18 Week Old Sleeping on Stomach

I was told by my doc that if he / she can roll over- don't fret about them staying on the back. I fretted anyway and got one of those motion monitors. You put a sensor under the mattress and it alarms if there is not movement after 10 seconds (or some small time frame). I was much more relaxed after I got it.

He should be okay as long as e can move his own head, however, I would suggest using wearable sleep blankets or sleep sacks until he can fully roll to his back and belly with ease.

Hi J.,
My son did the same thing and I too, was worried. Then I learned that once he was able to roll over, it was much safer for him to sleep on his stomach (he could move his head, roll back over, etc. to change his position if something happened). My son preferred his stomach and would sleep better that way, in fact.

Good luck!

Hi J.,
Our son slept on his stomach from about 10 weeks old. He suffered from acid reflux, so the doctors were a little more relaxed about him being a stomach sleeper. I understand your concern, but all I can tell you is that our son is now a happy, healthy, 16 month old. Since your son is able to roll over, it should ease some of the concerns. If you check throughout the night, I bet you will find sometimes he is on his back and sometimes on his stomach....just like us!
Good Luck and congratulations on the new addition!
V.

Hi!
I have to tell you I don't think you should worry. My kids are 20,15 and 9 and for each of them the sleeping "rules" changed. For my 20 year old the doctor always said on the stomach never on the back. My 15 year old the doctor said on the side never on the back or the stomach and for my 8 year old it was on the back NEVER on the stomach or side. I did what I was told with each and all three survived and are healthy :) Your little one is obviously more comfortable on his stomach than his back. There are monitors (I'm sure you know this) that you can buy that you can buy with video cameras that may help to ease or anxiety. This way you can see him and make sure he is okay. I will tell you this little boys as you well know end up all over their crib, they don't like to stay in one place. Even if you flip him over he will probably flip back! I hoped this helped a bit! Have a great day!

Hi! Both my second and third sons were belly sleepers from very early on (before they could even roll over!). I spoke to my ped about it and he explained the "guidelines" but was also sensible enough that some babies just don't like to sleep on their backs. When you start talking to others about it you will probably find more people who have done the same thing. Just remember you are the parent and you need to do what you are comfortable with. Once babies start rolling it is usually fine to assume they'll be fine.

Good luck!! And ironically enough both of my "belly" sleepers now prefer their backs...go figure!

H. (SAHM to 4 1/2, 3 1/2 and 12 month old boys)

OK, well I was a bad mom and my son sleep on his stomach practically from the begining. Yes, sleeping on the back greatly reduces SIDS, but you have to look at how commen it is anyway. Also, if your son is strong enough to turn himself onto his belly, through a sleep positioner, then I would say just leave him on his belly.

like other moms, my daughter did the same thing, and she slept wonderfully.I understand the concerns, but as long as your son can roll over I think its fine. do you have a baby monitor where you can listen to him at night? maybe that would ease your worrying a little.

Hey there!! I too had a little one that rolles i his sleep to tummy. i was concerned too. But if he can roll to his tummy, he can roll back again. That's what pedi told us. Don't sweat it too much. Just make sure there's nothing too cushy around to snuggle that little nose into. By the way, CONGRATS on the rolling over!!!!

J.,

Basically if your son can roll over there isn't anything you can do to stop him. What I've been told about it is if they do it they will roll. I was told to take out the sleep positioner and not to swaddle and let the child have their arms. I've not had any problems.

L.

hi there J.,

I am a mom of a two year old and expecting another and my ped told us with our first that once they pick their position to let them be and we just went with that advice. he said not to stress over it. if they are strong enough to roll to pick positions he said they should be ok.
hope this helps, H.

I think he is fine on his stomach. I wanted to add to the list of advice DO NOT USE A SLEEP POSITIONER! They have been found to increase SIDS and are more of a risk than a help. I agree with the breathable bumper suggestion and clearing the crib of everything.

Hi J.,

There's not much you can do once they roll over and figure out a sleeping position that they like. Both my kids slept on their stomachs almost from birth - I tried other recommended ways, but that's the only way they would sleep. I think the most important thing is that the neck is strong enough. Try not to worry - get your much needed sleep!

J.

Try not to worry at all! If you notice they keep changing their story when it comes to sleeping your back or sleeping on your tummy...And now, my OT has told me that they have a lot of concerns with back to sleep because it is actually causing delays in development, flat head syndrome and there has not been a significant decline in sids relating to sleeping position. SIDS babies generally have an underlying issue that is the main cause, not just sleep position. And at your little guys age he is going to be fine, just do not leave heavy blankets or lots of toys. I used to bury my face in his blankets and make sure I could at least breathe through it if needed, he did the same thing, rolled over, wouldnt roll back. Now he just flops around all night anyway. good luck and enjoy your little guy! time flies!

I was told if they can roll over they can sleep on their stomachs!

Yeah, doctors usually prefer that babies sleep on their backs, but once they have some head controll and can turn over it's not as big a deal. Just ask your doctor what he or she thinks at your next appointment and try not to worry; I know it's hard not to worry though... believe me.

If he can roll over and has good head control it's safe to let him sleep on his back. My son did the same thing at that age. It actually helped him to sleep better at night!

if he can roll, he's fine.. he's strong enough to lift his head and not suffocate

Hi,

Instead of using the sleep positioner, try using a his baby blanket rolled up tightly(hosptial blanket is best).
Place your beautiful baby on his side (alternating sides every nap, so his head shapes nicely)and place the blanket firmly snugged to his back. Do the same in the front.

Your baby sleeping on his stomach is not a problem, all my children did it. But, I always kept on eye on them, to make sure they were breathing properly (not being completely face down) ;) hope it helps! Bye.

ditto someone else's remark- our pediatrician said that as long as your child has head/neck control, and you put them down on their backs to sleep- that it is ok if they flip themselves over. They should be able to lift up their head and turn them to the side.

I agree with what everyone has said , my son was around that age when he started rolling and slepping on his stomach. I was a nervous wreck, I constantly went into his room and rolled him back to his back only to go back in and find him rolled over. I finally gave up and put it in my head that if he can roll over on his own he is fine and safe. He is more comfortable this way and sleeps better and now that i have relaxed so do I.

Hi J.
This same question was asked a few weeks ago. Generally if a baby is strong enough to roll onto their stomach and has good head control there is nothing to worry about.

There is nothing you can really do to prevent them from rolling over onto their tummies and sleeping that way. I would not worry too much about it. Once my son started rolling over I asked his pedi and he said just make sure you put him to bed on his back at ALL times and if he rolls onto his tummy to sleep it is okay. Thank God my son was a back/side sleeper until he was older, so I never had to worry. I still checked on him several times a night though...lol!
Since your son can roll now I would think a sleep positioner would actually be more dangerous than him rolling onto his tummy. So I would not use that at all anymore. Good luck!

Hi J.. If your son is rolling over you have nothing to worry about. There isn't anything you can do once they are capable of putting themselves into a more comfortable position. If you have a crib bumper you might want to replace it w/ mesh bumper that they sell at babies r us and take out any blankets so he doesn't get tangled. They make light weight sleep sacks for the warmer weather if it gets chilly in his room.

Once your baby can roll over on his own, belly sleeping is no longer an issue. He's strong enough to control his head and body to roll. My doctor always told me if they can get on their bellies by themselves, it's not a problem anymore.

Good luck!

My pediatrician assured me that once babies are able to roll over on their own, they are fine sleeping on their stomachs. We found that our son would wake us up crying when he rolled onto his stomach as he was so used to sleeping on his back. Once he adjusted to it, he was fine and now at 10 months (and for several months) he immediately rolls onto his stomach and basically is on his stomach the whole night.

Once both my boys were able to roll over, they prefered to sleep on their stomachs. I was not concerned about this. I think the concern for sleeping on the back is only when they can't roll over so they don't smother themselves while on their stomach.

My pediatrician always told us that if a baby is strong enough to get to his or her belly, then it was okay for them to sleep there. We always put our kids down on their backs, but once they could roll, they often woke up on their bellies.

My little girl did that and I had A LOT of sleepless nights but then I heard there is a monitor you can buy that monitors the baby sleeping and there is a bell or chime the goes off. Im not to sure I didnt get it as she was over a year when I found out about it. Look into it Babies r Us might have them.

for what it is worth, our 6 month old prefers sleeping on her stomach - she too wiggles right out of the sleep positioner. but up until about 5 months, we swaddled her a lot and that kept her reasonably in one place while she slept.

My daughter choose to sleep on her stomach at 3 months too. I initally allowed her to during nap times only. Cause I too was very concerned. However, after speaking to my PEDI. and being confident that she had that control of her neck to move at the right time I did put her on her stomach. She sleeps better and longer that way.
My PEDI did say that @ abouth 3 months the SIDS does peak and then it decreases. He also said that the % of children who actually are affected is less than 2% and I should not worry cause of her neck control. Yes, maybe this sounds crazy but I was able to rest knowing that most of us were stomach babies anyways and we all survived.'
Good luck,

I would check with your pediatrician. I've been told by mine that you should still put them down on their backs but if they flip on their own its ok to leave them there. What happens if you flip her back on her back? My daughter would wake up so I would just leave her on her stomach. I used a sleep positioner to keep her on her back but she would stay in it and those are not approved in face of SIDS risk so I think its better for you not to use it if she flips out of it.

good luck

E.

I just wanted to add to the list of people here who say don't worry! My youngest did the same thing at the same age and I spent many nights worriedly checking on her and going in and out of her room (that actually hasn't changed but she has other issues now!!), and she is a happy 12-month old sitting here as I write this. She was/is VERY strong at an early age and had great head and neck control as well. Once they can roll over, they are going to do whatever is most comfortable, and you don't have to worry if they can roll on their own. The list of worries we face does change as they grow, but the worry never goes away, I hear you. Enjoy every second!