How do you put your baby to bed?

[moss]

Jacob only sleeps on his tummy, with on his father's chest. Poor Shaun is getting a bad back because of it. We love to co-sleep, but now that Jacob is sleeping on his tummy next to me on the chaise, we are considering putting him in his bed occasionally, if he will let us. He can roll with some effort, but I doubt he would do it in his sleep. He is very good, however, at raising very high with his arms so I am sure he wouldn't get stuck face down in the mattress. I'm still a little nervous just because it is new and I keep reading about how it is dangerous and I would basically be a bad mother for doing it.

I wouldn't do it every night, and who knows? Maybe he won't even tolerate it! Sometimes, though, it would be nice for mommy and daddy to be able to cuddle.

I should add that this is because Jacob will not sleep on his own, day or night, no matter what we do, and Shaun and I could do with just a little break once in a while.

 

[Squiglet]

The current research suggests putting babies to sleep on their back because they don't sleep deeply on their back. Deep sleep is what is currently being suspected as being the cause for some cot deaths because the babies end up sleeping so deeply that they basically forget to breathe. While this is not the case in all babies... it can be. 20 years ago they told mothers to put their babies to sleep on their tummies to prevent cot death because they believed that if the babies were sick and lying on their backs they would choke to death... When I had Tia it was believed that babies ended up getting smothered by blankets/mattress if laid to sleep on their tummies... and just recently I've read a medical article that is not making a link between a certain gut flora that is present in breast fed babies and not bottle fed babies and also not in the guts of most babies who die of cot death. But this is fringe research.

The reason for my silly long rant is... .... just to give you the current reasons why babies should be put to sleep on their backs but also, many generations of babies have been put to sleep on their fronts without any ill effects. Its ultimately your decision what you do... but I found putting lil miss to sleep on her side with rolled up towels either side (well I had a funny little wedge thing) worked really well for us, gave us the best of both worlds.

 

[moss]

Thanks. I felt a little bit bad for doing it, but I decided to try it once last night and he slept well. I heard him grumble a little when he moved his head from one side to the other, but he seemed happy. He didn't even cry when he woke up- he just made grunting noises as he was trying to get himself upright (which he obviously can't do yet). We then took him into bed and he slept for an hour on Daddy's tummy (until 8) and then got fed in bed until 9! We slept in! So, I'm sold! Haha... We will still co-sleep for the majority of the time, and when he is in his bed he is less than 6 inches away from me, in a sleeping bag, so I feel safe.

The reason for sudden infant death changes almost every year. I'm pretty convinced it's genetic. :/

 

[Morganuk]

I put her on her back or side but she always rolls to her front as this is what shes loves best.

 

[happy-chick]

Ellie is put down on her front as if u put her down on her back she wakes up crying, she hates it! Shes done this from around 6 months x

 

[Redshoes]

We co-sleep and Ophelia usually falls asleep on her side, but in the morning she's usually on her front or back. I personally hate finding her on her front, but I guess they just have preferences as we do and plenty babies sleep on their front, if you're happy with it then do that, if not, there are sleep safe sides you can buy to make sure LO stays on their back. Very best wishes, I think all babies loves falling asleep on Mummy and Daddy chests hehe it must be strange for them after birth not having that constant heartbeat

 

[Becky]

We started putting DD to sleep on her tummy from around 3 months. It really is personal choice and comes down to how happy you are doing it. We weren't keen but we had tried everything from letting her sleep on her side, in the basket, in our bed, she just didn't sleep for more than 20 mins in any other position.

I would never say that you should ignore medical advice and if there is any history of cot death I would say not to do it but as has been said, the advice is always changing and in my opinion you have to find your own way based on all the information.

 

[abcd1234]

Always on her back, simply because thats the easiest way to put her down as she falls asleep in my arms never in her cot. She rolls over continuously but not usually when she wakes in the morning and never in her sleep. If i leave her too long she'll roll and had her legs stuck in her cot bars this morning

She wont sleep on her tummy, simply because she cant have boobie that way

 

[keli]

Cooper goes to sleep on his back with his head turned to side to get boob, if he wakes up in night he'll grab for me and feeds on his side. He never rolls over in his sleep which i'm glad about xx

 

[LisaJ1986]

Angel usually goes down on her side, but if it wakes her then i'll roll her on her belly and pat her bum. If i don't roll her, she'll do it herself anyway. I've only felt comfortable with this since she was 6 months. As she originally rolled on her front and had her face direct down so her mouth and nose to in the mattress! Bloody scary and i'd have to roll her back, waking her.
She CAN go 6 hours on her front, rarely, but it does happen!

 

[Bee]

Finlay has always slept on his tummy. In fact in hospital he kept the whole ward awake screaming cos he was on his back. The minute he was on my chest on his front he was sleeping.

He rolls around now though - ends up on his side and every where

 

[abcd1234]

Finlay has always slept on his tummy. In fact in hospital he kept the whole ward awake screaming cos he was on his back. The minute he was on my chest on his front he was sleeping.

Aww i absolun my chesttely love it when they're on your chests but she's only ever done it twice and both times she was less then 24 hours old. now being older my chest is just something to try and crawl up

 

[CoreysMummy]

Put him on his back, but he instantly rolls up on his side! Iv seen him sleeping on his front too!

 

[Jollypops]

At around 5-7weeks Calum was keeping us awake with all the noises he used to make while sleeping on his back, that i thought long and hard and did research at whether to sleep him on his tummy and had major issues with OH with sleeping on his tummy, in the end i got my way and tried it for a few nights at first and he slept so much better so since then he always sleeps on his tummy. Now his in his big cotbed when he wakes in the morning he now rolls over on his back and looks at his mobile.
As my family and older friends say all children used to be put on their tummys and never on their back as they said about them choking, but as with everything else in life they keep telling you different things.

 

[Tillytots]

James would never sleep on his back so its always been his side when he was tiny I used to roll up towels and put wither side of him to stop him rolling

 

[Sage]

I always lie him down on his back but he usually rolls straight to his right side and i wake in the mornings to find him in the most strange positions sometimes. Recently it been on his belly with his bum in the air and his legs tucked under and sitting up propped against the cot bumper!