If your 7 week old baby slept for 6 hours at night...

[Enid]

if you put her on her tummy, but woke every hour on her back, would you ignore the 'Back to sleep' advice and put her on her tummy to sleep?

[jessicaandrebeccasmummy]

Becky was about the same age when she did this, and for a good few weeks we did it.

She soon stopped it though and went back to sleeping onher back, but unfortunately even now at 8 months she is still waking at 5am for a feed!

[Enid]

how did she stop it? did you start putting her on her back at a certain age?

[Miaou]

It's entirely up to you enid, but I couldn't do it. Statistically she will most likely be fine, but....

Go with your instincts on this one

[SoupDragon]

I'm not sure I could relax. I have put all of them to sleep on their sides though because it meant the didn't wake up as soon as they touched the mattress.

[SoupDragon]

(and if I wasn't relaxed enough to sleep for the 6 hours, I don'tsee the point :o)

[jessicaandrebeccasmummy]

i lay her on her tummy to go to bed at about 11 weeks and and she wouldnt settle, turned her over and hey presto!

she was back to sleeping on her back from then on. Now she is rolling, i have found she tend to sleep on her tummy more now, i think she is just more comfy that way - but then me and DH sleep on our tummys too.

if it works do it i say... but thats my opinion!

[Enid]

insticnt and judgement utterly clouded by the fact she looks utterly peaceful on her tummy and very nervous and worried on her back

[Enid]

(no I am managing to 'relax' enough to sleep heavily for 6 hours )

still hate doing it though

all mine did this WHY??????????? It just means I stress for 12 months.

Also, I woke this morning to find that she had propelled herself across the bed, somehow pushed the pillows off the side (with her head I presume ) and was laying at right angles with her head almost dangling off the side of the bed.

Don't think the 6 hours is worth the stress

[littlerach]

We always put the DDs on their side, which is the advice given in the States, I e;lieve, as they too looked worried on their backs!

[Enid]

she rolls onto her tummy frm her side, have tried it, she is a very strong wriggly baby

[Enid]

.

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

any point in getting one of those mattress/baby listener things that set off alarms if their breathing is interrupted? I have always thought they are for the paranoid only, but maybe useful for the won;t sleep except on their tummy types as well??

[Tortington]

yes in an instant - i would ignore all advice and get some sleep.

[bouncyball]

Wouldn't recommend a matress sensitive monitor. My friend got utterly hooked on it and when the alarm went off which it did for no apparent reason she had kittens!!! My 8mth DS rolled early and then there was no telling him which position to lie in! I think its more important to check you are using a safe matress and that the room is not too hot and that you have winded the baby so they are less likely to be sick. But it has to be your decision. When you said pillows off the bed earlier , does that mean she is in bed with you? If so the matress, the temperature and the position will be a problem!?

[Yummymum1]

Hi Enid!DS1 was put to sleep on his back as recommended and thatwas fine.Wouldnt have dreamt of doing anything else but ds2 just wouldnt settle at all on his back and the only way he would sleep for long preiods was on his tummy,so thats what we did!The midwife was very down to earth and said as long as we were aware of the supposed risks then whatever worked for us was fine!Good luck :)

[Marne]

DD2 does'nt like sleeping on her back, she will only sleep on her front or sat ut slightly in her chair. If your happy with it then i would'nt worry what others say you should/should'nt do.

[breadandroses]

Yes- did it with both my dd's. they slept much longer cos they felt more secure (same as they do when carried etc) and their hands can't make them start. Was very particular that no pillows or duvet were near her (they both used to sleep in the middle of our bed)

[popsycal]

even with my ds2 who still doesnt sleep i never did until he was able to roll confidently from his tummy to his back and vie versa
he did sleep on his side alot though due to feeding in bed

[popsycal]

I think one of the reasons that they recommend not sleeping on the tummy is due to the startle reflex. Lying on the tummy stops the startle reflex which is why they are more settle. But if I remember correctly, it is the startle reflex which plays a big part in preventing SIDS as if a baby stops breathing, the startle reflex can sometimes kick in.

That is vaguely correct - hope someone who knows more specifically can correct me

[FlameBoo]

Becky is 8 months???? Seriously????? Time is a blur!

DS was on his front for a few weeks because he wanted to suck his thumb, and couldn't get it in unless he was laying on top of it. He was on an alarm mat thingy though, so I felt slightly safer about it - going with the theory of I would be alerted sooner to any problems than if I was just checking on him, rather than checking plus alarm.

But saying that - I was letting him sleep on his front in the travel cot at Psychomum's house too, with no monitor.

[dreamteamgirl]

In all honesty, yes I would

DS was born tiny, and just avoided SCBU by a whisker (well half an ounce), and the MWs put him to sleep on front, as thats what they do with the SCBU babies.

I am a bad mum, cos I relaxed easily enough to go to sleep when he did!!

[honeybunny]

Enid- think about all the other things that are thought to cause SIDS, like smoking, history of breathing difficulties, overheating etc, and the fact that dd1+2 have been perfectly fine doing exactly what dd3 wants to. She'll be fine. If you want to change it though, have you tried side lying and swaddling (prob a bit late now) or perhaps a baby sleeping bag to stop her wriggling around so much? Just a thought. HTH! All 3 of mine were side sleepers up til 6mo and then tummy sleepers. They're all ok!

[PrettyCandles]

Dd slept on her tummy from the day I brought her home from hospital.

IMO you have to look at all the factors together: none of us smoke, we don't allow smoking in the house, dd had an untraumatic birth, was a good weight and perfectly healthy (no jaundice etc), we sleep with the window open and the flat in general was kept relatively cool. Also dd was always either right next to me in a bedside cot (ie her mattress was effectively a continuation of our's) or in bed with us. We never drank nor took any drugs (even prescription). So in our opinion it was a reasonable thing to do. Especially as dd settled immediately on her stomach but was miserable as sin on her back.

But then dd is our second, and we had learned from our experiences with ds - who started of on his back and ended up being put down on his front because it worked.

[Olihan]

My dd was exactly the same and in the end the sleep deprivation won out and she slept on her tummy from about 6 weeks old. I took the same attitude as Pretty Candles that sleeping on her front was the only risk factor she had. I was a bit paranoid but it just made everyone's life so much easier when she got a decent amount of sleep.
If she's a bit fidgety can you put one of those toddler bedguards across the side of the bed so she can't fall out?