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rolling to his tummy to sleep...

Sara - posted on 11/17/2008 ( 10 moms have responded )

So this may be a silly question/concern, but my 4.5mo old son, who has always slept on his back w/ no problems...and has been capable of rolling for about 2mo now, all the sudden is a HUGE fan of sleeping on his tummy. We put him down on his back, and before we even leave the room, he has situated himself onto his tummy... I tried rolling him back to his back, he stays asleep...but goes right back to the tummy! So now I'm a nervous wreck d/t the risks of SIDS and all of that... So I'm asking, should I make a big deal of this and go to great lengths to get him back on his back?? If so...any suggestions?? OR, should I just let it be and let the poor lil guy sleep in peace on his tummy (but check on him more often). Any thoughts, fellow Moms??

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Karla - posted on 11/21/2008

I believe I read that your risks for SIDS are drastically reduced once your baby can roll over.

Sarah - posted on 11/19/2008

My little girl has been doing the same thing. I have a video monitor so I keep looking over at her throughout the night and she is fine. She turns her head to the side so she can breath. I read in baby books that once they can roll over and hold their heads up they are strong enough to move their head so they can breath. Don't worry, if you think about it our parents were told to put us on our tummies and we are fine.

Rebecca - posted on 11/19/2008

My son does the same thing. I asked my pediatrician, and he said not to worry -- although the "official party line" is that babies sleep on their backs, he told me the risk of SIDS is low at this point, and there's not much to be done about a kiddo who prefers his tummy at this point.

Sarah - posted on 11/18/2008

You will always peek in on him---even when he is nine! It never stops! =)

Sara - posted on 11/18/2008

thanks, ladies. The rational side of me was pretty sure that this was an OK thing, but it's nice to get reassurrance. My son definitely has great head control and can roll to tummy and back w/ no problem..I'll still probably keep peeking in on him, though!

Em - posted on 11/18/2008

Don't worry about it. If DS wants to sleep on his tummy, it's totally okay at this point. Just make sure that there are no loose blankets/toys/etc. that could get in the way of his breathing. The greatest risk of SIDS is between 2-4 months, so he well past that.

Emily - posted on 11/17/2008

When my daughter was 3 months old she began rolling onto her stomach during the night. I would always roll her back onto her side or her back. Every time I did this, she would always roll over again onto her tummy. It was a constant battle. I then checked with her Pediatrician and she said once a baby can hold their head up, it's ok for them to sleep on their tummies. I always place her on her back, but now I don't worry if she rolls over. .

Amber - posted on 11/17/2008

Does he have good neck control? Is he an alert baby, active? My daughter has been sleeping on her tummy since she was maybe 3 weeks old, she sleeps better that way and have awesome neck and head control, since birth. I think that if he is rolling by himself, you are pretty much in the clear of SIDS. I mean, SIDS supposedly has a lot to do with brain development as much as it does how a baby sleeps and if he is strong enough to roll himslef over without help, I think he will be fine. Just be sure to keep his crib clear of toys and extra blankies and just have him sleep with one blanket or even better, a fleece sleep sac.

Sarah - posted on 11/17/2008

My daughter is 4.5 months also , and she started doing the same thing. I don't worry about it anymore. Each kid is an individual, and she seems to enjoy being on her tummy. So I have to let her. My nine year was a tummy sleeper when she was a baby, and she still is. Just watch what is around him.

Valerie - posted on 11/17/2008

My daughter, who is 19 months now, has slept on her stomach ever since she was a week old, and I had absolutly no worries about her. If you are worried though, you can prop him up with a rolled blanket, but I wouldn't worry if I were you. Just make sure that the blankets are away from his face.