Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 591-1-1-.30 - Safe Sleeping and Resting Requirements
(1) Sleeping and Resting Equipment.
(a) Cribs. A crib that is safety approved in
compliance with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society
of Testing and Materials International (ASTM) safety standards shall be
provided for each infant. ("Infant" refers to any child under the age of twelve
(12) months or any child who is under eighteen (18) months of age who is not
walking.)
1. Crib Construction. Cribs shall
be in good repair and free of hazards. Stack cribs and cribs with drop sides
shall not be used.
2. Crib
Mattress. A mattress shall be provided for each crib and shall be firm,
tight-fitting without gaps, at least two inches (2") thick and covered with
waterproof, washable material. Before a change of occupant, each mattress shall
be cleaned with a disinfectant.
3.
Crib Sheet. Each crib shall have only an individual, tight-fitting sheet which
is changed daily or more often as needed and prior to a change of
occupant.
(b) Cots and
Mats. Cots and mats shall be provided for each child who is two (2) years of
age or older and who is required to take a nap and for each child under the age
of two (2) years who can climb out of a crib.
1. Cot and Mat Construction. Cots and mats
shall be of sound construction and of sufficient size to accommodate
comfortably the size and weight of the child. Mats must be in good repair,
washable, covered with waterproof material and at least two inches (2")
thick.
2. Individual Use. Cots and
mats must be used by the same child daily and marked for individual
use.
3. Sheets. Sheets or similar
coverings for cots or mats shall either be marked for individual use or
laundered daily. If marked for individual use, they must be laundered weekly or
more frequently if needed.
4.
Covers. A light cover shall be available for each child's use on a cot or mat
and shall be marked for individual use or laundered daily. If marked for
individual use, they must be laundered weekly or more frequently if
needed.
(c) Pillows.
Pillows shall not be used by children under two (2) years of age. When used for
children two (2) years of age or older, pillows shall be assigned for
individual use and covered with pillow cases that are marked for individual use
or covered with cases that are laundered daily. Pillow cases that are marked
for individual use shall be laundered weekly or more frequently as
needed.
(d) Arrangement of Sleeping
and Resting Equipment. All sleeping and resting equipment shall be arranged to
avoid obstructing access to exit doors, to provide the caregivers access to
each child, and to prevent children's access to cords hanging from window
treatments and other hazardous objects. To reduce the transfer of airborne
diseases, sleeping and resting equipment shall be arranged as follows. There
shall be a minimum of twenty-four inch (24") corridor between each row of
sleeping or resting equipment. There shall be a minimum of twelve inches (12")
between each piece of sleeping or resting equipment in each row of equipment.
Children shall be placed on cots and mats so that one child's head is toward
another child's feet in the same row.
(2) Sleeping and Resting Environment for
Infants. A Center shall provide a safe sleep environment in accordance with
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) recommendations as listed
in these rules for all infants. Center Staff shall place an infant to sleep on
the infant's back unless the Parent has provided a physician's written
statement authorizing another sleep position for that particular infant that
includes how the infant shall be placed to sleep and a time frame that the
instructions are to be followed. When an infant can easily turn over from back
to front and back again, Staff shall continue to put the infant to sleep
initially on the infant's back but allow the infant to roll over into his or
her preferred position and not re-position the infant. Sleepers, sleep sacks
and wearable blankets that fit according to the commercial manufacturer's
guidelines and will not slide up around the infant's face may be used when
necessary for the comfort of the sleeping infant, however swaddling shall not
be used unless the Center has been provided a physician's written statement
authorizing its use for a particular infant that includes instructions and a
time frame for swaddling the infant. Staff shall not place objects or allow
objects to be placed in or on the crib with an infant such as but not limited
to toys, pillows, quilts, comforters, bumper pads, sheepskins, stuffed toys, or
other soft items and shall not attach objects or allow objects to be attached
to a crib with a sleeping infant such as but not limited to crib gyms, toys,
mirrors and mobiles.
(a) Center shall
maintain the infant's sleeping area to be comfortable for a lightly clothed
adult within a temperature range of sixty-five (65) to eighty-five (85) degrees
depending upon the season. There shall be lighting adequate to see each
sleeping infant's face to view the color of the infant's skin and check on the
infant's breathing.
(b) Wedges,
other infant positioning devices and monitors shall not be used unless the
Parent provides a physician's written statement authorizing its use that
includes how to use the device and a time frame for using the device is
provided for that particular infant.
(c) Infants shall not sleep in equipment
other than safety-approved cribs, such as, but not limited to, a car safety
seat, bouncy seat, highchair, or swing. Infants who arrive at the Center asleep
or fall asleep in such equipment, on the floor or elsewhere, shall be
transferred to a safety-approved crib.
(3) Night-time Care. For Centers that offer
night-time care, each child, except infants who require individual cribs, shall
be provided an individual bed with a four inch (4") mattress or a cot with a
two inch (2") pad. Such equipment shall be arranged so that the children's
sleep will not be unnecessarily interrupted by delivery and pick up of other
children.
(4) Storage. If cots and
mats are stored in the children's activity room or area, they shall be stored
to prevent children's access to them and to allow maximum use of play space.
When storage is available and used for the storage of cots and mats that allows
the cots, mats and any bedding to be stored without touching any other cots,
mats or bedding, the bedding may be left on the cot or mat. When such storage
is not available for the cots and mats, each child's bedding shall be kept
separate from other children's bedding and stored in containers marked for
individual use, such as, but not limited to, bins, cubbies, or bags.
Notes
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No prior version found.