Sleeping on tummy

[~*Niadalla*~]

Hi,
My little guy absolutely LOVES sleeping on his belly.
I know its a bit of a No-no, but I let him do it during the day if he's in the room with me. I watch him like a hawk.
The thing is, now that he rolls from back to front, and front to back, I lay him on his back and he automatically rolls onto his tummy.
We have had sleeping and settling issues, and he is currently co slepping with DP and I, but when he is on his belly, he's a different baby.
He will put himsef to sleep with minimal fuss, will resettle himself in the lighter sleep cycles with no fuss at all.
He has phenomenal head and neck control, and can lift his head and move it wherever he likes, even during his sleep.
He never sleeps face down and he has never slept on the back of his head.
He always sleeps with his face out to the side. He doesn't have a preferred side.
ANyway, I am just wondering, do you think this is ok?
Should I try and stop him doing it now, before he gets to used to it?(although I don't know how to stop him.).

He is just such a content, sleepy baby on his belly. I am scared to have him like this at night though.


what to do what to do.

[LuluHB]

My DD went from hating being on her tummy before she could roll, to now sleeping on her tummy 90% of the time. I tried for the first few weeks of her doing it to roll her back onto her back but she just went straight back on her tummy again. I really don't think there's much you can do to stop them once they can roll, and so long as they have good head control I think they're pretty safe.

[Snacks]

Yeah, sounds like there's not much you can do! If he's proficient at rolling himself over and can turn his head then if it were me, I'd leave him as he's comfortable.
If you feel you need to, you can get sleep positioners to prevent them rolling over.

[blue daisy]

Hey Nicky

it sounds like your little man has great neck, chest and shoulder strenght..this being the case it is not that much of a drama that he prefers his belly to sleep on

you can minimise the risk of SIDS further

• no pillows, doonas, soft toys etc
• good air flow
• co-sleeping ensure the baby has their own blankets and is not likely to get wedged b/n you and the wall/partner
• no smoking or being intoxicated (especially if you are co sleeping)
• several light layers of clothing rather than 2 heavy ones

remember to do what works for you and your baby and if he is rolling he can easily roll back if he needs to...we all worry as mummies...its part of the job

hope the sleep fairy visits
xx yogababy

[Emma1979]

they are so much happier once they can choose how they want to sleep... imagine being forced to lay in a position that you didn't like and being expected to sleep... if he is comfy on his tummy and he is strong enough to be rolling over then i wouldn't upset that.... from about 5 months i started putting our dd to bed on her tummy and with my next i will try it alot sooner if sleeping on the back isn't working out..... i was too scared with my first because of sids recommendations, but they are only that, recommendations - if you have a baby with colic i don't think its feasible to expect them to sleep on their back - i wish i had of realised this back then. sorry to ramble!!

[Ilithyia]

Hi Nicky,

How are you hun????

Colby sleeps on her stomach and pretty much always has. Like Lachie, Colby has always head excellent head and neck control.

I did'nt sleep her on her stomach while we were in hospital (god forbid!) but when we got home i tried her with it and she took too it straight away. Occasionally she'll prefer to go to sleep on her back or her side. Now that she is in the cot i don't have anything in with her except a sheet. She rolls around around in the cot most of the time but only when she is awake.

I went to a Sue Cox Breastfeeding Conference last friday and she brang up the topic of SIDS and Prone Sleeping (sleeping on stomach) which caused quite a stir amongst some of the people. I kinda felt a little hurt that i might be doing the wrong thing by sleeping Colby on her stomach. I mentioned to one of the ladies and she said that it was my personal decision. She was right. It is mine/our decision. In saying that, i do think about, and am aware that, Prone Sleeping can increase the risk of SIDS.

Lachlan is your baby and you know what is best for you both. And as Natalie has mentioned, you need to do what is best for you both.

Good luck with it all hun....

[Emma27]

We just discovered how much our 4 month old loves sleeping on his tummy! Now that he can roll onto his tummy to sleep he finds it easy to go to sleep on his own.He has never enjoyed being wrapped up and tummy sleeping is just comfortable for him. We do have one of those angel care monitors just for our own reassurance.

[~*Niadalla*~]

Thanks everyone.
Lach slept like an angel last night.
We even got to put him in his cot. He slept there for 5 hours. It was amazing.
He is in there again at the moment and has been for an hour. He is like a different baby!
I do worry about the SIDS stuff, but we are following all the other advice. I feel that even if he enjoyed sleeping in the cot before now, once he learnt to roll he would eveuntually end up on his tummy.
I HATE sleeping on my back. I have always been a tummy and side sleeper.
I will be trying to put Lach to sleep on his side, but I doubt he will stay there.
Thanks everyone for your reassurances
I know that I have to be very careful, but he doesnt sleep with anything else in the cot except a very tightly tucked in sheet when its cooler.
Here's to him sleeping in the cot every night from now on!
thanks again