Nurseries warn baby places at risk as DfE guidance recommends against floor beds

Early years settings across England are warning that new Department for Education (DfE) guidance could force them to stop offering places for babies under two. The guidance, which addresses sleep arrangements for infants, recommends that nurseries replace floor beds with traditional cots, citing safety concerns for the youngest children. Floor beds, which are low mattresses placed directly on the floor, have become popular in some early years settings as they allow mobile infants to move independently and are easier for staff to access than high-sided cots. However, the new recommendations suggest this practice should end, requiring settings to invest in costly cot equipment and potentially reconfigure sleep rooms to accommodate them. Providers warn that the additional expense and space constraints could make offering baby places financially unviable, particularly for smaller nurseries. This development comes at a time when families are already facing severe shortages of early years provision, and could further reduce availability of childcare for the youngest children when demand for flexible, affordable places remains exceptionally high.