Belly Sleeping Infant?

If he is strong enough to flip he is strong enough to not have to sleep on his back. Every one of my kids could lift their heads the day they were born, little brutes! They also slept better on their stomachs. Better kids sleep=better mom sleep. It was a no brainer.

I always love the explanation of SIDS. SIDS is actually used when there is no apparent cause of death. I have also heard it is used in suffocation but clearly that is a cause. If a child can lift their head they cannot suffocate in an empty crib.

Try the Woombie swaddle blanket. The swaddle is actually built in to the blanket so it's form fitting. Google it for more information.

After the first couple weeks I didn't swaddle by newborns. I don't think they have to be swaddled unless they like it and your baby doesn't seem to so I wouldn't bother. You could try and let him sleep on his side. I used a sleep positionar and the baby goes in the middle or you could put him on his side and put a rolled up recieving blanket it his back and infront of him so he stays put. My kids weren't good back sleepers either,they liked the side and I am sure they would have prefered belly but I wouldn't let them.

3 out of my 5 were and still are belly sleepers. I tried the swaddling and the wedge ( which did work until about 3 mo, with two of them I used two wedges one on thier upper body and one on thier legs to get the whole feeling) but they slept the best on thier bellies. I made sure there wasn't anything that they could get their face in/ on. Sometimes it was the only way I would get any sleep at night by letting them sleep how they were comfortable.

Our daughter was also always a belly sleeper.. at a few weeks she could lift her head slightly, I asked her pedi and he said it would be fine.. She learned to completely turn her head at 4 weeks,..

Both my kids slept on their bellies as soon as they could hold their heads up. My daughter lifted her head within hours of birth. The pedi was in shock. Then he laid her on her belly again just to see if it was a fluke! ☺ I agree with Jo. If he's strong enough to roll on his own, he'll be alright.

I had a conversation with a retired doctor a few weeks ago, and he firmly believes that babies have always slept better on their stomachs. Up until the threat of SIDS came into the public attention, tummy-sleeping was just how babies slept. The good doctor and I agreed that SIDS is a real threat in some high-risk groups, and not a concern for other children, and that a well-slept baby is happier and easier all around. Back-sleeping is the trend now, but so many babies sleep poorly that way, tummy-sleeping may again become the trend in a few more years.

You can easily find out what the risks are with a quick google. If you are not in those categories, then it's probably safe to allow your son to sleep the way he sleeps best. You can further increase his safety by having a fan moving air in his room (not blowing directly on him, just nearby), and avoiding common household toxins that may depress his normal breathing reflex – these would include scented detergents, most commercial fabric softeners (highly toxic), air fresheners, and germ-killing sprays and cleaners (most germs die naturally as they dry out).

Congratulations on the new little guy!

Wow, I'm impressed he can flip already! He sounds pretty strong, so I don't think suffocation would be a worry anymore. Only SIDS would be the worry. I might potentially sound insane by saying this, but if you look up "New Zealand SIDS" there is a REALLY interesting bit of information out there about the cause of SIDS that a New Zealand doctor (scientist?) and one from another country too have figured out. It's quite interesting to read about.

According to what they've found, in most cases, it's caused by the flame retardant material in the mattresses. When baby drools or gets the mattress wet, it combines with the flame retardant stuff and basically creates nerve gas. (I know, I sound crazy! But there's a lot of info to explain it and it makes sense! SIDS doesn't make sense to have no cause....).

So, what I'm saying is, make sure to change the sheets regularly and wipe down the mattress. The problem comes about when enough saliva is allowed to stay on the mattress and create the gas. So, if you keep it clean and keep the sheets clean, things should be okay. Also, having a fan in the room can help keep it ventilated.

I'll stop talking now. If you haven't read up on it (and if I sound crazy to anyone), definitely read up on it. There are also mattress covers that protect against the flame retardant material, preventing it from happening.

That's what I would do if I had a baby that kept flipping on his/her belly...

Ok, first if you want a swaddle that is unbreakable get a miracle blanket ... www.thenestingplace.biz or www.miracleblanket.com. If your child can roll over fron to back and back to front I think you are fine to allow belly sleep w/out the stress. You can also get a gadget that you place under the mattress that monitiors their movement and alerts you if baby has been still too long, we had it and loved it our son was a belly sleeper due to his reflux and the wedge did nothing to help.

I had 8 children back in the 'old' days and all but one slept on the stomach from birth on. I know it's not recommended now but they all lived, were fine, and I would NOT worry about your baby. If he can turn over already I would be careful swaddling him though as he can lift his head easier if arms are free. Don't worry and stay up all night. Just check him at your normal times and sleep well.

Hi L.,

We had the same issue with my son so we started putting him to sleep in his swing and his car seat. Something about the slight incline made him stop trying to flip over. He slept in it both for almost a year. Eventually we just put the car seat in his crib. I was a bit embarrassed about it and brought it up to a mother groups I belonged to and there were several other moms who were doing the very same thing. My pediatrician also said it was pretty common and as long as they're strapped in it's perfectly safe.

Good luck!

He can already roll which means he is strong enough to lift his head to stop from suffocating. Its not like you can put an alarm on him , lol. Continue to put him to sleep on his back and flip him when you notice, but take solace in the fact that your chances of SIDS are greatly reduced now that he can roll himself.

I used one of these with both my kids:

http://bit.ly/o5CndM

My babies were early rollers too, and this sleep positioner was inexpensive & provided peace of mind for me as a new mom. Good luck & congrats!

If he is able to turn by himself I would let him sleep on his tummy... at least I did that with my son I the pediatrician said it was OK. Make sure you do not leave any pillows, stuffed animals, heavy covers etc.
Good luck
N.

Once they can flip themselves over consistently, there isn't much you can do to keep him on his back! 7 months is really early to flip over, but as long as he has the neck strength to turn his head while he's on his belly, you just need to let him sleep.

Having said that...continue to put him to sleep on his back, but stop swaddling and take out ALL blankets and anything "soft". If he flips over, he could get tangled in the wrappings and blankets!

We have a video monitor and love it! My son is 3 and we still use it- mainly b/c now we can see when he's actually sleeping and when he's messing around in his room!

Okay, I am confused. You say your baby is 7 WEEKS old and can roll over? They aren't able to roll over until much older.

I don't think it's a big deal since he's flipping on his own. But for your own peace of mind, you could get the angle care monitor. I loved having it for our grandson. It made me a little crazy when I would get him out of bed and get about 15 steps away and it would go off. My daughter would forget in the middle of the night and both grandmothers would be up in a flash :)