Do you put your baby on her back?

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts) Oct 10th 2008 1:00PM

Categories: Newborns, Babies, Health & Safety

When my older daughter was five months old, she started rolling over in her crib at night. Only, instead of rolling over and snuggling in with that cute butt-in-the-air pose that all parents know and love, she'd roll over, then fall back to sleep ... face down in the mattress. I'd lie in my own bed, watching anxiously on the video monitor. My mind would tell me that she was fine, while my heart would fantasize about worst case scenarios until I had enough. I'd go in to gently turn her head to the side. She'd thank me by either waking up, furious, or by being back in the face down position by the time I hit my pillow. At her six month checkup, her doctor told me to leave her alone and let her sleep.

I've never met a new parent who didn't worry about SIDS, who didn't fret about sleep positions. But the same study that found that running a fan in baby's room may reduce the risk of SIDS also found that up to 26% of parents don't heed the advice that babies should sleep on their backs. Babies seem to sleep better on their bellies, so I'm guessing a large chunk of that percentage are parents off poor sleepers. Still, over one quarter of parents don't follow the single most important piece of advice when it comes to preventing SIDS? That's amazing to me

I had one child would only nap during the day if I put her on her side, so I can relate. But I was never brave enough to let them sleep on their bellies until they were old enough to get there themselves. What about you? Did you let your babies sleep on their bellies?

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Comments (19)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

CLM 10-10-2008 @ 1:10PM

From almost day 1, my twins would NOT sleep on their backs. Finally, in desperation, around month 2 we would let them fall asleep on their tummies and then ever so gently roll them over onto their backs. It was pretty easy since we didn't have bumpers or anything in the cribs and they were in blanket sleepers. Once they started rolling around on their own, we just let them be.

Jenni 10-10-2008 @ 2:05PM

On the back no matter if it's for sleep of play. When a child can roll over onto his or her tummy on their own is when they are strong enough and ready to do so developmentally. If you let a child naturally roll onto his or her tummy (in their own time) you will find that their arms roll into the perfect position to lift themselves up and turn their heads when necessary.

Sabrina 10-10-2008 @ 2:17PM

I voted other. My daughter, from day 1, was a horrible sleeper, and she vomited every time she was laid down. She slept in my arms or in her carseat until she was about 6 months old, and I finally weaned her into her crib in my room. By that time she was able to roll on her own and the pediatrician told me just to let her do what she did and not worry about it. My son was a little different. As a small infant (under 8 weeks) we slept fine on his back, as a matter of fact he would sprawl his arms and legs out to fill the entire bassinet, he must not have known that newborns prefer to be wrapped up tightly. At about 8 weeks old he figured out how to "roll" onto his stomach. I talked to the pediatrician at his visit and explained this rolling, and was told that it wasn't true rolling over and no, he wasn't advanced, he just had ingenuity. He would pull his legs in really tightly and flop onto his side, and when he straightened himself out he was on this stomach, where he'd *finally* fall asleep. She again told me to put him in on his back and leave it if he rolled. Really I couldn't control it without irritating him or waking him.

Secret Mommy 10-10-2008 @ 2:43PM

I, too, got nervous when I started seeing my son in the video monitor (LOVE that thing!) flipping onto his tummy and burying his face in the mattress. Our pede gave us the same advice and now little boy seems to divide his nights between sleeping on his back and on his belly. But when he was newborn he was always on his back, no matter how much he fussed. I figured it's such a short time in my life I went without sleep when I had to. Though he's our first, so I didn't have other kids to take care of during the day.

ashleigh 10-10-2008 @ 2:53PM

My son was born 6 years ago, and slept on his belly..with a pacifier. Honestly then i had no idea what sids was, until may 31st this year. My 6 week old niece passed away from sids. If you actually look at the research, more than 68% of babies that died from sids, werent even in their cribs, much less on their backs. My niece, passed away breastfeeding, and no she was not suffocated. She just stopped breathing and unfortunantly in those situations even when immediate CPR is done, their already gone. Other babies have died in their parents arms,in swings,bouncers,car seats,everywhere. SIDS happens in babies from birth to 12 months of age. Honestly, until the kids 1 what are you going to do? tie strap the kid to the bed to make sure he/she doesnt roll over onto their stomach while sleeping? it just happens unfortunantly there is no cause. yea theirs steps you can do to prevent it, but it even happens to the most responsible,alert parents who actually can be staring at their baby and the baby has already died. I have another baby, that baby is going to sleep on his/her stomach back or side whichever they dont scream about.

Katheryn 10-10-2008 @ 3:00PM

My first slept on his back or on his side. My second had a lot of tummy trouble when she was little and sleeping on her tummy helped her to sleep by relieving the pain.

Robin 10-12-2008 @ 7:05PM

I'm not surprised that parents don't heed that advice - look at the other advice some parents choose to ignore like breastfeeding to prevent SIDS or not smoking or drinking in pregnancy.

Nicole 10-10-2008 @ 5:02PM

I always put my daughter to sleep on her back. But once we stopped swaddling her, she started rolling, first to her side, and then all the way to her tummy. Once she was strong enough to lift her head up 90 degrees and roll herself both ways, I stopped stressing about it and now we just lay her down the way we know she'll end up anyway - on her tummy.

ame s 10-10-2008 @ 6:43PM

I did put my girls to bed on their backs. As soon as they could roll over, they slept on their tummies. My older girl was hard to get to sleep sometimes, and I learned this odd little flipping manuver to help her roll over because having to do so herself would wake her up.
Now, at 8 and 10, they are back sleepers, of course! Go figure kids.

Teresa 10-10-2008 @ 6:13PM

They sell foam wedges that you put under the head portion of the mattress to help prevent this from happening or from them choking. They cost $10.00. I used them with all 4 of my children. They also help with colic, as a babies colic is more apt to act up if he/she lays on their back.

Sharon 10-10-2008 @ 10:15PM

Well, I fall into that 26% who don't heed the advice. I listened to it, read about the statistics and decided my baby and the environment she was in was not a high risk for SIDS (there are a slew of other factors like alcohol and drug use, smoking, not breastfeeding, high room temperature, excess bedding, premature birth) and interestingly enough, I used a fan, which they now say lowers the risk by 72%.
My babies slept TERRIBLY on their backs and were always light sleepers and sleeping on their stomach was soooo much better.
If my baby was at risk in any way or I felt they were a heavier sleeper, then I would have put them on their back. But I felt ok doing it...my choice, my observation of my baby, my intuition. I've heard it referred to as some mother's "dirty little secret" that they don't brag about, but they do it...especially babies who don't sleep well.

Yesenia 10-12-2008 @ 10:28PM

I voted other. When my 3 year old son was born i was so afraid of him rolling over on his belly, I also was afraid of putting him on his belly. As he got older he would not fall asleep on his back he would sleep on his belly. I told the doctor and he said that, "Thats tottally normal for a baby to like sleeping on his tommy." So I thats when I calmed myself down. So then came my beautiful daughter Mya. She is something I tell you, Becuase she love sleeping not on her back, or her belly when she was born. She loved sleeping on her side. It would be good also becuase she wouldn't have that much gas. But, now, she gets very fussy if I or her daddy dosen't put her on her belly. And I am pretty sure she going to start rolling over soon, and shes going to be on her belly 24/7.

Laura 10-12-2008 @ 9:15AM

SIDS is a myth.. your baby will not die simply from sleeping on the tummy. WHy is it when a baby suffocates they say it's SIDS? It's not! It's suffocation!

My first child wouldn't sleep on back so I let him on his tummy and he could roll over pretty early so I wasn't so nervous.

My 2nd I actually put on tummy from the start but she prefers back.

Go with your mommy instincts and sometimes you just have to ignore the so called 'experts'

DB 10-12-2008 @ 12:51PM

Each of my two children began sleeping like a champ very early. The first slept through the night at five weeks, the second at three weeks with the exception of waking to drink a bottle after four hours and then go immediately back to sleep. This was because we put them down on their bellies. Our doctor showed us the breakdown of how the effect is in actual numbers vs percentages, and how there was really no danger as long as your child could lift her head, as both of mine could. Both of my daughters were trying to look all around and lift their heads before we brought them home from the hospital. I have zero regrets! I am an excellent caregiver and I can't let it bother me that some people have posted comments insinuating that I am horrible for putting them on their bellies. :)

Anita 10-12-2008 @ 1:16PM

I am of the "other" catagory. My daughter slept fine on her back and still mostly does at the age of 8. My son had reflux and allergies among other things and he would not sleep on his back. So for the first five months he slept in my bed on his side usually with a breast in his mouth or pressed against my side. Every nap was taken with me holding him. Finally I had enough so when he was five months I put him in his crib on his belly with a small blanket that he was attatched to. It took a few nights but he finally slept without me and I was so grateful every morning when he was still alive but yet I got some sleep! Now he is 6, his tonsils are out, tubes were in his ears, he's on allergy medication, and finally he sleeps well.

Baron 10-13-2008 @ 11:09AM

We always put her down on her back, but once we stop swaddling, it will probably be whatever works best for her. You have to remember that our parents and their parents, all the way back to whenever, put us in what position worked best for us. The vast majority of people I know said their parents put them all on their stomachs and they are none the worse for wear.

Tom 10-14-2008 @ 3:07PM

Putting a child to sleep on it's back is the equivalent of not sending your child to Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade because your afraid of them dying in a school bus accident.

Back Sleep acts just like a drug and totally destroys an infants ability to get any Stage 3 or Stage 4 sleep. You can think of Stage 3 and Stage 4 sleep as the School Bus because it's during that time when most infants die of SIDS. But, Stage 3 and Stage 4 Sleep (AKA Slow Wave Sleep) is also when infants process all the learnings they have had during the day.

Since the Back to Sleep Campaign began in 1992 we've had a huge increase in children with learning disabilities. Do you think there is a coincidence? I don't.

Before 1992 over 70% of infants slept on their stomachs and 20% slept on their backs.

Since 1999 over 75% of infants now sleep on their their backs, 15% sleep on their sides, and less than 10% sleep on their stomachs.

Why do you think pediatricians recommend babies sleep on their backs? Because it has the same effect as a drug. I caution mightily that people BEWARE of the unintended consequences of this dangerous advice. The Back to Sleep campaign just may be the Thalidomide of our time. The children of moms who took Thalidomide had very severe deformities but back sleeps negative impact may be more subtle such as causing widespread mild Autism. Think about it.

But, don't believe me. Do your own research on Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), SIDS mechanism, etc.

Also, keep in mind that most of the people in charge of SIDS programs in the USA have had babies die of their own including the head of the U.S. Task Force on SIDS: Dr. John Kattwinkel. That is certainly a tragedy but they also seem to be ZEALOTS and never examine the unintended consequences of their back sleep and pacifier recommendations (both act exactly as drugs to inhibit SWS). I'd greatly caution parents who have or will follow this advice to really think hard about it and do research.

Sunny 10-14-2008 @ 6:20PM

My son is four months old and he has been sleeping on his tummy for 2 months. Once He figured out that he could roll over by himself , I kepted putting him on his back, but it was no use he was persistant on sleeping on his tummy. It is scary sometimes, at night I wake up just to check on him since he doesn't wake up anymore to eat to make sure he is breathing so i would poke him or play with his feet to see if he moves.

Donna, hushabyebabygifts.com 10-21-2008 @ 2:31PM

I am soon to be a new grandmother! In fact the due date is today, and I am anxiously awaiting the new arrival. This baby sleeping on the back is all new to me. My daughter in love was telling me about this a few weeks ago and I was very surprised that they have been advising parents not to let their baby sleep on their tummy. It seems like a natural position for a baby. Not wanting to be an interferring mother in law I just said that was news to me. I will be interested in hearing more about this.

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