Need to ask about baby sleeping on tummy

[PaulHollywoodsSexGut]

but please can I request no SIDS stories as I find them unbearably triggering

Our 7 month old DD is having a bit of a time of atm. We are trying to wean her but she’s not too interested. Her sleeping was all to pot but was all good for about a month.

It’s gone backwards a bit again and she’s back to yelling and upset, unable to settle and yelling for a long, long time.

However if we put her on her front it’s like a switch has flicked. She goes to sleep in moments. She also seems to “prefer” IYSWIM?

She’s mostly able to sit up.
She turned herself face tummy down in a travel cot last week when we stayed at a chum’s. She’s turned herself over back to front in the cot a few times but always when awake.

Have you ever put baby to sleep on his or her tummy when they were on the borderline of being able to turn themselves?

I just don’t know what to do anymore. I just don’t want her to scream anymore.

What if you let her fall asleep on her front then turn her onto her back while asleep?

7 months is past the main sids danger risk. At 8 months it goes down even more.
I believe current advice is if they can roll over then they can go to sleep on their front, but check the lullaby Trust for up to date advice.
Is she still in your room? If do that lowers sids risks even more.

I know having a non sleeping baby is hard, but SIDS is an ENORMOUS risk, and the back to sleep campaign has been so successful because babies sleeping on their backs is the safest way.

We just moved her to her own room, yes, it’s probable the screaming could be a reaction to it but I’m away with work (I’m away one day every week) and last three weeks my husband has been concerned about his inability to settle her when he’s putting all 3 down for the night.

So she’s been in her room for four nights.

The risk of SIDS is not diminished to that of an adults risk until around 18 months old.

It’s thought the reason most babies sleep ‘better’ on their fronts is because it inhibits their startle reflexes (that jumpy feeling like you’re falling when you’re just nodding off, research shows that even in adults this reflex is inhibited by front sleeping), leading to less awakenings.

However it’s believed that these startle responses may be a natural defence to breathing pauses during sleep. So inhibiting them in a susceptible infant may increase their risk of SIDS.

In all honesty it’s really not worth it.

but SIDS is an ENORMOUS risk

Enormous?? Really? I would say please elaborate with some facts and statistics to explain what you mean by capital letters ‘enormous’, especially in babies that are older than six months... but the OP clearly stated that’s not what she’s after as she finds it triggering. Some people just can’t help it can they?

My DS was nearly six months old when he started turning himself over on his front - a few times I tried turning him back onto his back again but it didn’t take long for me to realise how pointless it was - he’d roll over again within about 10 minutes. I think if it makes such a massive difference to her being comfortable and not being distressed I would put her on her front, but as a PP said look into other ways to reduce risks (sleeping in the same room etc) If she’s rolled over a few times already it shouldn’t be long until she does so confidently and then there’s not much you can do to influence her sleep position anyway.

If she is turning either way I would think the chance of anything going wrong is minute.

Not all that long ago it was thought that front sleeping reduced the chance of SIDS, I know it doesn't and that back sleeping when tiny is safer but the difference isn't great and a healthy baby will be fine. SIDS was rare even when front sleeping was recommended.

How about putting her to sleep on her front and then turning her over when she is well asleep. Hopefully, she will stay asleep for a few hours at least and give you a few hours rest.

Other than that, keep encouraging rolling and as soon as you are confident she can roll either way she will be fine on her front.

Well in a helpful update just in from my husband; she HAS turned in her cot before.

She went from front to back on Tuesday night; when he nipped his head round the door Weds morning she was on her front and woke shortly after

Totally appreciate your post @Pinkblueberry but yes please can we steer away from numbers and reports please xxx

Lord above. SIDS is not an 'enormous' risk.

OP do funds allow for a monitor mat? That might put your mind at ease. I sympathise , non sleeping babies are the worst thing ever.

sorted then - she can sleep the way she finds comfortable.

My 8 month old started flipping himself onto his tummy about a month ago, this is my 3rd and from memory all of them have reached this stage at some point (my eldest wasn’t even 5 months which was a bit hair raising). Extensive googling each time suggests that if they make it onto their front on their own it’s fine to leave them but that they should still be put down on their back. If we turn him back over he just goes back on his front straight away.

Thank you @nevergotmypuppy

Well we did have an angelcare mat with DD1, our first baby. And DD1 slept like a log but also breathed so deeply and soundly it set the fucking thing off several times we decided it just go for a traditional microphone/transmitter monitor before I ended up hearing the alarm in my dreams :)

Oh that's annoying!

How about the other risk factors? Bf/birth weight/in bedroom with you etc etc?

So she arrived early at 37w as I got very very ill towards the end of my pregnancy.

She’s a chunky baby; we call her the “Big Unit” and she’s strong; but she wasn’t breastfed for long and as she was just not preterm she’s at the 25th centile for her age.

I'm the frettiest mum out there but with my 3rd (also a girl) I let her sleep on her front. She ended up like that anyway if I didn't so it was easier to put her down that way. I had an angel care mat. She's 2.5 now and still sleeps on her front.

Lol at Big Unit.

Honestly I would try and relax and just go with it. Easier said than done, i know (i once spent 30 mins trying to get DS asleep in a bouncy chair then woke him up trying to transfer him because I didnt like the angle he was at )

My son flips himself onto his belly and has done since he was 4months old. I was absolutely terrified. Rang health visitor she said he should be ok as long as head is to one side exposing mouth/nostrils so he can breath. Never been a problem for us and is currently laid flat on his face him his cot sound asleep 🙂 he's now 10month old fit and healthy x

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/sleeping-position/

Advice is always place baby on their back to sleep. Once they can roll back to front and front to back you might choose to move them onto their back from a prone position but you don’t have to.

DS started rolling so he slept on his stomach at 6 months, and advice 4 years ago was that you could then leave them that way.

DD was an absolutely awful sleeper, the only things that helped were cosleeping or putting her down on her tummy. I looked into the risks of both and cosleeping was the less risky option when younger. However, at about 5 months (the risk of cot death drops quite a lot between 4 and 5 months) we started putting her down on her tummy in her own cot in the room with us as I don't sleep very well cosleeping and I'd reached the shattered stage. Even on her tummy she wasn't a very good sleeper so rolling her onto her back once asleep wasn't an option. She was rolling by then but wasn't rolling herself on her tummy to sleep. Putting her down on her tummy wasn't a decision we took lightly but the sleep deprivation was starting to impact on our relationship with her.