sleeping face down - worried !

[Monkeybrain10]

My boy is 6 month old and since he was born has always liked snuggling his face into things when he sleeps....eg. my jumper, blanket etc. He also likes covering his face with anything he can get hold of (we developed this into "peepo" as we were desperate to make sure he could uncover his face too!). Now he was just asleep on my lap, head to one side on a cushion...then I looked down and he had moved to face down into the cushion!???! Help! I've read so much about SIDS and I'm terrified he's going to do this at night :-( any thoughts ?

All three of mine have done this.

If he can roll from front to side/back then he's absolutely fine. It's important to put him down on his back, even if he rolls on to his side or front.

That's in his cot - totally normal. Don't put pillows or cushions in it. And be supervigilant if he sleeps on your lap.

Panic over, honestly.

FWIW, this is why we use stiff foam mattresses, taut sheets and minimal bedding for babies. Even when they shove their faces into the bed their nose and/or mouth can still breathe.

Thanks. Yes I always put him to sleep on his back though in the last few weeks he's discovered that Co sleeping is far preferable (he was ill and teething) and he definitely prefers sleeping on his side but I keep rolling him back onto his back! It just worries me. I guess that's a good thing though...keeps me alert to it!

You don't have to roll him back on to his back, if he could do it himself.

If he can roll you don't need to keep putting him back!- That way madness lies. When my DS first started rolling himself onto his tummy to sleep I panicked about it. I asked the gp about it (I just mentioned it whilst I was there for something else!-I didn't go specially!) she tried not to laugh and told me it would be fine as long as he could roll himself