crib sleeping positions

LisaLisa1980 · November 2013

how does your LO sleep in the crib? do they sleep face down? DS will be transferring into his crib at night soon and I happened to stubble upon a write up of SIDS the other day - it stated that tummy sleeping was bad because it can make babies go into a deep sleep and not move when their breathing gets compromised. I have been stressing over this. I have seen DS roll onto his tummy during nap time and once he went face down. I went in there and turned his head. How am I going to deal with his night time sleep? I know it's safe now because he can lift his head and roll and whatnot, but OMG that line really got to me about getting into a deep sleep.

=Lee=B · November 2013

My general belief is that once baby can roll both ways let them sleep how they choose to sleep. A baby too young to roll shouldn't be placed face down as they have no way to roll to their back if they need to.

Almost all babies have a brief period where they can roll one way and get themselves to their tummies and wake up screaming (over and over) but they soon learn to roll the other way and are content to sleep on their belly.

I personally no longer worry about the risk of SIDS after they can roll. As much as it is a concern for decades all babies where placed on their tummies from birth. Yes, some died from SIDS but it was not a large number. By waiting until they can roll both ways we greatly reduce the risk. You, all moms, will drive yourself nuts trying to prevent a tummy sleeper from sleeping on their belly once they roll!!!

ASmallWonder · November 2013

I'm actually really, really surprised that you "stumbled" on an article and this is the first you've heard of this. Back sleeping is a huge deal and your pediatrician did you a huge disservice by not talking to you about it back when it mattered most - before he could roll over. It's one of the more basic "Baby Care 101" things. Once they can roll over you can safely let them sleep how they choose because they've developed the strength needed to change positions if needed. All that said, (and I mean this sincerely) you should pick up a baby care book because we can't always rely on our doctors to make sure we know everything and you really have to be knowledgeable.

honeydew01 · November 2013

DD is 8 months tomorrow and recently she started rolling on her tummy in the middle of the night and I am okay with it. She sleeps on her back, sides and tummy. She's old enough I am not concerned about SIDS. Also she has the neck muscle to roll back and forth on her own.
I'm all for whatever gets LOs the longest stretch of sleep. I wouldn't mess with anything.

LisaLisa1980 · November 2013

elmoali said:
I'm actually really, really surprised that you "stumbled" on an article and this is the first you've heard of this. Back sleeping is a huge deal and your pediatrician did you a huge disservice by not talking to you about it back when it mattered most - before he could roll over. It's one of the more basic "Baby Care 101" things. Once they can roll over you can safely let them sleep how they choose because they've developed the strength needed to change positions if needed. All that said, (and I mean this sincerely) you should pick up a baby care book because we can't always rely on our doctors to make sure we know everything and you really have to be knowledgeable.

Excuse me? Maybe my choice of words was poor. I know the SIDS risks, I know "back is best". I just did not know about the deep sleep thing - I just thought it was bad because of the whole not being able to move their heads. Please do not insult my intelligence

LisaLisa1980 · November 2013

Pinkie78 said:
Oh sometimes he is face down and sometimes his ear is pressed against the mattress.

Ya this girl I know - she said her sons face is always mashed right down into the mattress. Scary! Haha

pinottoparenthood · November 2013

Echoing what PP's said, all you can do is put your baby down on his back. How he chooses to sleep after that is up to him, but he will be fine! I know it's hard not to worry as a mom, but I seriously don't worry about this. He is rolling back and forth himself, he's happy sleeping on his tummy, there's nothing I can do about it, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it! Don't worry... just keep putting him down on his back and your little guy will be fine.

Also, I really don't think the PP meant to be insulting. I think she misunderstood what you were saying in your original post.

ASmallWonder · November 2013

LisaLisa1980 said:

I'm actually really, really surprised that you "stumbled" on an article and this is the first you've heard of this. Back sleeping is a huge deal and your pediatrician did you a huge disservice by not talking to you about it back when it mattered most - before he could roll over. It's one of the more basic "Baby Care 101" things. Once they can roll over you can safely let them sleep how they choose because they've developed the strength needed to change positions if needed. All that said, (and I mean this sincerely) you should pick up a baby care book because we can't always rely on our doctors to make sure we know everything and you really have to be knowledgeable.
Excuse me? Maybe my choice of words was poor. I know the SIDS risks, I know "back is best". I just did not know about the deep sleep thing - I just thought it was bad because of the whole not being able to move their heads. Please do not insult my intelligence

I apologize. Like a poster said, I misunderstood. I read it as this being the first you had read of SIDS and I was genuinely surprised and genuinely pretty aghast that your doctor didn't mention any of that. That said, everyone should know that the belly/back sleep issue is entirely about the deep sleep fear. People think it's because the baby will smoosh their face into the mattress but that would be suffocation, not SIDS. THAT said

your baby is old enough now that the deep sleep issue isn't as much of a threat. It's more in newborns because the part of their brains that scream "You're not getting enough oxygen - MOVE!" may not be fully developed.

=Lee=B · November 2013

I have 6 years of post secondary school...all focussed on child development. Somehow I missed the whole deep sleep while on belly concept! I just assumed it was because the baby can't roll over and their face is smooshed down. I've never read otherwise or been told otherwise by the nurses, doctors etc. My doctor is pretty thorough on his infant care with each appointment too!

erinmc1 · November 2013

My aunt was a NICU nurse for over 20 years, and what she told me is that babies asphixiate on their backs, too, if their lungs are underdeveloped, or if they have apnea-like symptoms. She said that's about the same rate as the actual SIDS cases of belly-sleeping, not including the cases where the baby was smothered by something else in the crib, or too soft a mattress.

I am not a doctor, I'm just quoting what she said, based on her professional experience, and this is what I made my decision based upon.

As soon as my son started teething in earnest, he started choking on his drool when he slept on his back. I switched him to belly sleeping. I know I'll probably catch a lot of flack for that, but I felt it was safer than letting him drown in his own drool.

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