I preface this post with a promise NOT to report you to the FDA or your local health department if you put your baby to sleep on his tummy. :) I'm filled with curiosity on the whole sleeping position issue and I know you all have oodles of baby experience out there that I must tap into!Chloe was always a back sleeper and we had nary a problem. She ate and conked out easily in her newborn days. Clive on the other hand obviously prefers sleeping upright or on his tummy. He gets restless and wakes up quickly when I put him on his back. Not sure if I can tell this so early on in his young life but he seems to have nose problems; that might have to do with his tummy sleeping preference.
Which way do you (or have you in the past) lay down your babies to sleep? Back or tummy?
19 comments:
Elijah has been a belly sleeper since about 4 weeks old! He didn't like being on his back and would wake immediately from a deep sleep if I put him on his back. I watch him carefully, and as soon as he could lift his head and move it, he was on his belly! He started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and we haven't looked back since!! I know they all say back only, yadda yadda. You're the mom and you'll know what is right for your baby.
My kids are both tummy sleepers. With Sam, I was nervous at first b/c of all the hype about "back to sleep" but he would just NOT sleep well on his back. With Julia, I was more relaxed and didn't worry so much, because she too preferred to be on her tummy. Plus, she was right next to our bed--and sometimes right IN our bed--so I was very aware of her and how she was sleeping. Both of them were very gassy babies, which I think was partly why they liked to be on their tummies--I'm sure it felt more comfortable. And actually, though they both fall asleep on their tummies, they now often end up in different postitions through the night, and seem to sleep well however they end up.
A nice little side benefit is that they didn't get the "flat" head in the back that a lot of babies get from back sleeping. No bald spot in the back, either. :)
I agree with what Abby said--every baby is different and as the mom, you can go with what feels right for your particular baby.
i agree. jxn did better on his belly. owen slept fine on his back, but if he woke up the jerking would care him awake - so at about 3 mos. (after keeping him tightly swaddled on his back) i unfurled him and put him on his tummy. it's nervous sleeping for me for the first few nights - but i just pray and check on him a couple times those first few days. he sleeps like an angel :) you'll figure out what's best for clive baby!
Aaron has been a tummy sleeper since about 3 or 4 weeks when he got a cold and kept choking on phlegm. We had no risk factors for SIDS (smoking, co-sleeping, etc) and he rolled over at 18 days, always had a strong neck...I wasn't worried. But that is what worked for us. Swaddling worked very well for awhile too.
I'm kinda weird about the sleeping thing. I just can't get over the whole SIDS risk thing, so I've always laid them down on their side or back when they are tiny. That being said, it was never an issue except for naps as our babies sleep with us (when they are little) at night. Lots of newborn naps were taken in the swing or the sling too. I know there are possible risks with all sorts of things, that's just not one I could feel right about. =) Like I said before, I'm kinda strange that way.
Wow! I was scared to death to put Joey on his back - and he woke up every 2-3 hours like clockwork regardless the time of day/night - and he was my only baby that ever cried from one feeding until the next during the night. I also had to try to roll blankets and try to keep him on one side or the other as he got a little older b/c he preferred one side and his head started getting "lop-sided". Gracie slept on her stomach for naps and back for night, and was a wonderful sleeper. My last two slept on their stomach entirely. Madie was an excellent sleeper, like Gracie, and Joshua did not do quite as well as the girls, but still MUCH better than Joey. So, for whatever it's worth in my experience only with my own children, I think sleeping on the stomach helped, and I think girls just sleep better than boys. BUT I do advise, don't put him on his stomach if you don't feel comfortable about it.
I had a super hard time with this. I could also tell from early on that Gus would do better on his tummy. I was just about to make the switch when i googled SIDS. They think that it is caused by combinations of different things. The example they gave was a heart defect combined with tummy sleeping. Since Gus has a heart murmur, I douldn't bring myself to do it. But that said, he still isn't the greatest sleeper and I think would do better on his tummy. I just know that I felt wrong doing it, so just do what you feel is right.
Isn't it funny how you think you'll have all the answers the second time around, but it totally doesn't work that way? How are you dealing with 2 so far? I found it really hard for like 3 1/2 months and now I'm getting a little better at it. But I have to say that I love having a little boy!
we went through the same thing with esther b/c she could never get into a deep sleep w/o laying on her tummy. all those involuntary newborn 'jerks' would awaken her. so in the beginning we swaddled her and laid her on her back for the first few weeks. when i felt like she had strong neck muscles, i just let her sleep on her stomach, for naps at first and then at night. she was still in our room in a bassinet and eating every few hours so i felt like i could keep an eye on her. however, if she had any other problems with breathing, etc. when she was a newborn i don't think i would've been as comfortable. both stephen and i were tummy sleepers so our mom's encouraged us with that. it's such a tough decision i know what you're going through! what a good blog topic!
I started putting Owen on his belly to sleep around 8 weeks. I did it out of desperation because he wouldn't go to sleep and I knew he was tired. When I flipped him over he went right to sleep and started sleeping through the night. For years babies slept on their bellies. I reason that there are all kinds of things that COULD happen, but I just remind myself that God is in control and His will prevails regardless of what I do. Reading about SIDS has also eased my mind and given me peace because there has been no research that has actually proven that belly sleeping causes SIDS.
Michael slept on his back as an infant and still seems to prefer it over belly sleeping.
I like what other said about knowing your baby and God being the One who is ultimately in control of our babies.
I would say that it's more important for Clive to be rested and happy than miserable. It's also no fun for momma to deal with an unhappy little camper who just wants to sleep comfortably:).
I'm on the bandwagon- all my kids slept on their bellies. Rachel (our first) was 8 wks early and stayed in the NICU for 4 weeks. One day when we were up in the NICU her monitors kept going off, her oxygen wasn't that great (she was still in the incubator) so the nurse flipped her over onto her tummy. For some reason that helped... so since then I have not been afraid to put them on their tummies.
I put Luke on his belly at 4 weeks, and Simon just a tad earlier than that. They both sleep better that way, and from what I know about SIDS, the verdict is still out about what causes it. I was nervous about tummy sleeping with Luke, but kept meeting moms whose babies slept better on their tummies; and like Kelly said, there are a myriad of ways our babies could get hurt. We just have to do what we feel is best for our babies, pray about it, and trust God. :)
I am saying "ditto" to everyone, b/c I can relate to segments of each person's comments. . I like Tricia cannot bring myself to put them on their bellies, BUT, I am convinced that babies sleep better on their bellies. . I DID put Silas on his belly for naps, b/c I was awake and could keep checking on him. . .
Yup, I'm with all these ladies who say their babies just prefer sleeping on their tummies! I tried to get Olivia used to back sleeping, but she would not acquiesce. Finally, when I was confident in her neck strength & scooting abilities (not crawling... just scooting away from her crib bumper, for example), I let her sleep on her tummy.
I think it's too bad that doctors & nurses talk about the sleep position with such authority, when there is no real connection between SIDS & positioning. 10 years ago, the safest position was on baby's side. Before that, the absolute best position was on baby's tummy! I guess it won't be long before the tummy is the preferred position again. :)
Ah, the many worries of mommyhood!
WOW!! After reading all of the comments I realize that I wasn't the only mommy that put her little one to sleep on their bellies because they seemed to sleep much more sound!!!
Whatever works best for you and of course whatever you are most comforable with!!!
Does he sleep through the night at all for you???
All of my kids slept on their tummies, but I made sure their blanket was a knit blanket that they could easily breathe through if it were to end up covering the head, and I took off the bumper pads because my kids always ended up scooting over to the pads and burying their heads into it.
with amos and anna, i was REQUIRED to have them sleep on their backs. we had to attend a 3 hour SIDS training class. - honestly our SIDS instructor isn't sold on babies sleeping on their backs, she said that statistics were showing that more babies die of sids while laying on their tummys, but now, the stats are rising for babies sleeping on their backs b/c that is what everyone is doing.
quincy, the little guy i "nanny" for sleeps on his tummy, but now he is crawling and doesn't sleep much anymore... often during nap time i hear him shaking the crib against the wall... the days of the good naps are over i am afraid.
i try to give amos his tummy time, but he defiantly prefers his back. the down side to that is he has weak arms, and a little spot in the back where his curls get straitened and i think he is starting to bald a little. - oh well.
I have no first hand knowledge of what you should do here, but my sister had a wedge thingie that she used with her kiddos. They really seemed comfortable with it & it positioned them nicely on their sides. Have you ever heard of that?
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