Tummy sleepers?

[2boyzmama]

Does anyone else have a tummy sleeper?

I am not able to put Gavin down asleep, I've tried on his back, on his back swaddled, on his back swaddled in his carseat, swing, vibrating seat, boppy pillow... It never lasts long, maybe 20 minutes tops, usually not that long. He sleeps GREAT in the crook of my elbow all night long, and recently I've been able to transfer him to daddy's elbow crook for a while too.

BUT...during the day it makes it hard to deal with Ian and Connor (especially Connor, who is sick and is nursing just as much as an infant right now!)

Today I had Connor down for a nap so I went to lay down myself. Gavin was asleep on my shoulder, so I laid him on my bed on his tummy while I went to the bathroom. He stayed asleep! So I made sure he was safe (no smothering hazards near him, no way he could fall off the bed, etc) and I laid down near him. He napped that way for an hour! Right now he's on his tummy again, he's been there asleep for about half an hour and is showing no signs of waking up.

Connor was a tummy sleeper, by medical necessity because of birth defects in his airway, and it freaked me out at first. But I researched it and learned that the risks are similar to co-sleeping risks, and if you remove certain risk factors, it is actually "safe" for an infant to sleep on his tummy.

So I feel that he's safe, although I do find that I check on him very frequently. I won't let him sleep on his tummy in bed with us, that is obviously not safe, but I will certainly let him nap on his tummy and start the night in his own bed on his tummy. (we'll probably cosleep the rest of the night)

Anyone else? And those of you struggling with babies not sleeping, have you considered trying it? Both times so far he's fallen asleep on my shoulder while I was burping him after a feeding, then I lay him down on his tummy.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I put all 3 of my kids on their tummies and will do it with the next one. I think for a healthy baby, it is fine. You have to weigh the risks, small, with you and babe getting sleep. Are less babies dying of SIDS? I haven't seen any conclusive evidence. How many babies die of SIDS who are back sleepers? I don't know that either. You just have to feel comfortable with your choice.

[Pinkbruise]

Jude spits up A LOOOOOOOOOOT! I am always worried about him choking on his spit up when he's sleeping on his back, so I usually lay him down on his side.

I would feel better with him sleeping on his belly though. It would probably be more comfortable for him to burp that way too.

[mkksmom]

I put my LO slightly on her side, swaddled and with a rolled recieving blanket on either side when she is in the cosleeper. When she is with me, she is usually on her side. The spit up thing makes me nervous as well.

[Dmitrizmom]

viv sleeps on her stomach pretty well. about 1/2 the time when I wake to nurse her at night, she has rolled from her side to her tummy.

My mom pointed out that all of her babies (7 of us) and all of her mom's babies (8 of 'em) were put to sleep on our tummies from the time we came home from the hospital and we all did quite well that way...

[Julia24]

I don't have the guts. Poor little peanut is getting a flat head too! 4 scariest letters in the english language imo.....we kept Maddie on her back and she often choked on her spit up - it was awful! That's why she was with us for so long!!!

If you feel comfortable and he's sleeping better - more power to you though!!!!

[ilovejeff]

Katie likes to sleep on her side. She usually ends up that way during the night after nursing and seems to sleep much better/longer. If I lay her down on her back during the day, she will end up leaning toward one side as much as she can. The only time she sleeps on her tummy is when she is sleeping on me.

[cristeen]

My little guy is a side-sleeper, just like his mama and daddy. He doesn't mind his stomach, but he hates his back. My MW told me most babies hate sleeping on their backs, regardless of what the AMA says.

I swaddle him, lay him on his side and he stays that way.

[clemrose]

Ezra is a tummy sleeper. He will sleep on his side occasionally, but not his back.

My 2.5 yr old dd has always been a poor sleeper--I think she would have had a bit more sleep had I not been way too freaked out to try having her sleep on her tummy. She always slept swaddled on her side.

With Ezra, I'm more worried having him sleep swaddled. This boy can move! He can get onto his tummy from his side when he is swaddled even when he is sandwiched between two rolled up receiving blankets.

But he is so big and strong (can lift head and shoulders when on his tummy) I feel okay letting him sleep on his tummy. And he is not sleeping on any new mattresses or anything, so no brand new items gassing off.

And he sleeps great (thank my lucky stars--my dd didn't sleep for two years!) so far--commonly sleeps two hours at a time and has his nights and days totally figured out--and I'm not messing with that good thing by putting him on his back!

Oh, and we are cosleeping. He does have a cosleeper that he started the night out in last night (for the first time) and is in now, but mostly he is in our bed. He usually nurses on his side and falls asleep that way, but by the next time he wakes to nurse he is on his tummy.

[BekahMomToOliver]

Rowan prefers to sleep on her side, too. We only swaddled for the first week or so, then we figured out she likes to have her hands up by her face, so now she just gets loosely wrapped in a blanket. So far, she sleeps great (but I don't want to jinx it)

[APToddlerMama]

Part time stomach sleeping is said to be more dangerous than full time stomach sleeping. Just a thought. I think I read it is something to do with them sleeping really really deep since they aren't used to it, and that being a risk factor for SIDS. That said, I used to nanny for a nurse and pediatrictian, and they put their baby to sleep on his tummy. They were desperate for sleep, and they felt the risk was very low considering they were bfing, didn't smoke, etc. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Oh thank God I'm not the only one! I was having serious tummy-sleeping guilt since a few days ago when I found that Ethan is MUCH happier on his tummy. Especially if he seems to have gas... I don't usually put him on his tummy in the co-sleeper, but for naps in his crib I do sometimes (like right now). I check on him often, and worry, but when he's been fussy for a few hours and just can't settle down... Being on his tummy seems to be the answer.

My friend had a baby that refused to sleep any other way.

I think tummy sleeping is still more prevalent than most people will admit.

[kismetbaby]

nak

haven't put him down on his tummy yet. . .makes me nervous. but i think he would sleep better that way since he loves to sleep on our chests on his tummy. he startles a lot on his back and i can't keep him swaddled to save my life (he's a wriggler). last night he slept for 4 hours in bed with us on his back, then nursed for an hour, slept on dads chest for 2 hours, nursed for maybe 45 min then slept on my chest for 2 hours. that's about as good as it gets for night sleeping. during the day i often just hold him while he naps (1-2 hours tops, sometimes justr 20 min) otherwise he wakes. but maybe tummy sleeping would help.

[mags]

I'm DDC crashing. DS3 is 3 mo old now. Starting his second day of life (when I came home from the hospital), I let him belly sleep. With DS1 he was a back sleeper, b/c I was afraid of SIDS and we struggled so much with his sleep and I think that he had reflux and that probably didn't help the situation. I guess there is research that reflux babies do better tummy sleeping. Anyway, DS2, after a wk of NO sleep for me, DH or the baby, I finally let him sleep on his belly. It was the ONLY way he would sleep. For DS3 he has tummy slept in our arms reach co-sleeper since day 2 and done pretty well. He is our best sleeper so far out of all three of our kids. We finally had to move him to his crib this wk, b/c he is so big, and he, "travels" while sleeping, and had pretty much outgrown the arms reach co-sleeper. I have his crib set up with the mesh crib bumpers, so it's breathable AND b/c my own two kids got their legs caught up in the slats if I took off the bumpers. I feel no guilt about belly sleeping. You have to do what you have to do, and babies have slept on their tummies in history before, it's just the back to sleep campaign has made it so ppl are too afraid to let their babies belly sleep.

[skydancer]

I'm not brave (or desperate) enough to do it at night yet. During that time Paige sleeps swaddled on her side.

Just last week I realized that she was getting into a phase where she wasn't sleeping on her own during the day at all. Every time I put her down anywhere, she'd wake up within 2 minutes. During one part of the day, I had her on her tummy on her play mat and she fell asleep and stayed that way for a 1/2 an hour. I was jumping for joy!! Now she does at least one nap time a day on her tummy. I check on her frequently and am usually in the same room, so that makes me feel a bit 'safer' about it.

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by diana_of_the_dunes

I think tummy sleeping is still more prevalent than most people will admit.

Just like co sleeping and extended breastfeeding.

Especially for reflux babies, it can be a huge difference in their sleep! As long as your baby can turn their heads side to side, they won't choke on their vomit if they vomit when on their tummies. They might make a mess in their hair, though!

There are factors that make it safer...breastfeeding, non smoking house, safe surface, close to mom (who will sense a change in breathing and wake up), healthy baby...

[dosergirl]

from day one Cora would immediately roll to her side when i would but her "back to sleep" so i just let her stay on her side.

in our bed i worry about the softness of the mattress and if she were to face plant into that, but that is probably from the "back to sleep" "propaganda"

i know my aunt said all her kids slept on their tummies. whatever helps get more sleep is a plus in my book.

[darcytrue]

We're tummy sleepers! My first two did it as well. They sleep much longer on their stomachs.

[Guinevere]

Yep, we're side or tummy sleepers here, too -- all six of my babies have slept much better on their sides or tummies, which leads me to believe that humans in general prefer these sleeping positions (I mean, I know I do personally, so why shouldn't my babies?)

I also try to have their heads elevated during sleep, as that leads to better, less restless sleep around here, too (and less spitting up.) Duncan naps a lot on various people's chests (a major bonus to him having older sibs is that it doesn't always need to be my chest anymore, hooray! ) When I remember, I try to rotate him after nursing him to sleep so he'll take one nap on his left side, the next on his right, the next on his tummy, that sort of thing, to prevent head molding. So far, so good -- I keep waiting for all his hair to rub off from earline to earline, like it did with Kieran (my only other baby born with any hair at all), but so far, it's all still there and only getting thicker!

While I understand concerns about SIDS, I think the back-to-sleep campaign took things too far in the opposite direction and completely eschewed common sense in order to protect babies who really needed protection from factors not so easily remedied (like smoking in the home.) But then again, we're unapologetic co-sleepers and extended BFers, as well, so perhaps I'm just plain skewed about *all* these issues.

Guin

[octobermoon]

i have tried it here and there and he seems to like it. i'm going to try it more today and see how it goes.