Baby sleeping on his belly???

Question

I have a 4 months old son, he was born at 28 weeks, he loves to sleep on his tommy and when I turn him over and let him sleep on his back he wont sleep and gets scared of his hands. Is sleeping on his belly bad??? Can his back hurt from that in the future??

Answer 1

There is evidence that tummy sleeping carries a higher risk of SIDS. Any doctor would warn you against it.

If he is old enough to roll over to his tummy himself though, you are probably past that risk stage. Being the neurotic mommy that I am, I'd probably put him on his back anyway.

Answer 2

If your 4 month old was born at 28 weeks gestation, that would make him 1 month adjusted (which is what you go by in a premature baby until age 2), and a 1 month old should not be sleeping on their belly since they have very limited motor control at this age. A baby is at risk of SIDS when doing this, especially a premature baby. Please put him on his back. He'll get used to sleeping that way. If he has reflux, like most premature babies do, then you may want to use a wedge that has him lay at an angle to prevent him from aspirating. Consult his doctor.

Answer 3

I always let my babies sleep on their bellies, BUT, my babies were born at full term.

I would not recommend letting your preemie sleep on his belly. The risk of SIDS is higher for kids born prematurely, and belly sleeping has also been shown to increase the risk. I would be safe and help your son learn to like sleeping on his back until he's at least 6 months old.

Answer 4

ok my 7 month old daughter sleeps on her belly also, I lost a baby from SIDS and they say that sleeping on the back reduces the risk Of sids but no matter how i try she still seems to roll over to her belly, so, here is what I do, i just check her every so often and make sure she is still breathing, even in the middle of the night, and i make sure there is nothing i her crib, playpen that my daughter can get her face burried into........... good luck hun

Answer 5

Haven't you heard of the "Back to sleep" campaign? There has been a dramatic decrease in SIDS deaths since mothers have been encouraged to have babies sleep on their backs. Since your son was a preemie he may have had a compromised respiratory system to begin with. Just because he likes to sleep on his tummy doesn't mean it's okay. If your son is old enough to roll over on his own then it is okay because the sensory system in his brain is mature enough to wake him up. Also, boys are more susceptible to SIDS. Please, don't take the chance. Your son will learn to soothe himself to sleep. It may mean some sleepless nights for you, but it's worth his safety.

Answer 6

If he's old enough to hold up his head 90 degrees on his belly I wouldn't worry. It won't hurt him at all. Just be sure that nothing is in the crib and that it is a sturdy flat surface. A light blanket should do it. Also keep maybe the baby monitor on in your room so should he be struggling you can help him out.

Answer 7

Both of mine liked to sleep on their bellies and did with no problems. With my first, I would use those little wedges, but it would work out from under him and he'd end up on his belly eventually, so I just let him. With my second, I just folded or rolled receiving blankets and would wedge under her tummy to give her something to hold her a little off the mattress so her airway wouldn't be restricted (of course, position it around her belly, not her face). Eventually, she just slept straight on her belly and could keep her nose out of the mattress by herself.

When they were extremely young, I'd let them sleep like this during the day (when I could monitor them) and still try to put them on their backs at night. But, it didn't take long to allow either of them to sleep like that, which was clearly their preferred position.

Answer 8

It is bad because of SIDS, he won't have any kind of back damage. I he's scared of his hands it's OK he'll get used to it. Wrap him up in a good blanket and this should eliminate this problem.

Answer 9

You are supposed to put a child to sleep on his/her back, but once they learn to turn on their tummies there isn't much you can do about it. Just make sure you don't give him any blankets, stuffed animals or pillows.

Answer 10

I have three children my youngest being 10 months old, they all slept on there tummies from the time they were born, none of them would sleep on their backs. Just check on the baby alot.