Does the risk of babies sleeping on their stomach's decrease if you are co-sleeping?

[IlanaK]

I am not deliberately choosing to put my 8 week old on his stomach, but we co-sleep and he sleeps on his side (because he breastfeeds on his side facing me and just stays that way). I often find that he is sleeping on his stomach where he has rolled over. I know this is generally considered an increased risk for SIDS, but I know that co-sleeping and bf all night reduces that risk, so where does the stomach sleeping get factored in?

i would still turn him everytime i saw him on his stomach if i were you.

As I understand it the stomach thing is a risk because if he blocks his airways, he might not be able to turn his head. The co-sleeping thing means (a) the carbon dioxide you are breathing out signals to him to breathe and (b) you are more likely to notice anything "wrong" early than if he was separate from you.

I don't think one cancels the other and I always turned ds back onto his back until he was able to roll easily both ways.

I would probably worry more because adult bed matresses tend to be softer than cot mattresses. I would turn him back whenever you saw him liek that.
When you position him on his side could you leave the underneath arm so that he turns to his back automatically when finished feeding?

I do leave his arm that way, yet he still manages to get to his front. He is very strong.

My ds also sleeps on side when co-sleeping (which I don't mind so much) and occasionally front, which I do. I think they also sleep more deeply on their front, which although sounds great means they are less likely to be able to wake if in danger...

Unfortunately co sleeping does not reduce the risk of SIDS. Co sleeping with the baby on their back on a firm surface with 2 non smoking parents presents a slightly higher risk than than a baby sleeping on their back in their own cot in the parents room. Sleeping on the front, whatever the location significantly increases the risk of SIDS. Side sleeping is never advised as there is the risk of the baby falling onto the stomach.

Even if it is not advised to sidesleep, how on earth could i stop it? He feeds all night onhis side so sleeps this way.

Researcher James Mckenna suggests that cosleeping is protective partly because the baby is more likely to sleep on his/her back rather than front.

The problem with co sleeping is that it also presents many risks as well and babies are at a higher risk co-sleeping than they are sleeping in a cot in your room. As I said above, the risks of co sleeping are only marginally raised if you are co sleeping with a term baby who was more than 5.5lb at birth and neither parent smokes or has drunk or taken any drugs. As soon as any of those factors are added then the risk of co sleeping increases greatly. That is not to say don't co-sleep, just that there shouldn't be a blanket "co sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS" it doesn't due to the factors I have mentioned above, but done safely it doesn't significantly INCREASE the risk.

Various info here.

Hi, I had slightly different situation, my DS, 5y now could never go to sleep other than on his tommy. We also co slept and i was always warried, always tried to make sure that he hed lots of space and enough air around but i could hardly sleep at night. Luckily my DD does not heve that problem, she rolls onto her back but recently - 4,5mnths started falling asleep with nipple in her mouth (i fall asleep too while feeding)