Stomach sleeping

[MrsR]

Hi guys! I'm just wondering if anyone puts their new(ish) baby to sleep on their tummy? Sebastian is 5 weeks old and he's got a bit of a cold and is really struggling to stay asleep on his back as he is snuffly. However if I pick him up and lie him on my chest so he's on his tummy he seems to breathe much easier and sleeps deeper! So i was thinking of putting him down to sleep in his cot on his tummy. I'm just terrified of SIDS and would never forgive myself if something happened. Can anyone with a tummy sleeper give me any reassurance/advice?

 

[megsmeadow]

Yup Ross has always been a tummy sleeper!!! I was very anxious indeed but we first started putting him on his tummy when he was just a few days old as he constantly startled on his back and woke himself up, like every few minutes. All the guidelines seem very scary but my midwife (well the student midwife) said it's about weighing up the risks, and if you have minimised all the other risks then that's as much as you can do. We have the angelcare movement monitor so that really puts my mind at ease. My manager has a wee boy a few weeks older than Ross and she said one of her friends husband is Cuban, so they went to Cuba and the MIL was horrified when the baby was on it's back, they always put babies on their tummy, and in America they put babies on their sides apparently. So do what's right for you and little Seb. Surely if he is having trouble breathing on his back then you are effectively opening up his airways rather than restricting them. And maybe you could turn him onto his back again when he is over his cold. Have you tried the saline nasal spray too? I found it really helpful.
Sorry, very long reply. But yeah I would do it!

 

[lanny]

herbie has had a little big of a cold so I rolled a blanket up and put it under his Moses basket mattress as I'm too scared to put him on his belly and it seemed to help. If he's in a cot when monty got croup the doctor told me to put book or something under the legs of his cot at the top end that also helped, hope he's better soon

 

[Zazu]

I can't offer advise for stomach sleeping, but have u tried a saline spray and a nasal asparator to help with his stuffiness? I got some major snot out with the aspirator wen zach had a cold, although he did hate me doing it. X

 

[MrsR]

Thanks so much for the replies guys! Might try the book trick tonight lanny and if not then tummy sleeping will be given a go! We have the saline spray but I'm hesitant to use an aspirator as their effects are unproven plus we really struggle with the saline up his nose let alone any thing else! Lol x

 

[Minchin]

We first starting putting Owen on his tummy about 2 weeks ago as he woke himself up a lot wavng his arms and just couldnt put himself to sleep as whacking his face a lot. I was pretty anxious at first but he is so much cosier looking and sleeps much better. The advise used to be to put babies on their tums so it can't be that bad?
good luck, hope LOs cold improves.
xx

 

[MrsR]

Thank you x do you use sleeping bags or blankets? x

 

[Rowesb]

Toby has slept on his front since being little as it helped the reflux, we just use blankets as he doesn't seem to kick the blankets off very easily... we use the tt sensor mat monitor which seems a good one x

 

[flexilexi394]

Was just gonna let you know my neighbour puts her baby on his side as that's the only way he settles, so I guess it's just what's best! X

 

[MrsR]

Thanks guys! Seems the only way I'd settle is with a sensor mat monitor! We'll see how we go tonight x

 

[Zazu]

How did it go? X

 

[MrsR]

It went ok until about 5 am when he seemed to get increasingly more snotty and I ended up sitting up in bed with him asleep on my chest so I've been up since 5! I won't take him downstairs at that time though x think will try tummy sleeping tonight x my biggest worry is that he moves his head when he's hungry and I don't want him to suffocate though I do hear him before he starts doing this when he's on his back x I guess it's no more unsafe than him in bed with me x

 

[K&A]

hi helen, jacks got a little cold. Really bad snotty nose, the HV has told me to use saline drops which i put in 15 mins before his bottle as he struggles to drink. But im the same as you. I have to lie jack on his tummy on my chest for him to relax. Ive been up for 2 nights now because he can't sleep poor little man. His also got terrible wind so im trying him with gripe water today x

 

[MrsR]

I tried gripe water and it did bugger all so he's back on infacol! We have saline drops which we use before a feed but they don't seem to be helping much x

 

[megsmeadow]

Have you tried Colief? a lot more expensive but it is great stuff! Infacol and gripe water were useless for Ross.

 

[K&A]

I tried gripe water and it did bugger all so he's back on infacol! We have saline drops which we use before a feed but they don't seem to be helping much x

yeah i agree saline drops are useless.. I feel so helpless. I hate that babies can't speak x

 

[titch]

^^ same here we struggled with infacol and gripewater for ages and at the edge of insanity I decided the pricetag on colief wasnt so important anymore and hes been a much happier boy since

 

[megsmeadow]

And the saline spray is much better than the drops. He tended to wear the drops rather than get them up his nose but we made the spray into a little game and he ended up not minding it too much!

 

[MrsR]

K&a I said to my OH this afternoon that as much as I love the newborn stage and wish it'd last longer sometimes I wish they could talk! I hate feeling helpless!