Sleeping Positions

[Kim]

Dear Mums

Thomas was 7 months old about a week ago and has just got over a horrible cold ( when his 2nd tooth came through.) Anyway, he hasn't been sleeping in his cot but we decided he had to go back into his own room for safety reasons.
Last night wasn't very nice as we had to let him cry himself to sleep ( took half an hour ) but when I went up to check on him he was sleeping on top of his covers, his head was where his feet should be and he was ON HIS FRONT !!! I left him alone but couldn't sleep so at 2am I tried to move him and woke him up. I couldn't get him back to sleep then so left him to cry and after 5 minutes all went quiet, but when I popped in to check he was on his front again !!
Tonight when we put him in his cot on his back he started crying so we put him on his front and he went straight to sleep.
I really hate the idea of laying him on his front but am worried that if he's determined to sleep that way he might get tangled in his covers or bump his head trying to manouver himself into a comfy position, at least we can put him in his cot the right way round with his covers on safely.
We have got a movement monitor and I do keep checking him and instinct is telling me this is the right thing to do for him but I'm still really worried.

Does anyone know if it's safe to let a baby sleep on their front at 7 months or has anyone else had a similar experience with their baby?

Maybe I'm worrying over something I can't really control because I can't stop Thomas positioning himself on his front but we've all had the dangers drummed into us so I can't help it.

Any thoughts or comments welcomed ( as long as they're positive )

Love

Kim

[DebraP]

OK...I'll keep it positive!

Once they start rolling you can't do more than put them in on their backs, after that, it's up to them. Someone gave me an American sleep-on-the-side foam thing. If the baby liked to sleep on its side, this thing supported them....I never used it.

You could try the sleeping/gro-bags which stop them thrashing around too much (and reduces the risk of them getting a leg stuck through the cot bars).

My sleep issues are tricky too. DD has taken to stripping off, tonight even her nappy (a first). It's taken 2 hours for her to go quiet, I'm exhausted. She doesn't cry but shout and then start doing something she knows will get me upstairs. Central Norway is no place for a naked toddler to sleep.

Good luck with the sleeping position. Borrow a sleeping bag and see how he goes before buying one if you can.

Debra

[caz22]

sorry if this gets posted twice - something weird just happened with the PC
I agree with debra definately use a grobag. Let us know if you need places to find them. You then wont need covers and dont need to worry (or else you can find something else to worry about like I do!)
Dont know when is safe to have them on their fronts - but I think you are over the high rish stage and theres nothing you can do if he'd rather sleep on his front. He can obviously roll back if he wants. Just maybe get rid of the covers etc.
My DD sleeps just with vest/ PJs and grobag and is fine. Except tonight when she kicked her headboard for an hour for unknown reasons!

Take care
Cazx

[Susan L]

Hi Kim

im having the same problem its been happening for the last few weeks blake was waking up because he was getting his arm stuck trying to get on his front now he has mastered it with getting his arm out he now moves over to the side of the cot every morning i go in and he has his face right up against the bars and his arm hanging out the bars on his front , does not look comfy but he sleeps well
i have him in a grow bag as i was worried as he moves alot and did pull blankets over his face alot as he would suck on them so felt it safer, i asked my health visitor about him sleeping on his front and she said there was nothing i could do to stop him it was just the start of him getting mobile as he rolls accross the floor too but she said always put him down on his back .. i think i worry a little less as blake holds his head up well on his front and has nothing in the cot to pull over his face and i have a nonitor on him.. Does Thomas lift his head well on his front? have you tried the sleeping grow bags?? Kirsten use to move around in the cot also but when i put them in the sleeping bags she has stopped moving around i used to go in and find her with legs out the bars was funny to see..

sorry no new advice but i do feel that same worry

hope you find a way to worry less and get some sleep its hard the worrying never stops

take care

susan

[kappy]

Hi Kim,
I almost posted the exact same post as you just did last week. My little girl just started rolling over onto her tummy. I was a nervous wreck when I saw her do it that day. All I kept thinking was "what will I do if she does this in the middle of the night??!". So I immediately brought her into her room and plopped her in her crib (on her back) to see what would happen. Naturally she rolled right over onto her tummy, and looked around a bit. Then her neck got tired and she put her head down face first into her mattress. I was horrified! Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night. My doctor said that she would be fine. He said if she's strong enough to roll over, then she's strong enough to sleep on her tummy. His only concern was to remove everything in the crib that could be a potential suffocation hazard (blankets, stuffed animals, etc.). He said I should also remove the crib bumper if I had one up (which I didn't).

That night I heard Hannah wake up. She cried a little bit, then I know she rolled over (she always coos and laughs --- like it's a little party). Then she started to get tired and cried. I went in a little later and she was sound asleep on her tummy with her head to the side. Since then it's the same thing every night ... put her to sleep on her back and she wakes up on her tummy. Sometimes her arms or legs are hanging out between the crib rails, but she seems unphased by it.

It's stressful the first couple nights (you'll lose sleep and check on him 100 times a night), but you'll come to accept the fact that Thomas is okay. What helped me most was when my doctor told me "if she's strong enough to roll over then she's strong enough to sleep on her tummy". Seems to be true.

Also ... I had a sleeping wedge from when she was a newborn (it's a wedge with two foam pieces that you place on either side with velco under the arms - keeps them from moving). My friend suggested using this to keep her in place. Needless to say, that didn't work. She wiggled out in no time - a little Houdini. I packed it away the next day =)

Take care and try to get some sleep! Just keep reminding yourself how strong your little boy is =)

Much love,

[Kim]

Thank you all so much

Tomorrow I'm going to nip out and get a gro-bag. I saw them in Matalan last week and they were quite reasonably priced ( 8.00 pounds I think ) and if it works it will be well worth the money.

Debra - your post made me laugh !! Especially that Maya knows exactly what to do to get you upstairs - little monkey !!

Kelly - I did wonder if someone else out there might be having the same problem, our babies are getting much more mobile now.

Susan - Thomas can hold his head up really well on his front but like you I worry about his blankets - hopefully a gro-bag will remedy this.

Caz - I'm sure I'll easily find something else to worry about - so it's great we can share our worries and get advice on here.

Fingers crossed the gro-bag works and I can get some sleep at night

Thanks again

Love

Kim

[Kim]

Hi there

I've just posted on the July/ August Mummies thread about the success ( so far so good ) of putting Thomas in his new sleeping/ gro-bag for the last two nights.

So thanks again

Love

Kim

[DebraP]

Excellent! I'll just nip into the other thread and see how it all went.

Let's hope it continues. Meanwhile...I still have a stripping child...

Debra