Sleeping Position Of A Baby

As a mother, you are mindful of numerous developments and habits related to your tiny tot. Your checklist includes things like the food she eats, the medicine she is prescribed and the colour of her poop, among other things. While getting enough sleep can be challenging, until your baby finds her cosy nook, watch out for the sleeping position. Sleeping on the stomach can raise a few alarms. Here’s the dope on what might happen.

Paediatricians will almost always discourage parents from making infants sleep on their stomach. This has been a cause of concern for doctors all around the world since the revelation of Sudden Infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Dr. Ashu Sawhney, Consultant, Neonatology, Fortis La Femme, Delhi, says, “Infants should not be put to sleep on their stomach as it increases the risk of SIDS. The exact causes for SIDS are not clear, but putting babies to sleep on their back has reduced its incidence worldwide.”

We asked around a little more and found that there is a specific age after which parents can ease up on the position their infants sleep in.

Dr. Shailesh Patil, Paediatrics, Seven Hill Hospital, Mumbai, informs, “Babies can sleep on their stomach only after six to nine months when their movements are defined and nothing should obstruct their breathing.”

What is SIDS?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a phenomenon which results in the death of the infant all of a sudden. It is also known as cot death or crib death. The reason is yet to be medically explained, but infants under four to six months of age are at a higher risk of SIDS and are mostly affected in their sleep.

Dr Bijal Srivastava, Pediatrician at Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai says,“Several studies state that the cause for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sleeping position of babies. Sleeping on the stomach has led to higher deaths in babies lesser than six months of age. Hence, doctors today caution parents not to let babies sleep in the prone (on stomach) position.”

Safe to Sleep Campaign:

A campaign called the Safe to Sleep campaign previously popular as the Back to Sleep Program was started by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to make parents aware of the dangers of babies sleeping on their tummy and encourage them to make their babies sleep only on their backs or the supine position. As mentioned earlier, this position decreases risk of SIDS in kids.

Dr. Himanshi Kashyap, Paediatrician, Rockland Hospitals, Manesar shares, “SIDS is a fatal fear but results have shown a 50% decreases in SIDS cases since the Back to Sleep Program was initiated.”

The downsides of the supine position:

However, Dr Srivastava adds, “There are also some disadvantages with the supine position. It may lead to mild delay in motor milestones and there are higher chances of torticollis or stiff neck. Also, plagiocephaly – flat head syndrome – may be caused. It is advisable that parents supervise the sleeping position of babies while awake, and try to keep them in prone position (on the stomach) atleast 15-20 mins two to three times during the day.”

Although not all sleeping positions are harmful, but parents need to take care not to obstruct the breathing of their child through external factors.

“Babies can sleep sideways but parents should make sure that they do not get suffocated in anyway. Parents have a habit of making kids sleep in decorated cribs stuffed with soft toys. They should be careful of anything that can cause the child harm. Beds should be clear of all clutter,” explains Dr. Kashyap

Thus, we conclude that it is not ok for babies to sleep on their stomach. As responsible parents, make sure your tot sleeps only on the back to avoid any risks of SIDS at least until the baby is six months old.