My son is 12 months old.. He flips to his stomach to sleep. He also pushes himself to the edge of the crib with the top of his head touching the front of the crib(against the bumper) and his face burried into the bumper on the right side of the crib. I don't know what to do as it makes me nervous when I find him like that in the morning. When I do see him like that I move him but I can't stand there all night. I thought of removing the bumper, but I am afraid that he will hit his head on the wooden bars. Any advice as to what to do?
My son has been sleeping like that for over a year (he's almost 2) and will immediately put himself in that position as soon as he gets into bed. I read an article a while ago about this and it basically said that little kids feel "lost" in the middle of a crib, so they look for the edges to feel grounded and safe.
He's fine! Get a good night's sleep and leave the bumpers in-
Leave the bumper and don't watch him sleep. He's fine and will continue to be fine. The bumper on the top of his head is a comforting thing, babies snuggle, it's what they like. He's 12 mos old and perfectly capable of moving his body and face to keep himself safe.
I wouln't worry at all about him sleeping on his tummy. I would pull the bumper out. I replaced mine with a breathable one as my son constantly got his legs stuck in the crib... moved a lot I guess. The breathable one is thin and won't pose a "hazard" and will keep his arms and legs inside.
My pediatrician told me to remove the bumper pads once our children started to move around in their crib. At 12 months old, your child can turn his head side to side. There isn't a danger at this age of him suffocating from sleeping on his stomach. Just make sure there are no pillows or alot of bedding in the crib with him. My 15 month old daughter sleeps in her crib and has done so with no bumper pads since she was 6 months old and she does just fine. I wouldn't worry about him hitting his head on the bars while he's sleeping. Most likely he would bump into them and it wouldn't even wake him up.
Your son is doing it for comfort, some kids use blankets, others suck their thumbs, and then we have others like my niece who used to pull the fuzz from her blanket and stick it near her nose. Being that close to the bumper probably makes him feel like he is cuddled up near you, your cloths probably smell the same was as his bumper does. Don't worry about it your son will be fine and will outgrow this, moving onto something else. When my son was a baby he used to sleep with the blanket over his face, now he still does it only with the comforter and he is 11.
T.
I would remove the bumpers. My daughter has never had bumpers in her crib and she bangs her head, arms, and legs against the rails all the time. It doesn't even seem to wake her. She seems to like to sleep near to edge or in the corner of her crib but doesn't mind being against the bars. She's 2 now but has been sleeping this way since before she was 1. It's probably best to take out the bumpers anyway, since he could use them to step on and climb out of his crib.
I think you'd be fine taking the bumper out. It's to keep small babies from getting against the bars. At 12 months, he should be OK.
I wouldn't worry about him sleeping on his stomach so much at his age. However, as for the bumper, I had this same problem with my son. At first I took the bumper off all together, but then he was getting his arms and legs stuck in the slots in his crib. I looked for an alternative and found a "breathable bumper". It is basically a mesh bumper that goes where a regular bumper goes and keeps their arms and legs in. They sell them at Babies R Us- or I'm sure you can order them online. They also come in a few different colors. I highly recommend. My son is 2.5 now and still has it on there. Good luck,
My son always did the same thing. He was ALWAYS up against the side of the crib/bassinet. I bought the breathable mesh bumper from Babies R Us. I don't have to worry about him breathing up against cotton or about his arms/legs getting stuck in the crib bars.
My son is 15 mths and I just took the bumpers out a few weeks ago because of that exact reason: he always slept face in towards the bumpers. He still sleeps with his head touching the railings and for whatever reason just likes it that way. He doesn't hit his head, or at least doesn't cry because of it. In fact, half the time I go in there and his arms or legs are hanging out of the railing. Remove the bumpers and give him a few nights to adjust and he will be fine. You don't need them.
Hi J.,
I bought "breathable" bumbers. I think they were less than $20 and bought them at Wal-Mart. One side is mesh and the other a solid side (thin material) that kept my daughter's arms/legs from getting caught in the crib rails but able to breath when she pushed herself against the side while sleeping.
~Kristal
Hi J.
I have all kinds of theories about this, but at 12 months I am sure that I had the bumpers off of the crib for just that reason. Obviously if he is uncomfortable he will move again. Relax and watch him and once you see him move around it is not so nerve wracking. Again I'd take out the bumpers.
One of mine climbed out of the crib at 5 months, and we finally put him in the twin bed. Long fun story but babies move.
God bless you and the decisions you make
Take the bumper off. Better safe than sorry. If it is not comfortable for him, he won't curl up next to it.
He is not going to hurt his head, so remove the bumper. It is a good place for him to start figuring things out on his own. Most boys I know run in to walls simply to experiment. "Does it really hurt?" Once he is walking, he may well need 2x 1 hour walks outside a day - embrace it. You'll save a lot on the gym!
All the moms I know admit once their babies can roll to their stomachs that it is how they sleep - and that they sleep better.
I would take the bumper out, just as a precaution. If he bumps his head, it will be just that: a bump.
As for the stomach sleeping, as long as he can lift and turn his head from side to side (which I'm sure he can at 12 months old) he'll be fine on his tummy.
my baby book says at that age no bumper! my son (12 mo) sleeps on tummy - he is fine..he also has face up in corner
If you want to keep a bumper in the crib, switch to the Breathable Bumper (http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId.... We used them and thought they were great.
Good luck!
TAKE THOSE BUMPERS AND ANY OTHER TOYS OUT OF THE CRIB. He will not injure himself while he is sleeping. He is able to flip over to his stomache so hecan also flip to his back.Its the bumper pads that pose more of a risk.
You probably should remove the bumper. But not because he can suffocate himself on it, but because sometime soon he might wad it all up and stand on it as a means to climb out. He might hit his head on the crib rails, but in time he will either learn not to do that, or it won't bother him enough to stop. Either way is fine.
Don't stress. lack of oxegyn produces a major fight or flight response. If he couldn't breathe he would instinctivly jerk his head back until he can. The concern with little little babies is that they don't have the strength or control over their bodies to do this if their breathing becomes compromised.
I wouldn't worry about it. If he has been doing this for a while now and not suffocated yet, it's a clue that he likes it and it brings comfort. He will be fine.
Remove the bumper. He won't hit his head hard enough to wake him up. He might start using the bumper to stand on and try to climb out anyway. "They" recommend taking them out once the babies are standing for that reason if I remember right.
I had the same issue with my one year old. I removed the bumper and so far so good!
My kids used to sleep like that too. I guess it's cozier against the bumper. But truthfully, you're not even supposed to use bumpers (according to what I've read from specialists). I took my bumpers out when my kids started standing on them (didn't want them boosting themselves up climb over. At first, I felt badly that they were mushed into the wooden bars, but they slept fine....
Babies who can turn over can sleep on their stomachs - anyone who has the ability to turn over in their sleep does it numerous times a night. He is too old for a bumper, once a baby is of age to stand, it should come out. He's not going to smash his head on the bars and cause an injury, if it's uncomfortable for him to have his head against them, he'll reposition himself.
My pediatrician told me to take the bumper out of the crib when my son was only about 6 mos old. She said the risks outweigh the benefits. I think once he hits his head a couple of times, he'll stop. Plus, he could use the bumper to give himself a boost to escape the crib.... yikes!
Hi,
Stop worrying!! At 12 mos. it does not matter how your child sleeps... they sleep how they are comfortable and can move entirely on their own. In fact, you can put toys and blankets in their crib at 12 mos. You really don't need a bumper though... that is just extra stuff in the crib and if they move a lot, they could potentially get tangled in it if the fasteners come untied.
I am sure if your son was uncomfortable or having trouble breathing, he would move on his own. My kids sleep in the wierdest postions... I don't know how they could be comfortable. I would often find my daughter sound asleep with her legs sticking out of the crib... she did it on purpose!
My son is almost 8 and to this day will sleep on his tummy with his face and head wedged in the corner of his bed...which has a wooden railing on the back...he has done this since he was able to move in the crib. If you are anxious about the bumpers take them off or raise them a bit and then tie them tight. when he is sleeping he won't hit his head...he just wants to get in the corner and then he will sleep. Good Luck.
