TUMMY SLEEPER - HOW BAD IS THIS REALLY?????

Sorry to post so much here about my little man but I am finding I am really out of practice.  All is going well with everything.  We have another jaundice test tomorrow so hopefully it will start going down.  My ???? is I know tummy sleeping increases SIDS which scares me but I think my son likes it.  How many of you other moms had babies who preferred the tummy and did you let them sleep this way.   He will sleep on his back/side at night as long as he is in bed with me holding him.   It would be nice to nap w/ him  next to me in his bassinet but I am scared.    My DD was a tummy sleeper when she slept & my sister has put both her babies on theirs as well.   Please help if you can.    Thanks again.   Take Care

[rosehill]

I have had all my babies prefer to sleep on their stomachs. I always worry at first but I also make sure that I don't have any blankets up by the head and that they are only sleeping on the crib sheet. I also make sure that they are sleeping with there head all the way on its side even though they are sleeping on their tummy. I hope this helps. Helen

[clevelandlady]

There's a monitor that you can buy,i believe it's called the angel care monitor.You put it under the bassinet or crib matress,and it monitors the baby's movement ie. breathing.If theres no movement for 30 seconds,and alarm sounds.I had one [sold it on ebay],and it really put my mind at ease.It only went off twice in the 6 monthes that i used it,and the alarm was loud enough to hear from my bedroom.Take care~

[Still_AndiJ]

Back sleeping has proven to reduce the incidence of SIDS dramatically. That being said, my son is a belly sleeper, but only with the okay of his pediatrician as he starting rolling over and sleeping on his belly at 3 weeks. I mentioned this to his doctor at his 2 month check up as I had been losing sleep constantly flipping over. He said as long as he was doing it himself, it was okay and not to lose sleep over it. By flipping themselves over, they demonstrate the head and neck strength and ability to move their heads accordingly to avoid suffocation in most cases.

Babies do not breathe as deeply as we do and if they wind up face down on a mattress they can suffocate. Even without fluffy bedding. Always place baby on back unless okayed by pediatrician first. It is something so simple, yet it can literally make the difference between life and death...


Andrea

[shubunkin]

Both of mine slept on their stomachs, but that was when they said it was ok. Seems to me a child could spit up on their back and choke on it. But I do not know. They say put them on their backs. A year from now that may change. Good luck! Danielle

[Still_AndiJ]

They determined the risk from choking on their spit up to be small as they would be able to turn their heads to the side when lying on their back. That was why there was a big change to the back to sleep campaign. Initially people were concerned about that very thing (choking on spit up), which is why everyone placed their babies on their tummies to sleep. After tons of research, they were able to identify tummy sleeping as a contributor to SIDS and since the start of the back to sleep campaign the number of SIDS related deaths has dropped significantly.

Like I said before, it is such a small and easy thing to do, why not do it? I do still flip my son over quite often when I catch him sleeping on his belly, even though he does mini pushups already and can roll both ways. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to my son and I could have prevented it.

Andrea

[nanakay]

speaking of the "back to sleep campaigne"  they also suggest that a baby sleeping with you in your bed is just as bad if not worse than if they slept in there own bed on there tummy.

so take your pick.

have you tried one of those wedges that keep them on their side?
~nanci

[chaisemom]

With my ds, being my first child, I was paranoid of SIDS and did everything they said to do to prevent it. He slept in a wedge til he was like 6 mos. old. When he was a baby I would rotate him, one time he would sleep on his left side, right side...because he was colicky and used to spit up a lot I didn't put him on his back much because I was paranoid that he would spit up in his sleep. I actually know a lady who aspirated on vomit and now has seizures from it. She may have something else wrong with her too, that's just what she told me. When he was 3 or 4 mos. old I tried to put him on his tummy for "tummy time" while he was awake and he would cry til I picked him up. I agree w/ Andi, I don't think I would risk my child's life for them sleeping on their tummy. Babies adapt to change, you just have to work with them.

[Kassimom]

I know this isn't FEASIBLE for you what with having TWO to care for now, but when my DD was born and preffered to sleep on her tummy, I slept on MY back and let her sleep on her tummy on my chest. This way we both slept. I even MORE peacefully this way because I knew that if her breathing pattern so much as changed much less stopped I would be wide awake!

But again, this is next to impossible to do for most people! Other than that, when she fell asleep it was usually in my bed on the breast on her back and she barely stirred when I removed my nipple. Maybe you can try letting him fall asleep in your bed on his back, let him sleep there without the nipple in his mouth for a short while, then gently and slowly moving him to his bassinet.

[PWDurant]

My son was 2 months pre-mature and spent 1 1/2 months in the neo-natal intensive care unit. There he slept on his stomach because his lungs had not totally matured so this took pressure off them. When I brought him home I was anxious and nervous so I went out and bought the Angel Care Monitor and spent more time colliding with my husband in the middle of the night because most nights he would wiggle off the board that monitors the breathing and this loud alarm goes off! Scared me half to death. My advice let them sleep however they are comfortable and put your mind at ease. My Grandmother had 12 children all of whom slept on their tummies and my Mother had 5 children and we all slept on our tummies. Just be sure there are not alot of animals, toys etc that he could end up with around his face.