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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Newborn wanting to sleep on tummy - advice please!

20 replies

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 10:05

I have 6 week old twins boys, and am having trouble getting them to settle on their backs or sides. They really settle well on their tummies. I have tried flipping them over once soundly asleep, but this isn't fooling them and they soon wake up.

What I would like to know is, how many of you have let your newborns sleep on their tummies? If all other factors of reducing SIDS are kept to a minimum (e.g. cool room, parent sleeping in same room etc) then is it safe to do this? My DH is extremely concerned and I hear very mixed reports on this topic.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

DuncanDisorderly · 29/07/2010 10:08

My twins both sleep on their tummies. I justify it to myself by knowing they both have apnoea alarms on so if they stopped breathing I'd be alerted. Maybe consider buying them for your twins? They really do give peace of mind. Ours are the respisence ones. They just clip onto the nappies and work fantastically.

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 10:14

Duncan Thanks for your post. I'm being rather ignorant here, but have never even heard of an apnoea alarm. Where can you buy these from? Sounds ideal.

OP posts:

shitforbrains · 29/07/2010 10:22

both my boys were tummy sleepers, DS1 was from about 2 weeks old and DS2 from about 4-5 weeks old.

I personally have never found it to be an issue, and whilst I know some people will feel very strongly about it, I'd rather they got a good rest (as did I) on their tummies than have them fretting and unhappy on their backs.

chabbychic · 29/07/2010 10:26

Both of mine were tummy sleepers from an early age - it was the only way I could preserve my sanity. You have to weigh everything up.

DuncanDisorderly · 29/07/2010 10:31

www.respisensemonitor.co.uk/

They sound an alarm if baby stops breathing for 20 seconds.

schmee · 29/07/2010 10:56

The apnoea alarm sounds like a very good idea and I wish I'd known about it. One of my twins screamed his head off everytime I tried to put him on his back, has ended up being a very poor sleeper and had severe plagiocephaly from sleeping on his back. I felt I had to make him sleep on his back because of the risks but if I'd known about the apnoea alarm that might have solved lots of problems.

Another thought - twins quite often have been twisted into funny shapes in utero which might be making it more uncomfortable for him to back sleep, so it might be worth asking your health visitor to check/refer him to a physio or a cranial osteopath. The technical name is torticollis. It's nothing serious but it might help if he has a bit of gentle physio to stretch him out.

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 11:55

schmee good point - we have an appt with a cranial osteopath in 10 days time.
Thanks for the link duncan.

OP posts:

happygermanmum · 29/07/2010 12:58

i agree with schmee and suggest go and see a cranial therapist. they can be quite expensive so an alternative would be to go to a chiropracter. we went with our little one and it helped in many different ways to improve sleep and wellbeing.

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 13:17

Thanks happygerman - we went to cranial osteopath with our DD when she was born (as had ventouse delivery) - found it really helpful. Only 10 days til we see him with these babies, but in the meantime, I am wracked with worry about whether or not to let them sleep on their tummies.

OP posts:

Lozario · 29/07/2010 19:41

My ds was ever so unhappy on his back. I don't think any of us slept for the first month of his life. (I put it down to a traumatic birth - he was born back to back and wasn't breathing when he eventually emerged)

After 3 or 4 weeks, I put him on his tummy for his daytime sleeps so I could watch him. Once I saw him turn his head easily in his sleep, I was a bit happier about doing the same at night. I think from about 5 weeks he was on his tummy at night - I was also wracked with guilt and felt AWFUL about it, my husband calls it our "guilty secret"! However we have no smokers in the house and (once he was breathing!!) he was a strong little baby.

So glad we did it now. If my next baby is the same then we'll do the same again. (Definitely with one of those alarms for them to lie on too - they sound great)

Also he slept a LOT better once he was in the cot. He hated the bloody moses basket. He was big and I think he'd hit the sides and wake himself up.

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 20:27

Thanks Lozario. It's a comfort to hear of others doing this - and LOL at your DH referring to it as a guilty secret!

Am feeling a whole lot happier about this now. Thanks to all who have posted their experiences.

OP posts:

mumtothemountain · 29/07/2010 20:44

Hi, I'm a health professional and spent a lot of my time promoting "back to sleep"... until dd1 came along and refused to sleep on her back! We put her on her front and she slept soundly, though we didn't as we were up every few minutes checking to see she was ok.

As Lozario said, it was our guilty secret, though became obvious as dd1 had lots of hair and it's easy to tell how a baby sleeps by looking at their bald patch, ie back of head with back sleepers, above the ears with front / side sleepers

DD2 was a back sleeper from the word go. If we tried to put her on her tummy she couldn't move her head and got very upset. I could understand why she would have been at risk from sleeping on her front!

I've since come to the conclusion (not a professional opinion at all) that if a baby naturally wants to sleep on their front and can move their head accordingly, then the SIDS risk isn't so great as if the baby is not a "natural" front sleeper! If I had my time over with dd1 I would still put her on her front but I probably wouldn't worry so much.

DD1 always had a lovely shaped head. DD2 has a flat head

Lozario · 29/07/2010 21:20

Ha yes mumtothemountain - you've just reminded me that people always used to say "hasn't he got a lovely shaped head?" and we'd mumble nervous thanks, thinking uh oh, they're onto us!!

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 29/07/2010 21:45

such a relief to hear this mumtothemountain. So funny re. the lack of bald patch on back of head being a giveaway.

I'm not a first time mum - my DD was always happy as larry on her back so I never had this conundrum. Amazing how different your DCs can be. I'm just staggered by how well these babies sleep on their front and how badly on their back.

i've ordered 2 x Respisense monitors as advised on this thread, so I can relax a little bit. Both babies are currently in front of me in the cot on their tums, their bottoms tucked up in the air.

OP posts:

addictedtofrazzles · 29/07/2010 22:04

DS2 (4 weeks old) is a tummy sleeper. I have an sleep monitor too for peace of mind and as a result we are all getting some sleep. I talked this through with my independent midwife who said that lots of babies prefer their tummies becasue it aids digestion so is much more comfortable for them. She agreed that the monitor was the best compromise and reminded me that there are LOTS of factors that contribute to SIDS, not just whether they lie on their front or back.

I love when their bums are in the air - melts my heart every time I see it (and DS1, who slept on his back now is a 'bottom in the air' toddler). Could stare all night - mostly cos they are so peaceful and quiet when sleeping!!!

tablefor3 · 30/07/2010 12:49

Another one here. We eventually worked out at about 6 weeks that DD would be a front-sleeper since she slept best on her front on one of us before that point.

The first time I just watched her sleep for two hours in bed next to me. The next day was in her cot, but I was awake for the two hours listening to her. I had the confidence to do it then because she could easily turn her head in her sleep and we tried to minimise all of the other SIDS indicators.

Original poster

MonkeyMargot · 01/08/2010 10:00

Thanks all. We are now using the apnoea alarms as recommended by duncandisorderly.

One question - the boys both have red "chafe" marks on their knees where they bring them up and stick their bottoms in the air.
I'm putting vaseline on them in between but not sure how best to prevent this.
Any tips?

OP posts:

dalema · 08/03/2011 12:29

I started putting DD down on her tummy during the day at about 3 weeks, I soon found she wouldn't settle on her back at night after that. She was so much more settled and comfortable on her tummy and only waking once a night for feeding. She was able to turn her head at this stage.
I had a visit from my lovely community midwife at 4 weeks (DD is my 3rd) and she saw her asleep on her tummy and was quite shocked but said that if I was with her it was probably ok but that the "Back to sleep" campaign since 1994 was really what should be follwed...
I then went completely against my instincts and started worrying that I was doing the wrong thing. I put DD to sleep on her back and she was then waking every 2 hours at night and projectile vomiting nighttime feeds.
I bought an Angelcare baby monitor (monitors movement and sound) to put my mind at rest and put her back on her tummy and peace and comfort resumed!
I think you have to go with your instincts - DD now 5 weeks, sleeping on tummy as I type and monitor by my side.

abenstille · 08/03/2011 13:14

Hi, also did it with a heartsense monitor and felt comfortable re sids because of that.

atmywitssend · 08/03/2011 14:20

My DS did this. We saw about a paediatrician about something else and mentioned the tummy sleeping with bottom in the air. He diagnosed reflux -and said that this is a very common way in which babies with reflux try to make themselves more comfortable. Suggest a chat with your GP?

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