Did your baby just figure out how to roll over, and now they insist on sleeping only on their belly? Very common. In fact, that's the only way Brianna sleeps now. It was the scariest thing to me at first. With the SIDS campaign scaring the living you know what out of me, I didn't know what to do. I spent many sleepless nights watching the monitor. She just kept rolling over. And I kept running into her room to flip her back. I was up all night! Once she discovered this wonderful new position, she refused to sleep on her back. And I was faced with, yet another dilemma...
Here are the facts according tot he SIDS campaign: "Parents and caregivers should continue to place babies on their backs to sleep throughout the first year of life". "However, once infants are more developmentally advanced, they often roll over on their own. In this situation, when infants roll over on their own, there is no evidence that they need to be repositioned."
Brianna started rolling in her sleep, shortly after I stopped using the Swaddle Sack. By that time she knew how to roll over in both directions, so I knew she was safe. But being the nurse that I am I needed to further investigate this, so that I had the correct facts. I called my pediatrician and emailed the American Academy of Pediatrics. My pediatrician stated that when a baby is developmentally capable of rolling over in both directions, tummy to back as well as back to tummy. It is ok to leave them sleeping on their belly. Because at this point they are able to get themselves out of that position if need be.
This is the response I got from the AAP (Told you I did alot of research):
Thank you for contacting the American Academy of Pediatrics,
The AAP is a professional membership organization of 60,000 pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Our members are the pediatricians working in communities and hospitals around the world.
The Academy does not have practicing pediatricians on staff to respond to parental requests regarding individual medical conditions, or questions about the Academy's policies and statements. Your best resource for this information is your pediatrician.
With that said, a common question among caregivers/teachers and parents/guardians is whether they should return the infant to the supine position if they roll onto their side or their tummies. Infants up to twelve months of age should be placed wholly supine for sleep every time. In fact, all children should be placed (or encouraged to lie down) on their backs to sleep. When infants are developmentally capable of rolling comfortably from their backs to their fronts and back again, there is no evidence to suggest that they should be re-positioned into the supine position.
We recommend you follow up with your pediatrician regarding specific questions related to your child.
Best regards,
Have a wonderful day!
Jill Zubrod-Hernandez, MPH
Program Manager
Healthy Child Care America
Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Preventive Services
847-434-4016
Ok, great now I have my facts and I can finally sleep easy. Well it wasn't easy at first, I still watched the monitor like a mad women to see if she's breathing. I eventually saw that she was safe. She was rolling as she needed to. She didn't get stuck anywhere. Her nose was in clear view and not obstructed by anything...she was fine!
