Newborn Sleeping Positions

Newborn Sleeping Positions

It can all be very confusing. Place the baby on her tummy, no wait, her side, no wait, her back. Across the years we’ve heard all kinds of advice about how babies should sleep. Here’s the scoop, as I see it anyway.

It used to be routine for babies to sleep on their stomachs. And there was reason — babies sleep better on their tummies than in other positions. Most of us were positioned to sleep on our stomachs, and we’re OK, right?

However, we have a bit more information now. Laying your baby down to sleep on her back or side can cut the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by as much as 50 percent. For that reason, most pediatricians will advise that you place the baby down to sleep on her back from the outset. There are still some years during which the medical professionals active in your life have already learned that babies should sleep on their sides, since this both helps prevent SIDS and means a baby is less likely to choke on her own vomit if she spits up (which, by the way, is rare). But nowadays, most doctors say the back or side is OK — it’s difficult to keep a newborn on her side anyway.

If you find your baby gets very fussy when sleeping flat on her back, try swaddling her or try side-sleeping her with a rolled up blanket for support. For a lot of babies, this is enough to keep them comfy. Just be sure to give your baby some time on her tummy while she’s awake, both to help strengthen her muscles for movement, and to give her a new view of the world!

Having said that, if your baby really has a hard time sleeping on her back, you should talk to your pediatrician about letting the baby sleep on her stomach. If your baby is healthy, your doctor might say it’s fine to put her to bed on her stomach as long as the mattress is firm. Also, infants with respiratory issues, those with upper airway malformations and babies who “spit up” a lot actually may be safer on their stomachs.

But every baby is different, so you have to treat them as such. The general recommendation is to sleep on the back, but with the guidance of your doctor, you should assess your baby, and her sleep patterns, on a case-by-case basis. Remember that in a few months your baby will start rolling over, and will pick her favorite position herself.

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