Nanny having infant sleep on side/ turns to stomach to sleep

[Anonymous]

I've talked with my nanny twice about having DS lie on his back (he just turned 6 months.) She still puts him on his side to sleep. He does sleep better on his side but the problem is that he always ends up face planted on the bed. So I asked her to please use his sleep suit to help with any arm movement issues and have him on his back. She says she always puts him on his back but I know she puts him on his side because when I have been home and walked by randomly, that is how he always is. Thoughts? In general, I really like her so not looking for a confrontation but am getting stressed out about the SIDS risk, although I know it lessens at 6 months.

[Anonymous]

She is in the wrong. You are her employer and she should follow your rules. However, I have been working with infants for 10+ years. 6 months old routinely move and roll in their sleep. I put my charge on his back but he always wakes up on his stomach. As long as he can took over and lift his head he will be fine.

Also, the sleep suit can increase SIDS significantly. A swaddle is a safety risk if you are swaddling his arms. The magic Merlin suits are so heavy that it creates a rise in body temp. A child's room should be between 68 and 73 degrees. Dress them in one heavier layer or 2-3 very light layers.

[Anonymous]

She's a sitter, right? Not a nanny.

[Anonymous]

she's actually a highly recommended nanny who charges a lot and is lawfully present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:she's actually a highly recommended nanny who charges a lot and is lawfully present.

Then ask her why she's doing what she's doing.

[Anonymous]

If your baby can roll over, there's no need to put him on his back anymore, because he will do what he wants to get comfortable, and has the strength to lift and turn his head as needed. Since he can roll over, I don't understand why you don't believe your nanny when she says she places him down on his back. He must prefer his side and roll onto it quickly after she lays him down.

[Anonymous]

Your baby is probably rolling to his side as soon as she puts him down.

However, there is no reason that your nanny should not be using the sleep suit if that is what you requested. I would speak to her and tell her that this is what you want. The above nanny is absolutely correct however and you need a cool room for the baby in the Merlin Sleep Suit. I love the thing but they are hot.

[Anonymous]

6 month olds roll. You don't trust your nanny?

[Anonymous]

When you say bed do you mean crib?

I agree that at 6 mos the baby can roll over, as long as there are no blankets/toys etc in the bed you should be fine. Once they roll over you dont need to put them to sleep on their backs.

[Anonymous]

He is most likely rolling to his side as soon as she puts him down, that's what my last charge would do when he was that age and even younger. He just hated sleeping on his back. He would immediately roll to his side when I put him down to get comfortable and then later roll to his tummy. My employers had a video monitoring system which I checked constantly to make sure he was still breathing. Overkill I know, but him sleeping on his stomach made me nervous.

[Anonymous]

SIDS and suffocation (which is what happens to a baby whose face gets buried in a pillow) are different things, though. 6mo babies usually are able to roll, which is probably what happens, but your nanny should definitely be putting him to sleep in the sack, as you requested.

[Anonymous]

Did I misread something? Is this a 6 week old? Because unless your 6 month old is grossly motor delayed, there's nothing stopping him from rolling to a comfortable position all on his own.

[Anonymous]

My sons both started rolling to their stomachs to sleep at 4 months. Are you sure your 6 month old isn't rolling over?

[Anonymous]

Op here- Couple things. I know my nanny puts him on his side because she has said it in the past (and at that point I said not to) and because yesterday I walked in literally like a second after she put him down and he was placed on his side (walked by accident actually). When I put him to bed, he never rolls. He just rolls when awake and playing. If he rolls to his stomach when playing, he will start crying and want to be rolled to his back. On the National Institute of health website, it says that you should continue to put the baby to sleep on his back even if he knows how to roll. I just don't like that she is not following this direction and not using the sleep sack.

I find the issue of trust to be a bit complicated in the sense that I think she is a nice person but she does not always follow directions (there have been other issues like when I told her to take him to urgent care and she did not- another story.) But in general she is a nice reliable person so I hate to fire her but still having a general concern about her not following direction. And I think part of my question was also about how serious an infraction it is safety wise and it seems like folks are saying it isn't a big deal to not follow the NIH guidance about initially placing a baby who rolls on his back until 1 year.

[Anonymous]

Jesus OP, just let her go if you don't trust her and she's ignored multiple safety request. Do you really need DCUM to tell you that??