When is it ok to leave baby on their stomach?

blondie82 · 2006-05-07T19:41:10+00:00

My dd (10 months) has just started rolling over in her cot when I put her to bed. She seems to fall asleep on her stomach, but when is it safe for me to let her do this?

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mrsteacher · 07/05/2006 20:44

during the day can she roll back and forth from her stomach to back?
if so, then I would be happy to put her on her stomach

PanicPants · 07/05/2006 20:44

Snap, ds does exactly this. When we go to bed we put him onto his back again. Other than that I don't think theres much you can do.

Original poster

blondie82 · 07/05/2006 20:47

She can roll over from stomach onto her back. but hasnt quiet managed it the other way.

OP posts:

hugeheadofhair · 07/05/2006 20:51

I would have thought that when a baby can turn himself/herself, there is not very much you can do about the side they sleep on. I don't know the statistics about cot deaths etc (somebody else might)but I can imagine they actually go down the older the baby gets. So 10 months and sleeping on the front wouldn't worry me, my 11month old is doing this for months now (he could roll over at will from about 6 months). Others might call me irresponsible though, but I'm a fairly laid back mum and want to trust my instincts and my childrens'.

hugeheadofhair · 07/05/2006 20:52

I would have thought that when a baby can turn himself/herself, there is not very much you can do about the side they sleep on. I don't know the statistics about cot deaths etc (somebody else might)but I can imagine they actually go down the older the baby gets. So 10 months and sleeping on the front wouldn't worry me, my 11month old is doing this for months now (he could roll over at will from about 6 months). Others might call me irresponsible though, but I'm a fairly laid back mum and want to trust my instincts and my childrens'.

hugeheadofhair · 07/05/2006 20:52

I would have thought that when a baby can turn himself/herself, there is not very much you can do about the side they sleep on. I don't know the statistics about cot deaths etc (somebody else might)but I can imagine they actually go down the older the baby gets. So 10 months and sleeping on the front wouldn't worry me, my 11month old is doing this for months now (he could roll over at will from about 6 months). Others might call me irresponsible though, but I'm a fairly laid back mum and want to trust my instincts and my childrens'.

Original poster

blondie82 · 07/05/2006 20:53

Sorry, got it the wrong way round. She can go from her back to her stomach, but not the other way

OP posts:

PanicPants · 07/05/2006 20:57

hugeheadof hair I don't think it's being irresponsible I just really don't think you can do anything about it once they start rolling.

Ds has only been rolling properly a week (8months)and ever since he's been onto his stomach the minute we put him into his cot.
By the time I've got to the door he's on his tummy, I go back and turn him, and by the time I'm back at the door he's on his tummy again. Repeat x100.

So now we leave him and then when we go to bed we turn him back onto his back.

What else can you do?

Original poster

blondie82 · 07/05/2006 20:59

PanicPants, thats exactly what my dd is like. I dont even get to the top of the stairs before i hear her roll over again.
I heard that you can leave them on their stomach when they know how to roll onto their back again, but my dd cant yet do this.

OP posts:

hugeheadofhair · 07/05/2006 21:16

PanicPants, thank you for your support. my first line of my post was that I don't think you can do much about it once they start rolling themselves.

sunandmoon · 07/05/2006 21:20

Since about 1 month ago (she is now 9 months old), my DD started to have her day nap on her tummy and she put her teddy under her head as a pillow!!! I have to say that since she has been sleeping like that, she sleeps much more longer than when she was having her naps on her back...I think she gets comfortable like that. But night time, I don't have a clue why, she always sleeps on her back. If I was you Blondie, I wouldn't disturb her while she is asleep, but do check on her if you feel so and you might get very quickly to the idea that she prefers sleeping like that!!! i am sure that at 10 months old, she would let you know by screaming if she was getting uncomfortable...

kolakube · 07/05/2006 21:36

I think the worry when they're very little about sleeping on their fronts is that they may not be able to breathe easily. If they can move themselves about surely that means they would move if they weren't breathing comfortably?
P.S. My DD sleeps on her front with her bum in the air.

Original poster

blondie82 · 08/05/2006 08:50

.

OP posts:

Enid · 08/05/2006 08:55

mine have all slept on their tummies from the first week

sunandmoon · 08/05/2006 13:40

Oh Kolakube, it must be so cute to see your DD asleep

CorrieDale · 08/05/2006 19:45

This link gives the stats for cot death \link{http://www.sids.org.uk/fsid/facts.htm\SIDS}

Enid · 09/05/2006 09:58

oh bloody hell

dd3 (13 days) refused to go to sleep last night, cried and fussed for 2 hours. I put her on her tummy and she slept happily for 4 hours.

Now I don't know what to do.

Beccles · 09/05/2006 10:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bozza · 09/05/2006 10:28

Oh Enid we had exactly that issue with DS. Thought you sorted these sort of dilemmas by the time you get onto no3.

Enid · 09/05/2006 10:28

no still worried

Papillon · 09/05/2006 10:45

back to bed is just one factor involved in cot death. My ds has slept on his stomach IN our bed since birth.

This stat should alleviate some if your worry blondie - from the SIDS site...

What is the usual age for cot death?
Cot death is uncommon in babies less than a month old, but rises to a peak during the second month. The risk then diminishes as the baby grows older. Nearly 90% of cot deaths have occurred by six months, and very few occur after a year.

Bugsy2 · 09/05/2006 11:54

I consulted with my GP & health visitor on this issue as my evil, unsleeping, colicky first baby would not sleep for more than about 2 minutes on his back.
Both of them were really sympathetic & went through all the pros & cons with me. Back sleeping is only one factor in SIDS (which is very rare in full-term, healthy babies). It is a significant factor, which cannot be dismissed but there are lots of others too.
The conclusion that I was allowed to draw by both HV & GP, was that while they couldn't recommend front sleeping was that in my ds's case he was such a low risk baby anyway that it was probably better for all of us to get some much needed sleep than endure months of misery trying to force him to sleep on his very sore, bruised head and neck. (He was forcibly dragged from me with the use of forceps & a very large senior reg.)

Papillon · 09/05/2006 11:57

Thats abit similar to me Bugsy... my ds had spinal problems from birth because of transverse C-Section. Sleeping on his back helped him alot. My older dd never was put to bed on her stomach. But with him, it just worked that way better.

I took him to an oestopath and also do baby massage and reiki which has helped totally helped him