Letting Babies Sleep On Their Stomachs
Lounge By cakeladydi Updated 21 Mar 2007 , 11:12pm by dydemus
O.K. I'm the new grandma. Jameson will be 3 weeks old on Fri. When I had my children they slept on their stomachs. But I know now they say not to let them and to place them on their backs. Well he doesn't like sleeping on his back. He can be sound asleep and you can lay him down on his back and he is good for about 15 min. and he starts moving those arms around and really works himself into a frenzy. As soon as you pick him up it is like turning off a faucet. He immediately quiets and goes back to sleep. I know there are a lot of young moms on CC and I was just wondering how you put your children to sleep and if you have any suggestions.
Thanks
Well, with my first (who is 
we had him sleep on his back. He ended up sleeping in the same position every night and ended up with a very flat spot on the back of his head. He would never sleep on his sides to help round it out. It wasn't until he was older that his head finally started to round out a bit. He looked goofy for awhile. 
My middle son (who is almost 6) had TERRIBLE colic and most likely reflux, and the only way he would ever sleep is if he was on his stomach (on top of me.... 
) We never had any problems with him at all sleeping on his tummy. My daughter (who will be 4 in a couple of weeks) preferred to sleep on her stomach and she still does. No matter what we did, she was back on that tummy in a matter of minutes. So, we did not worry. When she goes to bed now, first thing she does is get comfy on her tummy. 
I have 3 kids, ages 3 to 7. Each time I had a kid the doctor said a different thing about how to sleep. The last time they told me to lay her on her back, but she will know how she likes to sleep, just like an adult. So, keep extra blankets and toys out of the crib for safety.
I have never had a problem and I have never worried about it. All 3 kids slept a different way on their own.
It's funny that you mentioned that because I had 2 people tell me yesterday to put a blanket over the babies head to get them back to sleep if they wake up too early. My response was, "WHAT?" Do you think they are crazy or me?
putting babies to sleep on their backs is said to reduce the risk of SIDS.
my DD slept on her back until she was old enough to roll herself over to sleep on her tummy. then, there was little i could do to keep her on her back.
when she was brand new, she would also fling her little arms around but eventually she would fall asleep. you could try swaddling him first to see if that helps.
My nephew was the same way. Turned out he had reflux. Go figure.
My sister also found swaddling him tightly in a blanket so he has that "tightly held in your arms" feeling and putting her tshirt in his crib on a stuffed animal (for the scent) helped him a lot.
I just tried my best to keep them on their backs but there's only so much you can do once they can roll over. They told me to just keep putting them on their backs and they'll eventually get used to it. I would definately keep blankets, stuffed animals and toys out of the crib. Even bumper pads. As far as blankets, I used those blanket sleeper things that zipped up, I love those.
I eventually got a TV monitor so I could SEE if they were breathing! My hubby said it was worth it for me to get a little sleep, and it was!!
I had the same problem with my son sleeping on his back. he would flail ... a kick here and arm there and he never really slept. then one night I put him in bed with me and put him on his stomach and he was fine. I learned to swaddle him really snug so he couldn't flap all over and that helped too.
We tried with all three of my kids to swaddle--they HATED it and would literally get themselves out of a tight swaddle. I was actually quite impressed with how quickly and easily they did! 
And to this day, all three love to sleep spread out on their bed. It is amazing how babies are all so different. 
Babies are amazing 
I work with them ar church ages 0-1 year. We lay them on their backs unless a parent tells us different. When they get older they just move which ever way they want anyway. 
I put both of my Sons to sleep on their stomachs, they would not sleep any other way. I think its fine as long as the cribsheet is tight and wont wrinkle up and if you keep the bed clear of other blankets and toys. Both of my children could lift and turn their heads when on their stomachs so that helped with the fear of letting them sleep that way.
My 2nd and 3rd child also slept on their belly. That was the only way they would stay asleep. If I put them on their backs, they were away in 10 minutes. The American Pediatric Association recommends back to reduce sids as someone else stated. My thinking on that is, "the Lord blessed me with this child and will take them when he is ready for them and there is nothing I can do about it." I actually told a pediatrician that. He backed down and didn't say another word.
They have these little velcro blocks with a squishy thin head support (to help keep head from going flat) that I put my kids in at that age. I would put them on their side one time, then back, then other side, then back...you get the picture I just rotated them Once they got older and started rolling around I just kindof let them do their own thing and just checked on them like a MILLION times. (Of course I was up nursing the hungry lil' monsters anyways)
I sometimes wonder how we are all here today considering how much they've changed rules over the years when it comes to kids It's a miracle any of us have survived.
and meiganlove--they are crazy!
all 3 of my girls slept on their tummies. They all could hold their heads up within minutes of being born so I wasn't too worried about them. I was more worried that they would spit up and then choke if they were on their back. (That's how my handicapped BIL died when my second DD was only 4 days old) There are many other factors contributing to SIDS and I agree that when its their time to go there is nothing I can do about it. I also tried the little wedge and roll thing that keeps babies on their side but it only worked for my oldest.
That is true Mouse, a friend of mine had to put 2 books under the crib mattress because her baby had reflux and would spit up very often, it kept the baby from choking.
I had one of thoes velcro pad thingies. My second son loved to sleep on his side so I would lay his back against the large side and then put the smaller wedge against his stomach. I owe my SIL big time for that baby shower gift!
I have a 16 month old and they said it can cause sids if you let them sleep on there stomach but my daughter never liked to sleep on her back and I felt that if she was sleeping in my room that it would be ok that she slept on her stomach and she was fine. There is something out that can help them feel more secure with sleeping on there back they sell them as babies r us.
My mom had 7 kids in the 70s and 80s and she says that they changed so many things during that time period it wasn't funny.
My oldest slept fine on his back and my younger slept on his side. The little one figured rolling out very early though so there wasn't much I could do.
I'd recommend trying to get him on his back for sleeping but I know I survived sleeping on my stomach.
You will have to see what works best for the little one in the bed that the little one will sleep in at your place...... I've had three boys....and yes all medical personnel told me back to sleep back to sleep, and they just didn't sleep well..... I started them off that way, and tucked a rolled blanket under their backs to make them a little off sided and it did well till they got bigger.... backs would not let them sleep at all and finally the doctor told me try to let them on their backs during the day while I was up with them and see how they did..... they fell right to sleep and I never had a problem..... of course I was told that the bigger they are the better they are about not getting sick etc... when they sleep on their backs.... my kids were 7.5 , 9.14, and 9.15...... they got bigger.... I had to stop....
All of mine were stomach sleepers, my doctors hated that but they would'nt sleep on their back. I told one doc if he wanted to come stay with them while they woke up every few minutes on their back, he was more than welcome to. I think as long as the sheet fits tight, no loose blankets and no toys are in the crib. They should be fine.
When my oldest son was born I would put him on his back to sleep, but he would always wake up and cry. One day we let him sleep on his tummy and he slept for a long time, and peacefully. Since he was able to lift his head up and switch it from side to side, we let him sleep on his tummy from then on. Unfortunately, even though he liked sleeping that way, he didn't sleep through the night until he was 18 mths. old. I went back to work part-time from the time he was 7 wks. old till he was 3 mths. old, then back to full-time. I was a zombie for a year and a half!
Someone once told me that some babies don't like to lay on their back because they get that "falling" sensation and it scares them. Don't know if that's true or not, but something to think about.
My oldest slept just fine on her back; she actually preferred to sleep sort of sitting up in her car seat! She was colicky so anywhere she actually slept was fine with us. But my son always slept better when he was on his stomach. I was too afraid to put him down that way at night, but when he would nap during the day I'd put him on his belly. When he was big enough to roll over he always flipped himself onto his stomach to sleep. It's such an individual thing, I think you have to do what you're all comfortable with.
But definitely don't put anything in the crib. It always drives me nuts to see the (mighty expensive) bed sheets & comforter sets they sell for cribs, when babies don't need and aren't supposed to have that stuff in there anyway.
-Lisa
I could be wrong but I believe the reason they say not to put tiny babies on there bellys is because they create a little air pocket between theres mouths and bed that does not allow them to get fresh air and this causes a higher risk of sids. I always allowed my kids to sleep on there bellys during the day when i could watch them but always put them to bed on there backs I think once the baby is old enough to pick her head up it should be fine and definitly once they start rolling over they will pick there own way of sleeping.
My oldest would only...and still does sleep on his stomach. We would try to put him on his back, but it never would work...kinda like what you explained about your grandson. We even tried propping him up with a rolled blanket under his belly to sleep on his side, but he wouldn't have any part of it.
My youngest would only...and still does sleep on his back. He would occasionally turn on his side and still does that too.
There are both good things & bad things about sleeping on their backs & on their stomachs. Just read the pros & cons about both.
I think the studies can't lie, back to sleep has reduced the amount of babies we lose to SIDS....so I think the most prudent thing is to TRY to have babies sleep on their backs....For the first weeks of my son's life, he was a spitter-upper kind of kid, so I put a rolled up blanket behind him to sort of tilt him enough where he was almost side sleeping. All that said, my son was rolling over pretty consistently at 6 weeks....so there really was not much I could do, I would always put him to sleep on his back, and I never used blankets, stuffed animals or the like (just those sleep sacks someone else refered to---they are AWESOME).....at any rate, you gotta do what you gotta do!
And don't get me started on expensive crib bedding, I have a cousin who registered for $500 worth of crib bedding (and matching accessories) I just want to scream YOU FOOL....ask for DIAPERS...
you know you cant use that pretty stuff!!!
LOL
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