Stomach Or Back And What's The Big Deal?
Trying to twist onto his stomach... as usual.
Henry never liked to be swaddled. From day one he’d flail his walnut fists until any and all blanketing was reduced to a heap around his feet. Violet was the same way except she kicked the blankets away. I don’t produce swaddle lovin’ offspring, I guess.
I’ve had a hell of a time figuring out what positions Henry finds most comfortable. It wasn’t until I put him on his stomach and he zonked out in 2.5 seconds flat that I realized the boy is just like his mama; a stomach sleeper.
In previous generations, stomach-down was the preferred sleeping position. My mom constantly tells me she put all her children to sleep on their stomachs and we loved it. We aren’t alone. As Babble reports, stomach sleeping is conducive to better sleeping:
Stomach sleeping makes sense in a lot of ways. For one, babies often sleep better that way. When a baby is on his back, a reflex causes his limbs to fly up in a disorganized fashion. This is fine for an awake baby, but a lot harder for a baby trying to shut down and go to sleep. Babies are affected by this in varying degrees, but some are constantly awakened by smacking themselves in the face, or just by the abrupt movement of their bodies. On the stomach, the baby’s body is tucked away and the view of the world is limited, making it easier for the baby to shut down and tune out
We all know they tell us to put our kids on their backs because stomach sleeping puts a baby at risk for SIDS but not everyone is buying it. A cursory glance around the internet shows hundreds of mamas revealing their “dirty, little secret” of putting baby down on its stomach – including our own Roni who has this to say about babies on bellies:
I’m tired of feeling like a bad mother becuase my instinct is to lay the baby down on his tummy. He’s more comfortable on his tummy. He spits up less on his tummy. He sleeps longer on his tummy. Why wouldn’t I let him sleep that way?
Being a parent is hard. We constantly get bombarded with information, opinions, and recommendations. Everything from breastfeeding to sleeping to carrier choices are up for debate.
I’m so tired of it. Aren’t you?
I couldn’t agree more. Bumpers put a baby at risk for SIDS as well and you have those don’t you? Blankets too. Now that Henry son is nearing three months-old and has demonstrated he has a really strong neck, I plan to put him on his stomach to sleep if it helps him sleep better. I’m not worried at all. In fact, I’m waiting for the next study out of the chute that will contradict the Babies On Backs study that’s causing us all to be paranoid about sleeping positions. It’ll happen, I guarantee it.
What about you? What’s your take?
Global Sleep Solutions: How they do it in Japan
I’ll admit it; I used blankets for my baby born in January. I felt better about leaving his room at a colder temperature of 18 C which is about 64 F and covering him with a blanket than not. I also fed him solids a little early but not nearly as bad as my parents who were feeding their kids solids at 3 weeks. I know a lot of things have come out since our parents had babies but seriously, our moms have lived through everything and we turned out alright.
Oh my god, I’m so with you. I decided to try putting my little Luke down on his stomach for a nap and that has made all the difference. Previously he would only sleep when I or my husband held him, now he’s very happy on his tummy in the cot! I say do whatever feels right, after all you are the mother!
My baby sleep on his back, because he loathes being on his stomach. Makes it easy for me because that’s the “right” way. But if he liked to sleep in his tummy, I think I’d let him. Having a fan running in the room is really protective against SIDS so I’d do that and I’m sure I’d feel fine about it. Other factors that protect against SIDS, like breastfeeding and sleeping in the same room as mom and fans and pacifiers, don’t get nearly the attention as back sleeping. So, just like with everything else, why not do what works?
My oldest staged a nap boycott starting when he was about 8 weeks old. My mum came for a visit a couple of weeks later and suggested he might like sleeping on his tummy. I was scared about the risks so we compromised by having him nap on the couch where I could keep a close eye on him. Worked like a charm. When he was about 5 months, we tried him again in his bed, but on his back, and he has been a champion sleeper ever since (he’ll be 7 in August). My eldest girl was always a good sleeper as a baby and did require swaddling until she was 4 months old. We never needed to try the tummy with her, and she started rolling over in her bed at 6 mos. She’s now 3½ and still a pretty good sleeper. The baby is a lot more like her brother, and she started a nap boycott at 8 weeks too (both were terrific sleepers at night though). The 45 minute intruder was an unwelcome visitor in our house. I still had some guilt over letting my son nap on his tummy when tiny, so I went for the cuddle nap option with her, meaning someone had to hold her for naps. Luckily my parents were here for an extended visit so we all took turns. But once I went back to work, the babysitter could not do cuddle naps, so at 4mos, she put the baby down for her naps on her tummy and it worked. She was still swaddled at night until just last week, and at almost 8mos, she now chooses to sleep on her back or side for naps and sleeps great. I think she’s returning the favor for all those cuddle naps.
“Bumpers put a baby at risk for SIDS as well and you have those don’t you?”
No. I don’t understand the point of something that is really only in the crib because it’s cute. Baby is due in June, so not planning on using any blankets, with the hope that by the time it gets cold he should be old enough to regulate his temp as long as we dress him right.
That said, sure we PLAN on putting him to bed on his back, but honestly we’ll probably do what works when the time comes. If he freaks out and won’t sleep any way but his tummy, so be it. I’m hoping back sleeping will work out but we’ll take it as it comes.
Bumpers are just a peeve of mine… I don’t understand why people use them, it REALLY bothers me that most parents have no idea there is any danger to them (or even think they are a safety feature) and it bugs me that every single bedding kit you buy from a baby store comes with bumpers.
I let my 3 week old sleep on his tummy occasionally. He’ll sleep swaddled as well but he loves his tummy naps!!
I also do not have plush bumpers, I have a breathable bumper on his crib (which he has yet to use). Right now he sleeps in the pack ‘n play bassinet next to my bed.
My oldest would have loved to sleep on his tummy, but I was petrified of SIDS. Luckily, a friend sent me the miracle blanket and everything worked out great. He was swaddled till 7 months and still sleeps great (when he finally settles down and goes to bed) at 3 1/2 years old. Now my youngest is a little Houdini. He is also swaddled in the MB but already at 3 1/2 months escapes it by morning. He stays in it throughout the night though and sleeps great so I am keeping it for now!
@Meagan – I totally agree with you on the bumpers. Such a waste of money! And I hate that all bedding sets come with them also. However, when my older son became more active at night, he started waking up with his arms/legs poking out between the slats in the crib. I worried he might hurt himself, so I bought the mesh kind from Babies R Us. Not very expensive and they worked great. I wish bedding sets would come with those instead of the big poofy ones!
What is Henry sleeping on in the picture?? My 11 week old little girl will not sleep anywhere but next to me. I have tried her in her crib on her tummy, back, everything. She will sleep in her swing for naps during the day, but at night she refuses to sleep anywhere but near me. I am thinking that she likes to be propped up a little bit when she sleeps. I am at a loss as to how to get her to sleep alone, and I am willing to try anything!! I never thought that I would ever cosleep with my baby but I have had to out of necessity. I have tried to let her “cry it out” but after 30 minutes of screaming, I gave up.
We side-sleep our 3.5 month old son (with sleep positioners– the horror!) under the advice of a doctor, as his head is flattening out a bit. He spends maybe an hour or two waking time on his back, but he sleeps such long stretches that it was having an effect on his skull. I felt more comfortable when he slept on his back, but I don’t want his head to be flat!
Ten months ago, my only child died of SIDS, despite satisfying none of the risk factors associated with the syndrome.
I am also a graduate student in public health. If you study the etiology of the syndrome, prone sleep position is highly predictive of SIDS, which is the reason the success of the Back to Sleep campaign in the U.S. population has translated into a reduction of SIDS rates by half.
Although placing my daughter to sleep exclusively on her back did not prevent her from dying of this terrible disease, I am adamant that infants should be placed exclusively to sleep on their backs. I will place any and all future children to sleep exclusively in the supine position. Speaking as a public health researcher, I can tell you that the benefits of positioning an infant in prone sleep position are vastly outweighed by the risks. Speaking as a SIDS parent, I can assure you: you do not want to go through what the parents of 3,000 babies in the United States experience each year.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, have conducted serious scientific research, and as the result of this 1992 have recommended non-prone sleep position for infants. Since 1996, these organizations have recommended placing infants exclusively in the supine position for sleep. Every parent must make his or her own decision regarding what’s best for his or her children, but the risks of placing infants to sleep on their stomachs is real, substantial, and well-documented. If you place your infant to sleep on his stomach, you are doubling his risk of SIDS. Each parent gets to make these choices, but I ask: is that a risk you want to take?
I’ve decided not to talk about my babies sleep habits anymore. It’s not worth it.
You always read “double the risk of SIDS” but what is *really* the risk of SIDS? According to extensive googling it’s something like 0.05% of children die of SIDS each year in the US….which means putting her on her back (and getting no sleep) reduces that to 0.025%
She has a better chance of being hit by lightning. I’ll take the risk and be fully rested, thanks.
I think it’s important to refer to accurate data. The risk increases from approximately 0.86 SIDS deaths per 1,000 to 1.62 per 1,000 when babies sleep prone, according to the most recent statistics available from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
My babe slept on my chest for a loooooooong time. He slept better that way. During naps, he either slept in his swing or car seat, or I’d put him on his belly as long as I was next to him. If he went down for a nap (before he could roll over), then I’d put him in his positioner in the muddle of my bed on his back. As soon as he was sleeping without me, I’d put him on his back, but I’d wake him to find him curled in a ball with his butt in the air. STILL! At two years old! It’s so cute, and he’s perfectly fine!
They have under the mattress alarms. I used that and let my boy sleep on his belly.
My cousin’s baby died from SIDS at 4 months. They’ve since learned that pacifier use dramatically reduces the chance of SIDS and researchers are beginning to suspect it’s genetic. When my cousin had another baby hey did a special test on the baby’s heart to rule out the SIDS chance. There’s more to it that “put the baby on his back” business.
My daughter NEVER slept on her back. She always pulled out of her swaddle and rolled over onto her side. I’ve put her on her tummy many times because when a baby has gas she will scream otherwise. On her tummy she is able to push that gas bubble out! And she falls asleep quickly without fuss. I noticed that even since birth she was able to turn her head to the side. She didn’t just stick her face straight down when on her tummy. Funny how little confidence the “experts” have in our tiny humans.
I was so terrified about SIDS that I didn’t sleep more than 30 minutes at a time because I was so busy checking on my daughter. With my son, I’ve calmed down a lot. At this point, they are doing some studies linking vaccines and SIDS…
Sometimes it’s difference-of-opinion advice and sometimes it’s evidence-based advice. I guess we all have to be wary of agenda-pushing even with evidence-based advice. But for what it’s worth I take all the SIDS recommendations very seriously because I would stress like a crazy-lady if I didn’t. I can take steps to reduce risk, even if those reductions are small, it makes me feel better. If following those recommendations didn’t work and made me or my child stress then I’m sure I would follow a different path.
Advice for sleeping positions seems to change over time. When I had my children in the late 80s, stomach sleeping was recommended. There are other instances, such as when a child has a reflux condition that stomach sleeping is recommended so that the potential for choking is lessened. If you do choose back sleeping, please be aware of the need to let the child have stomach time during awake periods. Keeping them on their backs all the time sometimes causes a flattened head as well as does not allow their arm and upper body to gain strength through pushing up while on their tummies. I had an occupational therapist tell me recently that she is seeing a lot more children with weakness in the upper body and arms because of never having been placed on their tummies. This can affect a baby’s coordination and balance, so it is important to let them exercise their bodies through activities on their stomach, even if you choose not to let them sleep that way.
Ever since Google came out, everyone is so well informed about statistics. hehehe
My son was born in November and when we moved into our house in December we did not know that it didn’t have working heat. We didn’t use blankets for him but used sleep sacks. That helped lots. As far as the way he sleeps, he wont stay on his back any longer. I always put him down on his back but before I walk out of our room (yes, I said our his bed is a co-sleeper attached to my side of the bed) he is on his tummy. He also won’t keep a pacifier in his mouth the whole night through. I will admit that I still wake up in the middle of the night to put my hand on his back. We are about to move him into a crib and since he likes to sleep with his head against the side of his current bed you better bet that I’m putting that crib bumper up. Not because it’s cute but because I don’t want him to hurt his noggin because he moves lots and lots during his sleep.
When I brought my daughter home from the hospital she slept on her stomach… while on my chest…. for nearly 6 months. I also kept a little mirror and a flashlight handy to make sure she was breathing all night long (I wish I were kidding). She wasn’t a premature baby or anything, I was just an uber scared Mama who worried about everything there was to worry about during pregnancy and for the next…well….still. But once she started sleeping in her own crib she was a stomach sleeper and remains such at age 19.
I have to admit, I actually gasped out loud when I read that you let your baby sleep on his stomach (way to be non-judgemental, right???) But then my brain took over and I remembered that I’m hardly in a position to criticize. We’re cosleepers, which means there’s plenty of statistical evidence documenting how we’re increasing our son’s risk of SIDS as well. I worry about it (less so now that he’s older), but ultimately we keep cosleeping because it’s the only sleep arrangement that works for our family. (For the record, Trey sleeps on his back, but in bed with us). The only thing I do recommend is to be vigilant: check your little guy carefully whenever he’s on his stomach, to make sure he isn’t having any trouble breathing. Ultimately, he’ll probably be fine – just like my little bed-sharer. http://www.thegentlemom.com
The great casualty of the Back to Sleep Campaign is the increase of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly (flat head syndrome) in infants. My son would have easily slept on his stomach as a newborn, but I was TERRIFIED of SIDS. Although we did a lot of tummy time with him and made a point not to restrict him to his swing/car seat/stroller/etc, he is currently in helmet therapy for his flat head. Our pediatrician said although most children sleep with no adverse affects in the supine positions, some children’s head simply can’t sustain that pressure night after night. As a result, the incidence of flat head syndrome has risen substantially since the Back to Sleep Campaign began. Furthermore, the head shape of our population is changing. Children of this generation will have much wider heads than previous generations. They may not be flat, but they are starting to look different across the board.
Although you have to ultimately make sleep decisions for yourself and your individual child, I do respect the medical community’s recommendation to sleep children on their backs. I will do the same thing for subsequent children, despite my son’s need for helmet correction. For me, the risk of SIDS is too scary and too great.
My oldest would NOT, for ANYTHING, sleep on his back or his side. We finally put him on his stomach out of sheer desperation, and he slept like a dream after that. (My younger son was fine on his back, or occasionally on his side.)
I believe that sleeping on their backs IS best for babies … but not if the price is a miserable, sleep-deprived, barely functioning parent.
Adina, I am so sorry to hear of your loss.
I put both of my kids to sleep on their backs unless they were sleeping on me, which of course happens sometimes when you have a newborn. My thought process was that I wouldn’t want to live with the guilt if I ignored research like that and lost one of my babies to SIDS. I may have had a lot of sleepless nights, but I guess I sort of figured that’s what I signed up for when I had a baby.
No actually. We did not use bumpers. We also didn’t allow blankets (we used sleep sacks) or toys in the crib and we always put him to sleep on his back. I take the Back To Sleep campaign seriously and I am so sorry to any parents reading this who may have lost a child to SIDS. I don’t understand why following a simple health guideline for the safety of your baby is such a big deal. I didn’t care if I was tired after having a baby (ummm… I expected it) as long as he was safe. Maybe they will come out with new guidelines in a couple of years saying that stomach sleeping is safe. Then again maybe not. Are you willing to bet your childs life on it?
I have four children, Each and everyone of them have slept on their stomachs. I have a close friend who is a NICU nurse and while she says she “has” to tell parent to put their children on their backs, she in fact did not. Their are so many “factors” that go into SIDS risks I am personally of the opinion that the doctors have no idea what causes SIDS and are grasping at straws. I think this is evidenced by the fact that even babies consistantly put on their backs still die of SIDS. It is such a tragedy, but I think sleeping position has very little to do with it. It seems every month there is a new study that comes out that claims that “this” or “that” reduces the risk of SIDS. I would be willing to bet that our countries vaccine program has more than a little bit to do with it. I read a study recently that Japan has stopped vaccinating before the age of two and their SIDS rate dropped by 70%. So… Belly for all my soon to be five children. And might I add that they have nice round heads and pushed up sooner and sat up more quickly than the kids I’ve seen who sleep on their backs.
I’m sorry, but the information on that SIDS website makes no sense. It says that SIDS may result from neurological deficiencies, but then says that you shouldn’t use blankets? There’s a difference between a child dying as a result of an underdeveloped part of their brain and just suffocating in their sleep on a blanket in their crib. It says there is a chance SIDS might be “inherited”… um, how exactly are babies who die of SIDS before they’re 6 months old passing on their genes?
I’m raising my two young kids in Japan and I can assure you the entire country has not abolished vaacinating before the age of two. Vaccinations start at 3 months and there is an established (recommended) regimen. As for tummy sleeping, I admit that I couldn’t let either of my kids sleep on their tummy but I also feel my heart skip whenever I put them in the car.. We take a lot of risks for the sake of convenience or as is more often thecase necessity and reading thecomments in this post it seems tummy sleeping often is a necessity.
love your blog and your babble posts!
Ps Monika heads up from another social anxiety prone freelance main breadwinner mama of two! Hope it is going well for you and you can enjoy watching the babies grow
I put all you kids to sleep on your tummy because THAT was the safe way back then..They said that if a baby spit up while lying on his back he would aspirate, so back in the day for all the moms it was stomach sleeping, and you all seemed to sleep batter that way.
oops…sleep better I mean…
At my 2nd daughters two month appointment I talked to her doctor about her rolling onto her tummy after she fell asleep all the time. Her doctor told me that she herself put her babies to sleep on there tummies since they were born. She also said that most research shows that most of the causing factors of SIDs are genetic and can’t be avoided. She did say that fluffy toys and blankets increase the risks but so long as we didn’t have any in her bed if anything did happen it would be because she would have a neurological disorder causing her to stop breathing not the position in which she sleeps. She said it was proven that babies that tummy sleep are better sleepers young and older, that if she can roll onto her tummy she has the reflexes to move her head so she can breath if it did get blocked, and that as time goes on she’ll become a better sleeper that won’t have problems falling to sleep or back to sleep after waking. Her older sister never slept on her tummy though until much older, she did however always roll onto her side to sleep no matter what I did. I trust my pediatrician judgement, she knows better than I would. If she says the position won’t affect any outcome then I’ll let my baby sleep how she insists she does. I do not allow any soft items in her bed, being told that they increase the risk. Not sure how well that will work once winter hits, since she is small and tends to slip threw her clothing if she is moving to much. My first was the same way and could never use a sleeper sack because of it, hopefully we’ll be able to make the room a comfortable temp for her when the time comes.
its alot safer to put the baby on their back. if they spit up it wont go back in their mouth it will roll out. any doctor will tell you to lay them on their backs.