I know its not recommended at all, and I know the reasons why ... but Marissa sleeps a thousand times better on her front (or at a push with much persuasion on her side but she usually turns to her front while I'm asleep) Trying to get her to sleep on her back is a never ending nightmare - she brings her food back up, cries and screams and grumbles. On her side and she'll grumble a bit, cry a bit and eventually after much soothing from me drop off (but is it sleep or exhaustion?) but if you let her lie on her front she'll drop off almost instantly with no fuss or bother, and sleep for longer too.
I really dont know what to do - OH thinks we should try letting her sleep on her front for a couple of nights, but the thought of something going wrong terrifies me, and although i'm exhausted all day every day i'd rather spend the hours trying to settle her than lose her.
Is there any way for her to sleep on her front safely? Or on her side? Even during the day its hard to get her to settle. She's currently in her bouncy chair and unless it's being rocked gently she stats to grumble and moan... Should I just let her cry and scream or do i get a sling and carry her around to keep her comforted? Is this going to cause jealousy for Ollie?
My daughter is now 7 months & from about 5 months she started rolling onto her side to sleep then evenutally she would end up on her front. even when she falls asleep getting her bottle & I put her into her cot she goes straight onto her side. I used to roll her onto her back when I checked on her every night but then she would wake up. I spoke to my HV and she said not to worry as she is obviously more comfortable on her front
Hi my LO would only settle on her front from an early age around 3 weeks i think ( colicky baby) i got a sensor mat monitor for peace of mind. she still sleeps like it now at 10 months
If she has reflux it's more soothing for her to sleep on her front. I think you mentioned before about her having gaviscon.
Also, the reason it's not recommended is because they sleep more deeply on their front so experts worry that they wouldn't wake up if something was wrong. But I've also heard this is counteracted by them being in the room with you...
Anyway, after the babbling, I'd personally let her do it, but I'd get a sensor mat for my own peace of mind. And perhaps give her a muslin against her cheek as they thinner than a blanket or bib.
my LO sleeps on her front to, but i carry her in a sling during the day, but like everyone else has mentioned, just get a sensor pad for your own peace of mind xxx
I've been doing some reading around cot death lately and as I'm sure you know it's widely believed that putting babies on their front tends to induce a deeper sleep than when they're on their back.
One current theory which relates to this is that babies need a certain amount of low-level stimulation whilst sleeping to keep their reflexes ticking over - without this their bodies are more likely to "switch off". So some science bods suggest that to lower the risk of cot death there should be a certain level of noise in the baby's room to keep the brain ticking over. This is the same theory as with giving them a dummy - to stimulate the sucking reflex).
Tbh I don't know how widely-researched this theory is but it makes a lot of sense to me, so for that reason Lily has a ticking clock in her room. It can't do any harm, anyway.
jake has slept on his tummy since 4 months and no matter how many times i turned him over in the night hed always end up on his tummy!! i still panic now n hes 9 months n check him so so much xx
Sian wakes during the night for her dummy so although she sleeps on her front she still needs some comfort from it, then she spits it out again. She also has a night light which is brilliant
when Oh came home for lunch i told him i'd been asking you all for advice and after the roll of eyes he took over my laptop and we are now the proud owner of an angelcare sensor mat thingy....
I'm just so scared of losing her. I think I want to try getting her to sleep on her side at least for another couple of nights before giving in and letting her sleep on her front. She will take a dummy sometimes but not all the time....
has anyone got the angelcare one? Is it any good? there was a tt one, a nanny one and a babysense one... then there were the ones that clip onto the nappies or something.... its a minefield out there! But they didnt do one with a video attached to it, or I think Oh wouldve bought that one!
my friends all have angel care and they have been fab, i have tommee tippee for the same reason as you, my lo wouldnt sleep on back, so from 5 days old he has slept on his front with a mat.
good luck with it, i worried till he cld roll as then i knew i cldnt stop him but did feel bad putting him on his tummy but it was what he needed, at 5 months he was diagnosed with reflux and i admitted to the doc that he slept on his tummy and he said that helps with relflux and not to worry
Hope you are doing well! When Max was tiny and VERY refluxy we often put him to sleep on his tummy - ALL his daytime naps were that way for a long while as I could keep an eye on him easily and he slept much longer and better that way - he was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO often sick in his sleep that we decided there was just as much chance of him choking on his vomit (he was regularly sick 6 times a night!) as from SIDS - it was a risk we decided we were willing to take - we didn't buy a monitor. But if it gives you peace of mind then GREAT!
I lost a grandson to cot death when he was 12 weeks old 3 years ago - I have been absolutely terrified for my daughter, Cally, since she was born 6 months ago. She has been rolling onto her side to sleep for a couple of months but doesn't roll onto her front yet - I am very worried for when she does. I read on FSIDs website to put your baby down on their back to sleep but if they keep rolling onto their front you can't get up all night to keep putting their back. It is the same with dummies, it helps if they go to sleep with one as they will not be in such a sound sleep but you don't need to keep putting the dummy back in all night. I hadn't heard about the noise one that Pinktoothbrush recommended, but I will be doing it now, until recently we had the white noise cd playing all night to help Cally sleep so I think we will have it back on again. I think we all do everything we can to protect our babies from everything but we still always worry!
Zach sleeps so much better on his front or his side, but like you all, am terrified of cot death so only allow him on his front when he's napping during the day and I'm nearby. I do let him sleep on his side sometimes though and support him from rolling over with a rolled up towel.
Where do you get the angelcare mats from? I've heard of them before but have no idea where to get them from. Mothercare? Zach has a cold at the moment and last night his breathing was very wheezy and I barely slept for worry.
Just to add another perspective to this (and not wanting to alarm anyone any further).........
When I was born (Jan 1985) the doctors/midwives actually recommended that I /did sleep on my front because, even as a baby, I had mildish sleep apnoea and would sometimes stop breathing for a few seconds or breath very shallowly while on my back!
With Robert, we don't have a sensor mat and, while we do always put him to sleep on his back at night, (he's 4 months) on the occasions when he does roll over onto his front at night, or fall asleep on his front during the day, we don't worry.
I figured that I survived ok being 2 months prem and always sleeping on my front so he (1 week late and a strapping young lad) should be ok too.
Yup i was born in 89 and it was the advice then that all baies should sleep on their fron incase they choked on their sick...funny how things change...but there is a whole generation of us who managed ok. I couldn imagine putting jake down on his front cos he feels stuck and is so used to lifting his head up etc...
Replies
but Marissa sleeps a thousand times better on her front (or at a push with much persuasion on her side but she usually turns to her front while I'm asleep)
Trying to get her to sleep on her back is a never ending nightmare - she brings her food back up, cries and screams and grumbles. On her side and she'll grumble a bit, cry a bit and eventually after much soothing from me drop off (but is it sleep or exhaustion?) but if you let her lie on her front she'll drop off almost instantly with no fuss or bother, and sleep for longer too.
I really dont know what to do - OH thinks we should try letting her sleep on her front for a couple of nights, but the thought of something going wrong terrifies me, and although i'm exhausted all day every day i'd rather spend the hours trying to settle her than lose her.
Is there any way for her to sleep on her front safely? Or on her side?
Even during the day its hard to get her to settle. She's currently in her bouncy chair and unless it's being rocked gently she stats to grumble and moan...
Should I just let her cry and scream or do i get a sling and carry her around to keep her comforted? Is this going to cause jealousy for Ollie?
Any ideas and experiences appreciated
xxx
even when she falls asleep getting her bottle & I put her into her cot she goes straight onto her side.
I used to roll her onto her back when I checked on her every night but then she would wake up. I spoke to my HV and she said not to worry as she is obviously more comfortable on her front
Cazz
Also, the reason it's not recommended is because they sleep more deeply on their front so experts worry that they wouldn't wake up if something was wrong. But I've also heard this is counteracted by them being in the room with you...
Anyway, after the babbling, I'd personally let her do it, but I'd get a sensor mat for my own peace of mind. And perhaps give her a muslin against her cheek as they thinner than a blanket or bib.
Hope you're feeling ok today x
One current theory which relates to this is that babies need a certain amount of low-level stimulation whilst sleeping to keep their reflexes ticking over - without this their bodies are more likely to "switch off". So some science bods suggest that to lower the risk of cot death there should be a certain level of noise in the baby's room to keep the brain ticking over. This is the same theory as with giving them a dummy - to stimulate the sucking reflex).
Tbh I don't know how widely-researched this theory is but it makes a lot of sense to me, so for that reason Lily has a ticking clock in her room. It can't do any harm, anyway.
Just thought it was worth a mention
She also has a night light which is brilliant
when Oh came home for lunch i told him i'd been asking you all for advice and after the roll of eyes he took over my laptop and we are now the proud owner of an angelcare sensor mat thingy....
I'm just so scared of losing her. I think I want to try getting her to sleep on her side at least for another couple of nights before giving in and letting her sleep on her front.
She will take a dummy sometimes but not all the time....
has anyone got the angelcare one? Is it any good? there was a tt one, a nanny one and a babysense one... then there were the ones that clip onto the nappies or something.... its a minefield out there! But they didnt do one with a video attached to it, or I think Oh wouldve bought that one!
xxx
my friends all have angel care and they have been fab, i have tommee tippee for the same reason as you, my lo wouldnt sleep on back, so from 5 days old he has slept on his front with a mat.
good luck with it, i worried till he cld roll as then i knew i cldnt stop him but did feel bad putting him on his tummy but it was what he needed, at 5 months he was diagnosed with reflux and i admitted to the doc that he slept on his tummy and he said that helps with relflux and not to worry
xxDBxx
Hope you are doing well! When Max was tiny and VERY refluxy we often put him to sleep on his tummy - ALL his daytime naps were that way for a long while as I could keep an eye on him easily and he slept much longer and better that way - he was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO often sick in his sleep that we decided there was just as much chance of him choking on his vomit (he was regularly sick 6 times a night!) as from SIDS - it was a risk we decided we were willing to take - we didn't buy a monitor. But if it gives you peace of mind then GREAT!
PTB very interesting point!!!
A, xx
Where do you get the angelcare mats from? I've heard of them before but have no idea where to get them from. Mothercare? Zach has a cold at the moment and last night his breathing was very wheezy and I barely slept for worry.
Cas. X
When I was born (Jan 1985) the doctors/midwives actually recommended that I /did sleep on my front because, even as a baby, I had mildish sleep apnoea and would sometimes stop breathing for a few seconds or breath very shallowly while on my back!
With Robert, we don't have a sensor mat and, while we do always put him to sleep on his back at night, (he's 4 months) on the occasions when he does roll over onto his front at night, or fall asleep on his front during the day, we don't worry.
I figured that I survived ok being 2 months prem and always sleeping on my front so he (1 week late and a strapping young lad) should be ok too.