Sleep: Babies
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of statutory guidance on safe sleep practices and products for babies under two.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises the importance of clear, evidence-based advice on safer sleep for babies and ensuring that baby sleep products placed on the market are safe.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe.
For parents and carers, we promote evidence-based advice on safer sleep from the National Health Service and trusted organisations such as The Lullaby Trust.
Under United Kingdom law, businesses are responsible for only placing safe baby sleep products on the market, and must provide all necessary information, warnings, and instructions to ensure they can be used safely and appropriately. The product regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, has previously issued a Safety Alert for certain dangerous baby sleep pillows and published messaging to raise consumer awareness of hazards.
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