"Daughter Keeps Rolling over in Her Sleep"

My son did the same thing. My doc said once they can roll over they can sleep on their bellies. My husband had many a sleepless night at first.

My pediatrician always has says once they can hold up their head and roll over for themselves, it is perfectly OK for them to sleep on their stomach. Hope this helps.

I was worried about this too when my son was about that age. But come to find out that as long as she can move her head to the side and still sleep don't worry. Yes there still runs the risk of sids, but it is said that by six months the risk go down by 50%. So try not to worry.

I had a monitor that would sense my son's breathing. You might want to get that. It will help you sleep better. I also had a little wedge thing that my son would sleep on that would incline his head a little and keep him from rolling. it had little side bumpers on it. try those. you can get them at babies r us or baby depot or other baby places.

I work in a day care in the infant room. We have been to SID's classes. They say that if the baby can roll over to let them and it is not necessary to roll them back over.

From what I have read and what my Peditricain told me, as soon as a baby is old enough to roll over, it is fine for them to sleep in any position they can get into or out of. My girl couldn't roll off of her tummy when she first learned to roll onto it, but she didn't do it very often in her sleep.

Hi L.,

Yes the back is best, but once they can roll on their own, they are safe to sleep however they wish. Their muscles are usually strong enough at this point that they can turn their head and you don't have to worry about them suffocating. I had the same fears as well with our now 11 month old, and woke up constantly throughout the night to roll him over. Then our pediatrician told us not to worry about. The main concern is when they're so young and don't have very good neck muscle or head control and can't turn their heads if they become face down. She also reminded us that most of us were put to sleep on our stomaches and we turned out fine lol. So stop worrying, get some sleep, and enjoy your little one! Have a great day.

K.

My 11 month old daughter never wanted to sleep on her back. Even at just a few days old she would fuss and fuss all night but when I had her on my check, tummy down, she was quiet. We even bought one of those support pillows to keep her from rolling over. That put her on her side and she still wasn't comfortable. My sister, who is a very wise mother of 4 said that when she had her first twho children the rule was the oposite, that the child should sleep on their stomaches so that if they vomit, etc.

I ended up in the end just letting Jaidyn sleep in the way that was comfortable to her and I just prayed a lot...A LOT!!!

Hope this helps and may God bless you and your family.

Ditto everyone else - once they can roll over on their own, it's fine. Get your sleep and let her rest! :)

If she is able to roll over on her own then let her be. Just make sure there in nothing in her crib with her. Take out toys and blankets (dress her in footed pajamas)

I remember feeling paraniod and crazy when my first born began doing this! I was always trying to roll him back over and would sometimes end up crying in the middle of the night because rolling him back would wake him up and then I would have to soothe him back to sleep over and over...slepp deprivation is the worst for me! I finally asked my doctor and they said not to worry. Just let them sleep how they are comfortable and get some sleep yourself. I did decide to take out the crib bumbers, I was (am) worried that my daughter (6 months) would roll into it and get stuck or something. But, really, those are fine too as long as they are tucked in safely. So, just let her roll!

I have always heard that once they roll over on their own, they are fine. Let your angel sleep. :-)

Both of my children slept on their tummies! Bradley is now 4 & Karli is now 3. I, myself, would let your baby sleep the way that is comfortable for her. Also, there are new monitors you can purchase that has a pad that goes under the crib sheet. The monitor will go off if there is no movement. If your baby girl does block her breathing the monitor will go off. This may be a great solution for you - your baby can sleep the way she wants and you can get the rest you need!

I wanted to chime in on this difficult issue. I actually asked a similar question some time ago to the mothers out there. My son is 3 months old and HATED sleeping on his back from day one. He would be sound asleep and we'd put him down on his back and he'd wake up right away and cry. I know that's not your question, but I understand the mental turmoil. Anyway, we had to make a heart-wrenching decision to let him sleep on his tummy. The more people I talk to, the more say "oh ya, mine slept on his/her stomach all the time," like 50%+. But one thing that I've definatly heard from lay people and read and heard from professionals is that once they can roll over on their own, they basically can make their own decision. You're right, you can't keep getting up just to roll her over. that's torture for you both. Just put her down on her back and let her decide how she's comfortable from there.

Hi L.,

There is no need to turn your daughter over. I would continue to put her to sleep on her back, but once she rolls over on her own- she's fine and doesn't need you to keep putting her on her back.

I am getting my information from a "safe sleep" form you receive when you bring your child to daycare. They always put the baby to sleep on their backs and if they roll-over on their own....that's how they stay.

Once they can roll over, they can sleep on their stomachs. To make you feel better, try wedges- you can buy them at Babies R us or Target. We used them to help my daughter stay on her side.

My son had GERD terribly and as a result learned to roll over around 3 months old... according to his ped. once he had the muscle ability to roll over he was fine. They explained to me that if I put him down on his belly, and he did NOT have the muscle ability to roll over that could add to the risk of SIDS. So with GERD they advised me to use a wedge to prop him slightly on his side. However, his own ability to roll over shows that he's moving further out of the at risk catagory for SIDS because he could protect himself better from his airway becoming distressed... ask your ped. to be sure. Mine really made me feel assured. I know it's concerning, it was for me too. We always put him on his back to sleep - after that, he was on his own once he rolled over!! Good luck :)

I agree with what the other's are saying. My son has been rolling over since he was 12 weeks old. I always put him to bed on his back, but he usually rolls over to his belly (most of the time he rolls over as soon as I put him in the crib). I asked a nurse because I was concerned because he was so young, but I was told that if he can roll over by himself and has good neck/back strength that it's ok for him to sleep on his stomache. So anyway, I always place him on his back and let him decide how he wants to sleep. I would suggest doing whatever you feel comfortable doing though. (One good thing is that he started sleeping about 9 hour straight once he was sleeping on his stomache).

Hi, My son is 4 months old and I have been putting him to sleep on his belly since he was 2 1/2 months old becasue that was the only way he would sleep. The rule of thumb with most doctorse is that if the baby is rolling over then they can sleep on their belly, because at that point there is nothing to can do with it. I know my mom put me on my stomcah, so I did the same with my son, I just made sure he was able to hold his head well so he couldnt smother himslef. The only advice is trust your instinct, but most docters say its alright once they roll over.

Well i have exprienced some off that stuff with my now 5 yr old and my 1 yr old .my solution was to make sure that the cover that he or she lies on is always strait,and not bundled up.SOMETIMES TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE I WOULD LET THE BABY SLEEP WITH ME IN THAT POSITON

Most Dr.s will tell you that once they can roll over on their own you really dont have to worry all that much. As long as you keep blankets and toys that could block her breathing out of the crib while shes sleeping you dont have to fret too much. The risk of SIDS is greatly reduced. My son was turing over at 3 1/2 months and the Dr said not to worry

They say that once a child starts rolling over, they have the body strength the prevent anything happening if they were to get distressed. My son has always been a belly sleeper. However, if she has no other warning signs for SIDS, then I wouldn't worry about it. (i.e. she has no respiratory problems, lives in a smoke free home, doesn't sleep with a blanket) If you're still concerned though, talk to her doctor. He may recommend a sleep sack or something to help keep her in one place.

I'm like the others, i'd just let her sleep how she is comfy. I used to work in the infant room in a day care, and any time a baby would roll to his/her tummy during a nap we HAD to roll the baby back to his back. It was awful, because usually he would wake back up and not go back to sleep! Either that or they would go back to sleep and promptly roll back to the tummy again!

If it bothers you, there is a wedge type pillow/cushion to keep them on their backs or sides. The baby lays between two wedges which are connected by a thin piece of material. I know I was a fussy Mommy at that age or more to the pont - PARANOID! I don't know if the wedge really made me feel better because then I would think if he needed to roll over to spit up, etc., he couldn't. So, good luck in your decision so that you can sleep well too!!

as long as they can roll over by themselves, it is ok for them to sleep on their bellies

If it were me, I'd just be sure there is nothing around her when she is sleeping, cover, etc that she could choke on, and then let her be. Babies slept on their tummies for centuries... I did.

my youngest used to do that and i tried to keep rolling her over to her back but she kept rolling on her stomach i finally stopped because most of the time when they learn to roll one way it is not long before they can roll the other way.

Hi L.:
I know it is very frustrating when you have Drs. and pediatrician telling you not to put your bbabies on their belly because of the possibility of death. I am a mother of three. two handsomes boys ages 9 1/2 and 5 1/2, and a little princess that is almost two yrs old. When my firts boy was born and I brought him home hi was crying and crying like crazy...... this happened always at sleeping time. Even my mother (4 kids) didn't know what to do. At day seven we put him down, belly down just to tray it all and a " beautiful silent" emerged....... up to todays day. Four years later my second son had the same patter and believe me or not, four years later my daugther did the same. I toll my pediatrician and he never objected. Always be a litter extra careful specialy on the firts three months.
My personal advise, if she can lift up her head from the mattres she is find and you to, because in and event of and accident and she spil up or vomit, she will be able to pull up her head and not asfixiate from it.
Don't panic. All rules are met to be broken, or they simply do not apply to everyone the same way.
Hope this help you to know and wish you good luck.

My son was a roller to. I was scared as well...so I used the bumps......but I found that if they are comfortable they wont sleep. She is 5 months old and rolling, if she can roll its okay. When my son was 5 months old the doctor told me that if they can roll and hold their head up...then its okay to take out the bumps.

My son is such a roller...we had to get him a twin bed, he WILL NOT sleep in his crib because he moves so much and he keeps hitting the sides...and it wakes him up. My son is only 18.5 months old.

the way my dr explained it: "you slept on your stomach or your side when you were an infant, my kids slept on their stomach. it changes over the years and goes back and forth about what is best. just make sure there are no blankets or pillows and lose the crib bumpers." also, if she can roll both ways on her own, then no biggie. declan started to do that around that age too and now (he's 1) he's all over the place in the crib.

Both of my children did that also and my doctor said to just keep the crib safe from blankets, stuffed animals, crib bumper or anything that could suffocate them. If they can roll over, they can turn their head enough not to suffocate on the mattress. As long as they are comfortable (my daughter cried some at first and wanted to turn back over) they should be fine. Try not to worry:) I know that is eaiser said then done!

as long as your daughter can crawl and raise her head it should be okay. My kids started sleeping on their backs when they hit 9 months the time when they were crawling everywhere and eating solids. in the meantime, its better to be careful than sorry. talk to your pediatrician who knows best.