My son is 5 1/2 months and is a flipper. He can roll over from his back to his front, and does so with great enthusiasm. He also has rolled over from front to back, but he seems to have forgotten how to do it, or that he can do it. It's been over a month since he's flipped from front to back. So now when I put him down in the crib to sleep, he promptly rolls over to his belly and eventually (sometimes sooner than later) starts fussing because he can't (or won't) flip back. We swaddled him for a while so he couldn't roll over, but now he's so big and strong he instantly breaks free from the swaddle, sometimes before we even get him wrapped up.
So we resorted to putting him to sleep in his infant car seat (the bucket kind) and he sleeps great in there, but now he's starting to scoot out of this too. So this won't work for much longer either.
I know he'll grow out of this problem eventually, but has anybody here experienced this? Any tricks? Neither of my other kids had this problem, so I'm looking for some advice here.
thanks!
Cool! He will be quite a swimmer ! I'm a cloth diaper fanatic, also. The best part of the day is hanging the diapers out to dry! Have a great day! W. L
Hi, I have 5 kids myself and experienced plenty of sleepless nights! I can tell you the "God Send" that worked for me--
At Walmart they have swings that are pack and go models. They stand only maybe 3 1/2 feet tall and fold up almost flat, so they travel well too. They run on 4 C batteries and do go through them rather fast but re-chargeables are a good thing too! That swing has given ME rest for the last four children ages 1,3,5 &6. I don't know how I would've survived without it! They have lights, and music but mostly I just used it on the swing part and set it on low, seat-belted them in and checked-out to sleep myself! It lays far enough back that it is comfy for them and the motion keeps them from wanting to flip or move. I would not ever have another without one! Also it is a extra wide seat which helps in the cases of extra fat babies which seems to be what we get! They all were able to use it until they were at least 10-14 months. Anyway, hope that helps!~C.
My son (8.5 mos old) has started doing this in the last couple weeks. I'm not a "cry it out" parent, but we let him fuss a little if he rolls on his belly during naps. Sometimes he'll fall asleep that way after some fussing. Other times the crying will escalate and then we go in and pick him up and hold/distract him before putting him down and trying again. He even does this sometimes in his pack and play! That can't be very comforatable.
My 6 month old daughter does that frequently also during the day when I put her down for her naps. I have found that if I put her in a sleep sack it seems to limit her rolling ability at least a little bit.
Try rolling two receiving blankets into tube shapes and tuck them on his sides, just above his waist. This will make it harder for him to roll. I wish I could draw on here so it would make more sense!!
I have been doing some research for an article that I am writing and I came across an article by Dr. Sears on co-sleeping.
He was highly against kids in the parent's bed. But then they had their 4th child. She would not sleep, and they could not sleep. One night his wife brought the baby in bed with them and flat out told him that she was getting sleep! The baby slept great and his wife kept doing it.
He started observing her and the baby. And the rest of their kids after that, whom all slept with them from birth.
He found that both mom and baby did not sleep on their belly when together, and that in his studies of other babies, too, that babies would often roll on their belly when mom would leave the bed.
Another interesting thing is that he observed the breathing patterns matched up. So he did an unofficial sleep study on his child with mom in bed and with mom out of bed. The breathing patterns without mom showed some potential problems, but mom in the bed regulated the baby's breathing.
His theory is that sleeping with the baby (which was always done in years past, and is still done in 50% of the world) can possibly prevent SIDS.
You'd have to read it to get the whole idea, but it was really interesting.
I co-sleep, but I do it because I can sleep, I'm not really an advocate. I think it is great, but don't have an agenda.
I don't have any advice how to stop the rolling in the crib, unless you tried sleeping with baby. I have never worried about my kids sleeping on their tummy. Many of my 7 kids have slept on their tummy during nap times.
I would keep flipping back or take a sheet and place it mid way on him and tuck the sides along side the crib. Maybe it'll be tight enough to not allow himself to flip on his belly.
I'm a Pediatrician and mother of 4 and as far as I know, most if not all babies go through what you are describing. It's a major motor milestone to roll over to tummy then back to his back. I would recommend, when he wakes you, going in (but not IMMEDIATELY- let him work on it a little) and reassuring him, laying him back on his back, then leaving. He may do this MANY times, but eventually, HE will get tired of it AND he will get stronger and smarter and he'll figure out that he can flip back over to solve his problem! There will be an end to it. Don't try to prevent him from flipping over. It will just delay the whole issue. Also, many parents put their infants to sleep in their car seats, but it really isn't a great choice. The way babies slump down in car seats can decrease their airways, so I recommend sticking with the crib!
i'm not sure if they will work for his age, but they have some foam sleep aids in the baby section that keeps babies sleeping on their backs. that is something that might work - my son is also a flipper, but he likes to sleep on his belly.
i'm also a photographer who does candid shots - i do a lot outside in natural light as well vs in a studio. i'd love to chat about photography sometime!
