24 answers

HELP! Roll over Problem

My son is now 18 weeks old. Today happens to be our adoption finalization hearing YAY! Anyway, he is rolling all the way over onto his stomach, every single time I lay him down. At night, he is a great sleeper. I usually put him down around 7pm and he will get up around 6 to 7 am, I know, awsome. Help, I am so fearful he will suffocate, that I am literally up all night, watching the monitor and going in his room to flip him. I tried the wedge thing with sides and he rolls over it. He is a big boy 17.5 pounds, and will sometimes end up at the other end of his crib. I am so freaked out about this, any suggestions PLEASE.....

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

Thank all of you for your responses. Last night, he went down around 8 pm and got up this morning at 6 am for a bottle. He was on his back until 6, he rolled over face down, I had all of you're words and advise in my head, then I went back to sleep and Ta Da, he is still asleep (and breathing, I checked)and it is now 8:15 am. Life is good!

Featured Answers

Once he can get to his tummy, don't worry about flipping him. Just clear everything out of the crib and let him go!

Sounds like he is a stomach sleeper. If he is strong enough to roll over then he can likely lift his head with no problem. My little one did this too. At first I was paranoid but I mentioned it to her pediatrician and he said it was fine..just to keep on eye on her.

I have heard that you should not use bumpers in the crib though...I never have.

Good luck.

Hi, T.

My daughter started to roll over at 12 weeks and I tried the pads for wedging her as well. She rolled right over them too. Same as you, I was really worried, so I spoke with her pediatrician and he said that if she can roll over to get comfortable, then she can roll over when she needs to breathe too. That made sense to me, and so I let her go, and she still rolls around in her twin bed 2 1/2 years later! Good luck to you!!!

More Answers

I know it is hard not to worry, but my pediatrician told me if they can roll over by themselves, not to worry. their little bodies tell them if they need to roll over. You could check with your pediatrician for peace of mind. He is pretty young but if he is doing that well rolling over, he's probably fine.

1 mom found this helpful

T., Try not to worry to much about this. hee is old enough now to roll over so he has the muscle control to move his head also. both of my kids slept on their stomachs pretty much straight from the hospital. My first was ten weeks early and spent over a month in the NICU and all the nurses put the babies to sleep on their bellies. I was taken back by this but they all said they do better sleeping this way. With my son we did the back sleeping and tried side sleeping also but he tended to wake up alot so after a couple of months of terrible sleep for all we put him on his belly. Try and relax a bit and get some sleep I am sure you need it. I know how stressful this can be.
L.

1 mom found this helpful

If he can control his head & he's able to roll over on his own you should have nothing to worry about. To ease your mind I would just take everything out of his crib, bumpers, stuffed animals, etc so there's nothing for his face to get stuck on.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi T.,
Congratulations on the finalization of your adoption!
I agree with the previous posts that when they can lift their heads, the odds of them suffocating are low. I, also, would keep his crib clear of blankets, pillows, stuffed animals etc just to be on the safe side!
Give him LOTS of tummy time to strengthen his neck muscles throughout the day as well.
Enjoy your son!

1 mom found this helpful

Horray for your adoption finalization!

4 1/2 months is a perfectly normal age for him to be rolling over. I know you are scared, there are so many SIDS warnings and back to sleep messages which are all very good advice. BUT once baby has head control, neck strength and the ability to roll over he has demonstrated significant development. Just make sure there aren't stuffed animals, extra blankets or loose fluffy things he could tangle in and he should be just fine. I always breathe a sigh of relief when they are able to roll because then I feel like they can roll themselves away from anything that may come in contact with their face. That is how I look at it anyway. Hope this gives you a little peace of mind.

1 mom found this helpful

T., my daughter was like that when she was in her crib. We finally put her in the crib with nothing else- no blankets, no pillows, no wedges, no toys and made sure her crib sheet was tight on the mattress and the mattress was snug in the crib. In the winter we put her in a blanket sleeper so she would not get cold. So I suggest you put the little one in a sleeper and remove any "loose" bedding-also make sure his mattress isn't soft-but generally crib mattresses are pretty firm so this shouldn't be an issue. He should be fine and you should be able to get some sleep.
there is nothing you can really do to prevent him from rolling over onto his tummy.

Congratulations on both of your children!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi T., I can totally relate to your problem. I was told by my children's doctors that once they roll over, there isn't much you can do about it. I was told that SIDS is greater between 0-4 months because their neck muscles arent as developed for them to move their head. However, if your son can roll over, he has developed muscles. Just don't use loose bedding (like blankets). Use the sleep sacs that you can get at Baby's R Us or Craigslist. They will keep him warm without the extra bedding. Good luck to you!

A. (mom of 3-12, 3, and 3 months)

1 mom found this helpful

Hey T.,
My husband and I had a lot of sleepless nights after our son was born as well. I think it's pretty common with a new baby. I know this is much easier said than done, but I would try not to worry so much about his rolling over. My son always preferred to sleep on his stomach rather than on his back. It drove me crazy for a while, but once he got the rolling down and lifting his head it helped me relax a bit. Just be sure there is no loose bedding surrounding his head. If he can roll and lift his head, he should be just fine. Like I said... I know it's easier said than done!!

Good luck
E. B.

1 mom found this helpful

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