I was told by a midwife not to tummy sleep my bub on his tummy before he could roll unless I was watching him. She said the big danger with tummy sleeping is overheating. Apparently they get hotter on their tummy than on their back (so she told me). If they can't roll over to cool down that's when it can be an issue.
I don't know how those monitors work so they could solve this problem.
To reduce the overheating risk I have been careful to not over dress him or put him in too heavy a sleeping bag whilst he's sleeping.
My son has tummy slept during the day for ages but I place him on the floor in our lounge and keep a close eye on him. Now that he can roll easily he's often on his side or on his belly when he wakes up after an overnight sleep in his cot despite me placing him on his back.
Forgot to say that both my DF & I tummy slept as bubs & it didn't seem to harm us.
Last edited by satya; October 27th, 2008 at 12:05 PM.
: forgot to say
Chloe has slept a mixture today of on her belly and on her side but with this heat she has been not too happy about the temperature. We both had a nap together this afternoon with her on my tummy so that was nice. She doesn't sleep in a sleeping bag, only bonds suit when it's cold or tonight I have her in a short sleeve/leg jumpsuit with socks and a light muslin wrap and cotton sheet.
I will ensure that her arms are out when she has a belly sleep, so thanks for the tip Nelle.
I had mothers' group today and we were talking about myths and one was about sleeping and I just mentioned that Chloe has been sleeping on her belly and the clinic nurse kinda gave me a frowned look and said "that is not advisable and against SIDS recommendations" and then turned to the class and announced that is is not recommended etc etc. She made me feel really bad for it actually and everyone kinda just looked at me but one mother said that it might be the issue her DS has also and she might try on his tummy.
We had our first accident at home with DD yesterday which really upset me so after the tummy sleeping response I got from the nurse, there was no way in hell I was bringing up our little accident to discuss. I know everyone is going to ask what happened but I'm embarrassed (failure as a mother on my behalf) and feel really bad about it so would rather leave it at that. Chloe is ok and not hurt which is the main thing but I feel guilty that it even happened in the first place.
Most people have incidents. Riv's fallen off a change table twice in 2 weeks, and off the bed twice in 2 days I remember! I felt a bit rotten about the bed incidents.
i just wanted to say that the accidents will happen, and they keep on coming... and once they are mobile they happen even more, you simply cannot be everywhere at once, and can't protect them from every bump or bruise...
just to make you feel a bit better here are a few of mine....
bashed head when putting in the car seat (a couple of times)
turned a blind eye to her jumping on the bed like a trampoline (she was having so much fun) which resulted in her falling off (not badly)
pulled a full length mirror which wasn't secure on top of herself... TWICE (it didn't break but gave her a fright)
climbed up on a outdoor plastic chair and it fell backwards in the backyard... while i watched and didn't click that it was about to happen...
think i'll nominate myself for mother of the year!!
Don't feel bad about Chloe having accidents. They happen at all stages of their lives, believe me. My 2nd DD would climb anything at any height. After the first few times you stop feeling guilty, pick them up, dust them off, give them a quick once over to make sure they are O.K and wait for the next time. As for the clinic nurse just remember that many feel their way is the only way, also it is just a SIDS recommendation. Its sad that she is not flexible as any mum loves a few words of encouragement especially when its your first. Just remember every child is different, thank goodness, so what works for some mums/children won't work for others.
All the best with your beautiful DD
Scout has slept on his tummy from about a week old. His brothers were tummy sleepers too and seeing as they were such big (over 9lb) strong babies I let them.
In my opinion it was all the books etc that say "baby on his back" when in bed that made me feel bad about it. I knew what worked for my baby, especially no3 as he was reflux and liked the pressure on his tummy.
Do with what works. You know what makes your baby happy and if tummy sleeping it is,so be it.
my little one has just started having little accidents. is pulling herself up so donks head regularly, has fallen out of toddler bed with slight carpet burn on forehead and has jammed finger in shower door. poor monkey. gets over the incidents super fast though.
Thanks for the encouragement about accidents, still doesn't help the guilt feeling though or the scare factor at the time. I'm sure my heart skipped a few beats. In all fairness from everyone sharing, DD rolled off our lounge onto the floor. No head banging but was on the floor all the same. She had been laying on our lounge since birth with no problems. She is now delegated to the floor and our doggie is outside when she is awake to avoid any tongue baths (the lounge previously avoided this). Today I noticed her while she was on the floor she is alot more "wriggly" so I'd say she wriggled so much that she rolled herself off. I'm sure there will be more bumps along the way but doesn't make the feeling any better especially when I should have known better than to leave her without watching her.
As for sleeping, she has been having a mixture of belly and side sleeping. She has been quite unsettled today but DH has a nasty flu and sore throat and I'm thinking that DD might have gotten it back as she had a cold a few weeks ago. She is snotty again and can hear she has mucus. I also have a sore throat again which sucks.
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Most people have incidents. Riv's fallen off a change table twice in 2 weeks, and off the bed twice in 2 days I remember! I felt a bit rotten about the bed incidents.
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