The old "sleeping on the front" chestnut...

[emsyj]

This has probably been done to death but.... DD is 7.5 months and has always slept on her back. She has been a very poor sleeper since the start of the 4 month sleep regression.

The last few nights have been awful. I put her to bed around 8pm and she has a breastfeed and goes to sleep quite easily. She will then wake after half an hour and then be impossible to resettle unless she is being held.

So tonight I put her down on her front, just to see if it made a difference, and she went straight to sleep and has stayed asleep. So.... How risky is it? I have put her down like that, she didn't turn herself over. She can roll from her back onto her front but she has previously been unhappy on her front and tummy time normally results in crying, so I have no idea if she can roll from her front to her back . She has her head on its side and seems quite happy. Of course she has full head control now and can lift her head etc.

Should I be worried?? The guidance is to put them on their backs but if I do that she just screams. Should I buy a sensor monitor?

We have a bedside cot set up in our room - would it be better/safer to put her in that when we go to bed (she is asleep in her own cot in her room at the moment)?

Thanks. Yes, she is my pfb by the way!

Can she roll over?

Ds started sleeping well when he learnt how to roll over and would sleep on his front. I still put him down on his back and he moves himself. He is 18 months now btw.

I wouldn't worry she will be fine

Opps sorry just realised you said she can roll from her back

7.5 months she'll be fine on her front IMO. My DD slept on her front from a week old. DS slept on his back and was fine but at 6 months rolled over and stayed a front sleeper. DD slept better and for longer on her front, but slept next to me for 5 months. I think she'll be fine!

If it makes yup feel happier I'd put her to sleep on her front but have her next to you in your room.

You will get a big spectrum of opinions here.

My first was a hellish sleeper, awful tummy problems, woke constantly, screamed the house down with overtiredness and it took me 6 months before he could be put down to sleep. Once able to roll he chose to sleep on his front and things improved greatly.

My second has been front sleeping since she was a few weeks old - first just for daytime naps as she slept on her side at night (cosleeping with me) - but as she's got bigger and stronger I put her on her front at night too.

It is a risk - but my choice was made on the basis that every other SIDS guideline is adhered to - no smokers, safe sleeping environment, sleeps in the room I am in etc. When DP and I talked about how awful we'd feel if the worst were to happen, we realised that because she refuses to sleep on her back she'd be cosleeping anyway which again, is not gold standard sleep safety.

At your DD's age I wouldn't hesitate, but you have to be happy with the decision yourself.

Or ... you might get lots of much more succinct posts than mine, all of which say the same thing

My daughter was exactly the same - never settled on her back - and I made the same decision as you.
I did some reading about the risks and understood sleeping on front is a risk factor for cot death but ultimately I think it's a judgement call.

from 6 months they can sleep in whatever position they like

Thanks for all your replies. I guess I want a cast-iron guarantee that it's safe, and of course there isn't one. I think I will move her to ourvroom when we go to bed and put her down on her front in the bedside cot. No doubt I will spend the entire night listening out for her and feeling her chest to check she's breathing . Oh well, better that than sitting up in bed holding her while she sleeps and not daring to put her down!

Undoubtedly you will listen out all night, for every snuffle. But you'll get used to it and you can have some coffee tomorrow and keep cracking on. She'll sleep well and be less cranky, that'll make the difference in the long run! Been there!