Sleep positioning

twoitalians

I need some help trying to figure out how to get DS to sleep with his head turned to one side. He went for his two month checkup yesterday and the doctor said he has a strong preference for one side and we need to get him to start facing the other way. She suggested putting a rolled up blanket underneath the crib sheet positioned against his lower back on the side we do not want him facing. This worked for about half of the night last night while DS was in his deeper sleep phase but after his overnight feed when he gets a little restless in his crib he squirmed away from the "lump" we created and was back in his original position he loves turned to the one side. I've done some looking online and it seems as though the infant positioners that I would need have been recalled and banned so does anyone have any suggestions or had to do the same thing as me to prevent a flat side if your LO's head? What has worked for you?

ETA: oh I also wanna ask if RnPs would help with this as I kinda wanna get one cuz DS has a but of reflux too but I dont necessarily need one.

dreamalotmp

Hi. We were told recently that our 2.5 month old daughter has the same issue and it has caused a mild flat spot on the back left side of her head. They also suggested the rolled up blanket thing, but they said to pin it to her sleeper or swaddler. We haven't tried that yet because honestly it sounds confusing, but we do need to try that. Also switch which side you hold him when feeding him if that would help, as well as switching the way the changing table or pad faces. We have done those things. 

The rnp actually causes problems in this regard and doesn't help them because babies can't as easily move their heads around so they're sort of just stuck in one position all night. Sleeping on a flat surface is actually better because then babies move their heads around more and the chance that they will sleep on the 'good' side increases.

What I've been doing for now is if I see my daughter facing the 'wrong' way when she's sleeping, I gently turn her head the other way and she sleeps like that for a while. 

Hopefully that helps in some way. Good luck!

punkrockabye

We're still using the RnP and I've noticed that while I most often see her with her head not turned at all, she can easily turn her head and will sleep with it turned to the left and right side quite a bit. She doesn't really have a preference. She turns her head when she starts to rouse a bit and stretches. I'd say half the time her head isn't turned, and 25 percent of the time it's to the right, 25 percent to the left.

twoitalians

Thanks! I hadn't thought about changing the way the changing pad faces. I'll try that. It should at least help for some things

aadewitt

LO has a flat spot on his right side, when i 1st noticed it about a month or so ago we started putting toys (he loves to bat at objects) on this left side, that worked for about 3 weeks, but recently LO figured out how to put his hands in his mouth, and while its been great at self soothing, he prefers his right hand, and looks that way, even while batting at toys on the left side!   I tried the rolled receiving blanket idea, but he was tossing and turning and it didn't work,  I was too scared he was going to put his face into it! 

Im at a loss at what to do now, DR suggested we take him to a PT to work on some neck exercises for him,  but he can turn his head to the left with no problem, he just prefers the right side.  some older mothers at my work said that put him on tummy time, and once hes rolling, crawling and such it should fill out.