Sleeping On Thier Tummies

Ok, so we're all aware that they say babies are to be put to sleep on thier backs and not thier tummies because of the risk of SIDS. Years ago everyone was putting babies to sleep on thier tummies ( my mom even did with me ), and only a very very small percentage of babies actually died. The rest of us are...clearly...still here and doing fine. i asked the doctor about it, and he said that babies who die of SIDS almost always have a form of sleep anpnea that cause them to forget to breathe when they sleep, and it happens no matter what position the baby is laying in.

i guess my bi-ch and gripe is that both of my boys nap sooooooo good on thier tummies. Thier startle reflex doesnt wake them up like it does when they are on thier backs, they sleep hours longer, and with the reflux, i dont have to worry about them urping up and aspirating it into thier lungs and choking when they sleep. Theres three benefits of tummy sleeping right there. i know about the issue of the blanket covering thier face and them suffocating from breathing in thier own air, but if you just lay them on a fitted sheet and swaddle them with thier arms free, then theres no blnkets to have that happen with. Right? We were swaddling them on thier backs with hands down, but they screamed and screamed to have thier hands free all night ( and finally got out of them ), so the doc said to just let them have them. Both boys are able to lift and turn thier heads and hold them up already. i put them to nap on ther tummies daily, but i stay there and watch them. i really really want to do the same with them at night knowing they sleep better this way, but ive got that nagging " what if " in the back of my head, so i havent yet.

Anyone else let them sleep on thier tummies? Any thoughts about this?


Kenneth and Ian are 22 days old

 

Umm yea, guilty lol. I HAD to put my girls on their tummies by 4 weeks. It was making my life and theirs a living hell before that. I do not agree with back sleeping either...have you seen flat head syndrome? To me, it is only logical to either side sleep or tummy sleep to prevent choking on vomit. I got away with side sleeping my girls initially. I would swaddle them tight and put them in a sleep postioner/wedge. I would then rotate them from side to side at each nap/bedtime. But after a month they weren't having it anymore. They too were able to lift their heads and turn them from side to side, and I did not give them some huge comforter to bury their faces into. I think many other people have the same problem we do. I also think sleep standards changed so drastically because a FEW people did some REALLY dumb stuff. So long as they don't have access to pillows or fluffy blankies I am certain they will be fine. O and to combat the worry of them breathing stale air, you can have a standing fan oscilating in their room. This will help circulate the air and create some pleasant white noise for them. I say go for it

 

Personally I use sleep positioners with all my kids to keep them on their sides until they start to outgrow them. My ds choked several times in the hospital nicu which led to him being diagnosed with reflux and sleep apnea. If he hadn't been on monitors he would have died, they had to revive him at least once.

Once we got home he choked while someone was holding him on his back. If I hadn't looked over at that moment, and saw he wasn't breathing, he would have died. I had to grab him and tried to burp him, he still wasn't breathing. My mother finally grabbed him, flipped him over on his tummy and literally pounded his back to get him breathing again.

I told the nurses when my dd and the twins were born that they WOULD be side sleeping and were not to be put on their backs. I caught hell for it but IMHO I don't agree that babies "won't choke" on their back, my babes never sleep on their back unless they happen to flip themselves over from their sides (which they are starting to do now). But now they are old enough to swallow or cough to free any spit up from their throats so I'm not so worried.

So I guess I'm saying, you gotta do what's right for you. I say that as my babes nap on their tummies beside me on the couch!

 

Oh yes all my kids are tummy sleepers. I started out the last 5 kids on their backs, but their heads seem to get really flat in no time at all. Anyways, I waited to flip the twins to their belly at 3 months, but I sure wish I would have done it sooner. The cool thing is there is a study out there about running a fan in the room and lowering the rate of SIDS. I have always ran a fan in my babies rooms, mostly for white noise, but now a comfort against SIDS. You have to do what you are comfortable with. All my mom's babies were also on their bellies and we too survived.

http://children.webmd.com/news/20081006/sl...lower-sids-risk

 

LOL and here i was afraid when i posted this that i was gonna catch hell from every momma here about wanting to do this.


Kenneth and Ian are 22 days old

 

Our twins slept on their tummys too!
While they were in the NICU that is the way that they slept. We tried them on their backs once they got home but, they never rested as good.
I was scared too death but, my mom kept telling me that's how you & your brother slept when you were babies.
Also for peace of mind we had purchased the angel care monitors too.

Good Luck & Take Care!

 

Chalk me up as another tummy sleeper. They just sleep so much better that way, and I also thinks it helps with their development; my LOs are very strong, and have nice shaped heads too. In my completely personal opinion, I think there are several things contributing to the drop in SIDS after the start of the "back to sleep" campaign. One is just awareness. No pillows and stuffed animals in the crib; always making sure their on a firm surface, etc. Breast feeding has also been shown to decrease the chance of SIDS, and more people started BF around the same time as the BTS started.

 

I let them sleep that way during naps, I just could never bring myself to do it at night. If you want some extra peace mind you could get the Angel Care Monitors or something similar.

Danibel, that is really scary about the choking. I also have a similar story, only it was a relative's child, and the outcome wasn't as good. My kids all had reflux and they slept on their sides in a positioner. :hug:

 

Yes! Mine sleep on their tummies and have since about 8 weeks. At first, I was nervous about it, so I had them sleep on their tummies for naps and I kept a close eye on them. After about a week with no problems at all, I tried it at night - still with them in our room, so I could hear them if something was wrong. We moved them to their own room when they started STTN at about 12 weeks and at that point, I was confident that they could move their heads around if the spit up or something.

I have heard that babies don't sleep as deeply on their backs - don't know if this is true for all, but certainly was in my case. And tummy sleeping really helped our reflux baby relax; I think she liked the gentle pressure on her tummy and feeling secure like that.

I'd say go for it!

 

DD took to back sleeping but DS never did - he napped so much better on his tummy and when we transitioned to cribs from swings he could roll and stay that way - and LOVED it!! At 3 he still sleeps on his belly with his butt in the air...

I will admit that I had the baby monitor on full blast next to me ON the bed for the first week or so that way I could hear him breathing...