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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Moms a ? about stomach sleeping
Would you put your little one to sleep on their stomach?
Took J to see the Dr this morning. I thought he was just colicky, but wanted him to get him check out. Dr thinks he as reflux.
One of the things she recommended was that I now put him to sleep on his stomach. 
She said it is safer if he spits up and it will be less painful for him on his tummy.
I don't think I can do it. I have to check his breathing every few hrs as it is. I think I would be scared sh!tless if he was on his stomach. Would you put your LO to sleep on their stomach?
Re: Moms a ? about stomach sleeping
Yes I would.
That's how my mom and her sisters (and generation) did it and I turned out ok.
Ben slept on his stomach from about 6 weeks on. It was the only way to keep him sleeping more than 30 minutes off of my chest.
So yes, I would. You could always get one of the motion detecting monitors (angelcare I think is one) to ease your fears.
When I finally stopped swaddling Henry, he flipped onto his stomach to sleep. It was instinct for him. I tried to keep him on his back but his stomach was comfy and it worked for him.
If his Dr recommended it, I would def give it a try for a nap/daytime sleeping. Tight fitting sheets, nothing else in crib, etc. Keep an eye on him for your own peace of mind. You will see how he does or doesn't move his head while sleeping.
Trust your instincts though. If something doesn't seem right, correct it and trust yourself.
Such a hard question. Those recs are there for a reason.
On the other hand, your doc has a well informed opinion too.
Maybe you could try naps on his belly and see how it goes? That way, you're awake and can "afford" to check on him all the time, and judge your comfort level that way?
Personally I would not. But my friend's baby has slept on her stomach since an early age, so no matter...trust your instincts and go with that. Once Noah could roll over on his own, I did not fight it. But before then...on his back he was. For N's acid reflux his Pedi had us prop the crib up on one side (we put a couple 2x4s under the legs...prop the crib, not the mattress), and we put a towel rolled up under his legs to prevent him from scootching down the crib. This worked from 9 weeks until he rolled around and ended up with his head at the opposite end of the crib with the blood rushing to it.
By that time it had calmed down enough that we did not have to prop it anymore.
It is so hard, since obviously even in the medical field there is conflicting opinions. In my breastfeeding class they said back to sleep since if they spit up it was safer. Your doc says otherwise. Hmmm.
Like PP said, maybe try it out for a nap or two. Good luck! I know every decision is a hard one when it comes to your baby!
I would try it for a nap and see how it goes. Mere rolled over REALLY early in her bed and hated to be swaddled, so belly sleeping was natural for her. I'd also invest in an Angelcare monitor. That's one of the things I wish I would have gotten from the beginning even if I got false alarms. It would have saved me from checking on her when I woke up in the middle of the night
Does he have good head control? The stomach issue bothered me less when I noticed Mere lifiting her head off the blanket during tummy time.
Honestly, the swing/bouncer sleeping worries me more. Even though there are buckles, they really aren't that sturdy as far as keeping a flipping-over baby in.
Trust your gut. If you are fine getting up frequently vs. having him on his stomach, leave him on his back.
I would and I did for both of my children. I was scared to do it the first time too, but my DD wouldn't sleep more than 30 min at a time on her back and I was SO, SO incredibly sleep deprived by the time she was a month old that I was willing to try anything to get her to sleep for longer.
A lot of the more recent research on SIDS shows that while it's not hereditary, it could have genetic factors. And it could have something to do with levels of serotonin in the brain.
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Hudson had bad reflux when he was a baby. What you are supposed to do if you have reflux is to keep your head elevated at least 30 degrees, for babies or adults. We tried putting pillows under his mattress at one point but he'd always end up sideways and it was pointless, so we got a sleep positioner from BRU that was slightly wedge-shaped. My co-worker's daughter slept in a swing for about 5 months because of her reflux. The thing that helped the most though was Zantac.
I know some people but infants to sleep on their tummies and some pediatricians still recommend this, but I've never heard of it as a treatment for reflux and it is still associated with a higher incidence of SIDS. I would not do it, personally.
Another baby with reflux. We used a sleep wedge / positioner for Violet to keep her elevated - and those things aren't recommended either (in case baby rolls off side and can't pick up head, but she was in our room in a bassinet still at this point). After that we elevated one side of the crib mattress with blankets. We did some naps with her on her tummy out in the living room where I could watch, but MH made me too nervous about it to do it at night.
A friend of mine had her boys sleeping on their stomachs from the get go due to reflux. I think it really does help for whatever reason. Do some research and give it a try. If it doesn't work or you're not comfortable, the worst that happens is you go back to him sleeping on his back. I take a parenting philsophy of "I do what works best for my child, you do what works best for your's. . ." I understand there are reasons why doctors and authors recommend you do things a certain way, but they aren't the ones living in your house either. We all grew up sleeping on our stomachs.
Thanks Moms.
So we tried it for a nap yesterday. Little man just tried to make out with the mattress for a full ten mins, then he fell asleep with his face smooshed in the mattress. He wouldn't turn his head. So, I picked him up and put him on his back.
I figure every now and then I will give it a try and see. We have had his mattress propped up since he was 2 wks. And last night was the first night on the Zantac, and oh my what a difference already! (Really hoping I am not jinxing us by saying that, see I am superstitious!)
While I respect J's Dr, I have a hard time just blindly doing whatever Dr's recommend. Hell if I always listen to the recommendations of Drs I would be either dead or dying today.
Glad that you both had a better night!