Baby Sleeping on Stomach
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Baby Sleeping on Stomach
August 2005
Ok, we all know that one should always put one's baby to sleep
on his back. What I want to know is how many of you ALWAYS do
that. What about the baby that has a difficult time sleeping
on his or her back? Obviously I don't want anything bad to
happen to my baby, but my feeling is that he'd nap much better
on his tummy than on his back. Needless to say I don't want my
baby to die of SIDS, but it would be great if he could sleep a
couple of hours on his tummy. Your thoughts on the matter are
appreciated.
Anon
I do think babies sleep better on the tummy. However, until
they are rolling over on their tummies of their own accord I
don't recommend you taking the chance.
We were big fans of the tight swaddle and found our son slept
very well if he was burritoed up really well. The startling
would wake him up and the swaddle prevented this. My mother was
kind of disturbed that we swaddled as late as five months if
necessary, but we have a very good sleeper now.
If you haven't read it, I recommend Happiest Baby on the Block.
I followed his instructions to the letter and I fully believe
in that method.
anon
I was the poster on the Jan '02 question: ''3-month-old won't
sleep on his back.'' My son is now almost four years old and
has almost always preferred sleeping on his stomach. We
started by letting him nap on his stomach so we could watch him
more carefully. But then he pretty much insisted on doing that
all night as well. He co-slept with us till he was almost two
and for the first year I was very nervous about his tummy
sleeping. I guess, for that reason, it was good that he woke
up so much! His pediatrician didn't seem too worried about it,
especially since he was a healthy weight, had no medical
problems, and my husband and I are not drinkers/smokers/drug
users (other risk factors for SIDS). My second son has always
preferred sleeping on his back but if he was like my first, I
wouldn't have worried about it. You could do as our ped
recommended and wedge your baby on his side. If he sleeps in a
crib, even better.
--Happy sleeping!
Our child had reflux and when he was a little under 6 months old, the pediatrician
said it was ok for him to sleep on his tummy. He had good neck control and could
turn over at this point, so she thought it was ok. I'd ask your pediatrician.
My son hated sleeping on his back, so it took me a while to
figure out how to make him feel secure sleeping that way. I
swaddled him tightly and that seemed to do the trick. Eventually
he got used to it and I didn't have to swaddle him any more.
I'm sure plenty of people still put their babies to sleep on
their tummy and not all babies who sleep on their tummy die of
SIDS, obviously. However recommending that babies sleep on their
backs has reduced the incidence of SIDS more than pretty much
anything else, probably because the kids get more air that way.
Nobody knows for sure what causes SIDS, but it seems to have
something to do with the development of the mechanism that
controls breathing in response to oxygen levels.
anon
My first baby learned to roll from his back to tummy at 3 months,
and consistently did that in order to sleep. I would always put
him down on his back, and he would always roll over to his tummy.
I was freaked out, but his doctor said that if he was strong
enough to do that, then SIDS was really not much of an issue. I
was reassured.
Now, I have a second baby who's four months old. It was clear to
me by about 2 months that he simply sleeps better on his tummy.
So I started actually putting him on his tummy so he could fall
asleep, then I would try to flip him over after about 15 minutes.
Soon, I found that he was always sleeping on his stomach, and I
was leaving him there. Again I was freaked out so I called his
doctor and she really wasn't too concerned. Said that
stomach-sleeping is one risk factor in SIDS, but from what they
know, it's is not going to create SIDS all by itself. I looked
in the BPN archives on this topic, and some people describe
research that says that some kids may be predispositioned to
SIDS, and that added risk factors sort of trigger it. Anyway, my
baby is sleeping on his stomach every day and night, and after a
few months of constantly checking on him, I feel pretty
comfortable doing it.
tummy time all the time
Both my kids would only sleep on their tummys - it really does
work for collicky babies. I know its not ''correct'', but if you
are attentive to your child, and there are no other risk factors
for SIDs (smoking in the home, low birth weight, etc) then I
don't think its that big a deal. Obviously I'm not a doctor,
just my opinion.
anon
Here's my dirty little secret: Our son (now a toddler) slept on
his tummy almost exclusively from a couple of weeks old on. On
his back, he'd startle himself awake all the time, but on his
tummy, he slept much longer at a stretch. And ever since he's
been big enough to turn himself over, he almost always ends up
on his tummy, anyway. We always made sure it was in an empty
crib with a tight sheet, no blankets or anything. My mom always
put me down on my tummy when I was a baby, and 15 years ago,
when I was a teenage babysitter, I was told to put babies down
on their tummies to help with gas...I think you have to weigh
the risks and rewards and decide for yourself, but it seemed to
me that it was safe since we didn't have other risk factors,
like second-hand smoke.
anon
The best thing we ever did was get permission from our pediatrician to let our
daughter sleep on her tummy. Granted, it wasn't until she was 5 months old, but it was
the best thing we could have done. She was definately not a back sleeper. In fact, at
one year, she still hates being on her back. Our doctor is definately a more liberal one
and more laid back than others. He did say to try to get her to sleep on her back as
much as possible, but she absolutely refused. So, we are big fans of tummy sleeping.
Good luck!
Stephanie
My 2nd son, now 2, has always been a tummy sleeper. He started
rolling over at 10 weeks. I would just watch him carefully while
he slept and he slept in bed with us so that is how he was
monitored at night. He still like to sleep on his belly with his
butt high in the air. I know it is unpopular but years ago it
was the preferred position.
anon
I agree sleeping is easier for babies on their tummies. They
are less likely to startle themselves awake, mine tended to
sleep longer, and I think it helps develop all sorts of neck
and back muscles that all that back sleeping and car seat
sleeping neglect. I did quite a bit of reading on SIDS wth my
first child, and spoke with her pediatrician on the topic.
While it is a risk assessment to decide to let your baby sleep
on his tummy, I saw that our household and my baby had none of
the risk factors for SIDS. (smoking, low birth weight, to name
a few). At night my babies were always in bed with me, laying
on their side and nursing, and for daytime naps, I often put my
kids down on their tummy. I found this to be a reasonable
compromise to what sometimes seems a ''Back to Bed'' hysteria.
anon
I heard/read the admonition too, over and over. But my baby always
had gas, squirmed himself onto his tummy whenever possible, and
always slept better that way -- he'd squirm and fart on his tummy and
rest so much better. Starting at 4.5 months. For the first few naps, I lay
next to him and watched every single rise and fall of his lungs. He slept
with me until 8 months, somehow that made me feel better. I read so
much about SIDs and the suspected causes and felt it was a decision I
could make. He's now 20 months, has slept on his tummy since 4.5.
Lot's of other mothers I know confessed to having done the same.
confessing too
When my first was a baby, the advice was to sleep on tummy & it
was obvious that he slept better that way. W/ #2, the advice
was to sleep them on their side, with this little wedgie thing
that kept them propped there. This was AWFUL. AFter a couple
weeks no sleep, I moved to the tummy. I knew I would probably
die of guilt if anything happened, but really, I HAD to sleep.
So, when the back advice came for #3, I really ignored it.
Sorry. I just did. After so many changes & such obvious
preferences by my baby, I went right for the tummy.
anon
I had twins three years ago, born a month early at about 5.5
pounds each. They were pretty healthy and happy and slept
pretty well once asleep (though putting them to sleep was a big
chore and they didn't sleep though the night until at least six
months). Their biggest problem their first two months of
infancy was a huge struggle with digestion that left them at
times gasping, crying, and straining to pass gas. They were
both breast fed and bottle fed and we assumed their digestive
systems were perhaps a wee bit underveloped).
My mother in law felt that they'd digest better if left to sleep
on their tummies and twice she put them down that way. While
they slept well, I was adamantly opposed to putting them on
their stomachs. I felt that since they were born a little early
and a little small, they were potentially at risk for SIDs and I
did worry about it. While their digestive problems were not
serious, they were chronic and distressing (to me and to them)
but I was not willing to put them on their stomachs to sleep
until they were able to roll over themselves (which at two
months they could not). I had to watch my mother in law closely
to make sure she repsected my wishes and since she didn't care
for them frequently I didn't have to worry frequently but I was
religious about putting them down on their back.
My pediatrician told me, at the time, that a theory
about ''better'' stomach sleeping is that a person has to turn
her head to sleep this way, and that twist of the neck may
actually constrict some blood vessels slightly; the result being
less blood flow and therefore a lowered oxygen level in the
blood stream for the time spent on the stomach. If this is true
(and I have no idea if it is) it helps explain the differnt type
of sleep a person gets in this position; it appears more sound
because it is more ''drugged-like''; one is getting less oxygen.
It might also explain the greater instances of SIDs as well.
''new school'' mom, sleep on back
I was nervous about that too. With my first child who is now 2
1/2 I was trying to do everything by the book. But she was
waking up too much & I couldn't handle it. So I called my aunt &
she told me to put her on her stomach. That was the best advice
ever given. I put her on her stomach & she would sleep for
hours. You have to remember that years ago, all women put their
babies on their stomachs. The only thing with me though, I was
so nervous about doing that, that I never got any sleep myself
because I was too worried about SIDS. But after awhile as I
watched her sleep I seen she had very good head control. So when
my son was born, he's now 11 months, I immedately put him on his
stomach with no worries. I even was able to sleep. They say that
boys are more likely to suffer from SIDS, but like my daughter,
he had very good head control. Trust me, your baby will sleep a
lot better on it's stomach. I believe they feel the warmth like
they are in your belly & think about it, when you get into bed,
do you prefer back or stomach?
Good Luck!
Shelly
When our son (now 2 1/2) was first born, we tried having him sleep on his
back, but he would never stay asleep for very long in this position. We tried
swadling him, but he always ''broke free''; we tried propping him on his side,
which didn't work that well either. He would wake every 20 minutes or so.
After about two weeks of this, I figured out that he was more comfortable on
his stomach and decided to let him sleep this way despite warnings about SIDS.
While we worried a little, for us, having our baby sleep well outweighed the risk
that stomach sleeping posed. I don't remember now, but I believe there are
other risk factors, such as smoking and low birthweight that also increase the
risk of SIDS. Neither of these factors was present in our situation.
We are expecting our second next month; if this second baby is like the first, I
would also put her on her stomach to sleep.
anon
My babies almost always slept on their tummies, and slept better
that way. When I would put them down on their backs, especially
as newborns, they would startle awake and we'd start all over
again. As soon as they were able to turn their heads, I put them
down on their tummies.
I had a friend who was so worried about her baby (then about 2
mos old) smothering himself on his tummy that she put him down
asleep face first in a down pillow and watched anxiously to see
what he'd do. After a few seconds he turned his head, and she
stopped worrying so much.
If you go to babycenter.com and read about sleeping on the
tummy, you'll see a picture of my second child sleeping on his
back. It's funny---for the picture they made me flip him over
because they didn't want a picture of a baby sleeping on his
stomach.
Good luck.
mama of tummy sleepers
Jan 2002
My three month old son will not sleep on his back. Even
when sound asleep in my arms, when I put him down on his
back, his arms and legs start flailing and his eyes pop
open. During the day he naps on his stomach. At night
he either sleeps on his father's or my chest or he
sleeps very close to us on his side. This sleeping
arrangement is not allowing the three of us to get a
good night's rest. We discussed this with his
pediatrician and she just said to wedge him on his
side. This doesn't work either! We'd like to move him
out of our bed in the next few months but are at a
complete loss as to how we'll do it.
Does your son turn over and can he hold his head up well? If so it is
okay to put him to sleep on his stomach at night. Our daughter
started turning over just after she turned 3 months old. We asked our
pediatrician what to do about sleeping because she clearly preferred
to sleep on her stomach. We were of course concerned about the risk
of SIDS. He said that once the baby has developed neck strength and
turns over on his/her own, there isn't much cause for concern. He
suggested we put her down on her tummy right next to the bumper pad in
her crib. It worked like a charm!
Flailing arms seem to be a standard feature of the
very young baby. Our son woke himself constantly until
we started swaddling him. We use two swaddling
methods...the first is the standard one you see in all
the baby books. The second I learned from a British
breast feeding video at the Kaiser Health Education
Center (open to members and non-members.) Lay the
blanket out in a diamond shape. Lay the baby down with
his head at one of the points. Lift a side point and
bring it over the baby's arm and then underneath his
back so that his own weight keeps the blanket in place
and his arm snuggled to his side. Repeat on the other
side. Use a second blanket to cover his chest.
Also, when it comes to transferring to the crib, I
found it helpful to break the transition down into
steps. For example, I would try the swaddle for a few
nights but leave the baby in the bed with you where he
is used to sleeping. Then maybe try it at nap time on
your lap or in the crib. Then maybe at night but with
a lot of assistance falling asleep (rocking or
whatever) and then finally at night with decreasing
assistance.
Ultimately, our baby did not sleep through the night
until he could fall asleep on his own. Using "baby
steps," we were able to make that transition over
about a 2 month period with no trauma and no "crying
it out." Of course there was that ultimate moment when
we had to put it all to the test. He whimpered briefly
and went to sleep.
Best of luck.
Elisa M.
We had a similar situation with our daughter when she was around three
months -- she still had to sleep on top of me or my husband, and when put
down, her arms would flail out and wake herself up. We found that swaddling
her like we did when she was a newborn really helped her to learn to sleep
on her back, and on her own. She was not a big fan of being swaddled with
her arms confined at first, but after only a few minutes of pushing to set
them free, she would often be asleep. You could try first swaddling, then
walking or rocking your son to sleep before putting him down. I believe
that my daughter came to associate being swaddled with going to sleep,
because she was quickly able to sleep on her own, in a bassinett. After
nursing and changing at night, I reswaddle her and put her down again.
We've been doing this for about a month, and have found that she no longer
needs to have her arms confined. We still swaddle her, but keep her arms
free. The flailing doesn't seem to bother her as much as it used to. Soon
we're going to move to no swaddling at all. Good luck!
Elisa S.
My son wouldn't sleep on his back, either, startling awake whenever
I'd put him down. (My daughter had no problem with it, however). So I
let him sleep on his stomach. Yes, DESPITE what the doctors say about
SIDS, etc. It wasn't so long ago that putting babies to sleep on their
backs was de rigeur (15 years ago, I think), so I didn't feel like I
was deliberately putting him in harm's way. I put him down on a taught
mattress/sheet, with nothing else in the crib. He slept 100 percent
better, which made everybody happy. Did I still worry about SIDS? Of
course I did, a little. But I checked on him regularly, and there he
was, curled up like a little roast chicken, snoring away.
I know it's not the "right" way to do it at the moment, but if he
wants to sleep on his stomach, (and he's otherwise healthy) let
him. Both of our mothers, who raised six children between them, put
babies down this way, to no ill effects. I prefer to listen to
experienced moms rather than the experts, who change their story every
couple of years.
--- Julie
My now-7-month old son did not sleep well on his back either. I was very
worried about SIDS (in part because my husband had a sibling who was lost to
SIDS) and did a lot of soul-searching and reading. While the medical advice
is obviously still to try to get your baby to sleep on his back, a little
knowledge might go a long way to your being able to get a little more sleep
(and your son, too). First, there is an interesting SIDS chapter in the
most recent edition (1999) of "Three in a Bed : The Benefits of Sharing Your
Bed With Your Baby" by Deborah Jackson. In cultures where babies sleep with
or near their parents, SIDS is almost unheard of (perhaps it also has
something to do with breastfeeding, which is also know to decrease the risk
of SIDS); this chapter discusses things like the potential benefit of the
baby hearing the parents breathing or the CO2 from the parents' breath
stimulating breathing in the baby. Babies also are not as likely to
overheat when near their parents (ie, they're not overdressed in order to
try to stay warm sleeping alone in another room). I've also read a bit of
the lay literature on recent SIDS conferences. One of the theories is that
SIDS is a sort of sleep apnea that some babies may be predisposed to. My
laypersons' and new mom's opinion on this is that, since there's no way to
determine ahead of time (yet) which babies are predisposed to this severe
sleep apnea, we've got to make ALL babies sleep less well !!!!
Breastfeeding certainly keeps babies waking up more often and so does, in my
experience, making them sleep on their backs ! The night my baby could roll
over on his own and sleep on his tummy (at exactly 5 months) was the first
night he slept longer than 4 hours (with an average of 3 hours) ! Our
pediatrician, who obviously knows us and our son well and our own particular
circumstances, said that we should still lay him down on his back but not to
worry if he rolls over on his own. So, until the 5-month rolling over
stage, here is how we survived:
He slept with us or in a co-sleeper attached to our bed until he was 4 or
4.5 months old and looking like he might roll over. I would usually put him
down on his side, in our bed between us (with enough room for all 3 of us to
sleep comfortably) or in the co-sleeper wrapped in light blanket
burrito-style. I purchased a crib wedge to elevate his head and upper body
(NOT a side wedge) in the co-sleeper, as a lot of his discomfort of being on
his back I think was due to reflux from eating and having his tummy at the
same level as his head. These are available in local baby stores for about
$12 (and are supposed to help toddlers with head colds, too, although we
haven't had to face that yet) and fit across the entire top part of the crib
or co-sleeper. My son's arms would also flail often upon putting him down.
Maybe you've already tried this, but we found that gently holding his arms
and hands on his chest was comforting to him; I'd gently hold him like this
(sometimes adding singing) until he relaxed again (sometimes this was up to
15 minutes, or sometimes I'd sleep like that with my hand in the co-sleeper;
the latter was at least more comfortable for me than always having him in
our bed). And gently swaddling him was always necessary, too. We
eventually found that he actually preferred to be in the co-sleeper (on his
side or on his back). At about 4 or 4.5 months, the co-sleeper was less
appealing as he was moving around a lot and going to bed earlier, so we
moved the co-sleeper out and the crib into our room. I still lightly
swaddled him and would sometimes still hold his arms gently against his
chest so he wouldn't wake himself up flailing upon first putting him down.
The crib transition was actually not hard for us. Then, once he could roll
over at 5 months, he began to sleep much longer periods because he could
choose and change his own position.
In solidarity with you, I'd like to add one final comment which I'd love
some medical study to be done on. We moms and dads all read that babies
may, can, and, some say, should be sleeping "through the night" at about 2
months or 12 pounds. I think all these studies were done when babies were
most likely formula fed and were sleeping on their stomachs. Well, I'd like
a NEW study to be done on breastfeeding babies who have to sleep on their
backs. I think the statistics will change drastically, which would provide
relief to most of the moms I talk to who wonder what they're doing "wrong"
because their breast-fed, back-sleeping babies aren't sleeping well. I'm
not advocating formula or sleeping on the stomach, but I am advocating that
maybe our expectations of when our babies will be sleeping longer and more
comfortably can be changed so we can more realistically know what to expect.
After sleeping on her back for her first month, by the second our baby also
would not sleep on her back. She would fall asleep fairly readily but
would wake up upon being placed down on her back. Eventually, she would
not sleep even in her car seat. My husband and I also ended up taking
turns holding her to our chests at night so that she would sleep for a few
hours. Sleeping on her side didn't work either. A couple of weeks of this
left us exhausted and in despair.
I finally put her down to sleep on her stomach for a nap and it was the
first time for a couple of weeks that she stayed asleep without being
held. According to an advice nurse at Kaiser, many babies prefer to sleep
on their stomachs because sleeping on their backs leaves them feeling too
exposed. As our baby became more conscious of her surroundings, she would
only sleep in what she felt to be a safer position--on her belly. She's
slept this way ever since.
She is now five months and sleeping well. She started sleeping through at
just over three months and now regularly takes long (2-3 hour) naps in the
morning plus a shorter one in the afternoon. Few medical experts would say
to let babies sleep on their stomachs but as a parent, sometimes there is
little one can do to train babies in an act that requires feeling as secure
as falling asleep.
My son, now 14 months, was the same way at that age. My pediatrician
recommended a couple of things that helped.
1. Try putting a heating pad in the crib or bassinet for a few minutes
before putting him down. Take it out before you put him in -- it may be just
enough for him to settle down.
2. If you're nursing, try putting a receiving blanket or burp pad in your
bra or against your chest for an hour or two and put it near your baby. The
smell of you may also be enough to settle him down.
3. If all else fails, you might try letting him sleep on his tummy at night.
I know that goes against all medical advice, but sometimes it's the only
thing that works.
I used to be the research editor at BabyCenter.com and this subject was of
particular interest to me, too, with a baby who didn't like sleeping on his
back, and so I put up this poll: Do you let your baby sleep on his tummy?
http://www.babycenter.com/article/poll/results.jhtml?id=1149365
I think you'll be interested in the results, and you'll find some great
comments that parents have posted.
Good luck!
Mollie
The child authorities may track this e-mail and arrest me, but my
second child also refused from day 1 to sleep on his back. So after
trying everything you're doing, as well as the wedge for him to sleep
on his side, he slept on his stomach. The operative term being
"slept." By now, your infant probably can roll over himself (or is
close), so soon he will sleep on his stomach whether you want him to
or not. My child is now 2. He still sleeps on his stomach. He was
our second, so it was not as traumatic a decision ( even though my
first back-slept no problem) because we were that much more desparate
for sleep. Your pediatrician cannot recommend this because of
malpractice insurance purposes, but 10 years ago, the advice would
have been, "put him on his stomach." As for SIDS, I'm assuming your
child is not otherwise at risk with respiratory issues and that you
would be careful about a blanket (I used! o! nly one loose cotton
receiving blanket in the bassinet or crib at a time, no toys, plain
knit sheets, etc.). Was I nervous and concerned? Of course. But
once I say how much happier he was and how much better he slept, I
just stayed vigilant and enjoyed the result. Good luck.
My son slept in the car seat in our bedroom for at least 3 months.
Otherwise he hated sleeping on his back. He enjoyed being gently swung
to sleep in the car seat. We enjoyed knowing that he was on his back and
his portable "bed."
Diane
I've actually researched this subject quite extensively because my two
toddlers would not stay asleep on their back either from DAY ONE!!!!
(They would be laying in my arms sound asleep and DEAD-WEIGHT and I
would lay them slowly and quietly and in stages onto their bed and in
two minutes they would be screaming bloody murder with their hands and
legs waving in the air -- it was very frustrating for me). So I
talked to people about it and began to research it.
From what I gather, there are some general risk factors that seem to
keep coming up in SIDS babies. They are as follows:
1st - SIDS is twice as common among African-American infants as
compared to white infants.
2nd - Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are 3 times more likely to
have a SIDS baby
3rd - Exposure to 2nd-hand smoke doubles a baby's risk of SIDS
4th - Babies who co-sleep, have fluffy bedding and lots of
pillows/blankets, etc, and get overheated are more at risk.
5th - Mothers who are less than 20 yrs. old at the time of their first
pregnancy, babies born to mothers who had no or late prenatal care,
and premature or low birth weight babies are also major risk factors.
6th - I also read an article a couple of years ago (that I am sorry to
say I cannot find because I have needed it quite a few times in the
past two years -- if anyone out there knows which article I'm talking
about or one that is similar, if you could please email me
and let me know where the article is, I
would greatly appreciate it) that talked about a 'problem' in the
brain of most of the SIDS babies studied that basically showed that a
connection in their brain hadn't been quite completed yet at birth and
consequently most of these babies were not able to hold their head up
yet. Because of this, when the baby began to inhale carbon instead of
oxygen, s/he was not able to move their head to a different position,
therefore allowing themself to breathe oxygen again.
All this to say, if your baby does not meet any of these risk factors
(ie: not an African-American family, no smokers in the home, doesn't
co-sleep, and can hold head up), then the changes of SIDS are
extremely low. If however, your baby does fall into one of these
categories, then I would talk to your pediatrician to get more advice
and tips on how to handle the situation.
Sorry this is so long. I just wanted to give some of the facts that I
have encountered in my search on this study. I hope this helps. If
you have any questions or want to know where I got my information, you
can contact me at and I will be happy to
reply.
April
6-month-old is rolling over on to his stomach to sleep
Dec 1999
My 6-month-old baby has just started rolling over on to his stomach to
sleep, which I know is also a SIDS hazard. However, rolling him back on to
his back doesn't work -- it just wakes him up, & he promptly rolls back.
Any suggestions? Thanks
My pediatrician said that when they can
roll back and forth, one can pretty much stop worrying about them
sleeping on their stomachs.
As long as he's not covered with heavy
blankets and such that could impede his breathing, I think that by
this age you can just let him sleep as he wants to. Just my two cents.
Pleasant sleeping!
Regarding sleeping on stomach: there's a product I've seen in the baby
catalogs that's a special mattress pad. It's got air circulation
holes to prevent the child from suffocating by rebreathing their own air
(which is what they *think* might be contributing to SIDS). You might
consider one of those if you can't get your child to sleep facing up.
Good luck!
Im no expert, but my understanding from my doc and others is that once
a baby can roll around and get himself onto his stomach and back again,
the risk of him sleeping on his stomach is not an issue anymore. It is
really a concern with small babies who get their faces pushed into the
mattress and can't breathe.
My 21-month-old has been sleeping on his
stomach since he was able to roll over and put himself on it, and nothing
we do changes, that, so I have just let it be.
My daughter also prefers to sleep on her stomach.
I tried to use the prop to keep her on her side...didn't work. I think
that once your child is mobile there is not a whole lot you can do to
prevent them from rolling onto their stomachs (aside from staying by
their crib all night and promptly putting them back on their backs
when they do roll over). I don't know if this helps, but just thought I
would share what has been my experience.
When
my daughter started to do that, my husband and I spent the first week or so
desperately flipping her over to her back, and losing a lot of sleep
from worry about her suffocating! We were especially concerned because she
couldn't really roll over from stomach to back on her own yet, and
couldn't lift her head up very well when she was on her stomach. When
we asked our pediatrician (also Kaiser, by the way) he said that "all bets
are off" once they start rolling back to front and sleeping on their
stomachs. There's basically nothing we could do to stop it and the best
thing we could do to assure the baby's safety would be to remove
*everything* soft from the crib: no blankets, no soft toys, nothing. So
now, in the colder weather, we put her in two sleepers at night (the
inside one has no feet) and we take everything out of the crib when she
naps or goes down for the night. She still sleeps on her stomach...
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