sleeping on belly?

[neonalee]

I know babies are supposed to sleep on their back, but how bad is sleeping on their belly? I know it's about SIDS, does it have to do with being able to support their head? DS can lift his head an inch or so during tummy time, and supports his head fine while being held, just a little unsteady every so often. The thing is, he sleeps better on his belly. During the day I nurse him down and we are tummy to tummy, and he often rolls onto his belly while sleeping. I check him often ... is this bad? Should I roll him onto his back (thus waking him)? He's 7 1/2 weeks.

[Amy@STL]

My 2 cents

Till he can completely roll over by himself...even in sleep, yeah I believe it can be bad. My son too slept better on his tummy, I think most babies do. Checking often may not be enough...so start him with back and wait till he masters rolling.

[ErinYay]

Tummy sleeping *is* a risk factor for SIDS, but it's not by any means the only one, nor the biggest.

Breastfeeding is a BIG deal, but the American media and government couldn't possibly put out campaigns called Breast To Sleep- there's no money in it, and it might hurt someone's feelings.

IF your baby is healthy, room-sharing, breastfeeding on demand, and you don't smoke, tummy sleeping can be safe. For us, we chose tummy sleeping before V was born- we feel that the benefits (excellent sleep which encourages growth, proper motor development, little chance of torticollis and flat-headedness, no need for tummy-time, etc) and have always been comfortable with that choice.

That said, if V had been in a crib in her own room, I would not have been comfortable with her on her tummy- room sharing gives the baby the benefit of sharing sleep cycles, learning how to breathe (no joke!) and gives the mom the ability to hear/see/sense when something's amiss. I also only let her sleep on her tummy when tiny and in bed with us when she was on my chest, otherwise she was on her side or her back (albeit in the crook of my arm).

They don't know for sure why some tummy sleeping is a SIDS risk. Some theories are that it makes babies sleep so well that some babies might be in such a deep sleep that they don't rouse themselves when in distress. Another thought is that it puts pressure on the diaphram/lungs that some wee ones can't handle. Yet another theory is that, before Back To Sleep was initiated, people put their babes on their bellies with pillows, soft bedding, blankies, etc, so it cause suffocation in babes who were too weak/ too sound asleep to lift their heads. When Back To Sleep went into effect, they also made a big deal out of soft mattresses, pillows, etc.

Every family needs to decide what is best for them; I wouldn't tell anyone "Don't worry, just put him/her on his/her tummy," but I would encourage people to do their research and decide for themselves what risks they're willing to take. Back sleeping isn't without risk to babies- we're seeing motor, social, and cognitive delays in back-sleepers to the point where experts are (and in some cases already have) talking about changing milestones, as not many babies are crawling at 6 months, walking at 10 months anymore, due to babes not getting the sleep they need and the time (ideally 12+ hrs) on their bellies. But tummy sleeping isn't safe or ideal for many babies, so it's a tricky one.

[jenfl]

Yeah, it's a personal choice. We did a lot of research about risk factors and the absolute risks. From what I remember, in the general population, the risk of SIDS is 0.7 in 1000 when they're back sleeping, 1.4 in 1000 on their belly. Other lifestyle choices will reduce or increase that number, of course.

We chose to put our DD on her tummy at around 6 months, DS at closer to 2 months (because he just Would Not sleep on his back). We bedroom shared up to 5 months and I check on him frequently.

But it's a really personal choice.

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by neonalee

I know babies are supposed to sleep on their back, but how bad is sleeping on their belly? I know it's about SIDS, does it have to do with being able to support their head? DS can lift his head an inch or so during tummy time, and supports his head fine while being held, just a little unsteady every so often. The thing is, he sleeps better on his belly. During the day I nurse him down and we are tummy to tummy, and he often rolls onto his belly while sleeping. I check him often ... is this bad? Should I roll him onto his back (thus waking him)? He's 7 1/2 weeks.

My understanding is that the SIDS risk is not from head support (because most babies have decent head support during peak SIDS time of 2-4 months), but because (as you've noticed) babies sleep better on their belly. That way, in the case of an apnea episode, they are in SUCH a deep sleep that they don't "rouse", and start breathing again. It is safer to sleep on the back because they sleep more lightly and startle easier, and are more likely to rouse themselves and start breathing.

When I do a side-lying nursing to sleep, I usually just gently roll him on his back so that he can't roll over onto the belly.

[Blessed1]

I am totally paranoid about SIDS but I did allow my LO to sleep on her tummy at times because she slept so much better and I felt she needed the rest. I would put her on her tummy for one nap a day when she was younger (not anymore) but she would LITERALLY be right next to me and I would watch her like a hawk. I didn't leave the area at all or get distracted. I would constantly watch to make sure she was breathing and when she would move her head I would make sure she turned it enough so she didn't "re-breath".
Definitely a personal decision.
I always put my baby on her side to nap (although it is not recommended). My baby is literally in the same room (within feet of me) all day. She sleeps in her bassinet right next to me. At night I always swaddle and she always sleeps on her back...no exceptions.

[Tway]

DD was never a belly sleeper, but FWIW her pediatrician told us that many parents "confessed" to him that they'd put their babies to sleep on their bellies. He said sometimes the baby's restful sleep is worth the very, very tiny SIDS risk and he never told those parents to do otherwise.

ETA: Also wanted to mention that DD did, in fact, sleep on her belly for her first 5 weeks--although she was on my chest at the time. I remember reading that although Dr. Sears doesn't advocate tummy sleeping, he makes an exception for babies sleeping on a parent's chest.

[neonalee]

Thanks for all the info! I'll think hard on this one.