Sleeping on Tummy!

Hi, i have a daughter who is 8 months now and the only way she will sleep is on her stomach. shes been like that since she was about 4 months. I believe the age is 7 months when it decreases. Now they wake up or move a different way if they cant breathe. Its perfectly fine now.

My son has done the same thing since he was about 4 months old. I was also concerned, but my pedi said that once they are able to roll over on their own there isn't a lot that you can do. I still put him to bed on his back, but I just don't worry anymore when I see him sleeping on his tummy. I wouldn't worry! You sound like a great mommy!

At this point she should be fine. My 8 month old (on the 25th) does the same thing. They should have the appropriate reflexes in place to roll their head to the side.

Totally normal. My pedi told me that once a baby can roll over by themselves they have enough upper body strength to raise decrease their risk of SIDS. I don't know if this is true, but my daughter rolled over and she was fine.

My son did this too! And caused me (a new mother) to be panicked at night. I just made sure there was nothing that could get close to his face and I checked on him every time I woke up LOL! I think this is totally normal. I asked my pediatrician and he said there's nothing you can do about it. SIDS significantly reduces after a yr old but there have been cases up to 18 mo.

First, if she can roll over, she will...not much you can do to force her to stay on her back. Sounds like it's time to pull everything out of the crib -- including the bumper! -- so that there is nothing for her to get trapped between. SIDS deaths typically do not happen with just the baby's face in the mattress; typically, the child works their way between the mattress and something else. The best you can do is remove all loose objects from the crib. And relax -- if she can roll onto her belly, she is also strong enough to roll onto her back or turn her head.

I don't know about others, but my 4 mo old has slept on his back since birth. If he isn't sleeping w/me, then he sleeps on his back, and I have no problems. I would talk to your pedi, but I think since he is rolling over on his own that you probably can't stop him(and him sleep well) This is just my 2 cents, but for what it is worth, all my children have slept this way.

E.

I'm not sure what the age is but my son has slept on his tummy with a blanket since he was 1 month old. He has been able to lift and turn his head since he was 1 week old so I haven't had to worry about it. I started putting him on his tummy after he would wake himself up constantly by jerking in his sleep. My son is also 7 months old.

Since my daughter was born, she has been sleeping on her back. I checked on her often throughout the night. Now since she can roll over(she is 6months)I place her on her tummy and she does just fine throughout the night. If you are so worried, in order to ease your mind...take out any and all blankets, dolls, pillows. DOnt have anything in there that could possibly suffocate the child. I heard that the risk decreases by the time they are able to roll over....5-7months. Good luck!

Our pediatrician told us as soon as our daughter could rollover on her own it was OK. We were careful not to have think blankets, etc that she couldn't move on to avoid suffication.

My 6 month old does the same thing, and at first I was concerned. I talked to a good friend of mine who is a nurse at a pedi's office, and she told me that once they can roll on their own and lift their head it's ok for them to sleep in any position they choose because the risk of SIDS is significantly decreased. Still put her to bed on her back, but if she rolls, don't worry too much about it. She'll be fine!

I remember my hubby once talking about a NFL player loosing his (over 1 yr old) child from SIDS. So it is not unheard of. On the other hand my child slept on his tummy as he would roll over onto it. You can't always worry about everything, accidents can happen at any time.

I was told by my pediatrician that if they can turn their heads and bodies over, then the risk for SIDS is pretty low.

My daughter is 9 months and I use receiving blankets like none other. I put them over her bed sheets and change them out every couple days. I was her sheets once a week. I don't put stuffed toys in her crib, either. So, you are really diminishing the chance of dust mites, which are linked to causing SIDS.

Hope this helps.

This month's parenting magazine responds exactly to your question stating it is fine. Biggest SIDS risk is 2-4 months and drastically reduces at 6 months. Basically, the fact that your baby is rolling herself onto her tummy seems to make it okay. Articles says you can leave her there and that she has the motor skills to lift her head, etc to prevent suffocaton. You may want to pick up a copy and read it yourself.

TOTALLY NORMAL! :)

Cari,

I have a 4.5 month old and she started sleeping on her tummy at 3 months. There was no stopping her. We used a sleep positioner up until she started wiggling her way out of it (even being swaddled). So I recommend NOT using a sleep positioner as that may become more of a safety hazard than a solution.

Once babies can roll over and move their heads from side to side the risk of SIDS goes down dramatically. Continue keeping blankies, pillows and stuffed animals out of the crib though. I got a mesh crib bumper in place of my regular one so IF my baby gets mashed up against the side, I know her breathing won't be obstructed.

There is no way to stop a tummy sleeper from sleeping on their tummy. It is what's comforting to her and trying to change that by flipping her to her back in the middle of the night could cause her to wake up and just get frustrated.

I know you are concerned about SIDS, but believe me, she is going to be alright!

Since your baby can roll over, she should be fine. Just make sure you have a nice, firm mattress with a tight-fitting sheet, and just a light cover. If its cold, dress her in extra-warm jammies with footies. My daughter refused to stay covered up, so I put her in blanket sleepers in the winter. But, make sure the baby's room isn't too warm because that's a big SIDS risk as well.

HI Cari!

I was told that I believe by like 4-6 months it is ok to sleep on their tummy. If I remember correctly SIDS happens because the baby's brain can't send the signal to turn the head when they need to breathe, and by this age (or when they are able to turn their head/roll over on their own) the brain can send this signal and the baby turns their head in response. I believe I read it in Parents magazine this month. Let me see if I can find the article and send it to you.

If she's rolling over on her own, then she should be fine. Just make sure she's not surrounded by anything that she can get tangled up in.

In Day Care we have to put them on their backs but it they can roll over then it is ok. G. W

hi cari!

i have a 9 month old baby girl! congrats! aren't they precious? :-) anyway... the risk of SIDS is significantly decreased by the age of 3 or 4 months old...i'm sure there are still cases, but most cases occur in babies under the age of 4 months. my little girl started rolling on to her tummy when she was about 6 - 8 weeks old. at first i was nervous about it, but she was able to push up onto her arms, turn her head and roll a little bit... AND as a bonus, she actually SLEPT!! i'm not recommending that babies start sleeping on their tummies at 6 weeks old by any means, what i'm trying to say is that 7 months is perfectly fine. unless she is unable to roll over or lift her head, she is safe sleeping on her tummy. it seems like she's most comfortable that way, and you may find she sleeps better and longer that way also. so, no worries, mommy! your little angel will be fine! :-)

-S. (emma kate's mommy)

p.s. i love that you love your little one so much and are so worried about keeping her safe and doing the best thing for her. :-)

Totally normal, don't worry. If she is turning over on her own, she's fine. Mark this as her first independent decision -- she has decided she likes sleeping on her tummy and she's going to do something about it. She's growing up, mom! :-)

Hi Cari,

By the age of 1 is when SIDS is significantly decreased.
Have you tried using the infant sleep positioner pillow?
It will hold her in place on her back or side and will be much more difficult for her to roll over on her tummy.
I would definitely try one if you haven't already. Sleeping on the tummy is a definite cause of SIDS.
I learned after having my son that pacifiers help to decrease SIDS. They help prevent the baby from falling into the deep sleep.
Good luck to you with your new baby!
~N.~