My son sleeps on my chest, what to do?

Question

My son is five months and he sleeps on my chest. When he first came home he slept on his back because he was swaddled. After two weeks he would wrestle out of the swaddle and wake up crying. so I started putting him on his stomach. Now he wont sleep on his back and I know he is suppose to sleep on his back. I'm so afraid of putting him in his crib on his stomach so I started sleeping with him on my chest. I'm ready for him to sleep in his crib, but I'm so afraid to put him on his tummy because of SIDS. Please help me!!!!!!

Answer 1

I had this exact problem with my son who is now 3. Some children just don't want to be held down and that is what swaddleing does. Don't bother with that anymore. You are also in a heap of trouble tryinhg to get him to sleep on his own. My husband had enough when my son was 6 months old and it was harder for me to let him go to his crib than it was on my son. He will be fine. You will be able to hear him when he wakes up crying. Also he is pasted the age for SIDS. They also discovered that SIDS is genitics, not how the child slept. It has something to do with respritory and not being able to fully control it. My son slept on his stomack the whole time. I know it's easy to say, but, don't worry too much about it. He will be fine.

Answer 2

I know exactly how you feel my son is the same age and I'm going through the same thing. We've got the mommy-jitters. Only I've already started the transition phase with him.

Use a positioner to keep him from rolling over face down, especially since he's at that phase now. Go through your usual routine to get to sleep (change diaper, put on PJ's, nurse or feed, and laid across your chest), once he's REALLy asleep lay him on his back in the positioner so he won't roll face down.

After nine months spent nestled inside you, being alone in a big crib with no warm body nearby can come as quite a shock. Although every baby is different, almost all of them get a bit agitated if a parent lays them down while they're still wide awake. Most need to be "parented" to sleep — nursed, bottle-fed, or rocked until they drop off.

What worked for me afterwhile. Was that my husband could help rock him to sleep, by wrapping him in my robe (in your case perhaps something you wore recently or wear often) this is so that your child can smell your scent which comforts him. He also needs body warmth to fall asleep, make certain he's dressed warmly enough or cool enough so that he doesn't wake quickly.

One glorious day, he may even be ready to get himself off to sleep without much help. Once that happens, there are two things to try: One is to nurse or cuddle him until he's so sleepy that it's more effort for him to protest when you lay him down than it is to simply slip into slumber. The other is to find a compromise kind of contact — such as rocking, patting, or stroking — that helps bridge the gap between being held and being alone.

Keep in mind, though, that these are transitional measures. Gradually withdraw them, and in a few months you should be able to put your sleepy-but-still-conscious baby in his crib and leave him, happily, to doze off ON HIS OWN!!


You might have to lose some sleep for a week or two while you re-train him but it's worth it.

Answer 3

hes five months old started at 6 months old you can pretty much stop worrying about sids my son loved sleeping on his chest so as long as you check on him every so often he should be fine now you dont want him to get used to the whole sleeping on your chest cause then he wont sleep anyway else so i would just makesure your moniter is a really good moniter and start to trust him in his crib make sure the bedding is tightly snug and now other objects are in the crib such as pillows stuffed animals or anything and the kind of blanket that i always used with my son was one the had wholes all though it like an baby affgan so that if they do pull it over there head then there is a chance they can still breath instead of suffocating good luck hun

Answer 4

Very real concern! I have a friend who's son died of sids. As long as the baby can roll over on their own, there is no sense in keeping them on their back, cuz they will roll over to a comfy position for them, there are things(likes wedges) you can buy to keep them in one position, but some babies are frustrated by this confinement(as he was with the swaddling), so it makes it really diffcult. Boys are more likely to die from sids, which poses more concern. I would talk to your pediatrician about it and give the wedge a try. My daughter had reflux, so we held her all night in a rocking chair until she was 9 months old, then until she was 2, she slept in her infant carseat..... Strange, but true... Have you tried letting him sleep in the bouncy seat? My daughter was so spoiled from us holding her, that it became nearly impossible to get her to fall and stay asleep without human contact, so unless u wanna do this for a lot longer, you need to figure it out now. Good luck, and God speed! I have been there, so I feel for u in every way!

Answer 5

Is he rolling over? I know at about four months alot of babies roll over ont heir own. If he is, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Most mom's stop trying to force their kids on their backs once their able to lift their heads up pretty well and roll over. I know it's a matter of what you are comfortable with. I think at five months it's not so much of a big deal that their on their stomachs. The risk of sids decreases as they get closer to six months and then it drops significantly. If your that stressed about wait until six months. The longer you wait to put him the crib though the less likely he is going to want to be in the crib. He's had five months of sleeping with you. He might refuse to be in the crib altogether. What I started doing with my four and a half month old, is put her on her stomach and pat her back. Then when she is out I flip her over. She currently rolls back to stomach, not stomach to back yet. But when she does roll stomach to back I'm going to leave her on her stomach if she rolls.

Answer 6

LOL, I got the same problem. My baby is 7 weeks. He hates sleeping on his back. He will stay asleep for like 5 minutes that way. During the day when I'm in the house I put him on his stomach on our couch so I can see him and hear him. At night he sleeps in our bed on his side. (I put pillows behind his back so he don't roll onto it. I know its bad to put the baby in bed with me, but its actually proven that baby's are less likely to die of SIDS because they follow the parents breathing patterns. I say put him on his stomach when your home and try the side thing at night. Baby's don't pick up habits till 3 months so if you have time to let him sleep on your chest than let him, if not than put him on his stomach while he naps. Good luck

Answer 7

Put him on his back with a small blanket under him [where it won't harm him of course] he won't be able to turn over. At least that's what my child's doctor told me, it's been a long time since I had babies. Just be careful. He's a bit past the age where SIDS occurs most often but you should still be concerned. I lost a child to SIDS. He would have been 18 on Saturday so I understand your fears. Good luck to you, just remember this doesn't last forever! I promise.

Answer 8

At 5 months I'd say it's still a little too early to allow him to sleep on his stomach unsupervised. If you are planning on letting him sleep on his stomach, then make sure there are no loose sheets or blankets around him and make sure there are no stuffed animals or loose crib bedding (such as bumpers) around him.

If you don't want him sleeping on his stomach (which I would agree with) try letting him sleep on his side instead. Or, let him fall asleep on your chest and then lay him on his back to sleep in his crib.

Answer 9

Both my girls slept on thier tummies. At 5 months old, he probably rolls over and even if you put him on his back to sleep, he'd probably flip over to his belly because he's more comfortable that way. I use to say a little prayer everynight before putting my baby girls to bed. I think it worked. They're healthy 8 and 4 year olds now. Good luck and do what you're comfortable with!!

Answer 10

There are products on the market that help will help him sleep on his side. Try that, if that doesn't work, you are going to have to let him cry for a bit, but him sleeping on your chest, you're going to have to phase out, like immediately!