Anyone else want to admit they put their baby on their tummy to sleep?

[Picante]

I can't be the only one.

So far only doing it for daytime naps (dd is 6 weeks). At night she uses a special cushion to help keep her on her side.

I know what SIDS say. She has no other risk factors. She wasn't premature, she's a good weight, she's in a cot in my room, she uses a dummy, she's breastfed (forgive me if that's not a factor)...

I slept on my front as a baby, as did everyone. That was the advice back then to avoid choking if the baby was sick.

There's not much point flaming me - she settles so quickly and sleeps so well I'm not going to change what I do - hence why I haven't put this in AIBU!

There must be others out there who do the same?

When dd1 (5) was born she would not sleep and eventually I had a moan to my HV that after 8wks I thought she ought to be settling for small periods. HV was not from this country and said that although guidelines here state she must advise me to put baby on her back, she had advised her own daughter to put granddaughter on her front to sleep.

It worked, she fell fast asleep but I lay awake checking on her and I barely slept for months even with the breathing monitor on. DS3 was exactly the same, would only settle on his front although he side slept most of the night in my bed attached onto me till he was 15mths so it was less of an issue.

I have to say my 3 pushchaired babies preferred back sleeping and my baby carrier babies prefer front sleeping. I wonder if they miss that feeling of being pressed securely against something.

I never had any advice about which way dd (8.5) should sleep, she seemed to settle best on her stomach so that's how she would be put down. Even now she tends to be a belly sleeper. Retrospectively I did all the wrong things, I smoked, drank and swaddled her, she was probably warmer than recommended in the UK because we were living in a desert (day time temps of 40+), but as we didn't have either midwives or health visitors we made it up as we went along. She's healthy.

Does anyone know why it's more dangerous?

It's nice to know I'm not alone, so thanks.

I think they are more likely to suffocate?? But DS since he was newborn was able to lift and move his head. I think when they are tiny the worry is that they will be face down and not able to or not know to / because they are so sleepy... to move their head to breathe and will suffocate - right?? I could be totally wrong. I'm sorry if I am
Yes, I spent countless nights up poking him or putting my hand on him to make sure he was still breathing even with the breathing monitor on... but he slept much much better on his tummy.

I did. dd would not sleep, not for 5 minutes, not ever, on her back. When I held her, she would sleep on her front though. When I finally put her in her basket on her tummy, she slept. God, the relief!!

I thought a lot about what I was doing. I read some stuff from Australia which links one possible cause of cot death to the fire retardant chemicals they use in mattresses which are slightly lighter than air. A baby sleeping on its front therefore breathes them all in. A lot of people in Aus use mattress covers which stop the chemicals getting through and I used them too.

I told the GP who said I must stop instantly. I told the HV who said that the risk to her from a mother who never slept was probably greater than the risk of cd and to do what I thought was best.

75% decrease in SIDS since the Back to Sleep campaign.

There doesn't seemt o ba any room for dabate as far as I am concerned.

Me.

Ds slept on his back and I assumed DD would do the same. However, from day one she just wouldn't sleep on her back. When I cuddled her on me, she wouldn't be cradled, she would only sleep when she was upright on my chest. When I put her down on her back she woke up after 3 minutes and would not be resettled.

I was petrified about her sleeping on her front and it took a couple of weeks of no sleep for me to finally give in and put her down on her front. She slept marvellously and she still sleeps like that at 10 months.

I did get a breathing monitor.

seeker I see what you are saying. I think it is odd for people to say "well, that's what used to be advised so there can't be any harm in it"...

I persisted with DD, I wanted her to sleep on her back, we had weeks of sleepless nights and days because she wouldn't go to sleep on her back. I knew from how she was cuddled that she wanted to be on her front and I resisted. You can't always fight it though.

Seeker - as others have said, with my pfb dd1 and with dd2, I did everything by the book, and neither of them slept well until they were months or more old and could put themselves onto their fronts to sleep.

With ds, he just didn't sleep well on his back either, and I wonder if there are any studies looking at the detrimental effects on health and development on a baby who simply does not get enough sleep? I tried everything - co-sleeping, sling carrying, but he just wouldn't sleep on his back. Also we don't have any other risk factors for SIDS.

Also he was a very strong baby - good head control from birth, walking at 10 months. Putting him on his front and he could still lift himself head and shoulders up.

It totally stressed me out - it took me a long time to feel relaxed about him sleeping on his front.

I think Leonie that some people just don't know what it's like to have a baby that won't drop off to sleep peacefully on its back.

Leonie, DD is the same. I initially tried to swaddle her in order to enable back sleeping. HA! The look of anger on her 3 week old face was amazing, I've never seen anything like it! She likes to sleep on her front with her arms wide out, one hand tucked down the side of the mattress.

I think it's one of those things that you just don't believe until you experience. I know I didn't when only had DS.

Another front sleeper here. From day one DS would only sleep for max 20 mins on back. Would writhe & scream in sleep. Has silent reflux. Would fall asleep face down on my shoulder or over arm in winding position. Would put down on back but 5-20 min later... Tried wedging on side but would tend to fling himself onto front causing me to panic & flip. HV not helpful just really out the standard line & research. I would put down on front next to me on sofa in daytime & he would sleep for 2-3 hours. At night I would end up propped up on pillows with him asleep on my chest. I was becoming seriously sleep deprived (he has big sister 2.5yo so no daytime catch up). At 3/4 weeks attended baby clinic for advice. As was good weight & strong head control already HV said ok to allow sleep on front. It was also summer so no need for blanket. Suddenly he started going for 5-6 hour stretches at night. Is now 4 mo & still sleeps on front, now in a grobag.

The HVs & media & even many posters on here really do make you feel as though you are suggesting major child cruelty and wont even discuss the possibility. Basically felt they were all saying "well if you want your baby to DIE..." Each child is different & there are a lot of factors that effect SIDS not just sleep position. A good dose of common sense is needed rather than just the scaremongering.

I used to put both my DCs to sleep on their backs. Whenever I went to check on them, both always flipped on to their fronts. With DC1, I used to turn him back, which never woke him, but if I checked on him, literally 15 mins after that, he'd be on his front again. Same with DD. And DD slept in bed with me for the first month or so I guess I could have stayed awake all night, just turning them back over every 15 mins, but then I'd have been too tired to look after them properly.