Nap Time & Safe Sleep: the full procedure
Provide safe sleep for infants — back to sleep, firm flat surface, nothing soft in the crib, with separate visual checks — and quiet supervised rest for older children.
- Applies to: All staff supervising nap and infant sleep.
- Frequency: Every nap and sleep period.
- Scope: Covers the operational safe-sleep and rest process. Safe-sleep requirements defer to AAP safe-sleep guidance and your state child-care licensing.
What you need
- Safety-approved cribs with tight sheets
- Individual labeled cots / mats
- Sleep-check log
- Posted safe-sleep policy
- Room monitoring setup
The procedure, step by step
- Back to sleep — Always place infants on their back for every sleep, for naps and at night, until their first birthday.
- Firm flat surface — Use a safety-approved crib/bassinet with a firm, flat, non-inclined surface and a tight-fitting sheet — no inclined or unapproved sleep products.
- Keep the crib bare — Nothing soft in the crib — no blankets, pillows, bumpers, or stuffed toys; one infant per crib.
- Do active sleep checks — Conduct and document regular separate visual checks of each sleeping infant, keeping the room visible and at a safe temperature.
- Reposition if needed — If an infant rolls onto their stomach during sleep, place them back as guided — follow AAP guidance and your health plan.
- Rest for older children — Provide quiet rest on individual labeled cots/mats with adequate spacing and continuous supervision; never force sleep.
- Wake and account — Account for each child as they wake and resume the active-supervision routine.
- Document — Log sleep checks and any incident per center and licensing policy.
Quality check before you finish
- Every infant placed on their back, every sleep.
- Crib firm, flat, approved, with a tight-fitting sheet.
- Crib bare — no soft objects or extra items.
- Visual sleep checks performed and logged.
- Older children rest on spaced, labeled, supervised cots/mats.
- Room visible, supervised, and at a safe temperature.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Daycare Center business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- AAP / HealthyChildren.org — Safe Sleep (healthychildren.org)
- AAP — Safe Sleep Program (aap.org)
About Free Daycare Nap & Safe Sleep SOP (Printable)
Free printable daycare safe-sleep SOP: back to sleep, firm flat bare crib, separate visual checks, plus supervised rest for older children.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
Can we use blankets or a sleep positioner for infants?
No — AAP safe sleep requires a bare crib: no blankets, pillows, bumpers, positioners, or soft toys. Infants sleep on their back on a firm, flat, non-inclined approved surface. Defer to AAP guidance and state licensing.
How often do we check sleeping infants?
Conduct regular separate visual checks of each sleeping infant and log them, per AAP guidance, your state licensing, and your center’s safe-sleep policy — keep the room visible and supervised at all times.
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