Turku daycare centres to use cots for youngest children following fatal Vantaa incident

Daycare centres in Turku will now place infants under one year old in separate cots for naps, following a fatal accident in Vantaa, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The change comes after a child died in Vantaa after becoming trapped between a raised cabinet bed and a wall. The city’s early childhood education director, Vesa Kulmala, confirmed that staff have been instructed to use standalone cots for the youngest children where available.

Kulmala noted that Turku’s daycare centres care for only a few dozen infants under one, limiting the immediate impact. However, cabinet beds—furniture units with fold-out sleeping surfaces—will remain in use for older children due to a lack of alternatives.

Updated safety guidelines now require staff to ensure no children are present when adjusting the beds. The Accident Investigation Board of Finland (Otkes) has linked the Vantaa incident to the specific cabinet bed model involved.

No further changes to sleeping arrangements have been announced.