The appropriate position for infants to sleep?

Question

I know for a fact babies are supposed to sleep on their BACKS. I see it everywhere..in books, from doctors, everywhere. But my mother and sister are constantly saying my son will spit up and could possibly choke so they want to put him on his side which I absolutely will not allow. What are your thoughts on this??

Answer 1

i would put my daughter on her back and she would roll on to her side, every time we put her down to sleep. she started doing this the day after we came home from the hospital. when she was 5 months old she started rolling on her tummy. she would get mad and fuss every time we tried to roll her back over. her doctor just told us to watch her and let her sleep. so we did. she in now almost 11 months old a good tummy sleeper.  

Answer 2

instead, try not to lay him down for about 20 minutes after eating and make sure sure sure he is burped enough. i think if it were a common issue that babies choke on their spit up, back sleeping would be advised against. if you are worried though, there are a multitude of sleep positioners that will keep your baby in a favorable sleeping position so you don't have to worry.  

Answer 3

Definitely put the baby on it's back.  The risk of the baby choking on its own spit-up is much, much lower than the risk of suffocation because a blanket or pillow blocks the baby's air.

A reclining position is good too.

Answer 4

Go with your gut.  If you are not comfortable with your son being on his side then tell them no way and you keep him on his back.  

Answer 5

How old is your son? I put all my children on their backs when they were sleeping It is recommended that babies should be put on their back to sleep if you are sitting near them or is going to be in the same room as them you can put them on there sides as it's also not good to have your baby constantly on his back as this can cause flat head syndrome i am a mother of 3 and all my children are fine Good Luck xx

Answer 6

IGNORE THEM.

Put him to sleep on his back.

If he is old enough to move on his side by himself, thats fine.

As he is just getting comfortable.

However when putting him to sleep, ALWAYS the back :)

Answer 7

The doctors...everyone says back OR side.  I personally preferred the side for the same reason your mother and sister did.  It just made sense that the spit-up should be able to get out of the mouth and not sit in the throat where it could be aspirated. One thing I made sure of was that my baby had plenty of tummy time.  My babies were holding their heads up very well by about 4 - 6 weeks.  Having strong neck muscles is very important.  Once we got to that point, I would let them sleep on their tummies...that was when both started sleeping through the night..YEA!!!  

Basically, you have to decide what is best for you baby.  Don't say you won't allow side sleeping because you kid may not sleep anyway but his side!  When you're an exhausted mother, you'll see where we're coming from.  You'll do anything to get the baby to sleep.

Answer 8

with all 3 of my children i used one of their little nursery blankets, rolled it up and placed it behind their backs so they were propped up and not flat on their back.

i did this after my first son did spit up and choked on it during the first week home.  

you need to do what you are comfortable doing.  follow your instincts.

Answer 9

it is recommended that babies are put to sleep on their backs which is what I have always done with my baby. She is now starting to turn onto her side herself, which is a little worrying but I've been told that if she gets herself into that position she will be fine. You can also buy things to go into the moses basket or cot that will support a baby on their side.

Answer 10

My baby (now 7 months old) used to spit-up all all day long, even in his sleep. the doctor suggested that we place a few towels or whatever we had under his bassinet mattress to elevate his head, that way if he spit up, he wouldn't choke on it, and he would still be sleeping on his back. it definitely helped and now he sleeps in a regular crib flat on his back with no problems. hope that helps!