places, fees or a registration start with the main childcare page. A one-off £50 registration fee applies when you secure a place, detailed on the for parents page along with other terms, including the late collection charge. Booking a tour is the simplest way to see the sleep room and ask about your child’s specific needs before deciding.

This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.

Sources

FAQ

Can babies sleep on a mat or floor bed at nursery?

No. Under the EYFS safer-sleep requirements effective from September 2026, babies aged 12 months and under must sleep only in a cot, carrycot, moses basket or travel cot. Floor beds and sleep pods don’t meet this standard for that age group, whatever a manufacturer might claim.

What bedding is allowed in a nursery cot?

Cots hold a firm, flat, waterproof mattress with a fitted sheet, plus either lightweight bedding tucked in below shoulder height or a well-fitted sleep bag. Pillows, duvets, bumpers, soft toys and wedges are never permitted, in line with Lullaby Trust guidance for early years settings.

How closely do staff supervise sleeping babies?

Babies under six months always have an adult in the same room for every sleep, while older children are checked frequently and kept within sight and hearing, as set out in the EYFS statutory framework. Exact check frequency is a matter of professional judgement based on each child’s needs.

Does Thesunflowernursery publish its bedding policy for parents?

Yes. The full written procedures, including safer-sleep and bedding arrangements, sit on the policy and procedures page, and staff can talk through individual sleep plans during a visit or settling session.

What is the ideal room temperature for nursery naps?

Guidance sets the target range at 16 to 20°C, with staff watching for flushed skin or a sweaty back as signs a child is too warm, according to the DfE safer sleep FAQ. Clothing and bedding are adjusted to the room rather than the weather outside.

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