Newborn flips to side during sleep

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience. My 9 day old daughter is able to turn to her side after we put her to sleep on her back. She does it every time. Our pediatrician suggested a sleep positioner in order to keep her on her back. We bought one and it worked the first night. This morning I looked in her bassinet and she had scooted herself up to the point where she could raise her legs and turn and actually had gotten herself out of the sleep positioner and was again on her side. I have a call into the pediatrician to get her suggestions but an wondering if anyone else has had this issue. I am thinking it is really not a good idea to have this sleep positioner in her bassinet (bassinet top of the pack n play) with her not in it, since that seems like more of a choking hazard.

She spits up every now and then but otherwise doesn't show any signs of reflux. We have tried swaddling but she has busted out of everything we have tried and then there are loose blankets in the bassinet. Any thoughts? I haven't found anyone else with this specific problem when I have searched, but I have to think this happens.

Thanks...

[Anonymous]

my son did this exact thing. the positioner freaked me out since i heard it can be a SIDS risk, especially when they are that young and that mobile.

my method was to gently "train" him to stay on his back, meaning every time he was on his side, i would simply roll him back to his back. it did not take long for him to get it.

if your DD is anything like mine though, who is now 8 months, she'll be an "active sleeper." DS now sleeps on his back, side, and stomach. he roams from one end of the crib to the other in his sleep. he'll be flat, spreadeagled one second, and then squnched into a ball in a corner 30 seconds later. at next check he's liable to be at the other end of the crib, curled around his binky like it's going to fly away. crazy kid.

congrats!

[Anonymous]

mine did it too, even in a swaddle. I wouldn't worry about it -- our ped was fine with it. let's face it, back sleeping isn't that comfy. I think the sids risk from a positioner is far greater than from her sleeping on her side, as long as she doesn't go over to her belly. If you are concerned about reflux you could try elevating the mattress a little bit (put a rolled up towel under it), but really, if she's just going to her side, I dont think it's a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on your baby.

My 10-week-old has flipped on his side to sleep basically since birth and still sleeps on his side most of the time. We used to turn him back to his back every time and still do sometimes, but he usually rolls back to his side. I was told by one pediatrician that as long as he is not on his belly and the sleep surface is safe (e.g., not too soft), side-sleeping is not really a problem.

[Anonymous]

I let our DD sleep on her side and her back and her stomach. We just got rid of the bumpers around the crib and anything she might suffocate on. Had the video monitor on when I was feeling particularly paranoid, but no problems. The Miracle Blanket was the only thing that kept her secure for any length of time. If you use it correctly, she shouldn't be able to get out.

[Anonymous]

Our daughter did the same thing as a newborn - nearly every time we laid her down in her bassinet, she'd roll into a little "L" shape to sleep. Our pediatrician said not to worry about it, and she did eventually stop doing it, but it did freak us out a bit. As for bursting out of her swaddle, we had a really hard time keeping our daughter swaddled until we tried the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets from Target - they're huge compared to other swaddling blankets we tried and because they're so large, we found them to be much easier to use and get a good secure swaddle on our little one. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

ours did the same likely b/c at the hosp in the nursery they put her on her side where she was watched closely. As soon as she was home she'd roll to her side. Our ped was ok with it as well as long as she did it herself, not you putting her that way.

I'd get rid of the positioner it seems much more dangerous than any side sleeping would be. She's strong enough not to get stuck if she's doing it on her on.

[Anonymous]

My 5 month old son started sleeping on his side at the hospital...and does so until this very day (just like his mom!) Even when swaddled he still managed to kick his legs up and over. I wouldn't worry about it at all!

[Anonymous]

Don't forget that until recently the recommendation was for babies to sleep on their side (with a towel rolled up and placed behind them to keep them up on their side) to prevent SIDS.

Also in the case a child has reflux the Dr. would recommend side sleeping so the baby did not choke on their vomit.

If you can get your child to stay on their back great, but in your case, you should not worry too much. Also girls are less likely to suffer from SIDS, so that might make you worry a little less.

[Anonymous]

Our 9 month old DD started sleeping on her side on day 1, while still in the hospital, and still does half of the time. (the other half, she rolls onto her belly.) Early on, we used the miracle blanket coupled with a sleep positioner to try to keep her on her back, but we stopped as soon as she started to kick out the blanket and swing out of the positioner. For us, that was about 3 months - it sounds like you are already there. Agree that the positioner and blanket are themselves SID concerns if your DC is not using them correctly. Hopefully your ped will have some better advice. For what it is worth, although our DD always rolled to her side, she did not actually start flipping to her stomach until around 6 months, so hopefully yours won't either...

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! OP here. Our ped wants us to have her sleep in her bouncy chair or car seat for now at least( put it in the pack n play). My instinctual thought is that this might be overkill, but at least I won't be worried about her position at all, which will probably help me sleep a little better!

[Anonymous]

OP, for busting out of the swaddle, have you tried a kiddopotamus? The velcro works great for that. Enjoy your baby, congrats.

[Anonymous]

not to go against your ped, but I think the carseat or bouncy chair is not a good idea on a regular basis. Bouncy chairs are especially dangerous for flipping over pretty soon. Carseats are very restrictive and unatural. My ped (and I) really didn't see any issue with side sleeping. Again this is you putting baby on her back and she turns herself a little which many do. It is okay. I'd be really worried about leaving a baby to sleep in a bouncy seat or not getting the baby to sleep normally in a crib/bassinet etc. on her back/side.

[Anonymous]

Our DS rolled onto his side from day 1. Swaddled, not swaddled - didn't matter. We'd put him down on his back, and a few minutes later he'd be on his side. Doctor didn't worry, and over time we realized this was just how DS was going to sleep. I think the bouncy chair/car seat in the pack n play is overkill.

[Anonymous]

new poster--why are the positioners sids risks? My pediatrician also recommended we look into one for our DC, who has some reflux.