Is it possible for a newborn to sleep on his stomach, why does a child sleep on his stomach

What are the benefits of sleeping on your stomach?

If properly organized, sleeping in this position has a number of advantages. It is a well-known recommendation to place the baby on his tummy to better expel gases and relieve colic. Other benefits of this pose:

• minimizing pressure on the soft bones of the head (prevents skull deformation) and hip joints;
• reducing the likelihood of choking on vomit when the face is positioned downwards and to the side;
• activation of blood supply to the brain when the baby lies with his butt up and tucks his legs;
• reduction in the number of involuntary movements during sleep: hands rest on the mattress.

Periodically placing your baby on his stomach can benefit his health. This applies not only to sleep, but also to lying in this position during wakefulness.

It provides the child with the opportunity to look at the world around him from a new perspective and move his limbs in an unusual way. As the baby grows up, he begins to lift his upper body and reach for nearby objects.

Pros and cons of different sleeping positions

1. On the back.

The situation is good, the most common, but not the safest.

When regurgitating, vomit may enter the respiratory tract during inhalation. In the best case, aspiration pneumonia will develop, in the worst case, the child will simply die if not noticed in time. In this regard, sleeping on your stomach with your head turned to the side is even safer. Of course, before putting the baby to bed after feeding, he must be held upright for some time until burping occurs.

But this will not save you from regurgitation one hundred percent, since the sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus is still weak, and if there is anxiety, especially on a full stomach, the baby will most likely burp.

Another disadvantage of sleeping on your back is the flattening of the back of the head when this position is abused.

1. On the side.

This seems to be the best sleeping position for a baby. In this position, regurgitation is not scary. The only thing is that you need to change sides to again avoid deformation of the head, as well as load on one or the other hip joint.

1. On the stomach.

As mentioned above, sleeping on the stomach is contraindicated for very young children. This position is allowed only when they learn to hold their head and can turn it to the side on their own. This will happen closer to 1 month.

But in order for the child to learn to hold his head, he must be laid on his stomach. This is a very useful procedure, and pediatricians tell all mothers about this during their visits.

Laying on your stomach helps:

• strengthening the muscles of the neck, back, abdomen;
• prevention of hip dysplasia (spread the legs at a right angle when laying them out);
• development of crawling skills (the palm is used to bring the legs into a bent position, and the baby tries to push off);
• release of gases.

You need to lay it out daily before each feeding, for about 10 minutes. To make the child less worried, at this time you can stroke his back, legs and speak gentle words.

Myths about sleeping on a newborn's tummy

If a son or daughter likes to sleep on his stomach, parents often become worried. Many have heard about the relationship between falling asleep in this position and sudden deaths in the first months of life. The cause of the incidents is cessation of breathing. Mothers are afraid that the mattress opposite their face may interfere with the baby.

A strict cause-and-effect relationship between sleep position and sudden death has not been confirmed. They only talk about statistical patterns. These have also been established for other parameters: boys die more often than girls, most incidents occur in winter, the most dangerous period is 2-3 months from the date of birth.

Risk factors include:

• mother's age is less than 20 years;
• twinhood;
• smoking in the house;
• soft mattress;
• high air temperature;
• a short period of time between mother's pregnancies.

The danger is associated with insufficient breathing skills in the first months of life. When the nostril passages are compressed or obstacles arise, babies cannot immediately respond correctly by changing their position. On the stomach, the baby sleeps soundly, and for the reaction to occur, you need to wake up. When sleeping on your back or side, crusty or mucous accumulations in your nose may be an obstacle.

Attention to air quality and organization of the sleeping space (no pillow, hard, lined mattress) reduce the likelihood of sudden death to a minimum.

Sometimes mothers consider such disadvantages of sleeping on their stomach as the risk of choking on vomit and chest compression. The second is a myth. To illustrate, it is enough to evaluate the condition of the chest of a sleeping baby and the evenness of breathing movements. And the risk of choking on vomit is higher when sleeping on your back.

At what months can a baby be left on his stomach?

For children in the first month of life, it is recommended to place the baby on the tummy for a short time while awake. He will soon learn to hold his head, and the neck muscles should be prepared for this. As for sleeping on the stomach, modern pediatricians recommend starting to practice it often only from 5–6 months, when the child can control his body.

Each pose has its pros and cons. And at the beginning of life, it is important to alternate them to avoid the negative impact of each. Later, when the child is able to roll over on his own, he will choose the most suitable and comfortable position for himself.

Threat to life

The baby begins to independently roll over onto his tummy from a position on his back at 4 months. He already knows how to turn his face to the side so that the mattress does not interfere with breathing. The likelihood of sudden death decreases by this time.

If at 4-5 months the child is able to roll over and put his head in the correct position, the mother need not worry if she adopts a butt-up position in her sleep. But attention to factors that reduce the risk of incidents (air conditions and bed preparation) must be shown before reaching one year of age.

What age is safe for sleeping on your stomach?

Mothers want to know from how many months the butt-up position can be considered safe when sleeping. It is recommended to put the baby in this position for a short rest after reaching 6-7 weeks. The question arises whether a one-month-old baby can start sleeping on his stomach.

A two-month-old baby, not to mention an even younger one, definitely cannot sleep with his butt up due to the immaturity of the ability to turn his head for comfortable breathing. From 4-5 months, the ability to adapt poses to one’s own sensations appears. But putting the baby to bed still relies on his back. There should be no towels, pillows or toys in the bed.

Basic safety rules

In the first months, you can lay the baby on its side. If the mother is worried that he will turn around at night, it is recommended to secure the position with soft bolsters. There are special pillows-fixators (another name is a sleep positioner) that support the body in a position on its side.

To reduce the likelihood of unpleasant consequences of a rollover, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Pillow. Small children do not need it because placing the tissue near the face increases the risk of respiratory arrest. In addition, neck curvature occurs due to suboptimal postures and soft bones. Up to 3 years it is better to do without this accessory.
• Mattress. Should be even and moderately hard. If the bed came with a soft mattress, replace it with a firmer one. Natural fillers such as coconut coir are preferred.
• Regurgitation. After feeding, you need to hold the body in an upright position for several minutes so that the baby has time to burp.
• Breath. The nose should be regularly cleaned of mucous accumulations and crusts that create obstacles.
• Air. In the bedroom it should be humidified to 60-70%, temperature 18-22°C.

If the baby likes to lie with his butt up, parents need to especially carefully monitor his behavior. When turning over a baby who has not yet learned to control the position of the body, he must be returned to his original position.

What position is considered optimal for a sleeping baby?

Babies need to be taught to lie on their side. This position is the safest for a newborn and one-month-old baby to sleep. This position of the baby can be fixed using a diaper roller.

It is not recommended to place a newborn on a pillow or an overly soft mattress, not only because of the risk of suffocation, but also to avoid disturbances in the musculoskeletal system that is not yet fully formed.

A newborn's daytime sleep on the tummy should occur under the strict supervision of the mother. But at night it is still better to choose safer positions.

The position of a newborn on his side is one of the safest for sleeping.

And for me, as a practitioner, sleeping on my stomach is good, but sleeping on my back is harmful.

E. O. Komarovsky

https://www.komarovskiy.net/faq/son-na-zhivote-i-sindrom-vnezapnoj-detskoj-smerti-svds.html

How to teach a newborn to sleep properly - video

Sleeping on mom's stomach

Parents are also interested in whether the baby can sleep on the mother's stomach or back. In this case, babies behave calmer and do not scream.

But there is a possibility that the mother will fall asleep, and then the baby will roll off.

Constantly accompanying a parent interferes with independent learning to turn the head correctly and respond to discomfort in other ways. From time to time you can sleep on your mother, but she herself must stay awake.

Optimal sleeping positions during the newborn period

Laying the baby down always in the same position can provoke some unpleasant phenomena. The supine position is good for babies with pelvic dysplasia. Its other advantages are the absence of obstacles to breathing through the nose and the free position of the chest. But pressure on the cranial bones can lead to their deformation. To prevent this, the head should be turned slightly to the side. The right and left sides must be alternated.

Sleeping on the same side can put pressure on the hip joints. Therefore, the child must be turned periodically.

In the first months of life, it is optimal to sleep on your back (either straight, or with your head slightly turned to the side), so that there are no obstacles to breathing freely through your nose.

How can a newborn sleep on his back?

During sleep, a newborn may jerk its arms or legs sharply. For this reason, the child wakes himself up and may scratch his face. It is advisable to trim your nails in a timely manner.

To prevent your baby from waking himself up, you can swaddle his hands loosely. The baby will think that his mother is hugging him. Also very popular among modern mothers are diapers - cocoons with zippers and Velcro. Thanks to the modern design of the diapers, children sleep soundly and do not wake themselves up during sleep.

Cocoon with zipper

Diaper cocoon - butterfly

Velcro cocoon

Why newborns should not sleep on their back:

1. Stuffy nose. If the nose is stuffy, you should not put your child to sleep on his back. In this position, the nasopharynx swells and the throat is partially blocked. As a result, the baby's breathing becomes difficult. In this case, it is recommended to put the newborn to sleep on his side.
2. Regurgitation. If a newborn swallows a lot of air while eating, he may choke while regurgitating when sleeping on his back.
3. Dysplasia. If your baby has hip dysplasia, it is not advisable to put him to sleep on his back. For this diagnosis, placing the baby on his stomach is used.
4. Increased tone. With muscle hypertonicity, the child often waves his arms or legs, which leads to his awakening. In this case, the free swaddling method or the body position on the side or tummy is used.
5. Colic and gas. Intestinal colic is considered a common companion for babies in the first months of life. Painful passage of gas leads to restless sleep, crying, and awakening. While sleeping on your back, you need to massage your tummy, place a warm heating pad or diaper on it, and change the position of your body.
6. Recession of the tongue. It is necessary to monitor the newborn during sleep, as he may have a recessed tongue.

Why does a baby sleep on his stomach?

When faced with a baby’s preference for this position, parents want to know why the baby sleeps on his stomach and how normal this is. In the first months of life, babies make many uncontrolled movements. The desire to roll over is associated with one of their types - the posotonic reflex.

When lying on your back, the head is turned in a certain direction, the corresponding lower and upper limbs are extended, and the opposite ones are bent. This reflex prevents the baby from fully adopting the prone position until the body is ready and persists until 4-6 months of age. This is why sleeping with the butt up is contraindicated for children with neurological disorders.

If a baby turns around who has passed this age limit and has good head position control, you don’t have to worry about his preference: he’s just comfortable.

Problems with baby's daytime sleep

Children should definitely take a nap during the day, although they may not want to sleep, but you need to try to lull them to sleep so that the night goes well. Proper organization of daytime sleep allows you to avoid many problems.

If a child's midday nap stops at about 2 years of age, then it is necessary to determine the reasons and adjust the regimen. This age is too young to exclude daytime rest; without it, various types of disorders begin.

To normalize the regime, it is necessary to ensure that the infant eats normally and does not overfeed, and spend more time with him outside. In the room itself you need to organize the correct microclimate, use high-quality bedding and linen.

How to help your child roll over on his stomach during sleep

If a baby, due to age or health status, is not supposed to sleep with his back up, but he still strives to take this position, artificial restriction of his mobility is recommended. It is implemented by placing bolsters under the stomach and back - then the body is fixed in a position on its side. This procedure also eliminates the risk of resting your nose on the mattress.

The desire to lie on your stomach can be realized while you are awake. The procedure is completely safe if you do not do it immediately after eating or swimming (at least an hour should pass). You can start with 2-3 minutes and gradually increase the duration. After several procedures, the baby can remain in this position as long as he wishes, but certainly under the supervision of a parent.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

A well-known pediatrician is often asked whether a baby can go to sleep on his stomach and whether involuntary adoption of such a position can cause harm. Komarovsky considers the butt-up position to be physiological. The baby sleeps more soundly and calmly, does not suffer from colic, and his gas passes easily.

The doctor notes that mothers’ fears about death from suffocation are unnecessary if certain conditions are met:

• You need a hard mattress that does not allow the nose to “sink.”
• There should not be a pillow - it is because of it that people most often suffocate in this position.
• It is necessary to maintain high air humidity, and its temperature should not rise above 22 °C. In a hot, dry environment, crusts easily form in the nose, blocking breathing.

The doctor also does not recommend placing babies with a runny nose on their stomach.

Choosing the right position

Before choosing a safe sleeping position - on the side, back or stomach - parents must provide suitable conditions for the newborn:

• eliminate smoking in the apartment;
• organize meals on demand, stock up on care products;
• purchase a children's bed with a lattice and fabric sides;
• place a flat mattress of medium hardness;
• lay linen from natural fabrics;
• replace the soft pillow with a diaper folded in four.

Maintain the air humidity in the room at 50 - 60%, use a household humidifier. Ventilate the room, avoiding extreme cold. Suitable temperature is 23 ºC above zero.

The conditions have been created, now you can think about whether to allow children under one year to sleep with their stomachs down. Basic Rules:

1. Place the newborn on his side. Place rolls of diapers and a folded blanket under the back and chest - this technique will help keep the baby from turning over. Use a special children's cocoon - a nest.
2. Remove unnecessary items from the crib: pillow, toys. An infant is weak and the pillow interferes with him if he sleeps on his stomach.
3. Change the position of the lying baby: alternate between the right and left sides, place the head on different sides of the crib. The baby involuntarily turns his face towards people. By varying the postures, you will protect him from torticollis and flattening of the head.
4. The baby spreads his legs, draws his knees to his chest. The “frog” position is good for developing the hip joints and reducing the load on the spine.
5. After feeding the baby, do not rush to put him to bed, hold him in a “column”. In an upright position, he will be able to burp air from his stomach. By the age of three months, the frequency of regurgitation decreases, and the risk of choking on milk decreases if the baby lies stomach down.
6. Growing babies begin to move more, they can push themselves, it is difficult to force them to sleep in a certain position. A five-month-old baby is already trying to roll over, and quite often the mother notices that he sleeps on his stomach. From this moment on, the choice of position no longer depends on the wishes of the parents.

On a note! Don't forget about hygiene procedures. Morning and evening, rinse your baby’s nose, remove mucus and crusts.

Tips for parents on organizing their newborn's sleep

In addition to a quality mattress and maintaining air quality, attention is paid to the choice of other bedding. They are subject to a number of requirements:

• they should not be too soft or loose, especially if the baby is not yet six months old;
• It is forbidden to leave objects in bed that can block the path of breathing;
• the mattress must fit on the bed without leaving any gaps;
• sheets must be tucked securely;
• the blanket is pulled only to the chest, and the arms are placed on top;
• the child's head is not covered.

Sleeping with your butt up, as well as lying on your stomach while awake, helps relieve gas. But until control of the position of the head when breathing is formed, this pose should not be encouraged. If you pay attention to the quality of your bedding and use a humidifier, you don’t have to worry about sleep apnea.

Infant Sleep Safety Reminder

As you can see, sleeping on the tummy has many advantages and has a beneficial effect on the baby’s body. To ensure the safety and comfort of a sleeping child, parents should:

• refuse a pillow;
• choose a hard, even mattress;
• check the sheet to ensure there are no folds;
• remove all foreign objects from the crib;
• maintain a constant air temperature (not higher than 22 °C);
• Ventilate the room periodically. Air humidity should be 50%;
• Choose your crib carefully. The gap between the side bars should not exceed 8 centimeters so that the child cannot stick his head through them;
• after feeding, carry the baby in a column for 20 minutes so that all the air comes out and prevent regurgitation during sleep;
• exclude ties and belts on the child’s clothes;
• buy high-quality natural bed linen;
• do not cover the child with a heavy blanket;
• carry out timely nasal hygiene and treat runny nose.