Sids - Brooklyn,NY

Yes, you are taking a big risk with your child. I know that I personally could never live with myself if my child died because I didn't do something I KNEW I should be doing to protect her. Yes, she sleeps better on her stomach - every baby does, because that is what they are naturally supposed to do (from millions of years of evolution, when babies were always carried on their mother's backs). But believe me - if you make all your parenting decisions based on what will keep your child from crying, you are going to end up with a really spoiled child, and end up being a really miserable parent.

There are lots of ways to make a child more comfortable on her back. Try swaddling, swings, baby sleepers, etc. Good luck.

If you're looking for an excuse to go against medical advice you'll always find someone who will give it to you.

Is your daughter's safety worth some extra sleep? Perhaps you should answer that question, as you already know what you're doing isn't advised.

R.,

I'm 56 years old, and I have a son whose now 29. When he was small, we were always told to put them to sleep on their stomachs.....and he's still here! LOL

Myself, I would be very wary about putting an infant to sleep on their back.....suppose they should spit up in their sleep....wouldn't being on their back cause them to choke?

This whole business about putting babies to sleep on their back scares me to death! Sometimes the old fashioned way is the best way, I think, regardless of what the doctors recomment now!

That, of course, is just my opinion.

D.

Hi R., it's funny u post that question. My son, Pierre will be 6 months tomorrow and that's the only position he sleeps in, on his stomach, the moment I would turn him on his back he was up. So, I worried to about SIDS since everyone says it's a big no, no. But, I would just keep checking on him; but do you know that, by 3 months he was holding his head up on his own turning it on his own, so he was fine. I have two children and he is my second. My oldest is a girl, Aurelie, do u know that she never slept on her stomach? To this day, she's four years old now and I put her on her stomach, the next day, I'll find her on her back. Children are definitely different.
Putting our babies on their stomach if that's the position they prefer do not make us bad parents and selfish. Children like adults die everyday of weird circumstances, death is terrible period and SIDS is a terrible thing, but do not feel guilty or you are doing anything wrong, God knows I did. U love your child, your conscience will let you know that you are a good parent and you are doing your best and God will bless your sweet Anaiah. All the best!!!

Hi R.
Have a child diagnosed with SIDS. He lived through it and is a lawyer, married with son. OK that was a scary time for us, and it was a few years ago before monitors etc. In fact they were experimental and we were told he would be part of the experimental study if he did it again. He didn't, but 6 times is often enough.
Back then we were told that
1. he didn't have the ability to gasp when he fell asleep so as his breathing got shallower, he would just stop breathing.
2. it would help to raise the head of his bed about an inch.
3. & because he has had symptoms he should be laid on his back to sleep. By then he could roll over himself and he did.
4. As far as vomiting goes, most babies that can pick up their head are going to do that. Babies have survival instincts too, unless there is a problem and it would be diagnosed.
Are you taking a huge chance of SIDS? Ask your MD. We were told all the rest of our children would be put on monitors. We had twins, and they were three weeks early, and when I told the MD, I was told they would be on monitors he said there was no worry of SIDS. Can they always tell? Mine did.
God bless you and I pray that the answers you get calm your fears
K. -- SAHM married 38 years --- adult children -- 38 yesterday; 33, SIDS baby, lawyer, married with son of his own; twins, 19

hi R., i do know how tempting it is, believe me. and yes, most of us went to sleep on our bellies as babies, that was what they thought was best at the time. we also didnt have carseats, and our moms smoked while pregnant, you know? and yes, we are all still here, ....except for the ones who arent. the fact is that since they started the back to sleep campaign, sids is down around 40%. to me, that number is just way too big to be coincidence. and i do know someone personally who lost their baby to sids at 6 mos. it does happen.
have you tried swaddling? it worked wonders for us for a while. try swaddling, and if your little girl is too upset about not having her hands like mine was, you can try this... i would swaddle my daughter with one arm out, and put a sleep positioner under one side, the side opposite the loose arm, put it just barely under her butt and shoulder (not up by her head),, so that she is slightly tilted onto the loose arm. then her arm isnt jerking around but she has her hand free to suck or whatever.
what also helped us is a noise machine/fan/air conditioner etc something that hums. actually, i think i recently heard that they think having a fan running helps to fight sids, and they are now saying the same thing about pacifiers. not positive, you can google it.
once she learns she can go to sleep on her belly, she will be that much more upset if you put her on her back, i would really nip it in the bud.
and if worse comes to worst and you just cant do it, they do have monitors that you put under the baby to alert you if she stops breathing, but i dont know that i would want to depend on that. best of luck to you, i struggled with the sleep thing forever, i know how hard it can be.

R.,

When my oldest child was born, they actually had just changed the laws, for your child to sleep on their bellies, and not the back.

And now they say sleep on your back and not your belly.

I honestly believe when it comes to Sids, there is no PERFECT way.

If your kids vomit at night on their backs they could choke to death accidently.

If they are on their bellies they can also Drown in their own vomit, After all their faces are in the puke,

--

My OWN theory is to use one of those triangles and keep them on their sides.

This is the way I have Always done it.

At some point they either roll on the stomach, or back.

It can't be avoided. they eventually start to move.

So Do what you have been doing and Keep a very close eye on her.

Work with her every day to build her little baby muscles,
and help her learn to roll over, have tummy time to build stomach muscles, and stand her on her legs , pull her to a sitting position using her arms,

it all helps her get strong

---

In addition my boys always had sinus drips that made them cough at night.

So I used a pillow behind their backs

M

Hi R.-

I glanced at a few of the responses and as you will probably learn there is a wide range of advice - from the technical to the practical.

For my little girl (she was born in 07), I absolutely had to put her down to sleep in a position other than her back. She would be sleeping soundly and the instant her back hit the mattress, it was all over. I purchased an incline with curved "wedges" that allowed me to position her into a side/slightly-tilted position. This worked well in the tiny bassinet and even for a short time in her own crib until she got wriggling. We then had to remove the incline. She usually liked snuggling against the bumpers and would stay put as long as she was flat.

At about 4 or 5 months, when she started rolling over, I took away the wedges and started putting her down on her tummy permanently. She sleeps that way to this day (she is now 2 yrs old). Needless to say, the first night I slept on the floor next to her... LOL.

There are a lot of additional factors that go into SIDS. Keep a smoke-free house. Breastfeed. Avoid excessive blankets, bumpers and cutsie stuff animals and such in the crib. Some folks feel it has a lot to do with mattresses off-gasing. Use a fan to keep air circulating. Check on family history. (To name a few that I've heard...)

My advice would be thus - pick what works best for your family. I learned very early on that sometimes those 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep (for you and baby) far out-weighted my fear of SIDS.

Best of Luck on your decision!!
~C.

Hi R.,

I would be very careful, they still don't really know the cause of SIDS. They say if often happens to infants around the 12 weeks to 1 years of age. I believe because they start to move around and if she is faced down she may not move her head to the side and accidently suffocate. I also read if you put a fan in the move to circulate the air, this also can help with preventing SIDS. Good Luck! :)

my son slept on his stomach since he was born. He only would sleep that way. He was born in Korea.. and in Korea they even put the baby on a reg. pillow.. go figure.. he came to us in the U.S. at age 2 months.. and refused to sleep on his side or back.. only on his stomach.. he did fine.. he still sleeps on his tummy.. at age 13! does you baby lift her or his head.. if so that's good... it's bad if baby doesn;t lift the head.. this can cause them to suffocate.. otherwise.. talk to your dr.. and see what they say.. good luck

I did! But make sure you use breathable sheets/blankets and bumpers and use a light fan in the room/open the window when it's warm out. I also read it's important to have good neck support- some babies fall asleep and can't move easily on their stomachs. I fretted over it for months until now that she's about 8-9 months. She also learned to flip onto her back after a few months, so we were relieved. You can do it, but I still don't recommend it even though I did it. If it's the only way you can get her to sleep.

You are taking a HUGE risk. Not a safe idea at all, no matter how well she is sleeping & how often you check on her.

Doctors have changed their tunes over the years. When a lot of us moms were babies they told our mothers to put us to bed on our tummies. That being said, I would make extra sure you don't have any blankets, stuffed animals, etc. in your daughter's crib and only let her sleep that way on a nice firm mattress, or on the floor. Definitely not in your own bed. Also, do NOT let anyone smoke in the home. Far more cases of SIDS happen in the homes of smokers that in non-smoking households.

You may want to look into one of the little baby sleep positioner pads for the crib and see if she'll sleep on her back with that.

The up side to sleeping on her stomach is, you won't have to give her special "tummy time".

for naps (if and only if i was in the room awake the whole time) would i do it. yes, they do sleep better, yes, many cultures and ours in the past, puts baby down on their tummy but i would not risk it. the US rate of SIDS has gone down dramatically since the back to sleep campaign. i would rather have a few months of sleepless nights than a lifetime of upset if something did happen to my precious baby especially if it i was something i could have easily prevented.

Hi R.,
My daughter, who is now 9 months old, was not a back sleeper. We started putting her on her stomach to sleep after she was a couple of months old and she never slept better. We would check on her periodically to make ourselves feel better though. I was nervous about SIDS as well but I felt that we did the right thing. Good luck!

Yes you are taking a risk. The research suggests that since the "Back to Sleep" campaign there have been 1/2 the cases of SIDS. If you absolutely need her to sleep longer make sure that NO ONE smokes in your house and that you have a fan in the room to circulate the air. Also make sure that the mattress is firm and the sheets are very tight.

I would suggest trying a sleep positioner (like a snuggle nest). This will give the baby the same feeling of being tightly held. Try swaddling her too- my son slept much better on his belly, so do most babies, but for us the risk wasn't worth the extra hour of sleep.

Hi R., I put all three of my children on their stomachs from day one. My last one was a 2 month preemie with a breathing device. Obviously their is more risk associated with SIDS when babies are sleeping on their stomachs due to the toxic gases that are emanating from the mattresses. At three months she should have good head control so the only real danger are the toxic gases. babies do sleep better on their tummies, and this is the way we all started out. However, now that everything is polluted, you have to seriously weigh the risks.

T. Hall Parker, Holisitc Health Couselor
My Food Therapy
www.myfoodtherapy.com
Momma Dont Eat It
www.mommadonteatit.com

Hi R.

My daughter now 22 months has been sleeping on her stomach since she was 6 weeks. We had such trouble with her sleeping on her back she would not do it. We would sleep with her on her stomach since 3 days old on our chest in bed with us. Finally 6 weeks later I got so annoyed because I never got a good night sleep. I tired her belly at nap time for a few days and she slept like 2 to 3 hours. So we put her on her stomach in her bassinet at night in our room. Once I knew she was okay at night we moved her to her room. I asked my ped and he said nap time was fine because we could check on her, but I did it at night too. I checked on her for a few weeks in the middle of the night and she did fine.

I am due in 3 weeks with our second and I will do the same with this baby.

Hope this helps.

Best
L.

Hi R.,

Since the position "back to sleep" has been highly encouraged, there is 1/3 less infants dying from SIDS; I am a labor/pedi nurse and have witnessed the horrid pain that families suffered when a healthy normal infant died being in that position while sleeping...

you worked hard to have this precious Aniah in your arms..why take a risk?
also if she starts favoring this position during day nap, she will also favor that same position at night...

hope you get other feedbacks about your question..

D. RN Vermont

R.,

I would defenitely put her to sleep on her back!!!! I was so scared with my 2 kids that I always put them to sleep on their backs. They didn't like it, but it is better than something happening to them!!! For naps it would be ok to sleep on her stomach. But at night when everyone is sleeping, it's probably best to put her on her back!

Despite what everyone tells you, you should NOT be worried. around the world lots of babies sleep on their tummies and their sides and they are fine. In fact, in many countries babies are not put on their backs because of the risk of choking on their own throw up.
If your baby is comfortable on her tummy, then let her sleep that way. I know my daughter was always more comfortable falling asleep on her side or tummy, and then at around 3 months she started rolling over adn would end up on her back. as long as there is nothing in the crib with her (blankets, stuffy toys) that she can get caught in, she will be perfectly fine!! You may want to get her some sleepy sacks to use instead of blankets. they are really good and make babies sleep more calmly.

I would start putting her on her back asap. They have made so many strides in SIDS research, and have cut back on the number of babies that have died of sids. I wouldn't take the chance. It only takes a minute for there to be a problem. I would get her used to sleeping on her back soon. My doctor advised that the only time it was safe to let them sleep on their stomach is if they are able to roll, and roll onto their stomach on their own. If they have the strength to do that, then they can also roll back.

We all slept on or stomachs and we are fine!! (back then, there was the fear of choking on spit up, so there was a long stretch of time where babies were put to sleep on bellies... go figure!) As long as your baby has no health problems and she is on a firm mattress with no blankets/pillows, she should be fine. Most kids who sleep on there bellies or who are given frequent "tummy time" during the day, develop arm, and neck muscles quicker, and soon your child will have no problem moving her head frealy anyways... Children who are not given enough Tummy time often develop slower and may end up skipping crawling alltogether.... and crawling is developmentally/physically an important milestone! I say sleep her on her tummy, especially if you check on her frequently and she has good head control and she is pushing up on her arms.

I know all the drs tell new moms to put their babies on their backs and now babies are getting flat heads as a result. I am old and raised 6 kids and fostered 97 (most of them infants) and I never had a problem with a baby on its stomach.
Having said that I would be careful putting her down on her stomach. Make sure there are no blankets, pillows or bumpers that she can get stuck in. In my opinion too much of anything is no good.

Hi R.,
Since the back-to-sleep campaign was started in the early 1990's, research shows that sleeping your back on her back cuts her risk of SIDS by half. This is significant. By sleeping baby on hher tummy, you double the risk of SIDS. Moms will say "I slept my kids on their tummy and nothing happened" but not all babies die of SIDS. I don't know what percentage of babies are victims of SIDS, but when my kids (now 10 and 14) were babies, it simply was not worth the risk. All medical authorities strongly recommend sleeping babies on their backs only. The other big factors in SIDS prevention are breastfeeding and smoking. Babies who are not breastfed have 3 times higher risk for SIDS, and babies living in a smoking household have 7 times the risk for SIDS as those in a non smoking home.
Good luck.

One of my sons had reflux to bad to be put on his back and the other would not sleep on his back and they were fine.... I was also a stomach sleeper and was fine. I guess knowing the information we know today versus many years ago when every child was put on their stomach, it is best to try and put babies on their backs but it doesnt always work that way. I would just make sure not to use bumper pads, thick blankets or pillows of any kind in the crib.

As an old timer, my four kids all slept on their bellie.
That being said, today is a totally different world. My
feeling is as long as baby is on a good mattress, he should
be fine. Like just do not put on a waterbed, fleece,
anything soft.

I just think babies are much more comfortable on their
belly.
They also learn to scoot around earlier using muscles
they do not use when on back.

It is a very personal decision and one you must be
comfortable with.

R.,
This topic is very touchie! However i have a 7yr old and a 21yr old. When the 21yr old was born he slept on his stomach constantly. When the 7yr old was born, while in the hospital the nurse once came into my room and noticed that i had her on her stomach. She got very frantic. She explained to me the importance of sleeping on the back "due to SIDS"? However in my opinion, I personally felt that this was a bad idea because my daughter never rolled over until she was almost 7 months old, she sat up late, and she walked late. I have to then obtain early intervention services for her. I feel that when they are on the stomach they have the opportunity to turn their heads from left to right. They can shuffle and next thing you know they can roll over. This is my old fashion Jamaican opinion!

I let all three of my children sleep on their stomachs. I know you are not supposed to but it really was the only way they would sleep for a long period of time. I needed my rest too :) I purchased an Angel Care monitor from Babier R Us and it gave me the peace of mind that I needed. It is a monitor that goes under the mattress and detects the slightest movement - i.e. the babies breathing. If the monitor does not detect movement for 5-10 seconds the alarm goes off. I can tell you this was the best purchase I ever made and it allowed my children to be great sleepers !!

I know it is SO tempting b/c they DO sleep better on their stomach, but it's such a risk (at least based on the research about SIDS). Of course, WE all went to sleep on our stomachs, but given new studies, I just wouldn't take the risk. It's fine to put her on her tummy if you are watching her (like if she's napping next to you) and of course, tummy time is important for playing. I just wouldn't do it at night... or when I wasn't watching. She'll be old enough soon to roll around and then she can do whatever she wants.

You can SAFELY let her sleep on her tummy if you buy a BabeSafe mattress cover (they sell them in all sizes from bassinet to crib to twin bed). Just google it and you'll find USA sources, mostly midwives. It's a heavy plastic cover that goes over the mattress with venting holes on the bottom. The doctor who developed them is in New Zealand, where they have NO SIDS as a result. He believes that SIDS is from the flame-retardant chemicals they put in mattresses - antimony, phosphorous, and ARSENIC. All are toxic and heavier than air, so if the mattress gets wet (from drool, spit-up, etc) and the chemicals start breaking down, the gasses hover just above the surface of the mattress, right where a tummy-sleeping baby's face is. With a properly wrapped mattress, you can feel safe letting your baby sleep on her belly, as all of the gases will vent through the holes on the bottom and dissipate towards the floor. All three of my kids would only sleep well once they slept that way

Hi R.,
I'm sure you will see alot of moms telling you that it is a really bad idea to have your baby on her belly.

I put all 4 of my children on their bellies to sleep. They did sleep so much better, and I always thought it was better, in case of vomiting, they wont choke on it.

With my last, I did compromise a little. The first few months, I had a wedge to put under her back. It was actually 2 wedges together, with about 6 - 8" of cloth in between, so I could lay her on her side leaning to her belly. She slept well with that, she also liked to be swaddled, like they do in the hospital, until she was about 3 months old.

She is now almost 3 years old and still sleeps on her side.

In my babies crib, I make sure the sheet is on tight, with a firm mattress, and nothing is in the crib with her, no babies, dolls or toys of any kind and only 1 small receiving blanket (wrapped around her like a towel, under the arms) and one thicker blanket. I woulnd't have tried this in a bassinet because I believe the closed in sides is what contributes to sids, on the belly or on the back. Also, I didn't have bumper pads in the crib until they were about 6 or 7 months old and moving around alot more.

Good luck

I used to babysit in the 70's and at that time they always had you put babies to sleep on their stomach and there was a concern that babies were safer sleeping on their stomach.
My son slept better on his stomach - hands down.
He is 3.5 yrs old now. I would have him sleep on his side after he was a bit older rather than on either his stomach or back (he rarely ever fell asleep or remained asleep on his back).
There are several other hypotheses about what contributes to SIDS - much research out of northern Europe (Sweden in particular) showed that many of the SIDS cases were resultant from the fire retardant chemicals in most mattresses. (PBDE's are the chemicals in particular). Of course there is not much publicity on this as there is money to be made by manufacturers. Nevertheless there is increasingly information made public by certain groups such as Environmental Working Group amongst others.
Additionally is info & research in the many additional vaccines given to babies and young children that was not given years back.

I know its hard to be a new mom but the risk of SIDS is sooooo much higher if your baby is on her stomach. That, smoke in the house, loose bedding, stagnant air, ect are all related factors. Sorry to be so blunt but really, would you rather have a fussy baby or a dead one?

I just wanted to add that I have read some of the responses you have gotten and clearly people have their own opinions that are not based on medical fact. Yes, its true that in the past babies slept on their stomachs and they do it around the world but are you aware of the high infant mortality rate surrounding those circumstances? No, a baby will not choke on their vomit if on their back, that is a silly wives tale not based on fact. Babies have a survival instict and will turn their heads. People who die that way are often intoxicated, severely ill, or on drugs. Studies have found repeatedly that all things kept the same, babies who are put to sleep on their backs have a significantly lower infant mortality rate than those who are put to sleep on their stomach. It sounds like you are looking for validation, and you sure got a lot of it. But personally, I could never forgive myself if I purposely did something that numerous studies have told me not too.