Which sleeping position is safe for babies? Should babies sleep on their tummy or their side?

Is the safest infant sleeping position also the best sleeping position in terms of quality of sleep? Most parents actually say “no”. However, in this video, Nathalie Kaufmann, Pregnancy and Birth Consultant and TCM Therapist, and Mathias Ritter, Researcher and Science Geek, explain why you should still put your baby to bed in a safe sleeping position.
First, they explain what the safest sleeping position is for babies, particularly if you are looking for ways to prevent SIDS. And they also explain why the safest sleeping position is not necessarily the preferred position for babies.
Next, they discuss the many concerns parents have in regard to back-lying positions. In particular, they discuss if a baby should sleep on the back when baby is sick or suffers from reflux.
Moreover, they talk about two “side effects” of a safe infant sleeping position that are often being mentioned in scientific studies: the flat head syndrome and a delayed gross motor development.
But don’t worry! There are ways to minimize the likelihood for those two “side effects” to occur. And in this video, Nathalie and Mathias tell you what exactly you can do against them.
Finally, they also explain up to what age a baby should sleep in a safe position and what to do if baby rolls over at night into a potentially “unsafe” position.
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Other videos that we mentioned in this video:
How to do tummy time: • Support Baby’s Develop...
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SOURCES:
AAP: What is the safest sleep solution for my baby with reflux?
Changing concepts of sudden infant death syndrome: implications for infant sleeping environment and sleep position. American Academy of Pediatrics. Task Force on Infant Sleep Position and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Pediatrics. 2000 Mar;105(3 Pt 1):650-6.
Boonzaaijer M, Suir I, Mollema J, Nuysink J, Volman M, Jongmans M. Factors associated with gross motor development from birth to independent walking: A systematic review of longitudinal research. Child Care Health Dev. 2021 Jul;47(4):525-561.
MORE SOURCES UPON REQUEST (unfortunately, we can only post a certain amount of words here).
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DISCLAIMER:
All information and content in this video, including the video description and any information that we post in our comments as a response to any questions we may receive, is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute psychological, medical or health-related advice of any kind. We do not warrant that the information in our video, in the video description or in our responses, is free of any errors or omissions. We neither provide any medical services nor any services related to health care and / or nutrition to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any kind of medical condition or physical ailment! Where we use examples of how certain tips and tools from our video have helped other people, we do not imply that these tips and tools will work for you in the same way.
We do our best to provide accurate general information. However, the information in this video, including the information in the video description, as well as the information that we may provide in our comments as response to any questions that we may receive from our viewers, is not intended to and does not substitute any kind of professional advice and you should not rely solely on this information. We are no medical doctors. Always consult a medical or health professional for your particular needs and for your particular case before making any medical or health-related decisions and before you apply anything that we mention in this video, in the video description or in our comments. All exercises and dietary changes are potentially dangerous, and those who do not seek personal counsel from an appropriate health care authority assume the liability of any injury which may occur.
If you or your child suffer from health-related problems or if you have any questions related to your own health and / or the health of your baby, please seek the advice of a qualified health care provider immediately!
The content of this video must not be reproduced in any form.
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• Which sleeping positio...
#BabySleepPosition #InfantSleepPosition #CareAboutLittleOnes

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Thanks so much for watching this video! 😊 Don’t forget to sign up for our free baby massage course: careaboutlittleones.com/baby-massage-course. It teaches you lots of valuable techniques, to help your baby with all kinds of problems!

[@hayleyferguson5284]

I’m a mother to almost 14 children (currently 33w5d). I watched (until I couldn’t any longer and intervened) when one of our babies was back sleeping and chocking and unable to expel the vomit. So of course I picked him up. Also you make the point about amniotic fluid at birth. Sometimes as you know the medical attendant will suction a baby that is unable to expel the fluid on their own 🤷‍♀️. I know New Zealand (and this may have been proven false since I researched) had a big campaign in the early 2000s to make sure cot mattresses were either new or wrapped in plastic a certain amount of microns thick (sorry after this long and so many pregnancies I forget). SIDS almost completely disappeared overnight. The fire retardants used in mattresses, combined with moisture and heat (like when an infant is sick like after immunisations) create off-gassing. Then if infants are tummy sleeping they inhale those gases. This the New Zealand studies showed led to SIDS. After this campaign I believe they no longer had, “red nose day” there because they found the cause. I can find the source material if you’re interested, or you might already know and be able to disprove the theory 🤷‍♀️. Love your channel btw.

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😘, thanks a lot for sharing this with us! We would absolutely LOVE to see the study you are referring to! Any research that reveals interesting new insights is much appreciated! Can you please send it to us?? Thanks so much! 😊 P.S.: 14 children!! We don't even know how you do that! You should found an own channel on youtube! New moms can only learn from you!! ❤️❤️

[@sindhuk.s8259]

Thank you both for this informative video..my 2 month old baby sleeps on her back, but she always love to plac her head on the sides. Is there any issue with this?

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, you are most welcome! We are happy if you find our video helpful! Regarding your question: If your baby is able to move her head from one side to the other side, there is normally no reason to worry! Your baby will then alternate between both sides. So, all good! 😊

[@laurahrobinson]

What do studies say about side lying sleep for babies? My baby sometimes falls asleep breastfeeding on her side - what are the potential harms of letting her stay in that position?

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, initially, when they started recommending that babies should no longer sleep on their tummies, they actually did say that side-lying positions are okay. However, they changed that based on later studies which showed that the potential harms are the same as when they sleep on their tummy. We cannot really say that those later studies are all high quality studies. However, it's the best they have come up with so far. So, at the moment, side-lying positions are not recommended for babies, unless a baby is able to turn by her/himself... We hope this helps! 😊 We wish you ALL THE BEST for you and your baby!! ❤️

[@cre9690]

My son is now 3 months - he will only sleep right next to me and uses my breast as a soother to. Iv tired to put him in his own cot many times and with the pacifier he does not like either.. during the day he won’t nap unless being held or on a sling…. I try to put him down on his own but he has non of it… it means I’m basically with him 24 hrs of the day… What’s your thoughts? :)

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, believe it or not but we know many parents like yourself (mostly moms). Those babies want to be close to their mom 24/7. To be honest with you, we have not found a solution to this "phenomenon". The bottom line here is: it is a phase. And in some babies, that phase lasts 1 week, in other cases, it lasts 12 months. It really depends on the baby. We know parents who have tried all kinds of consultants. According to them, it was a waste of money. Almost all of them say that this phase passed after a while without doing anything in particular. So, as much as we would like to come up with good advice, the bottom line is: your baby loves you and won't accept any other person near you! 😁 We can only wish you that this phase will be over rather sooner than later... 😊 We wish you ALL THE BEST for you and your baby!! ❤️

[@cre9690]

@@CareAboutLittleOnes thank you so much 🥰

[@Maes809]

My son is 4 years and still with flat head I did listen and i really did put him always on his back but i didn’t know much about flat head syndrome I even didn’t notice it until my stepmother tells me and from that time I can not stop thinking about it and it has been 4 years Later I was trying to do something but it was to late but why didn’t they in hospital tell me about that 😢😢 and what to do to, they are just telling me about back sleeping and he als baby really love to sleep

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

We are very sorry to hear that! 🙁 The flat head syndrome is (normally) not too difficult to treat when done early enough! This is really something your hospital should have made you aware of.... 🙁

[@MrsKadriMohamadou]

Omg I feel you, what you typed is literally my situation but my baby is currently 3 months tomorrow and my hospital didn’t tell me about flat head syndrome either only to put baby on his back, so day and night whenever he was sleeping i put him in his back, his head is a little flat but thank God I noticed before it’s super bad looking

[@traynice9633]

Your videos are great but you have to add the age to your recommendations

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, thank you for your feedback! In which ones of our videos do you miss age recommendations?

[@thiruveniudayakumar9502]

my baby is 6 months old and he has flat head in his right side. can I still make my baby's head in shape.

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😘, yes, normally, this is still possible! Normally, this should happen all by itself. However, we do recommend talking with a pediatrician about it as well! Thank you! We wish you ALL THE BEST for you and your baby!! ❤️

[@kateb167]

sometimes helmet can help

[@solg1391]

At what month should baby start tummy time?

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, you can start on day 1 after birth, if you like. We posted a video on this topic on our channel. Just search for "tummy time"... We wish you ALL THE BEST for you and your baby!! ❤️

[@AlizaKim-xn8nb]

Can you please guide me about my baby's head getting long day by day and she is just 11 days.

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😘, what do you mean by "baby's head getting long"?

[@AlizaKim-xn8nb]

@@CareAboutLittleOnes Baby's head is growing backwards and it looks like it is getting long backwards.

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

@@AlizaKim-xn8nb Okay! Have you already talked with your doctor about your observations? This should really be the first step!

[@Healthiswealthto]

So the best position is on the side if he is sleeping with parent..and if he is still alone make them sleep on back

[@CareAboutLittleOnes]

Hi there 😊, actually, it is generally recommended that young babies sleep on their back, no matter if they sleep with a parent or not. We hope this helps! 😊 We wish you ALL THE BEST for you and your baby!! ❤️

[@tamie1923]

My baby choked 5 times he was sleeping on his back.... Bcoz of reflux...