Sleep and rest procedures.

The principle

Children sleep when they need to sleep, in a way that's safe and consistent with what their family does at home. This is a long day care, not a sleep training programme. Our job is to help them rest, not to enforce a single timetable.

Joeys Room (0–2 years)

Babies sleep on demand, in cots, in a separate sleep area within the room.

We follow current Red Nose safe sleep guidance:

• Babies sleep on their backs in a cot meeting Australian standards
• Cots are clear of soft toys, pillows, doonas and bumpers
• Sleep sacks are used in cooler weather rather than loose bedding
• Babies are placed at the foot of the cot
• Educators check sleeping babies at least every ten minutes

If your baby has a particular sleep routine at home (the same lullaby, a comforter, a specific feeding pattern before sleep), tell us at enrolment. We'll replicate as much as we can.

Jungle Room (2–3 years)

Most two-year-olds still nap, usually after lunch, for about an hour to ninety minutes. We use stretcher beds rather than cots. The room has dim lighting and quiet music during nap time.

Children who don't sleep are not made to lie still in silence for ninety minutes. After about thirty minutes of rest, non-sleepers move to a quiet area for books and quiet activities until the rest of the room wakes.

If your child has stopped napping at home, tell us. We'll move them to the quiet activity group from day one rather than putting them on a bed.

Star and Rainbow rooms (3–6 years)

The older children don't typically nap, though some still rest. After lunch we have a quiet rest period: lights low, soft music, children on stretcher beds or quiet mats with a book or a quiet activity. Around fifteen to twenty minutes, then we transition into the afternoon.

A child who falls asleep is allowed to sleep. A child who's restless is not made to lie still.

If a child won't settle

This is normal in the first few weeks. We sit with them. We rub their back. We sing or hum something quiet. We don't leave them alone in distress, and we don't argue with them about whether they should sleep.

If a pattern of difficult sleep continues past the settling-in period, we'll talk with you. Sometimes it's a routine mismatch we can adjust. Sometimes it's a sign of something else going on at home that we should know about. Sometimes the child is just done with naps and we move them to the quiet group.

Sleep records

For all children under three, we record sleep times on the Eikoh app: when they went down, when they woke, and any notes. You can see this in real time during the day.

Reference documents

This summary reflects our day-to-day practice. The full operational document, with the regulatory references and the procedures for emergencies, is part of our policy set on the Eikoh documents page.

Our practice aligns with current Red Nose Australia guidance and with the National Quality Standard for sleep and rest practices.