A petition set up protesting a ban on babies sleeping in slings at playcentres has been scrapped - for now.
Otago Playcentre Association operations co-ordinator Antoinette McLean confirmed the petition was on ''hold'' because of clarification by the Ministry of Education.
''We took the regulations to a lawyer,'' Mrs McLean said.
''We're taking feedback from the lawyer [and] we're not driving it any further.
''Ultimately, the parents can choose to use them [slings] or not.''
The regulation states ''furniture and items'' used by children for sleeping need to ensure they lie flat.
A petition was set up last month to challenge the regulation after Dunedin parent Mike Madden inquired about it and was advised his baby could not sleep in a sling.
Mrs McLean said they were abiding by the regulations by providing ''adequate'' sleeping spaces for children and had ''adopted a new sleeping policy''.
''With the growing trend of baby-wearing, it's something you've got to take on board,'' she said.
New Zealand Playcentre Federation operations manager Veronica Pitt said in an email a ministry official had heard about the petition and asked about it.
''She [the ministry official] confirmed ... the advice I had initially given, that while playcentre is required to provide the suitable spaces, parents can make the choice not to use them when they are present with their children.''
A ministry official spoken to by the Otago Daily Times yesterday confirmed there had initially been confusion over the existing regulation but that had been resolved.
