Sleep and rest periods are a routine part of the childcare day, but they carry genuine risk if supervision lapses. Infants and young children need regular, documented checks and clear sightlines, and services are expected to have policies that reflect current safe sleep guidance.
This guide covers what good sleep and rest supervision looks like in an Australian service, what records are expected, and where technology can play a supporting role, while being clear about what it cannot and should not claim to do.
Why sleep and rest supervision needs its own plan
Sleep rooms often have lower lighting, children at different stages of settling, and educators moving between tasks such as administration or preparing for the next routine. Without a deliberate supervision plan, it's easy for checks to become irregular or for an educator's attention to be split.
Services should have a documented sleep and rest policy that sets out how often children are checked, who is responsible for checks during that period, and how checks are recorded. This policy should be consistent with current guidance from Red Nose and relevant state health authorities.
Regular checks and visibility
Regulations and best practice guidance expect children to be checked at regular intervals during sleep and rest, with checks more frequent for younger infants. Educators should be able to see each child's face and chest, not just a cot from a distance, and sleep areas should be arranged so that educators have a clear, unobstructed view.
Where possible, position cots and mats so no sleeping child is hidden behind furniture, dividers or other cots, and ensure lighting is sufficient for an educator to properly observe breathing and colour during a check, not just presence.
- Set a clear interval for checks, consistent with service policy and the age of the children
- Arrange cots and mats so every child is visible to a supervising educator
- Rotate staff attention so checks don't lapse during busy periods
Keeping accurate sleep and rest records
Documented checks give both the service and families confidence that the policy is being followed, and they are commonly reviewed by assessors as evidence of supervision practice under the National Quality Standard. Records should note the time of each check and the initials of the educator who completed it.
Paper checklists work well for many services; others use a digital log on a tablet in the sleep room. Whatever the method, the important thing is that checks are actually happening at the stated interval and that records are reviewed regularly, not just filed away.
- Record the time of each check and the educator responsible
- Review sleep and rest records periodically as part of quality improvement
- Keep the policy visible and understood by all staff, including relief educators
What technology can and cannot do
Some services use CCTV supervision in sleep rooms to help educators see into a room from an adjoining area or to flag general safety events such as a child climbing out of a cot unexpectedly. It is important to be clear about the limits of this: the product does not monitor breathing, does not detect medical events, and does not replace a physical, hands-on check by an educator.
CCTV supervision also does not recognise or identify individual children. It is designed to support an educator's attention, for example by surfacing an event for review, but the regular, physical checks required by your sleep and rest policy remain the responsibility of educators.
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General information only, not legal advice. Check current requirements with your state or territory regulatory authority.