When is it ok for a baby to sleep on their side?

[ParanoidAtAllTimes]

Ds is 5mo and keeps turning on his side to sleep. Should I be turning him onto his back?

I was always led to believe that if the baby can turn himself to his side then its ok to leave them

Yes if they turn on their side its ok to leave them. So long as you're putting them down on their back, apparently. DD used to turn on her side when she was newborn (to turn to face me) used to really freak me out!

I'll admit to letting my DS sleep on his side from birth as he sleeps much better, I just make sure his bottom arm is stretched out in front to stop him rolling forward completely. He often rolls onto his back, but has never ended up on his tummy.

even worse I also now let him fall asleep on his tummy then roll him onto his side later. However he is always in the same room as me, or I check him very frequently.

Accepted practice would always be to sleep on their backs though.

Thanks, am suitably reassured! We're still in the same room as ds and he always turns to face us, grabbing hold of the bars of the cot!