i know your supposed to place your infant on there backs to sleep but!!?

Question

my 5 month old wont stay on his back its scaring me what should i do i put him in this thing called a wedge and he just turned over in it also he just started doing this i cant sleep im so afaid something might happen to him what should i do

Answer 1

maybe he prefers to sleep on his stomach or side...
i have three children and they all slept differently
child #1 liked her stomach...at the time the back sleeping was being touted as the only way to let your baby sleep
child #2 loved sleeping on his back in total dark with an ice cold bottle before bedtime (and i do mean ICE cold)...at the time everyone was on the wagon about how stomach sleeping was best for babies
child #3 started out on her side...changing to stomach and back during the night all over the baby bed....
i worried all the time till my doctor told me to chill out!! if the child prefers to sleep in a certain position and they have the proper bedding and no toys or fluffy items in their cribs then let them sleep...waking them up to put them in the position you want them to sleep in just makes everyone lose sleep!!

Answer 2

My Daughter is almost 6 months. Ever since she was a new born she never slept on her back. Even in the hospital the nurses tried putting her on her back and she would just cry until i put her on her belly. This is a preference that your baby has. It is okay. At first i was worried but than i talked to my mother and she said that as long as the baby is in good health you should sleep easy knowing that your child is comfortably resting. After all, my mother had 3 children and we all slept on our stomachs. This was before the big SIDS scare.

Answer 3

Didn't anybody tell you (they should have!) that once your baby turns themselves over in their crib, you should stop trying to keep them on their back? YOu can't stay up all night till your kid is 1 year old, just flipping them back over every time they turn onto their tummy. Your pedicatrician will confirm this. You are only creating more SIDS risk by putting wedges and things in the crib. Just let him be and sleep peacefully.

Answer 4

You think you're scared!!! my 8 week old refuses to sleep on her back and i just keep a very close eye on her.

If he's turning over onto his tummy himself then obviously that is where he is most comfortable. At 5 months he would have great neck control and will move his head to the side to breathe.

To put your mind at rest, let him sleep on his tummy and watch him (heck watch him for one whole night if you like, take turns with hubby) and see if he does keep moving his head to avoid suffocation.

The best way to avoid any problems is to keep all toys and even blankets etc out of the cot. With my first child, he never slept with a top sheet (still doesn't - just kicks it off), so we always ensured that he was well dressed for the weather and in winter made sure he had footed pj's and a safe heater in his room. (We have a 'space heater' which is very safe, not hot to the touch, thermostat controlled and if knocked over will automatically switch off). Cost like AUD$300 but worth the money for peace of mind.

Hope this helps you to feel safer.

Answer 5

I was worried as well when my son didn't want to sleep on his back. It was the choice of either of us not sleeping or him sleeping on his stomach. I read up on all the stories about sids and what is best for the baby.

He is almost 2 and still sleeps on his stomach. I wanted him to get a good night sleep, and decided that was the most important thing to me. He is a healthy, energenic boy who just wanted to sleep on his stomach.

If he is just starting this it is possible he is ready to be on his stomach. My doctor told me as long as he is rolling over and knows what he is doing, it is fine. (I know it is hard to think a child 5 months old knows what he is doing, but trust me they do!)

Also it does goes in fades with what is best for the baby, when we were young and babies it was best for us to sleep on our stomachs. So don't get worried, just trust your infant. I am sure they actually know what is best.

Answer 6

Perfectly normal. About that time, they start sleeping on their bellies and it's FINE. Just make sure all toys and such are out of the crib/bassinette. Don't use the wedge. My son did the same thing and the doctor actually encouraged it due to the development of the back of their heads.....

Answer 7

Once a baby is old enough to roll over, it is okay if they wind up on their stomach. You should still put your baby down on his back though. And make sure that bumpers, toys, and even the wedge are removed from the crib in order to decrease the risk of SIDS as he rolls around. Make sure to also give him a pacifier, it is helpful against SIDS

Answer 8

You know what amazes me is that my last two were preemie and it had been 14 years since my last child, so that last child was the opposite rule of on the tummy. My older two were born when they told you to have them sleep on their tummy. Anyway, the last two (twins) were in the hospital for about three weeks and were allowed and even placed on their tummies to sleep, which is fine when they are hooked up to all those cool monitors, but guess how they wanted to sleep when they got home, yes on their tummies still. We even got the speech about how dangerous tummy sleeping is. So, I don't really know now if it's truly dangerous, plus they have also now linked sids to other things besides tummy sleeping. Ask your Doctor, even for just your own peace.

Answer 9

Just lay him to sleep on his back. Maybe put him back when you get up to check on him.

If you are still scared (which I COMPLETELY understand), they sell these little things (At places like WalMart) that you can put up on the crib (away from the baby.) It can sense movement, and if 5 minutes (Or whatever you set it to I think) go by with no movement an alarm goes off.

Handy little thing eh?

Answer 10

If he can turn over on his own, he is already at a hugely decreased risk of SIDS (the reason doctors recommend back-sleeping)
It's fine. Don't worry about turning him if he rolls over on his own. Keep putting him on his back, but if he rolls over, don't bother waking him to switch him. He'll be fine.