tummy sleeping question

[petdoc]

I have a 5 month old twin girl who has started rolling over from back to tummy and just won't stay sleeping on her back anymore. I guess I am paranoid about SIDS and I am concerned to let her sleep on her tummy. When I find her rolled over on her tummy she has her face planted into the mattress! I am not sure what to do to keep her on her back. Any suggestions???

[mmk07]

There are sleep positioners you can get to keep them on their back, you can get one at walmart. With my son he started doing that at about the same time and although I didn't use one I was also nervous because babies need to sleep on their back, I just let him sleep how he wanted to and he's fine, at first i would check on him every 5 mins to make sure he was breathing but he's now 11 months and he's fine.

[ra11en]

Sleep positioners are good if you are really worried. However, by 5mo they should have pretty good neck muscle control. My DD refused to sleep unless she was on her tummy from just a few weeks old. Ped gave us permission with extra vigilance of course. Some wee ones just want to sleep on tummy! By the time they can roll over, you lose some control over their sleep position.

[craftyashley]

Some kids just prefer to sleep on their tummies. I wouldn't worry about it. She'll probably sleep better without the sleep positioner.

[kaiya23]

Does she take a pacifier? My doc told me it helped to ward against SIDS.

My daughter spent a week in the NICU...she was plenty big and on time, there was just an infection in the placenta that she had to be treated for. B/c she was hooked up to those monitors, they could put her on her belly to sleep and they'd know if she stopped breathing. She would not stay asleep any other way. I'm guessing with twins that you may have spent time in the NICU as well, and if the babies slept on their bellies there, that may be what they need now.

Make sure the mattress is plenty firm and that any bedding isn't fluffy. I would think that the same nose shape that allows the baby to breastfeed with her face tight to a breast and still be able to breathe would allow her to breathe with her face to the mattress...although I'd still move her head to the side.

I say let her be.

[west.amy]

The warning on the sleep positioner says not to use it once she can roll over (which makes me question when it is actually needed?). There have also been a small number of deaths due to the positioners (baby gets caught between positioner and side of crib, etc.) The risk of SIDS reduces DRAMATICALLY once the baby is able to roll over onto his/her back. Once she can roll over by herself, it's time to relax.

[windshieldbug]

My 7wk old daughter will not sleep on her back. She hasn't since she was 5wks old and had to move out of her bassinet (she was too big for it by then). She sleeps with just a blanket covering her back and tends to kick it off at night anyhow as our house is warm.

[Misfit]

Some nights my son prefers to sleep on his stomach, and I do check on him, but I'm not too worried. He sleeps on his back most of the time. The only way he sleeps on his stomach is when I'm holding him on his stomach.

[el555]

My son is doing the same thing. If I put him on his back, he turns to his tummy. Then I try to turn him back on his back, and he wakes up. So, I heard, if your child is turning himself/herself, then it is ok. It does make me paranoid though. I check on him, a 100 times when he is sleeping. He is 7 months old now. The risk of SID decreases as they reach closer to 1 year.

[Pa_ool]

Some kids just prefer to sleep on their tummies. I wouldn't worry about it. She'll probably sleep better without the sleep positioner.

I'll never forget that misserable first week home when I was trying to keep my son on his back and asleep. one night I put him on his stomach and he slept for 8 hours. I was hooked. I realize the risk, but sleep deprivation isn't the best alternitive.. is it? he now flips whereever he wants and lifts up, so I'm not worried any more.