5 month old keeps sleeping on her belly

[notcreativeforacoolname]

She is premature and can't yet roll back on her back. She is rolling on her belly quietly and not crying when she does this. I think she's teething too and might be a reason why she is doing it. I am rolling her back every 10 minutes no kidding. She is not always putting her head to the side, sometimes she is face down. Any advice on how to deal with this?
Thanks.

If you are putting her down on her back and she rolls to her front you can leave her, that's what the official advice says, and the rule of thumb I always went by.

Oh really I thought it was linked to SIDS?

She's not a year old yet. So she's still at a higher risk. X

As soon as my oldest could roll he slept on his front, as long as you put them down on their back they will do what feels comfy for them.

DD rolled over at about 10 weeks so we tried one of the wedge things which is supposed to stop them. She shuffled down her cot (in a sleeping bag) until she was clear of it and then rolled over - we figured if she could do all that she was fine.

So do you think it's safe? I saw something on amazon I was thinking of getting. I have a 3 year old so if I don't find a solution I'll never get any sleep

Might get this?

Snoozzz Sleep positioner Baby Reflux Support Anti roll Pillow - Swaddle Flat Head Syndrome aid - snoozepod Snuggle Sleepy pod - Regular https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076F97QNX/ref=cmswwrcppapifabcc9VYQFbBECB0ES?encoding=UTF8&psc=1

So do you think it's ok to leave her to sleep On her belly even though I found her face down? Thanks

As pp said if she does it herself you can leave her. I think that's safer than positioning aids though I'm not sure where I had that info from.

My DS did this quite early - 3 months ish and would often be face down. DS was not premature (no other SIDS risk factors either) but was v young so I bought one of those heart beat monitors/mats and used for a couple of months.

This was for my benefit because i was anxious about SIDS but agree with PP if they are rolling themselves you can’t do anything about it really.

My DS prefers to sleep on his belly, I put him on his back and he rolls on his front. If he can do it himself there’s not much I can really do to stop him

My youngest did this from 6 flipping weeks as witnessed by HV. She suggested an Angel Care monitor, it had a pad under the mattress which would record movement/breathing which while reassuring also made you panic if little bug slid down the cot off the pad!

She is now 6 and still here. Do what you can and trust yourself x

Also OP, the lullaby trust advises you not to buy slee positioners www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/sleeping-products/
It also says as long as your baby is able to roll themselves over from back to front and front to back confidently then it isn’t a worry if they are sleeping on their front.

DS1 had this amazing ninja move where he could roll onto his tummy from a couple of days: drew his knees up to his tummy, keeled over sideways, and then wriggled. However many times I rolled him back, he'd end up on his front. Midwife and health visitor said you just have to run with it, because the alternative would be never sleeping at all... We did have one of those movement sensor things under the mattress though.

@Isabelle99

Also OP, the lullaby trust advises you not to buy slee positioners www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/sleeping-products/ It also says as long as your baby is able to roll themselves over from back to front and front to back confidently then it isn’t a worry if they are sleeping on their front.

Thanks. She can't roll from her front to back though.

Mine has slept on her tummy since she could roll to get there at 4 months. I couldn't stop her if I tried.

@Disappointedkoala I take it she couldn't roll back at that point either

My 6 month old has started doing this too. We freaked out the first few times but it's obviously the way she prefers to sleep. She can't roll from her front to back either, which is why we were worried.

She lifts herself high up on her arms and hollers at us when she wants feeding or flipping over

We are just going with it. She sleeps much better on her front. Those mats that detect breathing etc sound really good and if she was younger than 6 months or premature we would have used one of those!

Once they roll themselves, there isn't much you can do. Ours rolled herself onto her front for ages before she could get back again.

Do you have a good quality, new (so no accumulation of dust or mold spores), breathable mattress? This is key if they are going to roll themselves onto their fronts, so they can still breathe even if they try to put their face downwards. And don't put a plastic waterproof cover onto it, or you remove the breathability.

Another one whose baby slept on their tummy from about 4 months. He was the same, could roll from back to front (but not back again) and didn't always reliably put his head to the side in the early days. We bought a video monitor which has been fantastic - no more racing up and down the stairs to check on him or worrying about face planting. He still prefers to sleep on his tummy at 6 months, but I put him down on his back and he rolls himself over. He now also reliably turns his head sideways, but the video monitor is still really handy.

Mine rolled onto his front to sleep when he stayed in a travel cot for the first time at 11/12 weeks (instead of smaller Moses basket) - he couldn’t roll front to back - and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Not always with head to the side either, sometimes just face down.
I slept really badly for a few nights (weeks) convinced he was going to suffocate..... he’s fine....