3Mo and Sleeping on My Tummy

My 3 month old has almost always been a side sleeper, he HATES sleeping on his back and fights it to get to his side where he is much more comfortable....Try putting her on her side to sleep, we just use a rolled up flannel blanket and "push" it up against his back to keep him from rolling back onto his back- but I know there are also "sleep positioners" out there as well....the side seems to be a good compromise from sleeping on her stomach...good luck!

Hi A.,

My daughter (13 months old now)started turning over around 3 1/2 months and I would always find her on her tummy. It scared the bejeses out of me too!! The thought of SIDS kept me awake the first year and scared me silly. I kept the monitor turned up almost all the way for months so I could hear her breathing! (paranoid much?) So I completely relate to your fears. My Dr said don't put her down on her tummy, but if she turns over in her sleep she's okay. I did watch her for a while one night soon after she started turning over. There were a couple times she'd turn with her face full on in the mattress. AHHHHHHH!!!! And then she would actually move her head and take a deep breath. My Dr did say don't put her down on her tummy, but if she turns over in her sleep, youa re okay.

You will just keep her and you from getting good sleep if you keep turning her over. (experience talking here!!!) So relax and enjoy the big milestone!! :) :) :)

A. N.

My first daughter would not sleep for the 1st four months unless I was holding her. Then we realized she only liked to sleep on her stomach. With my second daughter...we put her on her stomach as soon as we got home from the hospital... I slept with the bassinet right next to my head and checked on her often. My first daughter is almost five and my second daughter is 2 and my youngest is a better sleeper than my first still!

I am pretty sure it's okay to leave her on her tummy. I left mine on their tummy because I figured they would turn to their back on their own if they needed more air.You should ask the pediatrician though just to be extra sure!!!

Mine didn't roll over that early, but at 4 months my ped said put her down on her back, but if she rolls over on her own don't worry.

have you tried a sleep positioner. They can not roll over if you have that, plus babies love it because it makes them feel safe and secure. Let me know if you have any questions about that. M.

I agree with the other Mommies! If she can turn over then she will be fine! My daughter would only sleep on her tummy since birth! I was like you and scared about it so I would just let her sleep on my chest then roll her over onto the bed when she was fast asleep, then one night i noticed her rolling over onto her tummy in her sleep and I figured she would be ok. I layed her down on her tummy from there on making sure that there was nothing in the crib that could stifel her breathing and checked on her once or twice a night. Step back take a breath and relax she will be fine. The monitor idea was a good one if you just cant relax.

Peace~Love~Light
V.

I do agree with the responses you've gotten so far, she'll probably be fine. But I was never one to put much stock in the odds, especially with one SIDS death in our family history. I didn't sleep easy (literally) until each baby could not only turn over, but showed me she had the ability to do a good strong 'push-up.' Then I felt pretty safe.

I did use a positioner and had no problems with my babies getting stifled by it. Binding it tightly under her sheet prevented her moving it out of position.

A maternity nurse taught me a good trick with my second daughter -- use a cloth diaper or the sheets of the crib to tightly tuck baby into place. The diaper or sheet was folded into a long narrow rectangle, placed across baby's tummy/chest and then tucked tightly under each side of the mattress. My babies could wiggle and kick and suck their fists, but they couldn't turn over. The cloth extended far enough beneath each side of the mattress that the weight of baby + mattress prevented the cloth being pulled out. The key was to make sure all loose edges were folded within the sheet (so baby's legs and arms only touch tight, clean folds, not loose edges that can be pulled at). I also woke up every couple of hours to check -- or feed -- but I rarely had much fixing to do.

Even better, I believe they make a positioner that uses exactly the same principle but actually goes right round the mattress underneath. There are also the SIDS monitors, etc, but they can get pretty pricey.

But even with family history lurking, my babies made it through infancy just fine! :-)

If your daughter has the muscle tone to turn over, she is fine sleeping on her tummy. Plus, what are you gonna do? I once read about a mom who slept on the floor next to the crib and woke up every few hours to turn her child over. Seriously? However, I can relate to the worrying (who can't??). My daughter is 18 months old and I STILL wake up in a panic if she sleeps past 8a, and check on her at least once a night. If you can't live with the worry, I would suggest investing in one of the monitors that they lay on- by bebe sounds, I think. They are super sensitive and can detect even the tiniest movements from breathing, and if there is no movement for like 20 seconds the monitor beeps at you. They're not cheap, but it could give you some peace.

My son is 5 months old and the ped told us to put him to sleep on his back but if he rolls over it's fine, I would advise against a sleep positoner because if she rolls over and that's in her way it could be very dangerous. My husbands motto is better safe than sorry, now I sound like him!

As soon as he was able to roll from back to belly, my baby would flip on to his stomach when he was put in his crib. The problem for us was that he didn't learn how to flip from his belly to his back until a little while later, and he would cry and wake himself up when he found himself on his tummy. So we swaddled him, which kept him from rolling over at all, until he figured it out. Once he did, he always slept on his stomach. Still does.

I agree with the mom who suggested the Bebe Sounds motion detector baby monitor. We've used it since ours was a newborn. We also have a video monitor. Yes, we're paranoid, but it's worth it for our peace of mind.

Good luck!