"always put baby on back to sleep"

now I know this is the sids recommendation.

But DD sleeps so nicely, for so much longer, on her side.

Anyone else's little ones sleep "other" than the guidelines?

just looking for some reassurance I guess....

yep! Mia has been sleeping on her side from day 1. On her back??? she would not be too impressed at all!!

I know they recommend back sleeping, but I have always layed my bubbas on their side.....

I found my eldest had spewed while on his back as a baby and couldn't get it out, so was too scared to "back" sleep again....:shhh:

I've had Elise sleep on her side quite alot, especially if we are co sleeping, she will snuggle in to me.
She will sleep on her back though, I just mix it up and how she falls alseep is how she stays, I figure it;s good so she doesn't get a flat head.

I slept evanon his Back & he got a flat spot. not bad but still a obvious flat spot. The rest have all been on their sides & I rotate them. I never put them down the same way twice in a row.

I've just always done what they have been most comfortable with. I even remember during the time between having my 2nd baby (where in hospital it was find to lay them on their side) to having my 3rd baby, the *rules* had changed and that they were to only be layed on their back. I asked about choking and they said that on their side they have a tendency to choke more, but if on their back, the vomit could come up, but just run back down their throat and not into the airway. I just did it while at hospital to please them LOL and then once home did what bubs was happier to do - even when on their back they always turned their head to the side so I just put them on their side rather than them get a crook neck LOL.

My 1st was on her back for the 1st few hours of her life, the hospital staff allowed her to sleep in the bed with me & before we knew it she was on her tummy, they recommended to put her on her back, but said as I am her Mum, I can do whatever I wish & that DD herself would choose what she was most comfy with.. She would only sleep longer then 20 mins if on her side & tummy..

DS was a tummy sleeper from the minute he was born & again was allowed to sleep in the bed beside me..

I found if on their backs, my 2 would struggle with the vomit if they were sick.. And they both only slept for longer amount of time if on their tummies, back in the foetal position (legs & arms all tucked in)..

Both of mine sleep/slept on their belly

thanks guys, i feel much better now. she loves sleeping on my belly, on her belly too...!

Kitt3n.
DS is a tummy sleeper.
He sleeps 10 hrs straight at night on his belly :)
Has since 5 weeks.

Yep same here. DD likes her side. She slept on her belly for about 3 weeks but then all of a sudden was ok on her side/back again.

Kitt3n - DD was the same as a newborn, loved sleeping on her belly, on my belly or even on her belly on a pillow.. LOVED IT..

My clinic nurse during mothers' group gave me a huge "disapproving" look when I told people i was letting her sleep on her belly but I went with what I thought DD was wanting and we had a monitor in her bed so I felt ok about it.

Ashton HATED sleeping on his back, he would scream and cry and spew and all! He is a tummy sleeper and from about 2 weeks I gave up and let him sleep on his tummy.
Happy baby, happy mum.
Now he sleeps on his back in the bed with me, side in his cot.

My DD hated hated hated her back.. We tried her side for a while but she was and still is a tummy sleeper. I used to sleep with her on my chest but in the end she went into her cradle on her tummy..

both of mine usually slept on their side & I'd try to swap to the opposite side for the next sleep to avoid the flat spot thingy that can happen.

They are both tummy sleepers now. I put DS in bed on his back but as soon as I leave the room he rolls straight over onto his belly so I just let him sleep how he wants to sleep now. We have the angelcare sound & movement monitor so that makes me feel a little more relaxed but I know that wont stop SIDS so I do check him & make sure his head is nicely to the side so he can breath clearly.

My fourth bub was a side sleeper as well, he would not settle at all on his back. He is now nearly 3 and is fine. I say do what will help her sleep, recommendations are just that.

hugs xoxo

Glad to know im not the only one with a bub that hates being on her back. During the day she sleeps on her tummy because I am constantly in and out the room and can check on her (she sleeps in the lounge during the day). At night I put her on her back but I have to wait 1/2hr plus after a feed or she will spew, choke, cough, snort and get the hiccups if I put her on her back for a sleep (she then takes up to an hour to settle:rolleyes:).

I put DS down on his back but often he rolls onto his side, I don't see the harm in it he seems very comfortable and sleeps well like that. You can't really make a baby sleep on their back if they don't want to I guess.

I agree with the recommendations that back sleeping is probably safer for most babies. However apparently (according to my MCHN) about 1/10 babies will refuse to sleep on their backs. This often coincides with being born with a strong neck (being able to support their head a few hours after birth) and it also can run in families. This is exactly what I have found to be true with my 3 children. All were born with strong necks... all absolutely refused to settle on their backs and also strongly rejected swaddling. With my first baby (in 1994) I let my DD sleep on her tummy as the recommendations weren't as "strong" as they are these days. They were there but no one said anything negative when they saw her tummy sleeping (in hospital). With my second baby I let him tummy sleep as he also exhibited a very strong preference for it. I tried a bit harder to get him to back sleep but that just upset him... the recommendations were quite strong that I put him only on his back though... so let him tummy sleep in guilt :( but I intuitively felt that it was ok and safe. With my third baby I "fessed up" while still in hospital... I told the paed during the discharge exam that my previous babies tummy slept and that it seemed that this third baby was also very keen to tummy sleep. The Paed mentioned the recommendations but agreed that as my baby had very strong neck strength and wasn't a "floppy" baby that it should be ok in his instance. So I had a bit of an endorsement. Then a few weeks later my MCN told me about her observations that about 1/10 babies refuse to back sleep etc. Both the Paed and the MCHN made extra sure that I knew about the other SIDS guidelines.... no one smokes in our house, we don't use cot bumpers, the mattress is firm and we make sure baby doesn't overheat etc. So looking back I feel ok that I made an informed decision. None of my children have any significant sleep issues. If I had insisted on back sleeping life would have been very traumatic for all concerned. Lisa is right, you CAN'T make a baby back sleep if they really don't want to.

Jaycen sleeps both on his back and his side, but he prefers his side more (it doesn't really matter which side it is to him). The midwives at the hospital were letting him sleep whichever way he wanted, which just happened to be his side, and when he was in the nursery overnight they had him sleeping in his stomach where they could watch him and have 1-to-1 contact the entire time.

Good to see so many positive comments about tummy sleeping! DD has just started sleeping unwrapped at night and i put her to bed on her back but always ends up either on her side or tummy, when i go im to check her and she is on her tummy i have been rolling her back over caus ei was worried, and plus she cant roll back from her tummy to her back just yet, but think i might leave her, she seems to sleep better that way!

Bathsheba- thanks for that info, interesting about the strong neck, Aimee was holding her head up for a few seconds the day she was born and she was 4 weeks early.

we had a tummy and side sleeper from very early on. DD had heaps and heaps of mucous in her system after the birth and she stopped breathing because she got blocked. the staff at the hospital told me that she had to sleep on her side from then on while in hospital. we kept this going at home and from about 3 months old she flipped herself to her tummy and has stayed there since.

Jake was a side sleeper - and in hospital the midwives used to put him on his side as it was the only way he'd settle

thankyou for all the positive comments and such wisdom from bath - and yes she was lifting her head very shortly after birth!

Back in the day when my mum had babies (so 20 years ago) they used to reccomend babies sleeping on their sides, and changing sides each sleep so they wouldn't get a flat head lol