Tummy Sleeping - North Olmsted,OH

About the tummy sleeping I know they say it is terrible but I have to tell you I have 2 boys one is now 4 and the other will be 2 next month and they both slept on their belly from the time I brought them home. My youngest still pretty much only sleeps on his belly. I mean as long as there is nothing to soft for their face to go into it will be fine. And actually my 2 year old even sleeps on a pillow now to and still on the belly. I would say been with the pillw for close to a year. Don't get me wrong no pillows for a 4 month old but the belly should be ok.

Hi K., How are you doing? My advice is do what works for you.

I let my children sleep on their tummies and no one really mentioned SIDS at that time. My children have perfectly shaped heads too. A lot of children today have flat heads and I think it is from laying on their backs all the time.

I know the skull is soft and can be shaped by rubbing it. that all for now. B.

When both of my kids started rolling over to their stomachs, we started putting them to sleep on their stomachs. Otherwise, they would wake themselves up when we would lay them down on their backs to sleep. If she's sleeping better on her stomach (and has no problems with rolling) then I would put her to sleep on her stomach. Everyone sleeps better that way! :-)

You can do the research, but sleeping position doesn't increase SIDS - here's 10 years of data to help:

After a decade of research on SIDS, I can confidently tell you that BTS has NOT reduced SIDS deaths, and yet the media continues to not only put a false sense of security in the minds of new (and veteran) moms, but also scare moms to the point of truly believing that they must wedge their rolling children because the minute they get on their tummies they will die.

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Here's more information so that each mom can make an educated choice (information that you can find on an Internet search):

There is less than a .5 (yes, that's POINT five) chance of SIDS from even a newborn tummy-sleeper. You actually have a higher risk of injuring or death to a child in an auto accident by age five than your baby suffering crib death.

Several factors can be attributed to the "drop" in SIDS statistics: parents became more conscious about removing stuffed animals, pillows, and fluffy blankets from cribs, thus eliminating true suffocation deaths; and the medical profession is now under much more rigid standards to be more specific on the actual cause of death in infants. It used to be that any death, unless obvious trauma, to a baby was simply called SIDS. SIDS is not suffocation, heart defects, other physical abnormalities, or any other health issue - doctors don't know exactly WHAT it is...

More and more studies are being released that indicate SIDS may be genetic - which means it doesn't matter how your child sleeps, if the gene is present, there's frankly nothing a parent can do about it.

Recent studies and in the May 2005 issue of Pediatrics magazine, they showed that the reduction in SIDS deaths was not due to BTS but rather in a stringent campaign forcing States to find a cause of death in newborns instead of just labeling it SIDS. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_24409.html

Another study came out in February of 2005 from Cambridge University showing a correlation between maternal levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and SIDS. Women with the highest AFP levels were three times likely to have a baby die of SIDS.

Keeping your child at a comfortable temperature and keeping the crib free of obstructions is common sense. Remember - SIDS is NOT suffocation.

Before the BTS campaign, we were TOLD to put babies on their bellies. Then about a decade ago, that got switched to recommending ONLY side-sleeping. Then this BTS stuff started. So you see, the next publication could revert back. It's frankly up to each parent, and just like any recommendation, parents must do research.

Babies have died from SIDS on their backs AND bellies, at home AND in hospitals, and even in their mother's arms. Believe what you will, but I (like many others, medical professionals and parents) am absolutely convinced that the position that a child sleeps in has nothing to do with SIDS.

And of course, there is a contradicting argument to virtually every statistic you will read.

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"...Further more, much depends on how statistics are gathered. Until recently most autopsies on infants were carried out in a haphazard fashion. Often, no autopsies were performed. Now, in most parts of the western world, strict criteria are applied and autopsies performed by specialist teams. Many cases that previously would be considered as qualifying for the diagnosis of SIDS are now excluded. This artificially reduces the incidence compared to pre-autopsy and specialised consideration times. To accurately follow recent trends one needs to look at the overall infant mortality rate. This is the bottom line and cannot be easily manipulated."--Dr Kalokerinos MD (Medical Pioneer of the 20th century p178) - from http://www.whale.to/vaccine/quotes18.html

"...In summary, this study has shown that infants who die of SIDS have a higher proportion of airway smooth muscle in their small airways than age-matched infants who die suddenly from causes no associated with underlying cardiorespiratory pathology. The increase in smooth muscle may contribute to excessive airway narrowing which, along with other factors such as immature ventilatory control mechanisms, may result in sudden death, but the precise significance of this finding remains unknown." from http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/160/1/313

"...The tragic mystery (MYSTERY - meaning there is NO CAUSE OR CURE - my words) of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a bit closer to being solved. New research shows that genetics may play a role." from http://my.webmd.com/content/article/92/101949.htm

"...A new study has identified mutations in genes pertinent to the autonomic nervous system among babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) that might explain why they died..." from http://www.docguide.com/dg.nsf/PrintPrint/8848BC53E7ED852...

"...In other words, the more we look for fine abnormalities the more we find. Unfortunately, apart from a few factors such as the recognition of the dangers of cigarette smoking, nothing had been found that dramatically reduces the incidence of the syndrome..." from http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/newsl/kalo.html

I had this quote from somewhere..."Weese-Mayer's own research, published in 2003, found that infants who succumbed to SIDS were more likely to have a certain pattern in the serotonin transporter gene. Serotonin, among other things, influences the regulation of breathing, the heart and temperature. Another study published during 2001 found that a small subset of SIDS cases occurs in babies who have a mutation in a gene called SCN5A, which causes subtle cardiac rhythm disturbances during sleep."

So you see from these studies, genetics and other factors are what are believed to cause SIDS. But alas, no one still really knows! But it is clear to me that sleeping position is unrelated to true SIDS.

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Let me put this in perspective about the misleading stats. For example:

- 10 years ago, 10 babies suffered crib death. No autopsies performed, so all 10 called SIDS.

- Now 10 babies suffer crib death. Autopsies completed - 2 suffocated, three had tracheal abnormalities or other heart/health problems... 5 are mysteries, ala SIDS.

Viola. A 50 eduction in SIDS deaths in the past decade. BTS is taking the credit for it, and it's absolutely no-questions-asked false statistics.

Info regarding this can be found on: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7706456/

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Some sites are connecting immunizations to SIDS, however I am still a strong supporter in childhood immunizations. That's a whole other debate that I'm not interested in getting into.

Why I am such a strong opposer to BTS? I am carrying on the work of my now-deceased MIL who spent the last decade of her life compiling the information contradicting the validity of BTS. She was a brilliant medical professional for over 40 years. Her main concern was mothers getting a false sense of security that their babies could not suffer SIDS if they were put on their backs. That's blatantly wrong, and she wanted her moms to know that.

What are the wonderful results from the scare tactic of BTS?
Some think a link to PPD may be derived from moms not sleeping well at all because their back-sleeping babies can't sleep (why anyone would take an infant that had been snugly curled and secure for 9 months and lay them out on their back is still beyond me). Now there are increasing reports of plagiocephaly (flat heads) and the progressive health problems that can come from it - from poor babies having to wear helmets and all the way to mental retardation from compression of the brain. This comes from forced back-sleeping. We have babies with delayed development - not a big deal, but yet another side effect of forced back-sleeping - they're not developing the arm and leg strength to crawl as quickly as their predecessors. There are also lots of reports on the dangers of sleep positioners - supply and demand, right? These manufacturers are brilliant. Sleep positioners are suffocation hazards and should never be used (the AAP won't endorse them), but the hype over BTS makes a mom believe that her child must be "pinned down" in order to survive, when in effect they are risking crib death.

There are a few sites, and I won't argue that there are many that still claim BTS has reduced the stats. I believe otherwise, and that's my perogative; I, like you, must do what I feel best for my babies and myself.

All three of my infants were tummy sleepers from the hospital on, and so will any future babies of mine. I am 110% confident that their risk of SIDS is not increased.

EDITED 9/30: PLEASE PLEASE DON'T USE SLEEP POSITIONERS - THEY'RE A TRUE SUFFOCATION HAZARD - THE AAP WON'T EVEN ENDORSE THEM.

I agree with you. The reality is that no one really knows exactly what causes SIDS. For generations and generations, moms put their baby's on their stomachs with no issues. When my daughter was a newborn, the only way either one of us could sleep would be to have her on her stomach, on my chest. At first I was petrified and spent many a sleepless night. But, after a couple of days of maybe 2 hours of sleep, I took my sister advice and we both got much needed rest. The bottom line is that there are precautions you can take, but there is absolutely no guarentee a baby won't get SIDS. A co-worker of my boyfriend's daughter died from SIDS and she was on her back. They still don't know why she died, but I think research is starting to point to underdeveloped lungs, or lungs filling with fluid, which is not detectable until it is too late. Hopefully in the next few years they will find out an exact cause.

Hi K.,

My 15 month old was the same way. She would only sleep for short periods of time and be a bear when awake. At about 3 weeks I put her on her tummy when she had gas and she fell asleep almost instantly. Like you, I was very worried and kept checking on her contantly to make sure she was still breathing. She has slept on her tummy ever since.

My twins would not sleep on their backs, i had to lie in bed/couch etc... and have them one me on their tummies, they slept great.
I was villified by all those back sleeper baby's moms, like i was evil. if it works then go with it, please make sure the mattress is firm, no blankets/toys/etc so their is no chance of suffocation,
my twin boys are happy healthy and sleeping thru the night.....
if you hear negative comments, then tell whoever it is to please bring their pillow and a blanket to your house, purchase earplugs for yourself and see how they change their view.

ask her dr about acid reflux i had a friend whose baby was very cranky while lying on her back but was just fine being upright you may also want to try to elevate one end of her bed mattress it may help good luck

MY SON WAS 3MONTHS OLD WHEN I HAD HIM SLEEPING ON HIS STOMACH. HE JUST WOULD NOT SLEEP SOUNDLY ON HIS BACK AND WAS UP EVERY 10 MINUTES SO I FIGURE ITS WORTHA TRY AND THAT WAS THE 1ST TIME HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! AND ON MOTHERS DAY. I JUST MADE SURE NO BLANKETS WERE IN HIS FACE. IT WAS A BLESSING BELIEVE ME. SO I KNOW WHAT YOUR FEELING.

My son did the same thing around 4 months. I talked to his ped. and I was told that as long as he is able to lift his head he would be fine. He also told me that if I was very nervous to get one of those moniters that goes under him and an alarm will go off if their is no movement for a certian ammount of time. I was pretty comfortable with him becasue he was strong, could lift his head and roll over.

My son was a tummy sleeper to but i was always afraid of sids to so one day i was at the store and i noticed this thing im not sure whats its called but its like this thing that has 2 sides on it and you put your baby in the middle of it and lean them to the side it kinda of props them up and it fits snug ( adjustable ) and it keeps them on their side,,it worked wonders for me ... and my son slept very good at night.... its at walmart and i believe target. but you should invest in one of those...

K.,

Both of my toddlers were belly sleepers. Of course I was worried but it was sometimes the only way that I could get them to sleep. I made sure I kept everything away from there face and I never had anything else in their cribs or bassinets besides a blanket. I think if it works for you and you feel comfortable with it, go for it. My doctor of course advised against it but then again she wasn't the one up all night. Good Luck...

Both of my kids were tummy sleepers. When we talked to the doctor about it, she said that she highly recommmended that they sleep on their backs, but we as parents had to make the decisions ourselves. It wasn't a hard decision to make for us. Our daughter would literally sleep 20 minutes at a time on her back. On her tummy, she'd sleep for 3-4 hours as a baby.

Just make sure you eliminate other risk factors (i.e. smoking in the house, ~ if you or your spouse is a smoker~ etc.)

Good luck!

S.

Hi K.,

My son will be 9 yrs old in December and my daughter just turned 11 months. I placed both of my children on their stomachs to sleep. I don't necessarily agree with what they are saying about SIDS. I feel that if a child is laid on their back, they could choke on vomit, if that should happen. Both my children were laid to sleep on their side the first couple months of their life, and then on their stomachs. They sleep so much better, because they can cuddle themselves up, my sons behind was always in the air with his arms & legs pulled up under him, my daughter is doing the same thing. I have the happiest children people have ever seen...I hear that a lot! I praise the Lord for giving my husband of 11 yrs & myself these two beautiful children. I choose not to vaccinate my children, I feel there is a link to SIDS and also AUTISM. There are a few good website to check out...

www.generationrescue.com
www.vaccines.net
www.autismone.org

I feel it is always good to ask questions & investigate as much as you can about caring for our children. God blessed us with these beautiful little people for only a short time and I want to do the best job I can. My son has only had one dose of an antibiotic in his life of 8 1/2 yrs and my daughter has never seen a medical doctor (only a Chiropractic Dr.) I have the two healthiest children! I hope I have relieved some of your fears of the sleeping situation. God Bless you and your family.

L.

K.,

I would try a side positoner if you have not done that already. That will allow your baby to be in a different position other than her back and it will still be safe. Hopefully she will like sleeping on her side and all of your problems will be solved....yeah right!

As soon as your baby is able to roll from her tummy to her side, back to side, back to tummy, etc. then dont worry about it. Let her sleep as she chooses.

Feel free to email anything,
D. -GR

My daughter is almost two years old and has been sleeping on her tummy since birth. Her pediatrician suggested we try other ways to get her to sleep on her back, but she always ended back on her tummy. I eventually gave in, and she has been fine. Just check the sheets, make sure they are tight, and make sure there aren't any toys in the crib/bassinet! Good luck and God bless!

My opinion - let her sleep on her stomach. As soon as my 1st child could roll over (at about 3 months), he was a tummy sleeper and his colic disappeared and he started sleeping through the night. With our second child, my husband started putting our son to sleep on his stomach within the first couple weeks. I freaked out. I asked the pediatrician who said, there's a difference for being at greater risk and something actually happening. He gave the example of going out to lunch and having fried chicken and french fries. He'd then be at greater risk of having a heart attack or cholesterol problems, but that didn't mean it would happen. We weren't a "high-risk" household (no smokers or pets in the household), there was a firm mattress in the crib and we kept his crib clear of anything around his face. Our third was on her stomach pretty much as soon as we got home from the hospital. She was sleeping through the night at about 9-10 weeks.

Double check with your pediatrician for reassurance, but I would think it should be fine. Hope this is helpful.
W.

My daughter slept on her back, her side, her tummy-everything! Theres always going to be someone who has something to say...If she's comfortable one way, that's how she's going to sleep. I tried putting a wedge thingy in my daughter's crib, and she was able to tear out of it and throw it!!! So, ultimately your baby is goign to sleep how she wants and she'll be just fine

It sounds like you're getting a lot of advice on pretty much the same thing. Do what's best for you & your baby. I was 35 when my son was born & they drilled "Back to Sleep" in my head. One night, after my son would fall asleep & wake up 10 min. later, my husband said "Can I try something?" He put my son to sleep, then rolled him on his belly. My son was about 10-12 weeks at the time. I was up for almost an hour after that worrying about him. I didn't sleep very well that night. My son however, got 6 hours straight. Then, I realized that my nieces, just 10 years before were belly sleepers. After also realizing that my son would sleep better, he could lift & move his head; I slept better. At 4 months old, your daughter will be rolling over on her own, so my advice is get some sleep & don't worry.

I have a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old girl. Both slept on their bellies from around day 5. I tried with both to put them on their backs like the doctors and everyone says to do. But, they just were better sleepers on their tummies. I am not saying that there isn't a risk, but my doctor told me the risk of SIDS goes up a lot more from things like smoking than sleeping on bellies. Plus he has 4 children under 10 and they all slept on ther bellies. Hope that helps.

K.-

In my case, my daughter started rolling over in her sleep, so I just let her sleep that way. I think that when they are able to push their heads up and rollover, it should be fine. Just make sure there is nothing in the crib with her-- blankets, toys etc. Sleeping on their backs reduces the risk of SIDS, but it does not prevent it! "They" still don't know what causes SIDS.. so I wouldn't worry yourself sick. You know what's best for her.

Take care
E.

My son had gerd when he was an infant. The only way i could get him to sleep was to put him on his belly. If she sleep that way and sleeps well I would let her. just dont put anything in the bed. Good luck

I'm so glad you posted this! I have had the same problem with my 2 month old son. About 2 weeks ago I was sick as a dog, and my husband took over taking care of the baby for the night. I was so jealous because my son slept 4 hours straight for him, and I would only get about 1 hour at first, and then maybe 30 minutes tops every other time I'd put him down in the night. The secret? My husband put him on his tummy. After that, I started putting him on his tummy to sleep, just so I could recover from my illness, and now I'm getting almost 6 hours straight from him at night.
I still worry about him, and the risk of SIDS, but I keep reminding myself that all my brouthers and sisters were put on their tummies to sleep when we were little, and we had no issues, so I continue to put him on his tummy. I figure it is better for him to get some much needed sleep.
All these posts have also made me feel much better! Good luck to you and your family! :)

My daughter has the same problem. Once i saw she can move her head easily, I was more at ease. She sleeps on her tummy. That is the ONLY way she can sleep. I would put her on her back or side and she would find a way to roll over. I think babies are alot like adults they usually sleep only in one way. When my son was a infant they told me ONLY to lay on their side. Years before it was the back (heck, i was a tummy baby and I turned out fine). Truthfully no one knows what causes SIDS.

Hey K.,
I have three kiddos..and all three of them had terrible gas and the dr. actually told me that I might try tummy sleeping for them. It worked and my littlest one has constipation problems and will usually only poops if he is laying on his tummy. I am a light sleeper at night, so I usually get up a few times..to check on him...but really I think hes ok. Go with your gut. I always felt better about the tummy sleeping once they could turn over. Good luck.

I am sure every Dr. will tell you not to put her on her tummy. But I believe you have to decide what is right for you and your daughter, and that not ALL babies can follow the same rules. I put my son to sleep on his tummy for the same reasons you mentioned, he just would not sleep for longer than 20 / 30min at a time on his back. So he slept on his tummy, and I never confessed to his pediatrician. My daughter, who I had after him, had no problem sleeping on her back, so I never put her on her tummy. However, once she could role over on her own, she always managed to make it to her belly during the night.

My son is 2 and from the time he was born he also wouldn't sleep unless he was on his stomach and I also was very nervous about it. I guess to be fair, the risk of SIDS does increase when they sleep on their stomach, but everyone I know that has/had picky sleeping children also let them sleep on their side or stomach. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't worry about it to much. When I have another baby, I will probably let that one do the same thing!

I think that the only time sids comes into effect is when a baby turns there head but is not strong enough to turn it all the way or when sheets don't fit or large fluffy blankets take all that out when putting the baby to bed I would also try the side things I can't remember what its called but it has two small pillows on each side and velcro in the middle. It will keep the baby in place I used it with both mine and it worked wonderful. Good luck

My now 9 mo. old had trouble sleeping on his back when he was younger due to several issues we were having, the most prominent being Acid Reflux. He would also sleep better if he was on his stomach but a family member of mine lost a child to SIDS and I am very cautious about it. I found though, that if I raised the bassinet or crib mattress with pillows and put a bumper on the sides of him that he would sleep. I also put him in a carseat right next to my bed and he loved that!! I talked to the dr. about it and she said it was fine until he was old enough to get out of it. It works and I can get a more peaceful night rest without worrying about him all night long. I don't know if this is something you would try but it helped me. Hope everything works out. Take care and God bless!

I know that there is so much info out there about how letting babies sleep on their back is the best way and on the stomach can cause SIDS. I have done a lot of reading about it and I found out that in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand they have linked SIDS to immunizations. It is especially linked to the shot DP&T. My husband and I after much thought have decided to wait until our daughter is 2 before she has any immunizations.

I had the similar problem with my daughter (now 17 months). Around 4 weeks old, after having swaddled her, we tried tummy sleeping during naps. WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I think it truly made us both healthier, we both slept more! At around 6 weeks I started putting her on her tummy to sleep at night. My mother says all 5 of her kids were tummy sleepers! No stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, etc. And another thing that eased my mind was a mesh bumper pad, so that if she snuggled to closely to it, she could still breath. I think I got it at www.onestepahead.com. She still sleeps on her belly to this day. Just like her mommmy!

I have a four month old little boy. He never slept well on his back and always sleeps thru the night and takes long naps while on his tummy. As long as your daughter can lift her head up you don't have to worry. Don't worry-they will be fine on tummy or back I think.

It always scared me about letting my daughter sleep on her tummy,but she always slept so much better on it.It even worried me letting her sleep on her back,I thought being a young mom as I was ,that if she spit up some of it might stay in her mouth and she could chock on it.I just started her out on her side,and then eventually she was putting herself on her tummy,so I just let her sleep how she felt she wanted to sleep.You realy need to trust yourself and how u feel about the whole thing.No one is better at being your childs mother than you..Good luck hun

K.,
I know how you feel. My daughter slept terrible and would hardly ever sleep on her back. My daughter was an infant when we figured out she would at least sleep some, on her tummy. I spoke with the Dr and he said that thousands of babies sleep on their tummies and are fine. We watched her carefully but once she could hold her head up and roll over, we felt better.

If she doesn't sleep it isn't good for you, or her. So keep that in mind. She is old enough that I would be more comfortable with it. My daughter is 4 yrs now and STILL sleeps on her tummy most nights. Just shows you that all kids are individuals and do their own thing.

Blessings.
M.

The best advice I can give you is advice I took myself. You need to ask your baby's doctor what he thinks, he will go over ALL the risk factors for sids and see what catagory you fall into. My 6 week old wasn't sleeping either, and my doctor and I discussed it and he said it was fine, but that might not be the case for everyone...I wouldn't do it without consulting your doctor first~

I worried about this same problem with my daughter, but when my son came along, a friend with 2 kids older than mine told me "If they can roll over front to back by themselves, then don't worry. Just make sure there are not any blankets in the crib, or puffy stuffed animals your daughter could sufficate on." While the most common time for SIDS to occur is betweern 4 and 8 months, if she doesn't have any medical problems and nobody smokes in the house, I wouldn't worry too much. Have fun while she's still little! Girl babys are soooo addorable! And it's so much fun to dress them up!

I actually had a friend that went against everyones advice (doctors and friends) and slept her son on his stomach because of the same reason, as it turns out her son had a lung problem and sleeping on his back was somehow causing pressure on his lungs and was actually suffocating him. His breathing pattern would change when positioned on his back. They did not diagnose him until well after 1 year old, but the doctors said that he could have probably died if she had not trusted her instinct. So I say go with your gut feeling, just be cautious with the tummy sleepers. Lucky you on the great fam.-doesn't happen to everyone:)

I am going to go against all of you by saying it is safer to have them either on their side or back. I am a licensed childcare provider and we cannot by no means allow a infant to sleep on thier stomach. We cannot have any bedding, toys , bumpers. The risk of Sids outways the risk of allowing them on their tummies. The only time we would be able to is with a Drs note. Now if they can easily turn over and not be stuck with their face down then it is ok. But if there is any chance they will have thier face wedged down for any amount of time there is a risk. What happens is the child breathes in like carbon moixide and will die. All providers now required to take a class on sids and once you take that class you understand. If anyone wants more information on it please let me know. Any risk to a infant not worth taking. Just please make sure you don't use comforters, blankets etc that they will get intangled in. A childcare had a child at 18 months die last year due to a blanket.

Both my boys who are now 12 and 14 had sleep apnea and before them I lost my first child to sids in utero. She was 32 weeks along and was stillborn. When you wake up and your childs not breathing it is the most horrible feeling in the world. Both my boys slept on their backs or side. To lose a child is the worst thing any person could go through. Just be careful and make sure with your DR. that it is ok.

My son is now 5 months and when he was 4 months, he started rolling to his belly at night. My doctor told me that by 4 months, the chance of SIDS are way down. She said she was not worried about him sleeping on his belly. So, if your daughter is comfy that way, go with it!

I always advocate the side-sleeper props you can buy in the stores now. I don't know if you have seen them, but they are like two pillows (just not fluffy or big) that velco together in the middle (adjustable for baby's size) and it keeps them on their side. When my kids were babies...they hated sleeping on their tummies because they were gassy and my first-born once choked on spit-up while laying on her back which terrified me because babies frequently spit-up. I was given the side-sleeper device at my baby shower. I used it and it was wonderful. I think it has the feeling of being swaddled also which may be more comforting for babies. I think my kids were about 6 months when I had to stop using it, which is the age that SIDS risk is pretty much eliminated. The side-sleeper is probably under $10 to buy now.

My daughter has slept on her tummy since shortly after she was born! It stopped the startle reflex when she was little and she would sleep much longer stretches. She was never out of my sight, and we co-slept until she was 11 months, so I was always right by her. I worried horribly at first, but she was so much more comfy. I just made her sleeping spot as safe as possible and kept an eye on her. As for the sids increase, there is nothing else looked into when they do these studies, and they have still not proven what exactly causes sids. If it is tummy sleeping causing some of the sids cases, it is by affixiation. So just make the environment safe by removing any loose fitting sheets, blankets, etc. Make it a flat surface and keep an eye on her! We all slept on out tummys when we were growing up!!!
~A.

Hi K.!

My daughter also sleeps on her tummy. She is almost 6 months old now, but when she was about 3 1/2 months she started rolling over on her own and would sleep for long stretches on her tummy. (I thought it was odd considering she absolutely hated tummy time!) But I just kept checking on her to make sure she was okay and even now, she has continued to sleep on her side/tummy most of the time. Its rare to see her sleeping on her back nowadays.

Well both of my kids were tummy sleepers they wont sleep any other way. All i can say is keep checking on her.

When my daughter was that age, well actually up until she was able to roll over she would only sleep if she was on her tummy, to get her to sleep better on her back I put a small boppy in her cradle/crib covered it with a thick blanket and put her on her back in the center on the pillow, it worked out great! Then, if she started to slide down I put another blanket at her feet. She slept just as well on her back after I started doing this as she did on her tummy!

i place my son on his stomach everyday. it was the only way he would sleep and it is the way i sleep with him in my stomach until i got big but i still tried. till this day he like to sleep on his stomach. he is 7 so i don't see a problem with it.

hi,
I have a 1 month old and I also put him to sleep on his stomach he sleep's longer and it seem's to be more confortable for him. I have a few baby monitors and between my husb, my 13-year-old and I we check on him. his crib is freen don't have nothing but him and his blankt and that is from his waist down

Hi K.,
Does she roll over yet? I have a 8 month old and as soon as he was able to roll over I didn't worry about SIDS as much. I wasn't about to start going into his room after he fell asleep and roll him back over. Good luck.

Please don't believe the television when it comes to your child. You solved your problem on your own and are more rested because of it. I have two children, both of whom slept on their tummies as infants and they are just fine. Just think, when we were children there was no such thing as SIDS , we didn't even have to have carseats and we turned out okay!

Thats so crazy my 4month old daughtor will only sleep comfortable on her belly also,what do we do?

Hi K.,
I have two boys both of which couldn't sleep on theirs backs. My oldest now almost 8, had the worst time. He had a problem with his bowels and we didn't know it until he was almot six months old. It was due to the type of formula he was eating, but he would roll himself over to he tummy and the would sleep peacefully for hours and through the night. My youngest now almost 3, I did the same thing with him. I tried to have him strickly on his back and he would fuss and fuss. I finaly rolled a blanket and tucked it behind his back and had himlying on his side until he was able to roll over by himself from his back to front and front to back. Then I didn't worry so much, cause I knew he could get himself into a postion to help him sleep better and if he wasn't comfy then he could roll himself. Just a thought about the Blanket. Try it it might work. Otherwise I wouldn't worry. If you are still concerned then peek in on her just to make sure. Good Luck!

i am a mother of four girl i alwasy put them to sleep on there side or tummy never on there back.all of them weere fine and still are if she sleep better that way by all mean do what is best for to sleep just keep her face clear of blankets of course hope this gives you peace of mind

K.,

I had the same problem with BOTH of my kids. My son is 2, and my daughter is 9 1/2 months. Neither one of them would sleep very long on their backs, if at all. It seemed that after about 20 minutes, they would wake up!! FRUSTRATING!! I realized one day that my son napped for almost 2 hours on his belly!! From then on, he slept on his tummy. I don't let anything else be in the crib, but allow them to sleep how they want!! After all, our parents put us on our tummies to sleep because back then, THAT was considered the safe way to sleep!! Go with your gut!! You are a Mom, and your gut is usually right on!! Good luck!!

Try not to worry too much. My daughter refused to sleep any other way than on her belly. SIDS is scary enough to think about for our infants, but if your lil' one is sleeping better this way, just monitor a little extra for your own peace of mind. Eventually, she will roll all around in her bed until she can get comfy. Until then help her out as much as possible.

K.,

My son always slept on his back-- still does at 2 1/2 (and has the flat head to prove it). At about 4 mos my pediatrian actually encouraged us to put him on his belly to sleep to take the pressure off his head. He HATED being on his stomache and it made me uncomfortable so we never did.

However, if you are going to, our DR. did tell us to take everything out of the crib and NOT to use any device to keep the baby in a certain position.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

HI Kristne . I am a labor & Delivery nurse(for 15 yrs) and it is risky to place an infant on there stomach (that is why they make such a big deal of it),expecially if they cannot rollover yet . She may have a gas problem and in that case Mylicon gas drops in the bottle may help. Ask your pediatrician. That is usually why they feel better laying on there tummy. Also a pacifer reduces the risk of sids (so research says)
Good luck with your baby
D.

HI! I totally know what you are going through. My daughter is one and would rather sleep on her stomach any day. Here is what I have heard: Babies sleep sounder when on there stomach and therefore can't respond as well (or faster) when something is restricting them from breathing. Like a blanket or their face down in the matress or bedding. Which increases the chance for SIDS
I let my daughter sleep on her stomach just a few times, and made sure to check on her more often.
Keep trying to keep her on her back, I found that a baby "sleeping postioner" helped ( it was made of foam for the sides and kept her from turning over in the night and also snuggled her as if she were being swaddled)
Congrats on the new baby! hope everything is going well for you :)

My boys would flip over all the time to sleep and would wake up if they were put back on their backs. Just check on them like you normally would, you probably have baby monitors, so just keep alert and you and your baby will be fine. good luck momma!

There is a correlation between stomach sleeping and SIDS deaths. The reason for this is thought to be due to the very observations so many of us are posting here. The baby sleeps more deeply on it's belly. If a baby does stop breathing in its sleep, it has a higher chance of waking up if it's on its back. This would allow the baby to be alert enough to start breathing again on its own. If sleeping on it's tummy, the child could fail to wake in the event of a stop in breath. However, some people carry this information too far, aand worry about tummy sleeping longer than they need to. If your child is able to roll onto his/her own tummy during sleep, there is little cause for alarm.

Even though this is also generally frowned upon, I found that my son slept better in his swing, or in his bouncer seat that vibrated. This is sometimes the only way I was able to catch up on any sleep, as I would lightly doze on the couch right next to the seat, usually with one hand resting on the seat, so I could detect slight stirring.....yeah, I was a bit over protective in some ways.lol

Hi K.
my name is nikki and i have a 2 year old son...who also sleeps on his tummy...he has been since he was about 2 months olds...I also lost lots of sleep the first month because he couldn't sleep on his back...he is very healthy..has no health issues and we both get sleep!!