What Should I Do If My Infant Rolls On His Stomach While Sleeping? – Being Parents

After five minutes in bed, he settles on his stomach as he sleeps. If this scene occurs repeatedly with your baby, you should take a closer look at her sleeping hours. Doctors associate this posture with the occurrence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

It is estimated that around 10,000 children die each year worldwide as a result of this type of event. A single vomit is enough to generate asphyxiation and make it difficult for a child to breathe. Babies aged one to four months are the most vulnerable.

However, the question of the sleeping positions of our little ones is much more complex than it seems. Fortunately,  there are preventative measures we can take to keep children safe at home.

What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ?

SIDS refers to the unexpected death of children under one year of age, even if they are in excellent health. This syndrome is also called “death in the cradle” and remains an unsolved mystery to the scientific community.

In most cases, autopsies do not reveal any cause of infant death. While there are only theories about this phenomenon, specialists believe that there are triggers for these events.

The more complex theory indicates that this is due to an anomaly in the micro-arousals of the victims. Nevertheless,  certain specialists speak of a suffocation favored by certain external situations; sleeping on your stomach could be one of them.

Children between one and four months old should be supervised throughout the night to avoid these unwanted episodes; it is not a good habit not to watch the baby just because he is not crying.

The most vulnerable baby population are infants up to four months old. However,  it is advisable to monitor the positions of children until the first year of life. In baby tests, nightly checks are usually done to make sure everything is in order.

Co-sleep and other baby sleep patterns

Supporters of sleeping-in say active surveillance is one of the benefits of this family practice. In practice,  nighttime monitoring is the best strategy parents have to prevent SIDS.

If the baby lays on his stomach while sleeping, it may be wise to change his position slightly from time to time. In this way, we will avoid dangerous and uncomfortable postures when the baby is not yet in control of his body, his sleep and his movements.

When the child lies on his stomach while he sleeps, it is necessary to alternate his posture. Creating the habit of the child sleeping on their back or on their side is a great alternative.

Some parents prefer to place them on their stomach, with the intention that the child sleeps soundly; but this is not recommended during the first few months.

Another good option is to put children on their backs with their heads tilted. In this case, it is a good idea to make some changes in the position of the neck in order to avoid pain due to poor posture. The fetal position is much more advisable if we manage to accommodate them in this way.

In addition to this, another aspect to take into account is monitoring the formation of the infant’s head during the first three months. If we leave him for more than three hours on his back, it also increases the risk of plagiocephaly.

Other steps we can take to prevent SIDS

• If the baby develops a lot of reflux,  the mattress can be raised about 45 degrees.
• You should  avoid wrapping the baby in the sheets and be careful not to roll it up  unintentionally.
• Toys in the crib can cause suffocation  and poor  posture. It is best to remove them from the bed during naps.
• Too much clothing and temperature rises can cause problems for the little ones. The best thing is to cover them without exaggerating the thickness of the fabric.
• We must avoid toxic substances in the room,  such as paints and poisons for the fumigation of pests.

“Creating the habit of the child sleeping on his back or on his side is an excellent alternative to prevent him from lying on his stomach”.

After their first year, children will have better control over waking up as well as their movements. In a short time, you will observe that they themselves will seek their positions and that they will wake up to the slightest problem.

It is never too much to check our baby’s breathing while he is sleeping; a little movement or the sound of air in his mouth will be enough to know that everything is fine. This care is fundamental to ensure the health of  newborns  in the first months of their life.