I have an issue.Lately Kate likes to sleep on her side. This freaks me out a little because I've always heard that babies are only supposed to sleep on their backs. But what are you supposed to do when your baby likes sleeping on her side? I am always turning her over (to the point where I'm losing sleep), but she just flips right back over to her side. Tonight she even rolled all the way on to her stomach (yay!), but that just opens up even more worries for me.
So what do you think? Is this really dangerous? Or am I just a paranoid first time mom?
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Kason has always been a tummy sleeper and I find that he slept WAY better on his tummy when he was a baby!
They have these monitors that you can put under your baby that will set an alarm off if the baby stops breathing or moving ... ask Candace Evans about them. I don't remember the name of them. Idk if you know her - if not, let me know and I can ask her!! :)
Weston did this too at a young age. It scared me for a while until he got a little older. He would just automatically roll over though. I could not get him to sleep on his back. As long as I made sure he was on a flat surface and didn't have a lot of blankets around him I assumed he would be fine.
Natalie just barely started doing it now but she is nine months old. I am not worried at all about her now since she is older and can move around with ease. The suffocation factor and other things aren't as big as a risk at this age (unless I am just telling myself that).
I don't know if that helps at all. I don't think that you are being an over-worried mom at all. It scared me pretty bad when Weston did it so young. I figure though that as long as there is a good airway available and they don't have blankets up against their nose and mouth then they will be fine.
Good luck! Hope you get some sleep!
Once the baby can roll over on her own, it isn't such a big issue. Side sleeping is just fine. They used to tell mothers to put babies to sleep on their backs back when our grnadparents had little ones.
I wouldn't worry about her. Trenton spent the first nine months of his life sleeping on his belly or side, right next to me in bed which I'm pretty sure breaks all of the rules. But he wouldn't sleep any other way. He sleeps just fine in his crib now in any (and all!) position(s).
Also, when Lac had colic, they told me to elevate her crib mattress a little so that her head would be a little higher than her feet. I did it by putting several baby blankets under the crib matress on one side. It didn't help her colic, maybe it would help ease your mind. Sorry to keep going on this, but one of the main factors in having a baby sleep on their belly is spit up. If a baby spits up in their sleep and is on their belly, it rolls off of their face (this is even more true if they are on their side). If a baby spits up in their sleep while lying on their back, they can choke on it and it can stop their breathing. So if Kate's not a big spitter-upper, I wouldn't worry too much and side sleeping is actually just fine.
Sorry about the long comment, but when it comes to paranoid mother, I rank pretty high up there. :)
My pediatrician had told me that once they can roll around by themselves, you know front to back, then their muscles are strong enough to sleep how they want. Just make sure there are no choking hazards in the crib.
Babies usually learn how to roll from their stomaches to their backs before their backs to stomaches so it isn't a problem. Kerrigan did the opposite of that (would roll onto her stomache and get stuck) and that's when it is kinda scary. When she started doing that at night, we moved her from the playpen to her crib and put a breathing monitor in (the alarm sounds if she stops moving for more than 20 seconds).
May be overboard, but it gives us such peace of mind.
One of the doctors I take my baby to tends to be one of those over-paranoid doctors that wants to make sure you're doing everything right. She annoys me. But at our last appointment she commented that it was fine for babies to sleep on their backs or sides. I figure since she, as the doctor, is overly paranoid, it's probably okay. My baby has been a side sleeper since day one. He's now more likely to end up on his tummy because he too is starting to roll. I would just make sure there isn't extra bedding to get tangled up in.
I, like Alicia, have my baby sleep with me. Double no-no, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to help you function as a mom. I have a really colicy baby, so him sleeping with me helps him get enough sleep. Everybaby is different.
Good luck, babies are fun but they can sure keep you on your toes worrying about them!
my dr told me the same, that you must stop worrying about their sleep position when it gets to the point that you would be up all night moving them back into correct position. when Tenley started rolling, we just dressed her in warm jammies, and put a space heater on low in her room, no blanket. i would ALWAYS sneak in and check on her before i went to bed, just for peace of mind. :) now she is almost 14 months, and sleeps however the heck she wants. and p.s. it is natural and good to worry! you're a good little mommy!
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