Tummy Sleeper

Please don't put your baby to sleep on his belly. The SIDS risk is real. Yes, babies sleep better when they are on their bellies...and a small percentage of them don't wake up ever again. How will you know where you will fall in the statistics and is it worth the risk? We didn't put our youngest son to sleep on his belly but we let him nap on our bed and he rolled to his belly on his own when he was only 6 weeks old. He was strong, healthy and had great head control. He died. I 100% believe that he would be alive if we followed ALL of the SIDS Prevention recommendations.

I can't even imagine why someone would take such a huge risk. The ONLY thing that has significantly reduced the number of SIDS cases is the back to sleep campaign. Not all tummy sleepers end up OK. There are plenty that don't/didn't today and in the past. There are 2 other SIDS babies right next to my son in our small section of Greenlawn cemetery. All 3 of them died within a short time period of each other and I'm sure there are countless others if I knew the cause of death of all the babies I visit when I visit my son. SIDS is real!

I know it's hard when you need your baby to sleep but this stage is over so quickly.

Looks like you got a lot of tummy sleepers. I'll add mine too. My youngest is now 7 mths today and she sleeps on her tummy. She is at that stage were she rolls over in her sleep so she can go from back to tummy throughout the night. I noticed when she was a little bit younger she slept a lot better on her tummy so I started placing her on her tummy and she is healthy and strong.

I don't wish nothing bad upon no ones child and my heart goes out to anyone who ever has to experience the loss of a child to SIDS, or a loss at all for that matter, but I believe in my heart of hearts that everything happens for a reason and no matter how much we try to stop something from happenig it is not in our control it is in the control of the man upstairs.

Bless your child and enjoy him because truly do grow up too fast. It seems like just yesterday and today she is 7 mths.

Hi there I have a 10 month old little girl and she never liked to sleep on her back if I put her in her crib on her back she would wake up right away and start screaming. She is a tummy sleeper and I worried about sids also but I made sure her crib sheet was very tight so she couldn't pull it to her face and there was nothing around that she could smother herslef on.

I know there are so many people out there who love to bash parents who let their kids sleep on their tummies... but I am not one of those! Both of my boys had a terrible time sleeping at ALL until I tried letting them sleep on their tummy. Otherwise they would wake up all night long, every 30 - 45 minutes, crying. Listen to your instincts. We were so paranoid as first time parents that we bought a mattress sensor called Angel Care which monitored his breathing to make sure he didn't stop :)
Best of luck to you!! Jen

Some kids are just tummy sleepers. I too had my son on his back, but he was great with that. He didn't start sleeping on his tummy until around 1 year old. However, some of my friends had kids that would NOT sleep unless on their belly and they just had to give in. If my next one is a belly sleeping, here is what I will do. I will have absolutley nothing in the crib, not even a bumper and I will buy the baby monitor that comes with a pad that you put under the sheet (Someone just mentioned this in one of the last couple of posts) that will alarm you if he stops breathing. It actually works REALLY well, another friend of mine has it and it is how she learned her little girl had sleep apnea (spelling?). I will get up a couple of times to check on him, but then I would get some sleep!

I've got 4, and only one liked sleeping on the tummy. All the others like side sleeping. The one tummy sleeper would get that way on her own around 4 months old when she learned how to roll over. I use the sleep positioners to put them on their side. All babies seem to like the feeling of something on their belly when they sleep and the positioner sides snuggle them. The only thing it really to just make sure there's nothing he can get close to his face that might impair his breathing and I would wait until he could pick his head up and turn it from side to side on his own. It's mostly common sense. There are parents out there that follow all the medical advice to prevent SIDS and it still happens. Be confident in your skills as mom and you'll be fine.

Mommy of tummy sleepers here! I found that with my daughter she was most comfortable this way. Then with having my son I was a little worried with hearing all this about SIDS, I kept him on his back for the 1st 3 weeks. Once I noticed he was turning his head fine while awake on his belly, we tried it! Of course he too is a belly sleeper and will have it no other way! I think it is fine once your child can turn his head side to side. Hope it helps! (Mine sleeps all night and has since being on his belly =) )

Lets add one more. My son is now 2 years old. He was a horrible sleeper for the first 18 months of his life. In his early days we could hardly lay him down at all when he was sleeping because he would wake up every time. So therefore for the first 7 weeks of his life he slept and I slept with him on my chest for most nights and almost every nap. I was exhausted yet I was afraid to lay him on his tummy and he woke up every time we laid him on his back, swaddled or not. I even let him cry for up to 45 min one time thinking that he might eventually give up and go to sleep. He didn't. So the story was hold him if you wanted sleep or listen to him cry -- non stop. So -- when my son was about 7-8 weeks old my husband went out of town on a business trip and I had a friend come stay with me. I left the house briefly to run up to the store and she was kind enough to stay home with my son and give me a few minutes to myself. When I returned she had him sound asleep in his crib ON HIS TUMMY. She had been watching him sleep the entire time and I was totally amazed that he was sleeping without anyone holding him. So I, being exhausted, took a nap too -- we both slept for about two hours for the first time separately since his birth. From then on he was a tummy sleeper and yes my husband and I checked on him constantly for a while but eventually when he could roll around on his own I figured he was fine and we all slept a little more soundly.

I can't say that I would have encouraged this to someone who was able to get their child to sleep on their back but I am a firm believer that some kids just won't sleep on their backs especially at a young age. Its a comfort to some that just can't be replaced or lived without. Incidentally my son sleeps mostly on his back now ending up upside down and all sprawled out from where he started. Good luck.

My son is 12 weeks old and he's been sleeping on his belly since the first week. My daughter did fine on her back when she was his age but he gets gas so bad he won't sleep any other way. I'd just keep everything out of the crib or bassinet (whichever he sleeps in) and check on him every now and then. You've got to think when we were babies our parents were told to lay us on our stomachs and not on our backs and we're fine. Just do what's best for you and your baby. Good luck.

Both of my boys slept on their backs until they were several months old and started rolling over by themselves onto their tummies. Neither of them were good sleepers AT ALL... naps or nighttime... until they slept the way they wanted to, which was on their tummies. I freaked out about the SIDS stats, worried about what people would say, and got about 1/4 of the sleep I needed because I INSISTED they sleep on their backs. And when they started to roll over on their own, I had to stop panicking because I couldn't be there to roll them back (not to mention anger them!) each and every time. We all slept well after that. I can't tell you what age is best for back sleeping vs. tummy sleeping. I know there are stats all over the web you could find on that. I guess it's really something only you can decide. If you're more comfortable holding back until he's a little older, wait a bit. If you need the sleep, he needs the sleep, and you need a little less stress in your life, do what you feel is right. There's plenty of stuff for you to worry about as a new mom. Sometimes you just have to go with your instinct when it comes to doing what works best for your family. Good luck and best wishes!

B.,
My daughter was a tummy sleeper too. When she was a new born she was also a grunter and every time she'd make a noise I'd get up and check on her. I was getting up so much that I wasn't getting much sleep, so when she was two weeks old she moved from the bassinet in our room to her crib in her room. She always sleep best lying on my chest on her tummy, so when she was able to hold her head up and move it side to side I started putting her on her belly at naps and at night. Of course I slept on the floor in her room for three nights straight to make sure she was ok. Once I felt confident she was safe, I moved back into my bed. She is four and a half now and still loves to lay on my chest. She is all over her bed now but still a great sleeper. Just make sure your son can lift his head and turn it side to side and keep a close eye on him at first. Test him out on his belly during nap time. When you're sure he is safe than let him sleep that way.

J.

I had a tummy sleeper. She is now 3 1/2. Starting at about a month old, she would only sleep on her tummy. The pediatrician continued to warn us that it could be dangerous, and we would smile and nod, and think "If you want to stay up all night with her, go ahead." We did take precautions like no blankets, no pillows and no animals in the crib. Our theory was that a tummy sleeping baby was better than a child that couldn't sleep more than an hour at a time.

My daughter is now 16 months old and she has slept on her tummy since she was around 3 weeks old. Like you said - she was much happier this way and started sleeping through the night around 5 weeks old. My Pediatrician told us that it was "really okay" and as long as you don't have any of the other major sids risks like if there are smokers in the house or you smoked while pregnant (Which I assume not, I hope!) it was fine. She said that most babies truly are happier on the belly because it is more cozy t them with arms and legs tucked in like in the womb. She simply wouldn't sleep on her back so for sanity purposes we decided it was the best for us!

My first daughter would never sleep on her back. Each time i would put her down she was awake within 30 minutes. I finally was so exhausted that at 6 wks old i tried her on her tummy. She napped for 2 hours. We did it from that day forward. My doctor said that if since she was a healthly,full term baby and we had a non smoking home and she was lifting her head it was okay. Both of my girls could lift their head by 3 days old. Both my girls were tummy sleepers(my youngest still is at 16 mths) and did very well. Discuss your concerns with your doctor. I think he/she will out your mind at ease. It worked for us. If you are so worried about it and don't think you could relax or rest with him on his tummy i suggest getting a video monitor. My friend had one and i wish i had gotten one too. It really puts your mind at ease being able to see them and hear them.
Wish you the best and a good night's sleep!

My little boy is 21/2 months and a tummy sleeper! He's got reflux so if he's on his back he chokes and screams. But I was a tummy baby too and I turned out fine! LOL

Hi B.,

I am the mother of 3 children the oldest is 25 and the youngest is 6. All three loved to sleep on their tummies. By the time the little one was born the Sid's thing was big and scary so I layed her on her side with a back support of some kind. Ultimately she would end up on her tummy and did just fine. I believe that if your child is healthy and not congested I don't see why he can't sleep on his tummy too.

Good Luck and enjoy every minute with him this time goes by fast.

A.

I will never speak against someone who listens to their babies! My son was a tummy sleep just about from birth. He is now 10 1/2 months old and healthy as can be! (He still sleeps on his tummy!) Just keep in mind that the back to sleep is a RECOMMENDATION not a requirement. My husband has been a tummy sleeper from birth (his mom was told to put him down on his tummy, at that time, that is what they RECOMMENDED for preventing SIDS). He is alive and well and loving the two kids the good Lord has blessed us with.

So, all I give you is encouragement and the Lord's blessings!

My daughter, who just turned one, is a tummy sleeper. I was religious about putting my son on his back because of the SIDS risk. He still loves his back. However, when my daughter came along, she wasn't going along with the program. Once she refused to be swaddled she started fussing a lot at naps. One day when she was about three weeks old, she was so tired but everytime I put her on her back she woke up and cried. After twenty minutes I looked around the room took one finger and rolled her onto her tummy. Out like a light. I stared at her back rise and fall the entire time she napped terrified she was going to stop breathing. After a week she let me know she was sleeping on her tummy at night too. A year later she's still here. I didn't get much sleep for a while worrying but it turned out good. Incidentally, it helped that she could turn her head from side to side early on. If your son can turn his head from one side to the other when you lay him on his tummy then I would say you're probably okay. Give him lots of tummy practice during the day and hopefully he'll sleep like a baby at night and you can rest easy knowing his neck muscles are strong enough to handle anything. Incidentally the first person I admitted to that I let my baby sleep on her tummy looked at me as if I told her I'd eaten my baby, lol.

I know all babies love to sleep tummy side down when they are napping on mom or dad. But the risk of SIDs is something you seriously need to be aware of. My baby girl sleeps on her tummy and has been doing it since she could turn over (3 1/2 months) so I would suggest you try and keep him on his back as long as possible. If he can't turn himself over to do it, then you shouldn't put him on his tummy just yet. You can always do tummy time where he plays on the floor on his tummy...