When is my infant old enough to sleep on his tummy?

Question

My child is near 7 months old and is actively rolling over but doesn't roll over all the time. I will be asking my pediatrician next visit when a good time to let him sleep on his belly is but I'd like some input now.

Thanks all

Answer 1

I don't want to just negate what everyone says but just because the baby can roll over, doesn't mean he should sleep on his back.

If he's so soundly asleep that he burrows into a corner of the bed (esp. one with a bumper), he will not wake himself up to roll over. Babies don't have the "I'm-in-a-bad-position-so-I
-better- roll-over" instinct. Do you get what I'm saying?

I know most of us probably were raised sleeping on our stomachs and I know babies sleep more soundly on their bellies (why they also don't wake as easily!) but, STATISTICS show that, since drs have been recommending babies be placed on their backs, the rate of SIDS has been reduced betw. 65-80%!!

Really, go with your gut on this. If you've been placing your baby on his/her back all this time, keep doing it. The best determinate is when you wake up in the morning and your child has rolled from his back to his stomach. THEN you know he can wake himself.

G-d bless you and baby!

Answer 2

I know exactly how your feel. My baby will be 6 mth olds in the next week and has been sleeping on her belly since she was about 4 to 5 weeks old. When we brought her home from the hospital, we had every intention of having her sleep on her back. But, she always screamed and when she finally fell asleep, 20 minutes later she'd be screaming again. To say everyone was exhausted is an understatement. It was awful to watch how painfully overtired our baby had become and we tried everything to get her to sleep. We let her cry, I elimated dairy from my diet, we rocked her, etc., etc. Nothing worked. One day, she was screaming in her bassinett, I picked her up, placed her on her belly so I could go grab something and within seconds, she stopped crying - within a few minutes she was sound asleep and slept for several hours. Later on, we put her to sleep on her back, and again she cried. When put on her belly, she was much calmer and slept ALOT better. We moved her from the bassinett to the crib because it had a firmer mattress, therefore safer to sleep on. We kept her room warm, not hot and never over dressed her or put itmes in her crib. For the past month or so she has been able to easily roll herself over from back to front and vice versa. We put her in the crib on her back, she plays for a while and when she wants to sleep, she rolls herself onto her belly. On average, she sleeps about 8-10 hours at night. In the beginning, I was very worried about her sleeping on her belly. But, thank God, she is fine and is doing well. My advice is do what's best for your baby and if you chose to have him sleep on his belly, make sure his sleeping area is as safe as possible. Use a firm mattress, with fitted sheets, don't overdress or put blankets or toys in the crib. Also, start teaching your baby how to roll over. The sooner your baby can roll from front to back, the better you will feel about belly sleeping. Good luck.

Answer 3

It's best to put your baby to sleep on its back and if the child rolls over in his sleep it should be fine. Whenever my dd did that at that age I would turn her back over (we co-sleep). Now that she is nearing 11 months I let her sleep however she wants. Your instincts will tell you when it's okay.

Answer 4

I kept my daughter on her back until she started rolling over, now i let her sleep however she wants. she'll sleep on belly back side, just whatever is comfy for her. I let my oldest sleep on her belly when she was like 2 months old, she wouldn't sleep anyother way. It didn't/doesn't bother either girl. I sleep however I feel comfy so why not them?

Answer 5

I have had 5 kids and everyone of them slep on their tummy when I brought them home from the hospital. In a couple of years there will be new rules aboout something else. Use your gut instinct

Answer 6

He can sleep on his tummy now. As long as he can turn over on his own, he'll be fine. If you're like me, you'll panic at first & check him constantly for a few days. Just keep an eye on him as usual.

Answer 7

If your son is old enough to roll over onto his stomach to sleep then he is old enough to sleep on his stomach safely.

I wouldn't recommend laying him in his crib on his stomach though because children who sleep on their stomach have a higher rate of SIDS than those who sleep on their backs.

Answer 8

im guessing like 2 (u can never b 2 sure) if u want u can ask a docter they will know 4 sure. i dont really c wats wrong wit sleeping on ur tummy when ur small.

Answer 9

if your baby is old enough to roll over and hold it's head up then it should be okay it doesn' treally matter how you lay it if it can roll over

Answer 10

Well my littel sister always slep on her stomic I think you should wait a few weeks and watch it.