Tummy Sleeping

I know the tsk, tsk that I will get from this response...But, all three of my girls were tummy sleepers..My oldest could never sleep on her back...she hated it...so, with much hesitation I started putting her on her tummy and she slept much better. All three of my girls were healthy with no respiratory issues and we are non smokers...sometimes those issues combined with a tummy sleeper can be linked to SIDS...I think since your little one has the ability to roll over now that it shouldn't really be an issue. Good luck!

I am pretty sure once your baby can roll over, the chances of SIDS go way down. Ask your pediatrician to be sure, though, and try the Angelcare monitor. It has a sensor that will go off if the baby stops breathing.

the consensus I've heard (and my own pediatrician told me) is that once a baby is old enough to roll over, they are probably not in a high risk category for sids anymore. Basically, keep putting your baby to bed on her back and if she flips over, it isn't worth risking waking her up to flip her back on her back. Once my daughter started turning over, she would turn over on her tummy (in her sleep) before I could even step away from her crib. Instead of turning her back over, I would just very gently adjust her head to make sure her nose wasn't too close to the mattress.

It was the only way that my boys would sleep.

my son started sleeping on his tummy around three months he could roll over a little but i also kept his crib in a corner of my room so i was sure i would be able to hear him if he woke and needed me. on his tummy was the only way i could get him to sleep without me holding him. the first three months of his life he either slept in his carseat beside our bed or in bed with me and my husband. i know some people are against cosleeping but it is what worked for us.... now at nine months my son gets put in his crib on his tummy we leave the room and he basically puts himself the rest of the way down. he ends up in all kinda crazy sleep positions but thats how he fell asleep so we dont worry... good luck and best wishes.
A.

Our pediatrician has said that after they are able to roll over the back-sleeping is not as important. They still don't know exactly why sleeping on the back has helped drop the SIDS rate, but the theory is that they stop breathing momentarily and aren't able to lift their heads or roll over when they're on their tummies and so the outcome is bad. Once they're able to roll over on their own, it seems to be o.k. Our friends' children, as well as our baby boy, all started rolling onto their tummies around 3 to 4 months in their sleep at night. You get up several nights in a row and keep trying to roll them back onto their backs, and then you realize it's fine and everyone gets a good night's sleep! You can always place those positional devices if you're really worried about it, but they can get squished up against them, so that doesn't seem like the best idea.

Tummy sleeping is FINE. There have been new studies on SIDS, and they have found that it is I believe a genetic disposition that the SIDS babies shared. Your little one will be fine especially if he/she is able to control how she sleeps. Good luck and don't stress. I have 3 little ones who all refused to sleep unless they were on their tummies from day one and they are all fine.
Sleep Well.

Once they can roll over they are not vulnerable to SIDS. Many babies sleep much better on their tummies, so I liked this time with mine, as they chose how to sleep best!

All three of mine slept on thier tummies once they could roll over (my oldest could roll over at 4 months). My pediatrician said once they are physically mature enough to roll over, thier bodies are ready to handle sleeping on thier tummies. He said just make sure the bed is safe (no pillows or blankets or anything that could be a suffocation hazzard).

Hi,

My BS degree is in Respiratory Therapy and now I am a senior midwife student. When I worked as a Therapist I worked in the NICU and a little pediatrics. Once the baby can roll over you do not have have to worry about SIDS. One of the main theories behind SIDS is that as the baby breathes out there is a cloud of CO2 that gathers and the baby starts re-breathing that in. In response to the higher CO2 level the brain will tell the body to slow down breathing. However the immature brain of the baby will tell the baby to stop breathing. They also think this is a defect in some babies as not all babies brains have this problem. Once the baby can lift its head and turn over they can get away from the CO2 "cloud." I hope this makes sense.

Blessings,
L.

Hello A.,

You see a lot of articles about SIDS and of course the doctor tells you not to put them on their stomachs, but I really think it depends on the child. My son was able to turn is head back and forth after 2 weeks old. He's been rolling over since he was four months old. He's always slept on his tummy since he's been born. He is five months old now. When he was a newborn, I tried putting him on his back at first being a new mom and all, but he would only sleep for about twenty minutes. He never liked lying on his back and to be honest, I was more nervous with him lying on his back because I was afraid he would choke on his formula. At least on his tummy he could just spit it out. Just go with your gut. As I'm sure you know there is no handbook on how to and what if for a child.

From the time all 3 of mine could turn over, they have slept on their tummies. I start off putting them on their back and yes, they are also covered with a blanket, and they would just roll over onto their tummies. With the first one, I kept trying to turn him over and my Pedi said to let him be. My little girl started sleeping with a stuffed animal at about 6mths too. If I tried to take it away or not let her have it, she would just scream. If I took it away after she fell asleep, when she would wake at night and reach for it, she would scream, so I just gave up. Now she's 4.5 years old and she has to have about 20 of her animals in bed :) I wouldn't worry about it too much, if they can roll, they should be fine.

I know that you are worried. I would try to put him to sleep on his back but if he rolls over there is very little you can do about it. The fact of the matter is they just sleep better that way. My Doctor told me that if they use a pacifier they are much less likely to die of SIDS. So that may be an option (if yours will take one.) Just get rid of any kind of soft fuzzy things and take out his bumper,and pray. Thats all you can do.

I let my baby sleep on her tummy after she learned to roll over.

Babies have been sleeping on their tummies for centuries. If that's how he's most confirtable, leave him alone,

Well maybe I will get reported to CPS, but I had premature twins and they slept better on their tummies. At night I put them on their back, but as soon as they could roll over they were back to their tummy and I have not stressed about it. I also put a blanket in with them which I have also heard is a no, no.;-)

There's no real way to stop them from sleeping on their stomach after they've learned to do it. I admit, when my daughter started rolling over, i was paranoid and woke her many times to flip her back over. Now, i realize that despite my efforts, there's nothing really i could've done.
I actually think it's better if they sleep on their tummy because there's no danger of them spittin up and choking on it like if they were on there backs.
Just make sure there are no pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, or bumper in the crib and you'll be fine!
Good luck!

Like everyone else said, once they roll over, don't worry because the SIDS risk diminishes. You can't run in and roll your baby over ever hour. You'd never get any sleep!

Once they could roll themselves over and back over again, I never worried about it. I knew they could move themselves. At least, that's my opinion.

I would wait until at least six months or even later. Once they can roll over, they'll do it themselves. However, SIDS is a very scary thing. Baby monitors are really helpful and check on your baby often. My youngest was on an apnea monitor till she was nine months old. that thing toned so much i wouldn't have heard the smoke alarm had it gone off..Scary stuff. Losing a child is no picnic. take every precaution that you can!!

I have 4 kids and each of them loved sleeping on their tummy when they were infants! A couple of them would not take their naps in any other position. Generally speaking unless your doctor tells youthat they have under developed muscle then I would let them sleep on their tummy. I felt comfortable when I knew they could roll over on their own and they could push up off their bellies. Your the Mom its your call!

I think it's fine as long as you put the baby to sleep on his/her back and if they roll over then just let it be. Putting them to sleep on their tummies is bad in a lot of ways, not only does it supposedly increase the risk of SIDS but because the baby often sleeps in the fetal position (legs curled under) when they sleep on the tummy it can lead to turned in feet and legs not developing properly, especially in older babies. My daughter would always roll to her tummy sometime during the night but we didn't worry about it. She had a hard time sleeping on her back though, so we often put her on her side and she'd stay like that all night. I'm one to believe more that however the baby likes to sleep, by all means give them the most comfy position that they prefer even if it's on the tummy.

I think it is fine as long as they are pretty well practiced rolling over.

If they are able to lift their heads, that is supposed to be the key. You can't fight nature and keep rolling them back over, don't worry.

Once they roll it's all over baby!! (no pun intended!) My little guy loves to sleep on the tummy and as soon as he could do it there was not alot I could do about it. I think it is fine :) I was a little concerned about, well everything! So I got what is called a breathable bumper. It is mesh and has no strings. Air can flow in and out of it and if they get their little faces next to it they can breathe ok. But they don't get their legs stuck in the slats of the crib when they move around at night. I also don't put anything in the crib and just dress him warm enough to go without any kind of sheet or blanket. Best wishes to you!! :)

I would always put my babies down on their side or back and when they were old enough, they always rolled to their tummies. I would check on them and make sure their faces were clear, pray over them and go to bed. If you are going to do this, make extra sure you don't put anything that could smoother them in their crib (blankets, bumper pads, loose clothing, etc).

These days it is recommended not to do it but that's is how our parents had us sleeping. My son (2 years old) has slept on his tummy since day one. He likes it so much better and still sleeps that way. I say you do what you feel you are comfortable with.

Good luck!!