Are soft toys acceptable in cots for children aged over 7 months with risk management strategies in place? Such as - the toy removed once the child falls asleep, and children being physically checked every 5-10 minutes by educators, and a baby monitor in place (for example) There is conflicting information in a variety of resources on your website, with some indicating that soft toys aren't allowed for children under 12 months. Back in 2020 I downloaded an Information Sheet from your website titled 'Soft toys in the cot', which I'm unable to find anymore (but I found the references for this article - not the article itself). This article advised that soft toys are not to be in cots with children aged under seven months (not 12 months) We are looking for advice to inform our policy please.

Supervision of sleeping children is a regulatory issue & as with all Regulations ACECQA & State Regulators are responsible for them.
However, Red Nose supports the Regulations & has provided some resources to help you implement them.
https://rednose.org.au/page/early-childhood-educators

As far as soft toys/comforters go, Red Nose is currently reviewing this information, which is why you can’t find the document.
However, the information has not changed at this point. We generally say to have nothing in the cot for the first 12 months, & then more specifically say not to introduce till baby is 7 months of age (development stage when many babies develop attachment for transitional objects & very low risk for infant death)
However, ACECQA states that “soft toys and comforters should not be placed in the sleep space with infants.” - usually refers to babies less than 12 mths.
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/PolicyGuidelines_Sleep&RestForChildren;_August.pdf  P4

Unfortunately, Red Nose cannot advise about procedures that are not supported by ACECQA.
There are a number of examples where Red Nose provides information about safety of a practice, but ACECQA says not for use in ECEC eg bassinet use.

Maybe put your question to them or State Regulators.