Does anyone still put their baby down to sleep on the tummy?

Question

I know that u are not supposed to for fear of SIDS, but sometimes it does make a difference and I just thought Id ask if anyone still does it?

Answer 1

My daughter would only sleep on her side or tummy from day one. Her startle reflex was just too great to let her lay there too long. I was scared for the longest time.....till she turned one.....about SIDS. I'd wake up with a start to check on her, lol. I was paranoid. But she's fine. So many things can cause SIDS and there's research that is showing the possible cause.

Answer 2

Babies do sleep better on their tummies, and we were all put to sleep on our tummies and we survived BUT many babies our age died, too. My MIL puts her grandchildren to sleep on their tummies, and that's why I don't let her watch my children. There is an alternative: just swaddle baby. Have someone make you large receiving blankets. Use one yard of cotton flannel and serge the edges (or use a rolled hem foot on a conventional machine). Homemade blankets are larger than the blankets in stores and will last until baby is old enough to roll onto his tummy if he wants to. Some people like the Velcro baby swaddlers. I've never tried one because blankets work so well. Please learn how to swaddle your baby so you're not tempted to put a newborn on his tummy.

ETA: Excluding medical conditions that indicate tummy-sleeping, for example: reflux, stuffy nose, other conditions diagnosed by a physician.

Tummy-sleeping is the single biggest cause of SIDS. Why risk it because "my baby likes to sleep on her tummy"? My mother-in-law believes that her sleep is more important than SIDS. She believes that smoking during pregnancy and near baby is OK, carseats are optional, pool alarms and fences are annoying and that prescription drugs should be kept in low drawers so children can learn self-control. If this were 1950, I might agree, but we know more now.

Answer 3

I always laid my daughter down to sleep on her back, but after a few months she started rolling over onto her tummy. That's just how she was comfortable. Then later as she got a little older, I would occasionally lay her down on her belly, but there was no way she was just going to sponaneously suffocate. If something got too close to her face, she was big enough to turn her head, even in her sleep. Now she is almost 2 and still sleeps on her tummy alot. I think parents need to lay them on their backs all the time when they're babies, but there is nothing to freak out about if the baby turns to his/her tummy--some babies just like it. I think it's more important to keep fluffy blankets and things out of the way when they are little.

Answer 4

We used a sleep positioner to put her on her side for a while, then my hubby put her on her belly one night (she was about 2 weeks old). She slept so well! She is now 11-weeks old. Her startle reflex is still a bit strong, so I generally put her on her tummy, but she will fuss when she wants to be flipped over.

Basically, she rarely sleeps on her back due to spit-up issues and her startle reflex. I don't worry too much about SIDS, since I strongly believe it is linked to vaccines and we don't vaccinate. Also, she sleeps about 8 inches away from me in her cradle, so I hear her breathing all night. (She sleeps as quietly as a trainwreck! I think the neighbors can hear her sleeping!)

Answer 5

To the girl on the sids stuff being crap I disagree my son passed away from SIDS at 16 days old but he was on his back I understand what you are saying about it can happen other ways. This can be true but just to be safe the babies should be on their back.

Answer 6

My second son refused to sleep or lay on his back due to really bad acid reflux. We put him on his side when he was first born, but he quickly learned how to get on his tummy and that was how he preferred to sleep. If I have to choose between a baby waking up multiple times each night on their back or a baby sleeping through the night on their tummy, I will choose tummy sleeping every time.

Answer 7

The only way I could get my daughter to go to sleep is by letting her sleep on her tummy from the time she was a week old and she was sleeping through the nights before she was a month old and her doctor even told me that there is nothing wrong with it because she did the same thing with her kids.

Answer 8

My son was and still is a tummy sleeper. The doctors and everyone else said I should have him sleep on his back, so I did lay him on his back at first and I didn't get any sleep. If I laid him on his belly he slept all night, he is now almost 7. If you do have your baby sleep on its belly just make sure you don't have a pillow or anything else up by its face.

Answer 9

I have six kids all alive and well!
All belly sleepers!
I read that a long as your house temp is 68 - 71 and there is air flowing it decreases the odds of SIDS by 61 percent!
And it not that cold! and a one peice sleeper that fits sung, but no blanket unless you are a light sleeper!

Answer 10

I always put my nearly 5 month old on her back, but for the last couple of days the little bugger has rolled onto her stomach and fallen asleep after I leave the room. I've then been going back in and rolling her back.

I know people who place their children on their stomachs to sleep, but the vast majority do backs.