Sleeping on tummy...

[Beckibee]

Over the last month Maddy has been sleeping during the day on her belly...it doesn't matter how many times I turn her over to her back, she rolls back over. Now that she is too big for the bassinet I have set up the portacot in our bedroom as I'm not really ready to put her in her cot in her own room. Maddy will be 5 months in a few days time and has really good neck, back and arm strength.

I have never been able to put her to bed awake for her night sleep as the moment I put her in the bassinet (where she couldn't roll over) she would wake up and I've been having to take her to bed with us and feed her to sleep & co-sleep through the night.

Tonight I have put her down on her belly wide awake in her portacot and this is the first time ever she has fallen asleep herself and not cried at all. I was going to put her down on her back but I'm more scared of her trying to roll to her belly and then getting stuck, then her starting on her belly.

I guess I'm just looking for a little reassuring. It's so distressing having the SIDS stuff shoved down your throat by hospitals, MCHNs etc telling you only on their back. I understand the research that says it reduces the chances; but it just feels wrong forcing a baby who obviously wants to sleep on her belly, to sleep on her back.

Am I doing the right thing?

[Liz]

I remember looking at the baby's in the nursery in the hospital, and they were all on their bellies, but the nurses reassured us that they were being supervised carefully. Perhaps putting her to sleep on her tummy isn't too bad if you're able to keep an eye on her.. and then turn her onto her back before you go to bed?

Don't really know tho.. just my thoughts

[Ambah]

Bec I think now that she is nearly 6 months, there is a fair bit less risk for her sleeping on her belly... I have known many babies that have done it...
As Ivana suggested, just make sure that you are able to keep an eye on her, and also make sure that she is on a firm flat mattress, nothing too soft and squishy - as I think its easier for them to suffocate on softer surfaces if they are face down.
I think its great that there is a position that she is really comfortable to go to sleep in easily without fussing and crying...

[Beckibee]

Thanks ladies for the help....just wondering if any of you with tummy sleepers had your bubbies in sleeping bags? Does being in a sleeping bag limit their ability to roll over if they need to?

[Naomi]

Beck, Nick always slept on his side/tummy from newborn, he screamed if he was on his back, even now at 3 he won't sleep on his back, dp was terrified of this because his first son died of sids at 9 weeks, but we rang sids for kids and they said as long as they were highly supervised it was ok.

In reguards to the sleeping bag, both of my boys have used one and it didn't restrict them from rolling over

[Beckibee]

Cool thanks ladies! Just wanted to make sure if I put her in a sleeping bag (which obviously she doesn't sleep in during the day when she has been sleeping on her belly), that she won't have trouble rolling over if she wishes.

[christy]

Beck, Matilda would only sleep on her belly. When we had the MCHN over to help with settling, she was only able to get MAtilda to sleep on her belly & said that there wasn't much we could do when Matilda was 8 weeks. At that time we co-slept and she slept well on her side so we didn't worry too much. When she was 10 weeks and we went to Riverton they could only get her to sleep on her belly as well. So at that time she was in a growbag and slept both day & night sleeps on her belly and even rolled as well. HTH!

eta... she now sleeps on her back, but is a very active sleeper & you could find her on her back, side or belly at anytime.

[Lucy]

Charlie was in a hammock until just recently, which kept him on his back, but he has recently transferred into the cot sucessfully, and from the very first sleep in the cot he rolled onto his tummy and sleeps like that all the time now.

Like most people, it freaks me out a bit from a SIDS perspective, but I reckon once they have the swing of rolling over, they do it instinctively in their sleep both ways too......

BTW, Charlie has just also started sleeping in a sleeping bag at night and it definately doesn't hinder his rolling round at all.........

HTH

[Gemma]

Amy slept on her belly from about 4 months or earlier and we couldn't get her to sleep on her back. At the start she would roll from back to belly and couldn't roll back and we used to worry. She has been in a Grobag since she was about 10 weeks.

[seandrea]

It's good to know there are other tummy sleeping babies out there...

While in hospital they could only get her to sleep on her side, and once I got her home she would only sleep on her tummy. Wakes herself up & throws a fit every few minutes when on her back.

So for the sake of my sanity & her comfort I threw sids recomendations out the window & started putting her on her tummy & after I did some some research I felt better about the tummy sleeping & found there were two scientists that did some research into sids:

Prevent Cot Death
Every day many babies around the world die from cot death. In Australia, between 130-150 babies die each year from cot death. However, research now shows that simple precautions can prevent cot death.

CAUSE OF COT DEATH
Two scientists, Dr Jim Sprott in New Zealand and Mr Barry Richardson in England, have proved that cot death is caused by gases generated by fungal activity on compounds of phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony which are present in many baby mattresses and other items of baby bedding.

SOLUTION
The solution is to wrap your baby’s cot mattress with a strictly specified mattress cover which prevents the gases from reaching the baby; and to use over the wrapped mattress specified bedding which is not capable of generating the gases concerned.

“Mattress-wrapping for cot death prevention” has been publicised nationwide in New Zealand for the past 8 years. During that time a very large number of New Zealand babies have slept on mattresses wrapped in specially formulated slip-on polyethylene mattress covers. These mattress covers (which were designed by Dr Sprott and are called BabeSafe covers) are now in use in a number of countries.

There has been no reported cot death – anywhere in the world – on any mattress wrapped in accordance with Dr Sprott’s mattress-wrapping specifications.

Now she happily sleeps on her own wrapped new mattress on her tummy & we both sleep much better for it!

[Ktb]

It has been great to read everyones comments. Ava is 9 weeks old.and has been sleeping really well at night on her side but has been very unsettled during the day. I tried her on her tummy out of desperation and she sleeps really soundly. She is able to lift her head but can't quite roll - is this a problem as I too am Paranoid about the SIDS thing. She does let me know when she has had enough...