My 6 month old doesn't like to sleep on his back anymore. I see him in his crib sleeping on his side mostly (like adults) or seen him sleep on his tummy too few times. I know the risk of SIDS is until a year old, so I would like to know if it's ok for him to not sleep on his back all the time. Yesterday night he got wide awake as I trying to get him to sleep on his back but he wanted to roll over and sleep however he wanted. Is it ok to just let him? He was born early too , so not sure if I still have to be very careful about his sleep position until a year or so.
Also looks like he is a little congested. Could this be the reason for this sudden change? He also stopped liking to be swaddled couple weeks ago. Please advise.Thanks!
at 6 months yes it is fine to let him sleep on his side or stomach if that is how he is positioning himself. It is safer then putting a positioner in the crib with him
I had the same concerns with my preemie son. Our fantastic pediatrician said that once he was strong enough to do it on his own he was ok to sleep as he pleased.
BUT, there still shouldn't be *anything* in the crib with your little man. Nothing! No blankets, bumpers (except the breathable kind), no toys, stuffed animals, pillows. Those items will increase the SIDS risk.
My son slept on his tummy. tried to get him to sleep on his back but he'd roll over all the time on his own. I'd get up in the middle of the night (he was a good sleeper) and check on him...but he'd be fine.
Looks like your baby is "growing up"...my oldest also stopped liking being swaddled after a few months. My son and youngest screamed to get out of it after the 1st month. All babies have their likes and dislikes.
YES! Let your baby sleep however he wants to. He's old enough to lift his head if he can't breathe at night.
BTW not sleeping on the back is only ONE risk factor contributing to SIDS. There are several others including smoking, poor air circulation, blankets in the crib, etc.
Once they can roll over, there's not too much you can do to prevent them from sleeping on their tummies. Just remember that he's strong enough to roll over onto his tummy and he's also strong enough to roll back over if he needs to. As long as your doctor hasn't given you special instructions to absolutely not let him sleep in his tummy (due to premature birth) then try not to worry too much about it. Just make sure all bumpers, stuffed animals, and blankets are out of his crib. Let him sleep in one of those sleep bag things if you think he's getting too cold.
At 6 months he should be just fine sleeping on his side or tummy. Does he roll over on both sides? Ever since he started rolling over my son started to sleep on his side and eventually on his tummy - he is 10 months now and every night I put him down on his crib on his back and within an hour he is sleeping on his tummy. I was freaked out too at first but his pediatrician assured M. that if they can roll over they can easily lift themselves up and move if they get stuck or can't breathe. My son will let go if he can't breathe while nursing. So if your son is doing all that I wouldn't worry.
They are so intuitive and can figure out things so quickly.
Also, to relieve congestion you could put a folded blanket or a pillow underneath the crib sheet and elevate his head a little so that he could breathe a bit better. It could be a cold. Make sure that whatever you use to raise the head level should go under the crib sheet and NOT directly in the crib.
The swaddle adjustment can be hard, and for the congestion, you can put a 2X4 under the head of the crib.
If he can roll over, and likes it, let him. If it makes you feel better, get an Angel Care monitor that monitors movement as well. As long as there isn't loose bedding, he should be fine. My son started rolling over and sleeping on his belly at 3 months. There was no way I could keep him on his back. The moment he was down, he was over! I eventually had to just let him do it.
Ah, the dreaded back sleeping. I get an earful from my Mom all the time about putting my kids on their back. ("All of my kids slept on their stomach, it's natural, thats why kids today have a flat back of the head.." etc etc etc) Anyway - my personal struggle hehe! From what I've read about SIDS their best theory is the back sleeping helps because in very young infants they don't have head control.. they believe that CO2 builds up in the mattress and a child being face down lowers oxygen levels around the baby. There is so much they really don't understand about SIDS, all they do know is that the back sleeping campaign has drastically reduced the losses to SIDS.
Personally, once my kids were at the age to move around on their own regularly - I laid them on their back but didn't worry over it if they moved while asleep or getting comfortable. Keep in mind cribs should remain free of stuffed animals and quilted bedding too for that first year.
You could discuss this with your doctor - and should to be safe, for peace of mind.
once babies are able to move on their own, turning over on their own, etc, then making them lie on their backs to sleep isnt as big of a deal.
every time he has a major growth devlopment like turning over, crawing, etc, hes going to have sleep interruptions too, so keep that in mind. also keep in mind a cold (like you said hes stuffy) or even teething. all that is going to make him change his "normal" behavior.
but kudos to you for knowing your son well enough to notice all these things! :):)
As soon as they are old enough to roll around on their own, they are fine to sleep in whatever position they are comfortable.
As for swaddling, neither of my kids ever liked it. We stopped trying to swaddle them both by they time they were 3 weeks old.
And if you don't think he has a cold, the congestion may be due to teething.
Everytime my son cut a new tooth, he would have a stuffy/runny nose for a week.
