Sleeping on tummy

[heytootsy]

When is it considered safe for a baby to sleep on their tummy? Maya refuses to sleep on her back anymore. She instantly rolls onto her stomache. This scares me so much. I go in to check on her all the time. Am I overly worrying? She is 4 1/2 months old.

[BonnieV]

I'm looking forward to reading the replies. I always put Stephen down on his back but for the past two days he has been flipping over. At first, he wasn't happy when he found himself on his tummy but then he falls asleep.

I've heard that as long as they can support their head and turn their neck they are okay on their tummy. Afterall, if they flip themselves over there isn't much we can do during the night while we are sleeping. While I'm awake I have to admit I check him often but when I go to sleep I let it go.

Bonnie
Stephen (3.26.03)

[flagger]

Cocoa has been sleeping on her tummy since she was one week old. It is not recommended by the AAP/WHO or the SIDS Alliance. However that is the position we found she slept for the longest and sleep is very important for an infant. We had/have to do what works for the three of us.

However to answer your question as soon as they can turn over is generally accepted as being safe for tummy sleeping. Check with your ped. However restful sleep is very important to an infant and turning them back over disrupts that deep restful sleep.

[beckyr88]

Chrissy,
Stella has been doing the same thing, and I keep flipping her over...I just get too nervous. Sometimes that means starting all over again getting her to sleep (she'll usually only flip RIGHT when she falls asleep, though, not in the middle of the night--so not losing THAT much time), but otherwise I worry too much.

Can Maya roll back on to her back if she wants? I would think if she can, than tummy sleeping is fine.

Wonder what others with more experience have to say???

BTW, was that a tooth showing last weekend??

[heytootsy]

Becky,
Maya still cannot roll from tummy to back. She gets very upset trying. Like you, I have been flipping her back over, but she ALWAYS flips right back - the little booger!

She still has no tooth either, but she is chewing on everything. I don't think it will be long before it pops out. I hope it's teething, she use to sleep through the night. Now she wakes up twice...we will see.

[beckyr88]

Sounds like they're doing the same thing--Stella will be totally asleep in my arms, then I put her down and she will immediately flip over and cry...in a pinch, when she just won't go to and STAY asleep, I will put her in the baby seat. She can't really roll over in the seat. Then just transfer her to the crib (or wherever) once she's REALLY asleep. Only done that a couple of times though, but it worked! Good luck! And good luck on the tooth!

[lizajane]

DS liked tummy sleeping way better, so we have been letting him nap on his tummy for 2 months. (nighttime, always on his back) the ped said it was ok, as long as i was awake and he was supervised. and i asked him when it was OK to let him sleep on his tummy, and he said, "once he learns to roll over, you don't really get to decide anymore!" this was a gray haired dr (by which i mean, he comes from the days when drs said you should put them on tummies) and another ped gave me the stock answer of "always put him on his back" without bothering to see how strong he is (lifting his head and chest up when on his tummy.) so i am going with the dr that REALLY LOOKED at my own kid. consult your ped, but i am sure if she can roll, she is strong enough.

[flagger]

>Wonder what others with more experience have to say???

Here is what one "expert" says on this issue:

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/sl10.asp

...Yet, remember that this is only a statistical correlation. It does not mean that if your baby sleeps on her tummy she's going to die of SIDS. Current SIDS rates are around one in a thousand babies; meaning that there's a 99.9 percent chance your child will remain a healthy little girl regardless of her sleep position. And while the cause of SIDS is still unknown, there is strong evidence that it is the result of an at-risk baby having an immature breathing- regulating system that fails to restart the breathing process when the baby is in a deep sleep. In fact, many SIDS researchers believe that a baby will naturally assume the sleep position that allows them to breathe more comfortably during the night.

That statement is worth repeating: It does not mean that if your baby sleeps on her tummy she's going to die of SIDS.

Good luck.

[C99]

Chrissy,

I don't think you are worrying too much, but I also don't think there's anything wrong w/ letting a 4-month-old sleep on her stomach if she can get there herself. Nate recently starting doing this as well, and since he's getting there himself and is strong enough to push up on his arms and turn his head, I let him stay that way to sleep. The answer that Flagger quoted was specifically addressing a mother-of-a-4-month-old's question, so obviously this happens a lot. My best friend told me that her daughter did this as well and her pediatrician told her not to drive herself nuts by going in and flipping her baby back onto her back all night. IMO, there's a big difference between letting a strong 4-month-old sleep on her tummy when she can get there herself and putting a 1-week-old to sleep on her tummy when she doesn't have control over her body to move her head or flip herself over.

HTH

[jd11365]

Kayla never slept on her back...she cries and can't get rest. I let her nap on her tummy and put her in the positioner at night to sleep on her side...she's still alive. I wouldn't worry...but that's just me...

[McQ]

I don't have the tummy problem yet, but was wondering when to stop swaddling my son (4 months this week). Right now he flips to his side and during the night wiggles out of the blanket and I usually find him in a corner of his crib. The air conditioning is on and I know I love snuggling under my blanket plus all the sleepwear I'm finding don't have feet and his socks fall off leaving his feet exposed so I'm trying to keep him warm.

[lvp49]

My DD did this too, and it flipped me out, and I am not easily flipped out. I bought one of theose back sleepers which was a total joke, she practically laughed at it, and flipped right over in it!!! She could not yet turn back to her back. The answer I got was if she is doing it herself, it was safe to leave her, and there was really nothing I could do to stop it. She learned to go back in about a month.

She is two now and still sleeps mostly on her belly.

[KimberleyDawn]

I just did a search in this forum on swaddling questions and I found a ton of responses so give that a try.
My son didn't care for the swaddling thing too much so we used blanket sleepers which I loved when he was really small. William is 5 months (today!) and I use only heavy winter sleepers at bedtime with no blanket and that has been working perfectly to ward off the air conditioning chill. It can be dangerous with blankets in the crib when your baby is just starting to roll and really move around. IMO it may be time to look for other options rather than using a blanket.
Kim

[ddmarsh]

There were a few key sentences omitted from the above quotation:

"It's been proven that placing an infant to sleep on her back lowers the child's risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In countries where there have been "Back to Sleep" campaigns advising parents to place their infants on their backs at bedtime, SIDS rates have fallen 30 to 50 percent."

"If your baby habitually flips over onto her tummy after you put her down to sleep on her back this may be the right sleeping position for her. If you want to be completely safe, however, you might want to try staying with your baby until she falls asleep; then turn her onto her back when she's in a deep sleep."


I highlight the above as an FYI.

Debbie

[jd11365]

Kayla never stayed swaddled so I just "tuck" a very light blanket around and under her when snuggled in her snuggle nest between the positioners. She has incredible head control and I don't have much of a concern...she also sleeps in my room still, so I can hear any breathing difficulties...