my baby sleeps on her tummy at night and naps is this okay??

Question

she has done this since she was born and won't sleep on her back. does it matter if she sleeps on her tummy or her back??

Answer 1

They say that if your baby sleeps on their stomach they are at a higher risk for SIDS, but everyone I know slept on their stomach when they were babies and my 5 month old has since the day we left the hospital. i have heard that babies that sleep on their stomachs learn to crawl faster and have better developed fine motor skills.

There will be a bunch of people telling you that this is horrible, don't listen to them do what you want.


I researched SIDS for a class one year- in my opinion if your baby is going to die from SIDS it will happen no matter how they sleep.

Answer 2

The truth is no one knows what causes SIDS, and there are a lot of people on here that have themselves been terrified by all the media attention and are now terrified of putting babies to sleep on their tummies. There is a book by Jim Sprott that definitively shows that SIDS is actually caused by a toxic reaction to common household fungus when using flame retardant sheets. I have not read the book, nor personally done the research, but this definitely makes the most sense for a myriad of reasons. Both of my girls have been put to sleep on their tummies. My first one, because that's what was "reducing SIDS" back then, and the second one (though now they say the opposite is true) because she was happiest this way. The first one is almost out of high school and the second is almost one now. Being a parent is tough enough, without being terrified about what position your baby sleeps in. I say, pick up the book, put your baby to sleep in 100% cotton (no chemicals of ANY KIND added) sheets, and read it.

Answer 3

Your baby should only sleep on her tummy if she is old enough to roll over and there for can not be prevented from doing so. It is crazy to place a baby on his/her tummy with all the info about the increased risk for sids when babies sleep on their tummies. Sure it may be a small chance but is it really a chance worth taking? Could you live with yourself if something happened and you knew you had placed her on her tummy against everything you had been told and everything you knew?

Answer 4

It will matter an awful lot if your baby is the one or two out of a thousand who dies of SIDS or the one in a million who dies of suffocation. If not, it doesn't matter at all. It's true that many--probably most--of today's adults slept on their stomachs. So did their baby brothers and sisters who were buried in tiny little coffins. The only question is...are you willing to risk it? Remember when reading the small numbers--if it happens to *your* baby, it's 100%.

Two other things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS are to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months (and continue nursing for at least a year) and to put your baby into your bed to sleep instead of all alone.

It is a *fact* that SIDS deaths have been cut in half as a direct result of the American medical community encouraging parents to put babies on their backs *only* for sleep. If the population here at Yahoo Answers is at all typical, there are still many parents who don't listen to the experts, so the risk could probably be cut still further.

It is *also* a fact that babies almost always sleep longer and deeper on their stomachs. That's the precise problem. SIDS happens when a baby is sleeping too deeply and can't wake herself up. Babies sleep longer on their stomachs, but they sleep *better* on their backs. Good sleep is sleep they wake up from again.

Answer 5

There's new evidence that putting babies to sleep on their backs is the safest position for the infants.

For a long time, the medical community have known putting babies to bed on their backs reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The new study from Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine indicates that the benefits of back sleeping may reduce the risk of other illnesses, too.

They found that babies who sleep on their backs are less prone to ear infections, and less likely to develop fever or a stuffy nose than those who slept on their stomachs or sides.
Education campaigns about the importance of back sleeping have made parents more aware and reduced the incidence of SIDS by more than 40 percent. Unfortunately, says Dr. Senay, some people still have reservations about placing infants to sleep on their backs.

Some have said because they fear that babies sleeping on the back might increase the likelihood of choking on vomit. But the new study did not show any relationship between choking and back sleeping. In fact, says Dr. Senay, they found that children had less trouble sleeping on their backs than on their stomachs.
Researchers don't know the reason that back sleeping seems to be beneficial for babies, but they have a theory that stomach sleeping leads to a higher mouth and throat temperature, which might encourage the growth of bacteria that cause ear infections and other illnesses.

Answer 6

All 3 of mine (7,4,1) slept on their tummies from day one. Not that I didn't try to do the back sleep thing, but they weren't having it. Those sleep positioners are not hightly recommended any longer. Make sure the mattress is firm and sheets are well fitted. In reality no one knows for sure why babies suffer from SIDS. Relax and keep a watchful eye on the little one as you would anyway.

Answer 7

Doctors says a infant should sleep on its back to prevent SID. But my daughter since the day she born always slept on her belly. That was her comfort zone. Yea its OK she sleeps on her tummy. My daughter slept on a pillow too and she was fine. She is now one years old and healthy. Its best for your child to be comfortable or you will be up more often during the night.

Answer 8

this controversy over back or tummy makes everybody really nervous when their baby prefers their tummy. You need to make the best decision for you and your baby. Mine slept with me the first two months and now always sleeps on her tummy. We were nervous but we prayed a lot and kept absolutely everything out of her crib. I dressed her warm enough to not need a blanket but in something breathable so she wouldn't get too warm and I checked on her A LOT! Make sure the mattress is really firm and the sheet is tight. Some say that letting them keep a pacifier to sleep helps, it makes sense to me but I dont' know for sure if it's true. Just make sure you don't leave a pacifier keeper or string or anything with it, JUST the pacifier. Ultimately, God has control over your babies life and all we can do is our best to keep them safe.

Answer 9

Because of SIDS, you're supposed to put them on their backs. No one is quite sure what causes SIDS. There are many theories, from under developed muscles that cause the heart to stop beating, to deep sleep speculation. The deep sleep theory says that some babies sleep so deeply, that if they were to start suffocating (like face in the mattress) the sensor that alerts them to wake up will not "sound." (These babies will eventually grow out of it, so they just need to be watched up until 6 months to a year.) I think that's the theory that concerns putting your baby on her stomach to sleep.

But there are other things linked to SIDS, like cigarette smoke, overheating, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, etc. Since they don't know what exactly causes SIDS, it's hard to find statistics on which exposure causes the most amount of SIDS deaths- like tummy sleeping alone compared to exposure of tobacco smoke alone.

There are certain babies who shouldn't sleep on their backs. Babies that have reflux (GERD) should not sleep flat on their backs because stomach acid can wash up through their esophagus and possibly be inhaled through the trachea. My daughter has GERD, and I put her to sleep in her swing or her carseat for the time being (she's 4 weeks old), because it keeps her elevated and the stomach acid down. I also think she sleeps more soundly there (my son did too) because there is more back support. Here is another alternative: the Amby Bed:

http://www.ambybaby.com/
http://www.ambybaby.com/sids-prevention.php

Basically, there is no way to tell if your child is prone to SIDS until it happens. Then, there is really no way to tell what caused it. They only have records of common exposures, so they tell you to avoid all of them to reduce your risk. However, because there is no concrete evidence that only these factors increase the risk, you could avoid all of them and still have a child die from SIDS caused by some other unknown factor.

It's really up to you. If you want to get her to start sleeping on her back, just remember that she can't be awake forever- she'll eventually fall asleep on her own. Also, if she's rolling over onto her stomach during the night, doctors will tell you to let them sleep the rest of the night on their stomach- they're most likely able to roll back over again. It also depends on how old she is. If she's close to a year, then I probably wouldn't change her sleep style. I would just go with your gut instinct and what you think is best for your daughter.

Answer 10

SIDS is more easily prevented if she sleeps on her back. But, we were raised sleeping on our tummys and sides. I would just be sure to keep an extra careful watch on her, to make sure she doesn't get tangled in the sheets or buries her face into the mattress. But she should be alright for the most part.