Sleep safety

ekkeh

Hi everyone, looking for some advice on sleep safety.

My 2.5-month old is not able to sleep on his back, he either co-sleeps or sleeps on his belly. I know all this is against safety recommendations, but at the same time my wife and extended family all tell me not to worry. They say that getting sufficient sleep outweights the SIDS risk, and when we tried to have the baby sleep only on his back for a couple of nights/days he indeed slept a lot less (maybe just 8 hours total a day).

So I was wondering, can we just continue with belly/co-sleeping until ~4-6 months when we wanted to start some more disciplined sleep training? The hope here is that it is just a temporary risk that we can overcome, but just a bit later.

Or should we already be more consequential now and have the baby sleep on the back, despite a much lower overall sleep volume? With the hope that he will get used to it and sleep more, and we just have to get through the initial painful days?

Thanks in advance for your help.

knottie_knottie1

It sounds like you prefer co-sleeping, but feel guilty about it. IMO you and your partner should do your own research on infant sleep and do what makes sense for your family. 

Some information on co-sleeping/bedsharing...
La Leche Safe Sleep Seven

https://www.llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/

Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions by James McKenna

Infant Co-sleeping with James McKenna

https://youtu.be/-gEjattIqlY

Co-sleeping - What No One Tells You

https://youtu.be/4Ac3rrYNbu8

@cosleepy (Instagram)

Wishilivedinflorida

The AAP absolutely recommends placing baby on their back to sleep for the first year. It is absolutely more consequential the younger they are. Older babies can roll over and are more able to get themselves “out of trouble” and are less likely to place themselves in a position that would be dangerous. 

To me, belly sleeping AND co sleeping is a disaster waiting to happen. I would personally cut the belly sleeping ASAP and research safe co sleeping. Trust me, a tired baby figuring out back sleeping for a short time beats a dead baby from SIDS. 

Other things you can try is swaddling, white noise, and a safe motion bassinet such as the Snoo. I am awaiting baby #3 and this will be our approach. Have we lost sleep before? Sure, but it’s temporary and I want to ensure my baby’s safety. 

ekkeh

Thank you for the replies. Th baby has been belly sleeping mostly, less co-sleeping.

Does anyone have data on SIDS, and especially statistics that support back vs belly sleeping? This would help us to better understand the risks and give is motivation to suffer some sleepless nights (the family also only got covid vaccines when death statistics were published)

00kim00

Here's some info on the increased risk of SIDS with belly sleeping: https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/research/science/backsleeping#:~:text=The single most effective action,of SIDS by 1.7 - 12.9.

knottie_knottie1

Here's additional info about belly sleeping and strategies to get a baby to sleep on their back who prefer belly sleep... https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/baby-sleeping-on-stomach

knottied8fc0a2cac8afde1

I have a 2 month baby and she is able to move and sleep sideways. My husband and I have been letting her sleep in a bassinet since we brought her home. However, she is getting bigger. Is it to soon to have her sleep in a crib at night? 

Wishilivedinflorida

knottied8fc0a2cac8afde1 said:

I have a 2 month baby and she is able to move and sleep sideways. My husband and I have been letting her sleep in a bassinet since we brought her home. However, she is getting bigger. Is it too soon to have her sleep in a crib at night? 

The concern would be that if she is close to rolling that you should make sure she isn’t swaddled with arms in any more. Her first roll could be in a crib or bassinet, you never know! My daughter rolled toward her side until she fattened up and it weighed her back down 🤣 Crib should be safe if you aren’t swaddling anymore as long as there’s a firm mattress and nothing else in bed with her. 

If you follow the strict AAP recommendations, they recommend room sharing until one year of age. Not sure if you would put a crib in your room, but it is food for thought. We personally do crib in a separate room once baby is unswaddled around 4 months and the night feeds are less frequent.