I think my 6wo wants to sleep on her front

[Wildpoppy]

Last night she wouldn't settle and would only
sleep on me for about five hours. But at one point I needed loo. I put her on back and she screamed so I put her on front and went to loo and two mins later got back and she was fast asleep. As soon as I turned her back onto back she started screaming again. She is a windy baby and I think sometimes being on her back makes her very uncomfortable

Would it be awful to let her sleep on front?

It used to be standard advice for babies to sleep on their front (certainly when I was a baby).

I would also say that my kids greatly preferred sleeping on their front, but I only ever let them do it when they were asleep on me and I was monitoring them..

The issue is that there is a statistically proven increased risk of cot death. In the 1990s the figures were 3 deaths per thousand babies; now it is 1 in 2000. Part of that change is sleep position, part advice about not being too warm, and partly advice about smoking.

I guess it is up to you whether it is worth taking the risk. I would say probably not. Definitely never allow it if your baby has a cold or is ill. Sorry - I know it is frustrating.

I had a tummy sleeper and did it from 2 months as DS1 didn't nap any other way and he was getting exhausted. Lots of people do it but you have to decide for yourself about it. I made sure he had good neck control by that point and minimised all other SIDS factors.

Most babies would sleep more soundly, comfortably, deeply and for longer if they were on their fronts rather than their backs.

But this is exactly why you shouldn't do it. One big reason that tummy sleeping increases the likelihood of SIDS is that if a baby gets into breathing trouble while asleep, they are much less likely to wake up if they're in a sound, comfortable, deep sleep than if they're in a relatively light sleep.

A lighter sleep means they wake more often and parents get less sleep but it's a very small price to pay.

It doesn't feel small at the time, though! It is awful to not get any sleep, and it's awful to see your tiny baby in pain from wind and upset from tiredness. Really hope you find something that works but that doesn't leave you with one more thing to worry about.

Sorry x-post SleepWhen. Just for the record I'm not trying to instill guilt over tummy sleeping by my bold "shouldn't"; I understand that there are exceptions to every rule.

Friends in RL and posts here would often say things like "I know the back is supposed to be the best position but my baby sleeps so much better on his front" and I genuinely think most people don't realise that "sleeping better" is exactly the problem with front sleeping for tiny babies. It was a revelation to me when someone explained that, so I just wanted to highlight that.

I'd suggest that if you have a windy baby, you should go the extra mile on winding her before you put her down. My DS as a baby needed a good half-hour every evening of back-patting and burping in the early days and - whilst dull for the patter - it was the only way he'd settle. If you lie her down on her back and she screams, pick her up and keep winding.... good luck.

Thank you for advice even if it's not what I wanted to hear! You are right though and I will try that technique ladyintheRadiator.

Actually she slept through from 1am-7.30am last night. I propped the mattress of her Moses basket (as opposed to the basket) up with a rolled up towel to an angle of about 35 degrees. Worked a treat. Or maybe it's coincidence.

DS2 has only ever slept in his tummy. Neither the midwife or the HV had a problem with it as all the other SIDS risks were addressed (i.e we dont smoke, temperature etc). For peace of mind we got a Angelcare breathing monitor. Aged 5 months he started to roll and now, aged 7 months, he prefers to settle on his back and moves from back/front throughout the night.

The distinct difference I noticed with him on his front is that he never startled himself awake every 40 minutes - therefore he has been brilliant at resettling himself during the day and night.

If we have a DC3, I will happily let them sleep on their front.

I agree that the slumber bear/white noise is excellent at settling babies.