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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

Advice on getting 6 week old to like sleeping on back?

17 replies

loubaby1 · 14/02/2011 21:30

My DS is now 6 weeks old. During the day he refuses to sleep unless in the car, pram etc. He can be sound asleep on me but as soon as I put him down anywhere he wakes up within 5 minutes. During the night he will sleep to start with for 3 hours but after that wakes every 40 mins if we're lucky and hates being put down.

A few days ago out of desperation I lay him on his stomach during the day and he slept for 4 hours. Since this I have put him on his stomach for naps during the day when I can watch him. But I'm too scared to do it at night.

Any advice on how I can encourage him to sleep on his back? He won't take a dummy.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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aPixie · 14/02/2011 21:45

Sorry no advice on getting him on his back but just to let you know my ds2 was the same.

He slept on his tummy from 2days old when he screamed every time I put him down on his back. It was scary at first. I put him down for naps in a Moses basket right next to the sofa where I could keep an eye on him and took Moses basket and pit it literally next to my bed where I could hear him breathing at night.

Luckily he was able to lift and turn his head from side to side from the very beginning (MW said it must have been the way he was lying in the womb and he was a natural tummy sleeper hence the good head turning?)

I stopped worrying so much around 6weeks I think.

He's now 22 weeks old and still sleeps on his tummy but I'm much more relaxed about it now. He learned to roll from back to front about a month ago so even if I did put him on his back he would just roll onto his front and go to sleep.

mumsgonemad123 · 14/02/2011 22:16

i had a tummy sleeper too. Its scary because of all the advice and info you recieve about SIDS but mine just wouldnt sleep on his back he would scream and scream yet would settle straight away on tummy. i didnt dare tell people at the time i put his down on his tummy but the truth is he slept on tummy every night from being about a week old! He is now 18 months. i did worry but when he could lift his head and roll over obviously any risk is very much reduced.

meandmy2boys · 14/02/2011 22:18

My boys both slept on their tummies from the start..I was really worried about it to begin with but it was the only way to get them to sleep. So sorry, no advice but just some reassurance that sometimes, they do prefer that!

izpie · 15/02/2011 02:58

Again nol advice but my 10wk old dd is the same. She naps on her tummy, and sometimes side, during the day, always in her Moses basket which I cart around the house with me prodding her frequently. I'm too worried to let her sleep like that at night so on her back it is, a first stretch of around 4hrs, then 2ish, then 1. Am desperately hoping it'll improve and that I'll last until she's old enough to put on her tummy. Plan to move her into a cot at the weekend which i fantasise will help, but am also not sure how that'll change naps as I can't heft a cot around the house if she naps on her tummy & not sure I want to spend napyimes in the bedroom.

Sorry, absolutely no help at all, just sharing your predicament. I have 3 friends whose babies sleep on tummies.

ChunkyPickle · 15/02/2011 03:34

No help here either - from the day he was born mine could jackknife onto his side to sleep. Hated being on his back (or front), but slept perfectly balanced on his side.

OADCB · 15/02/2011 03:52

Could some cranial osteopathy be of benefit? If may be that it's uncomfortable sleeping on back.

NickiAndAlex · 15/02/2011 07:57

You could try rolling up a blanket and seeing if he will sleep on his side propped up. You can also get little baby pillows (specially designed, so not a risk) which might help with his comfort on his back. You could also get one of those baby monitors that have a mat under them and detect baby movements.

Other than that, I would try not to worry too much about it. Some babies naturally prefer their tummy to sleep on. As soon as my daughter could roll over and sleep on her tummy, she did, and seemed to sleep better as a result.

When I was little, the advice was to sleep all babies on their tummies. We now know that it carries a greater risk of SIDS, but I don't know what the difference really is, I suspect it's really minor.

Davsmum · 15/02/2011 11:46

Well research says that babies sleeping on their tummies are more at risk but not all babies who do this are doomed are they ???!

I used to put my DD & DS to sleep on their tummies because my mother told me it was more comfortable for them if they had colic. This was before all the advice came out re SIDS.
I can't see that a baby wants to be on his back all the time,..would you want to sleep in one position all the time. ?
I wouldn't worry, especially if you are watching out for him during the day.

Original poster

loubaby1 · 15/02/2011 21:53

Thank you all for making me feel better and not like I'm a terrible mother for putting him on his tummy! I have bought a monitor for his breathing/ movement to make me feel a bit safer!

OP posts:

OADCB · 16/02/2011 06:54

Loubaby- please do consider cranial osteopathy. Worth it if he then will sleep On back Esp if he has any colic/ reflux issues. Does he prefer to be sleeping upright?

The SIDS advice is there for a reason and much more reliable than it didn't do mine any harm advice.

Original poster

loubaby1 · 16/02/2011 10:06

I will make an appointment with the osteopath if you think it could help. I've tried him on his side and propped up and neither seem to help. He doesn't like being swaddled either. I know it's just that he needs to learn to get used to it but he's so much happier in himself if he has a decent sleep during the day.

OP posts:

SydneyB · 16/02/2011 10:10

Mine did this from the get go. He was a strong baby and could lift and turn his head from 1 week old so I just went with it. For the first few months he was next to our bed in a moses basket anyway so I figured that was all I could do.

OADCB · 16/02/2011 10:16

Worth a try. A friends baby was similar and it worked.

Please do report back though as interested to hear your experience.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 16/02/2011 11:51

I'm glad you feel better. My DD refused to sleep on her back. I knew it was advisable but as she was born in Oman I didn't have the health professionals on my back.
DD slept on her stomach from about 4 days old. She is now 9.9

Turk1 · 16/02/2011 17:06

DS, now 10 months, is a tummy sleeper. It makes such a difference when you realise what they want... Like you I was terrified of this and didn't even admit to HV for months. We pacified ourselves by forking out a small fortune for an Angelcare monitor which senses the pulse or heartbeat. It is really sensitive and we felt that we could sleep at night instead of hovering over the cot! A good investment (and DH is really mean)

MoonUnitAlpha · 16/02/2011 17:13

Could he sleep in your bed at night? My ds always slept so much better if he was touching me at night.

carlywurly · 16/02/2011 19:52

ds2 was a tummy sleeper from day one. On his back he woke up every hour, on his tummy he only woke once in the night from week one. I initially worried, but he could lift his head and I made sure there were no blankets, toys or anything near his head which might get in the way of him breathing.

He's now 3.5yrs and sleeps on his back every night. Typical.

Don't worry!

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