my 15 week old daughter wont stop sleeping on her stomach. What can I do?

Question

My little one is only 3 1/2 months old and already rolls over onto her tummy. I am proud of her achievement but she also does it when she sleeps at night. She is determined. I tried rolling up recieving blankets & tucking them against her sides ( she can roll both directions) but this does not stop her. I even took her bumper pads off so she will not roll against them. She seems too small for me not to worry about it but I dont know if there is much I can do. I am terrified of SIDS and I need advice.

Answer 1

My son is 4 months and he sleeps on his stomach all the time. My doctor said that when they can roll themselves over, that there isnt much you can do and the risk of SIDS deminishes a lot when they can roll themselves over. She told me not to worry about letting him sleep on his tummy if he rolls over into that position.

Answer 2

My daughter was a tummy-sleeper too. Actually, she still is and she's 5 now! ;-) We tried and tried to get her to sleep on her back or side, and she would sleep for a little bit and wake up. She was only happy on her tummy. As long as there's pretty good airflow in and around her crib, I think it's OK. Just be careful of loose sheets and blankets. Someone else mentioned that once they roll over the chances of SIDS decrease, and I think I remember that too. Good luck & try to rest!

Answer 3

I understand the fear that you have. My son was the same way, he refused to sleep on his back. There is a device, if you will, that they make. It looks like two triangles (one for each side) and a peice of cloth that attaches them (it's adjustable) that you can put her between so that she's unable to roll over. However, if she's anything like my son she'll scream and hate it.

After some time of fighting with her my Mother made a very good point to me. Years prior to the birth of him it was "don't let them sleep on their backs, because that causes SIDS or they can sufficate on their own vomit, etc" Every so many years other research results come out and it changes from what it was before for some reason or another. And after some checking, she was right it does change. With as uncomfortable as I was letting her, I made sure that I put him in a one piece gown with feet so that he's stay warm one light blanket and nothing else in the crib. And he slept soo much better.

The positioner is shown in the link.

Answer 4

The likelihood of SIDS is very low for *all* babies. The reason for the "back to sleep" campaign is to protect babies *statistically*, not individually. Unfortunately, there is probably nothing you can do to make your daughter sleep on her back if she is insistent that she wants to sleep on her stomach. :-(

The reason you are supposed to keep baby on her back is that she is less comfortable sleeping that way and *will* wake up more often. SIDS is thought to occur when a baby "forgets" to wake up. It is *not* suffocation. So one option is to just wake her 2-3 times a night.

Since you can't control her stomach sleeping, work on other factors. If you are really terrified of SIDS, you can make sure that nobody *ever* smokes around your daughter (if you want to be *really* paranoid, don't let anyone who smokes *ever* near her). Breastfeed her exclusively for at least 6 months--no bottles, pacifiers, solids, or *anything*. And put her to sleep in your bed instead of a crib. These are all proven to reduce the risk of SIDS, and nursing protects more than any of the others; doctors--who warn you like crazy about stomach sleeping--don't tell you this so that mothers won't "feel guilty".

There is really an *extremely* low risk of any particular baby dying of SIDS. Your daughter will probably be fine.

Answer 5

If she is rolling on her own then there is nothing you can do. It is scary to let her sleep like that, but she will sleep how she is most comfortable. The doctor told me once they are rolling they will sleep how they want. Put her bumper pads back up so she doesn't roll and get a limb stuck, or hit her head. If you are still nervous then call your doctor. He might have other suggestions.

Answer 6

My babies would not sleep on their back for nothing. I was worried about SIDS too but if it's going to happen it will. I always propped the bumper pads up to make sure there was plenty of air circulation. They are finding that it because of the underdeveloped sensory that tells a child to take a breath to clear the carbondioxide. My girls are now 14, 11 and 10.

Answer 7

It seems that when the baby can roll over there is less risk for SIDS. The only thing you can do is follow all the SIDS rules and put her to sleep on her back. Pacifiers are also supposed to help against SIDS.

Answer 8

my son is 7 months old and since he was a newborn the only way he would sleep is on his belly. He too would roll over at night just to be on his belly. It seems to help him sleep better and if it helps her sleep better than go for it.

With the SIDS just don't put nothing else in her crib like at night dress her warmly enough she doesn't need a blanket and lay her just on the top sheet with nothing else that way theirs nothing she can get suffocated by.

Answer 9

My daughter did that too. I bought things to keep her on her back, but she managed to end up over it. SIDS is another worry that us mom's need to take seriously. But eventually, regardless of what you do, she is going to roll over. Give her plenty of "tummy time" when she is awake. Maybe that'll give her enough to be satisfied through the night. Or view her when she is sleeping (which Im sure you do) Can she lift her head? Does she turn her head to breath if her nose is covered? I notice my son (8 wks old now) lays on his tummy and puts his head downard. Then turns to the side when he realizes he cant breath this way. It only takes him a second. But talk to your doctor, its better to hear from a professional.

Answer 10

Well, Talk to her pediatrician. My son had acid refux really bad and my pediatrician suggested we try letting him sleep on his tummy. He's 2 and a half now and He still sleeps on his tummy. I know SIDS is a big concern, but if she's making the choice to roll over onto her tummy theres not much you can do. Talk to your pediatrician and see what they have to say on the subject. Good Luck!