Rule breakers

KBowen715 · June 2014

Alright, so- who let's LO sleep on their stomach? Whose LO sleeps in their back just fine? Who fights with LO to ensure they sleep on their back?

My little guy would be such a better sleeper if on his stomach. I let him nap on his stomach in his crib during the day because I can watch him. Obviously, all safety is taken into consideration (tightly fitted sheets, no bumpers, stuffed toys, etc.). Lately, he spends all night (on back in bassinet) waking himself up with the flailing hands and gasp-squeaking.

I fought with my oldest to be a back sleeper, and it was a struggle. Nighttime was just a chore.
I let my middle son sleep on his stomach. He did great.
Mom Guilt has kept me from letting this LO stomach sleep. Just want to see what you ladies are doing.

mrsbtobe20122 · June 2014

Do you swaddle?

LunaBug924 · June 2014

I've let her nap on her stomach on the Boppy a few times. Even with those HUGE warning tags that say "do not use for sleep". Oh, the shame!

Lucky for us, she's not really a stomach sleeper. We swaddle at night to keep her arms from flailing and she sleeps in a RNP. She's taken a few naps in her crib with a loose swaddle and did ok.

lrmrtn · June 2014

We put DS down on his back and even in his swaddle he tends to roll to his side. Pedi said not to worry about it.

jsaffer01 · June 2014

My LO back sleeps and flails his arms and squeaks but he's a good sleeper at night like that. But my friend said when her daughter was an infant she would try to fight her to sleep on her back but she would just roll to her belly. So she finally gave up and just took the precautions to let her sleep on her belly.

bossyferg · June 2014

KBowen715 said:
Alright, so- who let's LO sleep on their stomach? Whose LO sleeps in their back just fine? Who fights with LO to ensure they sleep on their back?

My little guy would be such a better sleeper if on his stomach. I let him nap on his stomach in his crib during the day because I can watch him. Obviously, all safety is taken into consideration (tightly fitted sheets, no bumpers, stuffed toys, etc.). Lately, he spends all night (on back in bassinet) waking himself up with the flailing hands and gasp-squeaking.

I fought with my oldest to be a back sleeper, and it was a struggle. Nighttime was just a chore.
I let my middle son sleep on his stomach. He did great.
Mom Guilt has kept me from letting this LO stomach sleep. Just want to see what you ladies are doing.

This for me too. Daytime stomach sleeping while i can watch. At night its back and he hates it. I wonder how much longer he would sleep if it were on his stomach. : (
He wakes himself up with the arms too but he hates to be swaddled.

He can however turn his head on his own but still want to wait till he can fully roll over and sleep how he wants.

eghulse · June 2014

He sleeps fine either way, but on his back has to be swaddled or he wakes himself up. He has slept on his stomach a couple nights, though. ds1 slept on his stomach only from about 3 weeks on.

pistolpackinmomma · June 2014

Naps are on his tummy on the crib and *gasp* a blanket up to his waist. Night time is swaddled, arms out, in the PNP on his back.

Helmink0804 · June 2014

She sleeps on her back. The only time she sleeps on her belly is when she's on us and that's just because she falls asleep that way- once we lay her down from that postition to her back she remains asleep.

Lauren5905 · June 2014

A fifferent ruke breaker here. I don't do tummy time on the floor. I just can't stand to hear him cry! But his neck seems strong to me when I burp him, etc.

yvanehtnioj · June 2014

I break a lot of rules I guess. Probably the worst one is I let him sleep next to me in bed after his 6am feed.

ladywolf1313 · June 2014

I am such a rule breaker, sometimes he sleeps with me on the couch. Either by my side or on my chest. Sometimes we sleep sitting up LOL.

However at night we do swaddle him so that he can at least rest peacefully, but during the day he wants to sleep on his side. If we don't swaddle him, he will roll to his side.

usernewname · June 2014

You rebels.

We break other rules. Such as blankets during the day (it's only an a&a), sometimes sleeping in bed with us, daily to every other day bath (he just loves them and they soothe him).

Our biggest one is no crib. We plan on moving him to his floor mattress this weekend from his basket. We're putting it in our room. I'm not ready for him to be on his own. We're speshal snowflakes here.

sws684 · June 2014

She naps with me on her stomach and/or side - whichever seems most comfy for her. I put her on her back at night though in her crib in a boppy. She's doing well.

frasey · June 2014

We have a stomach sleeper here. He sleeps much better and longer this way, and he can pick his head up and move it around just fine. I feel a teeny bit guilty, but not really....

@florassecret - Ive never heard of skipping the crib entirely! Interesting. What made you want to go straight to a mattress? I can see that would have some benefits for sure.

usernewname · June 2014

@frasey‌

It's kinda a long explanation but it's a montessori thing. The idea is that cribs hinder independent movement as they are dependent on their parents to put them in and take them out. So the idea of the floor bed is that the child can go to it when they are tired and get out when they are done. But I would of course keep set (ish) nap times and a set bedtime for.routine. I'm curious to see how it all.plays out when a mobile child.

Not going to lie. I'm quite nervous to move him but I know a group of.people who have done it quite successfully.

I am however not.opposed to cribs are they work wonderfully for families. This was also a financial decision as we bought a twin mattress and won't have to replace his bed for a long while.

I keep meaning to take a photo of DS room but it's not finished yet! I need a couple more pieces.of.furniture and to move some junk out!

@ISeeYouRN‌ I didn't know you put vaseline on eevery time either! I only do when he's has like 3 poops in a row or starts getting red as a preventative. Bad mommy. Shame on all of us.

And I wash my pump parts in soapy water.

KBowen715 · June 2014

Uh....I've used butt paste 5 or less times his whole life.

His little tiny hieney looks fine....whoops??

Tkburke · June 2014

Yeah our girl would love to sleep on her tummy. She also loves to sleep with me, on her stomach, in our bed. (Oh the shame) sometimes it's just about survival getting her to sleep for a stretch, so we do what we have to.

pistolpackinmomma · June 2014

Diaper creams aren't needed every change. Only if there is an issue.

caballo718 · June 2014

Tummy sleeping kid here. He HATES his back. I can only swaddle him if he's in a deep sleep and then he will sleep on his back but not for over an hour or two. He has very strong head control and is always supervised when on his belly but I still worry. I bought the fisher price newborn napper but he will only sleep in it for a short period of time. On his belly he will sleep up to 6 hours! That's a dream come true to a sleep deprived mommy. I keep sticking him in the napper hoping he will like it. Only time will tell.

ho11yday · June 2014

I refuse to force ds2 to sleep on his back. Since week 2, he's been sleeping on his belly at night and at naps. It is the only way he'll sleep, otherwise he would sleep on his stomach on our chest. I figure sleeping in the crib was safer than sleeping on us on the couch.

QOTR · June 2014

I don't know if it is a "rule" necessarily, but I've read not to engage them at night or risk them getting too awake. But I can't resist kissing on him in the middle of the night when he makes eye contact and smiles when I'm changing him.

fussybunch · June 2014

LO sleeps in bed with us. She starts off in the RnP, but I nurse her in bed after her MOTN feeding. And you know what... I love it

Jillzy86 · July 2014

Rule breaker over here! Tummy time last for less than 1min and my Dr . Wants 15min a day. He has a strong neck and moves it around when he is awake and being held. I forget his vitamin D supplement all the time. He also sleeps in all different kinds of contraptions threw out the day, instead of his bassinet. Do you think our kids will ever for give us :-S

usernewname · July 2014

Jillzy86 said:

Rule breaker over here! Tummy time last for less than 1min and my Dr . Wants 15min a day. He has a strong neck and moves it around when he is awake and being held.

Whoever can do 15 minutes a day, please tell me your secret!

DS can hold his head up in the same way no problem. So I know the muscles are developing and strengthening.

springbeduk2 · July 2014

Mine is a side sleeper from the very beginning. Now she will sometimes roll onto her back and sleep that way especially if I feed her side-lying but that is recent.

Oh and she sleeps in our bed at night. With sheet/blanket to her waist. And some daytime naps there too.

She was supposed to sleep in a RNP but then at first dh turned out to be a previously closeted bed-sharing advocate and then anyway our success rate of getting her to stay asleep when put into RNP is maybe 2%. Fall asleep in it? Fahgettabowtit!

She is asleep next to me in bed right now, actually, hands up by her face, heartbreakingly adorable!

I'm a tummy-time slacker too. She just cries. Her neck is plenty strong - has been holding her head up for weeks. I'm a little worried about arm strength though. Starting to try tummy time across my lap - she tolerates it a little longer.

Probably breaking plenty more rules I don't even know about ...

usernewname · July 2014

My child is currently watching YouTube with his father.

And cooing up a storm.

apinkpelican · July 2014

Silly question here... @fussybunch‌ and @Jane C‌ and anyone else...If I did want to brake a rule and have DD sleep with me in bed after the 5:30am feeding how would I do that? Do you just make sure LO is on middle away from edge? Or is LO sleeping on your chest or in arms? She won't go back down in RNP after this feeding but will sleep for another 2 hours if someone holds her.

momthatlifts · July 2014

I let her sleep on her side or stomach when I'm awake. Only once did she sleep (swaddled) on her stomach where I accidentally fell asleep. And she sleeps a lot on her side when we bed share and I nurse her laying down.

pistolpackinmomma · July 2014

KellyQ116 said:
Silly question here... @fussybunch‌ and @Jane C‌ and anyone else...If I did want to brake a rule and have DD sleep with me in bed after the 5:30am feeding how would I do that? Do you just make sure LO is on middle away from edge? Or is LO sleeping on your chest or in arms? She won't go back down in RNP after this feeding but will sleep for another 2 hours if someone holds her.

However you can get it to work. I have been known to sleep entire nights with him on my chest but at least we were in my bed and not the couch. Other nights he has slept in the crook of my arm or just in the bed in between DH and I.

jenniferroshto · July 2014

We have a tummy sleeper also. If she is put down on her back or side even swaddled she will wake right back up. She was holding her head up the day she was born and now has really good trunk control sitting up as well at 9 weeks.

DD1 was always a tummy sleeper as well. We fought it with her until she could roll herself that way and then gave up. Its not worth the fight.

It also seems to help with acid reflux. (We do keep her set up for a few minutes after eating before laying her down.)

springbeduk2 · July 2014

@KellyQ116‌ I almost always put DD in the middle of the bed but official recommendations are to have the mom be in the middle and baby to one side because spouse/partner who is not BFing might not be as aware of the baby so could be more likely to roll onto baby or flop arm over in a bad way. But for me it's hard to be trapped in the middle (bathroom!)and I worry she'll suddenly start being able to roll over and fall off. And my dh is pretty careful. I think officially for bedsharing you're supposed to have a safety rail somehow or put mattress on the floor.

Often she will be OK if I put her down while asleep or very very drowsy from nursing while I'm sitting up. I put my hand by hers for her to hold or at least feel a little skin to skin or sometimes if she is flailing one arm I hold it. Or sometimes she'll need to suck on my finger or nurse side lying.

She sleeps on her side facing me or sometimes her back and I'm on my side facing her with bottom arm up above her head. Sometimes I fold it up but out straight (or mostly) is safer to notice if dh rolls towards her.

Anyway baby should be down away from pillow some. And any blankets /comforters should be away so can't smother her.

We put a waterproof pad on her/my part of the bed so that when she spits up or if milk leaks or diaper leaks it'll just be on pad and not require changing all the sheets. Plus I don't want the mattress smelling like sour milk! -amazon has a nice 27x36 one with organic cotton on top (and way non organic waterproof poly-something on the other side) for only 12 bucks. I usually also put a large flannel burp cloth under where her head will be so I can change that out easily if she drools/spits up too much. Both of those are probably no-nos for suffocation risk but they lay flat and she doesn't pull at them so for now seem OK.

We also often both doze off when I'm sitting up/leaning to feed her and she's laying across my lap in the cradle hold. But I couldn't last a couple hours like that!

apinkpelican · July 2014

Thanks for all of the tips @springbeduk2‌ I think I'll most likely just try it after DH leaves for work so at least I won't have to worry about him rolling over on her. He is such a heavy sleeper who has a tendency to sleepwalk so I don't think it'd be a good idea with him on the bed. I haven't tried nursing side lying yet so maybe that will help too. Thanks again!

KBowen715 · July 2014

I pull my little man into bed with me during MOTN feeding. Not because he won't go back to sleep on his own. But because I'm a selfish, irresponsible mom soaking up my Last Baby.

fussybunch · July 2014

^ yup. This is me as well.

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