grab your torches and pitchforks!!! tummy sleeping.

MamaFantastic · July 2014

i totally made tessa sleep on her stomach this afternoon after a particularly long stretch of bounce to sleep / gingerly set down in crib / immediate wake and scream / start all over again. she took about 20 minutes of bum patting to finally settle and go to sleep, but then she slept unswaddled for 45 minutes and woke up with her usual light fussing. i checked on her a few times, though, as there was an inherent maternal fear in the process.

i'm half tempted to try it tonight for her overnight sleeping. homegirl breaks out of EVERY SINGLE SWADDLE these days and i just don't know how to contain her anymore! she has rolled belly to back several times on her own, but has not yet rolled back to belly 100% on her own.

talk me into or out of it! (and if you talk me out of it, present a better solution please!)

Linnea503 · July 2014

I'm letting DS sleep in his swing until he can and wants to roll to tummy to sleep on his own. I just don't feel the need to force crib sleeping until he can safely do it more comfortably.

Eta: he can sleep in the swing unswaddled which is why I mention it.

MamaFantastic · July 2014

Good point. I've been working on tummy time a lot in the past few weeks and she has great head and neck control/strength. We're good on all other risk-lowering accounts... firm mattress, tight sheet, empty crib, snug fitting jammies, AC set to 75.

*sparky* · July 2014

Have you tried having her sleep unswaddled in her crib at night yet? I cannot get my LO to sleep in her crib during the day at all - swaddled or not - anymore, but she does fine at night. And last night I dropped the swaddle cold turkey and she still slept fine.

If you've tried it and she won't have it, then I would try the tummy sleeping.

MamaFantastic · July 2014

A few times, sparky. She lasted half a night once, but that was her longest stretch, and it was punctuated by frequent wakings. In general I have to make sure she's dead asleep when I set her unswaddled into the crib.

*sparky* · July 2014

Ok then I would probably try tummy sleeping but check on her a few times.

pete0121 · July 2014

DS was my first and he was a tummy sleeper. Finally at 6 weeks I gave in and never looked back. He had amazing head control and upper body strength. I just didn't feel worried. He's 5 and is still a tummy sleeper. It was just in his bones. I say if you feel confident in her then go for it!

haziedaze · July 2014

To play Devil's Advocate, part of the reason tummy sleeping is more dangerous is because they sleep deeper and longer. So having her wake up more often is actually reassuring from a SIDS prevention point of view, even if it means taking out stock in coffee beans. Maybe shifting your perspective about the wake ups would help some, esp during this period of maximum SIDS risk.

Although, to be honest the risk is VERY low, no matter how you put your baby to sleep, so you could put her on her tummy with a Down comforter over her and tons of stuffed animals and the risk would still be relatively low. In the end, I believe the SIDS guidelines work because they keep babies from sleeping long and deeply (does anyone know more that one unicorn baby who sleeps unswaddled on their back, on a firm mattress AND goes the whole night), so most parents end up making some modification to get longer stretches- for us its bed sharing. (not sure why this part is double spaced)

BrittanyAmundson · July 2014

DD has slept on her stomach since about 4weeks. Before that she slept swaddled on her back all of two nights the rest she slept propped on her side until she started rolling to her back despite the propping. She has hated swaddling and sleeping on her back since birth. Out if desperation I had her take a bunch of closely watched naps where she was on her stomach (because paranoid FTM) I just made sure that she could move her head from one side to the other easily before I felt comfortable letting her sleep like that at night. (She was in our bed in a co-sleeper at first now she's in her crib in her room).

Personally I think you do what you have to do to make sure you and your LO are getting adequate sleep. You know your LOs neck strength level better than anyone so I say go with your gut.

Mamamonzo · July 2014

Honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. The major concern is suffocation and unless you plan to leave your kid face down there isn't much to worry about. My kid naps on his belly daily. I keep an eye on him. I haven't done it at night because I can't keep an eye on him, and I don't trust that he would move himself yet.

If you really think about it half of us were most likely put on our bellies, while the rest on our backs. It's all what's suggested at the time.

My husbands aunt is a MD and she was recently at a convention where they were talking about switching the rec back to bellies because of so many cases of flat spots. If it gets your kid to nap rock on with your bad self!!

Manda+panda · July 2014

DD never could sleep in her back, swaddled or not. She also bed shares. Sleeps on my chest. She can roll back to belly, and has always had great neck control.

I'll probably get flamed by someone. I have a crib right next to my bed, but with her latch issues and marathon feedings in the beginning, it was just easier. It works for us for now. Gotta do what works.

fourthnlast · July 2014

Emma has been a tummy sleeper since around 4 or 5 weeks, i can't remember. Her dr said the same thing as @mamamonzo heard and supports tummy sleeping.

MamaFantastic · July 2014

ha!! well after about an hour and a half in bed and probably 7 or 8 awakenings, i have now swaddled her veryverytightly and she is sleeping (ETA on her back). we'll see if the swaddle makes a difference. she was honestly waking every 10 minutes this past hour.

gotta love this annoying transition time! i can't wait to just be done with swaddles and back sleeping and flailing arms.

WifeofaComposer · July 2014

My LO started sleeping on his belly 3 days ago, and it's the best sleep he's been getting since he was born. I, however, have stopped sleeping because I'm paranoid and keep checking on him every 10 minutes...

katy4128 · July 2014

I put DS to bed on his back and within a minute he rolls onto his belly. First few nights I tried moving him back but that was seriously exhausting since he would constantly roll back to his belly. We are following all the other stuff for SIDS prevention.

macynsnoop · July 2014

So glad for this thread, well basically any thread that has to do with sleep & swaddles & those stupid swinging arms! I have an issue with little man busting out of his & waking all the time too. Been looking for any & all advice! Currently giving the towel down the back a try, see if that will alleviate the swinging arms now that we are doing no swaddle.

@MamaFantastic‌ I read somewhere that when they are strong enough to break out of the swaddle that is also when they are developing muscle strength & coordination during sleep, and that continuing to swaddle will delay that development. No idea if this is true or not, just thought I would pass it on. Good luck with the swinging arm battle! I'm right there with you!

cnbean · July 2014

Re: Swaddle Breakers. When DS1 was this age I started using a receiving blanket to wrap his arms separately and then swaddle him. Kinda like the miracle blankets but cheaper. I just wrapped the blanket over his arms and tucked it under his back. He slept swaddled until around 6 months or so. Also he had absolutely no developmental delays and actually started walking fairly early.

Jenn06L80 · July 2014

For the swaddle breaking could you try the magic sleep suit? That is what I used from 3-7 months with my older daughter. It made her feel secure while she slept flat on her back in the crib. When she was 8 months and could consistently roll both ways I weaned her from the sleep suit.

My twins now sometimes nap on their bellies. Their head control is still not great so I am not yet comfortable with long belly naps.

J&NL · July 2014

I put DS on his belly all the time, especially if he's having a hard time
Napping that day. I never leave him by unattended though because I'm always scared something might happen. I just use that time for both of us to relax.

csmily51 · July 2014

DD has gas bad sometimes, I wish she'd sleep on her stomach, on me she will, but anywhere else, it's a no go, she face plants immediately. Did I mention she has great neck control & is trying to sit up?! But no rolling over yet, she HATES tummy & back time!

*sparky* · July 2014

@MamaFantastic - what did you end up doing? Our first night swaddle-free was great, but last night DD figured out how to roll on her side and she kept smashing her face into the crib mattress and waking herself up. Of course today is my first day back at work. I think I am going to continue to leave her unswaddled because I think she could probably flip herself around in her swaddle too. She is just making me nervous!

strawberrytree · July 2014

Outing myself as another tummy sleeper- about a month ago I discovered LO will nap for 2-3 hours on his tummy. On his back the most he's ever slept is 45 minutes. I'm still too chicken to try it overnight but a couple hours in the afternoon where he's asleep in his bed and not on me is a sanity saver. You do what you gotta do.

MamaFantastic · July 2014

*sparky* said:
@MamaFantastic - what did you end up doing?

8-10pm belly sleeping, tons of waking, thrashing, screaming inbetween 10 minute sleep intervals.

10pm tightly swaddled (let's be honest... it was a spite swaddle), on her back

3:30am wake and feed, put down awake and swaddled

Twice in the next hour, wake/thrash on back. Very angry and breaking free of her swaddle.

5am unswaddle, tummy sleep again until I woke her at 8:15 for preschool dropoff.

And.... SHE ROLLED! Back to belly, twice in a row this morning during our regular tummy time "exercises".

*sparky* · July 2014

LOL @ "spite swaddle". Hoping tonight goes better for you and Tessa.

Rrrrrachel · July 2014

My daughter slept on her tummy from about two months on. It was the only way she got decent sleep. After reading about the actual risks, and given that she didn't have any other risk factors, I didn't worry about it. Sleep is important, too!

macynsnoop · July 2014

We tried the pillow behind the back & it was a disaster. So was the swing, which was totally disheartening. We are gonna try 2 towels to either side of him, to make him feel snuggled up, hoping this works. If not I think we are going to give the tummy sleep a try, we are getting desperate for something to work!

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grab your torches and pitchforks!!! tummy sleeping.

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