4 Month Old Rolling over on Stomach to Sleep

Dear C.,
It is exciting that your son is rolling over!! I have read that by the time the child has enough control to lift his head and roll over that the danger decreases. I would do everything else that you can to make sure he is safe...no blankets or toys or stuffed animals in his crib, snug-fitted clothing, and safe mattress etc. I don't think there is much you can do about him rolling over at night. Your son will figure it out soon!! Good Luck. K.

Hi C.,
I would not worry to much. This is the way my daughter would fall asleep- and sleep thru the night and thru nap time.
I was very worried about SIDS so I was constantly checking her but everything was okay. I have also heard that if your baby is strong enough to roll you should be okay.
Just relax a little and enjoy both of your kids.
Best of luck and Merry Christmas!
L.

I wouldn't worry too much about SIDS at this stage. SIDS is most likely to occur in infants between 0-4 months of age, due to the fact that they CAN'T roll over & lack the neck strength to lift up. Since your son is rolling over to this position, he can easily lift his head (younger babies cannot therefore SIDS may occur).

My daughter has been sleeping on her stomach since she was born (9months now). She was very adament about sleeping in this position. We kept a very close eye on her & when she started sleeping in her own room, we always had the monitor on to hear her breathing.

But eventually, we found that everything was fine & this was just her position of choice.

But speak with your Pediatrician about your concerns, even if it's just to alleviate your fears. Hope this helps...Happy Holidays!

I used a sleep positioner with my daughter that helped her stay asleep on her back. A child is at risk of SIDS from sleeping on their belly unless they can pull up there head etc and I would think with a 4 mth old it would be alot safer to try someway to keep him on his back. Also, a friend of mine bought something that you put under the mattress that alters her if the baby stops breathing etc because her daughter would never sleep on her back from birth. I am not sure what it was called but it worked great for them. Good Luck!

My son did this when he was about 4 months as well. I bought a video monitor. They also make monitors that show you body heat (I don't remember where) but they are handy tools. When my son did this I made sure there were no loose blankets or pillows in his bed. I put a onesie and a full "jammies" on him so that he would stay warm, but until he was older I didn't let him have a blanket or anything. The only other thing I can think of is to go in at night after he is asleep and flip him back over. I tried that for a while too and he would eventually end up back on his belly, but it might work for you.

They recently found that SIDS is neurological...something in the brain. They don't know if these things "prevent" SIDS or not. They are just taking wild guesses. IMO, if your baby feels comfortable sleeping on his/her stomache than let him. DS and my friend's child would spit up in the middle of the night on their backs and start choking, never moving thier heads to let the spit come out of their mouth. For me, I'd be more worried about a child choking on their back and not hearing it while I was sleeping than SIDS on their front. If you are that worried there are monitors which I've heard only work 50% of the time and there are those wedges but I know my son by 2 months was too active for those, rolled right over them so I'm sure your 4 month old will too. Once they can roll over themselves they "say" that SIDS isn't a big threat.

My friend has the baby monitor that alerts you if they stop moving/breathing and she says it works great. It really only goes off if something is unusual, I was worried that it would constantly be alerting you for no reason. But overall, don't worry too much about it. Try a sleep positioner and if it doesn't work, just let him be. Once my son rolled from his back to his front, it was like he totally forgot how to roll from his front to his back. I don't know why they do that, but they do! Just don't have anything else in his crib and I'm sure he will be fine.

C.,
I was told by my pediatrician that once my baby was strong enough to roll over that I would not have to worry if he rolled over in the middle of the night. He chose to sleep on his belly. I just had to make sure that all the bedding was snug and that nothing was in his crib with him.

J.

my 3 1/2 month old twins refuse to sleep on their backs. They've been sleeping on their tummies for almost a month now. I've read up about it and spoke with my pediatrician and am not worried about letting them do that- I feel that its completely safe.

I have three kids two girls 14yrs and 15yrs and one boy 3months yes u read right and all of them slept on their tummies they r all fine i know they talk about that and a big thing with sids i dsont know wear your son sleeps but mine always slept in my room in thier crib if that helps but never had a prob now i wont say i never got up and check on them i do on all three of them good luck
L.

I am a mother of a 10 month old baby boy and he did the same thing. Once he can roll over onto his stomach and back there is no stopping him. He is old enough now that he will toss and turn all over the place when he sleeps and it's fine. My boy sometimes sleeps on his tummy with his bottom in the air!!!

I would not worry about it. My 15 month old has always slept on his stomach, as a matter of fact when he was very young he would instantly wake up if he was put to bed on his back. It just is more comfortable to them sometimes

Not really. Once he can roll over, he's going to do it. It's a more comfortable and more natural position to sleep in for a baby. They also sleep better at night, which is a plus. There are all kinds of devices to keep tiny babies from moving in their sleep but by the time they can roll over on their own, they become hazzards for suffocation and entanglement. It also is good practice for him to start pushing up on his own and getting ready to crawl. Both of my boys went through this stage around the same age. The SIDS part worried me a bit too, but I had to tell myself there was nothing I could do about it and that there will ALWAYS be something to worry about. Good luck and best wishes.