my baby boy loves to sleep on his belly

[tippytoes]

Hi everyone,
My little DS is 4 months and has learned to roll over, he is pretty good at it too... especially back to tummy. Now when he sleeps he always rolls onto his tummy. When he does this he becomes uncovered - I worry he'll get cold - though not too bad ATM as it is summer. But he also ends up down the other end of the cot sometimes. Today he got his little chubby leg caught between the bars . He is pretty calm and plasid so I knew something was up when he was crying... I have also heard the bump in the night - I know I can't protect him completely but I don't like the idea that he is bumping his head. I guess my question is what to do? I know I can't stop him from sleeping this way. I know SIDS say sleep on the back. Just not sure. If I settle him on his belly I can a least keep him in the same spot - maybe??? DH feels worried and he should only sleep on his back. My mum says I was also a belly sleeper.
I probably sound crazy hey? Just want him to be comfy...
Rach xx

[boomba]

I remember this, I would put DS1 down and come in later and he wopuld be down the other end feet in some weird posistion lol!

A friends babies have always slept on their tummies wouldnt settle any other way...so I guess jsut do what you feel comfortable with? If he can roll I am pretty sure he will hopefully be able to roll himself out of trouble lol!
Good luck xx

[ss_storm]

DD has started sleeping on her tummy too. I do worry a little about it, but SIDS guidelines used to be to put them on their tummy anyway so who knows what is "right". I worry about her a lot when she is on her tummy but her head is face planted into the bottom sheet instead of facing out to the side...lol. During the day not so bad as I can keep an eye on her but at night I stress about it. I have also found her in some pretty weird places in her cot!

I figure though that she will sleep in the position most comfortable to her, and I have heard that once they can roll over the risk of SIDS decreases..not sure how true that is.

Have you considered using a sleeping bag instead of sheets? I started using a grobag at night instead of tucking in sheets as I was worried she would get tangled in them or wriggle around so her head was underneath them. As for getting his leg stuck through the bars, we have an Airwrap cot bumper (it's like a normal cot bumper but is made of mesh so it's breathable) so she cant get her arms or legs stuck in the sides of the cot. It also somewhat protects her head from banging against the side! At the moment she loves bouncing her legs off it. Lol

[Nelle]

My second was (still is) a tummy sleeper. I think the general idea is that if bub can move into trouble they can usually move out. Even so, try and minimise things in the cot that bub could get tangled in. Can bub roll back onto his back? Can he lift himself up on his hands, or push himself about? I think those are good signs that he can move if he gets stuck. Is he a really deep sleeper?
Also make sure there's good ventilation in the room - one of the problems with tummy sleeping is that bub can overheat. But a slightly open window will help and I guess central heating won't be an issue in Summer. But in Winter, I'd have the central heating turned down really low in their room, just enough to take any chill off the air. One of my MCHN said something about SIDS incidences rising as more families used central heating - no idea how true that is though.

[Bathsheba]

Yep, the old guidelines used to be to settle them to sleep on their tummies because they might choke on their vomit... there were no huge deaths due to the position... it was more likely other factors like getting tangled and trapped between mattress and cot/bumpers etc.

All my 3 completely tummy slept. And yes, my paed says it runs in families. I wouldn't get sleeping bags... it might get twisted around them. Mainly make sure the mattress is firm. I think the sleeping position is of less importance than other risks like smokey environments for example. If I was you i wouldn't worry now that he is 4 months. Is he able to hold up his head when he has tummy time?

[Miss E]

My DS was exactly the same, as soon as he worked out how to roll he was rolling onto his tummy in bed... Only problem for us was that we were still wrapping him, so had to wean him of that pretty quickly.

At the end of the day they are going to sleep how they want to sleep. My DS also moves around a lot in his cot and yes sometimes does get an arm or a leg stuck. I swear by the sleeping bags, if he had sheets or blankets he would definately end up underneath them. We haven't had any problems with the sleeping bag getting twisted when he rolls, it seems to move pretty well with him actually.

[ladybird11]

Good question Rach!!

DS (5 mths) can roll onto his tummy, but not roll back as yet. Some nights I've gone in to find him on his belly and it scares me big time. I always stress about it.

I think the grobag is a good idea - was considering getting ours out, but it's 2.5 tog - so too warm for this summer-ish weather I guess .

Oh, totally sympathise with the leg getting caught in the cot bars - many a time have I had to 'lube' DD's leg to get hers out .

I think ss_storms idea about the breathable Airwrap though - that should stop him from getting into strife .

[Lisa]

Anelise has started rolling too and it is driving me batty! She rolls everywhere. I have her right next to my side of the bed and I just wake and check on her a million times per night. I am thinking about getting one of those roll things that go either side of the baby's body to stop them from rolling... otherwise I have no idea. Just know you're not alone in the rolling baby department.