flat sleeping

[Anonymous]

My twins are 5 months old today. They had slept in their carseats for a few months and than we moved to the bouncy seat since it goes back a little further. My ped wants them back lying down in the crib by 6 months. We have started to recline the bouncy seats as flat as they will go to slowly get them used to sleeping without sitting up.

My concern, which I told my ped, is that they still vomit occasionally. Maybe once a week. I know babies tend to sleep with their heads to their side, but I was changing my son one day, about a month or so ago, he threw up. His head wasn’t to the side, we were talking. It went straight up and straight back down into his mouth. If I wasn’t right there he would have choked. My fear is that I won’t hear this happen if it happens in the middle of the night.

I told my ped that I have been charting on the calendar how often they vomit. I said when they can go longer than a week I was going to try napping them on their back, see how they do, than move to night sleeping. He said 6 months, and that I could have them sleep on their side. So, I went out and bought 2 side positioners. THEY HATE THEM!!! Cried the whole time, and I think they move to much for them.

I know this is long, I’m sorry, I guess my point is to ask…is it really necessary to have them sleeping flat by 6 months? Is my original plan of easing into it ok? Any input is greatly appreciated as always.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t ever heard of a specific number of months old they need to be that they HAVE to be sleeping flat – sounds kind of strange to me. With little refluxers, HOWEVER they sleep, to me, is a good thing. As long as THEY are comfortable and safe.

Our almost 4 1/2 month old sleeps in her crib, on her back, with a crib wedge to help elevate her head. She also has little wedges that go on her sides (they are connected and can be adjusted to fit snuggly on both sides so they don’t move) and I put a blanket over her which I tuck under the wedges. When I check in on her at night, she has always had her head looking toward the right (once in a while to the left but not too often). I guess I am lucky because she has never spit up at night. Lately, she has been getting herself onto her side to sleep and I anticipate a roll-over any day now.

Keep us posted on how it’s going!!

Robin

[hellbennt]

please ignore any incorrect pronouns – I copied & pasted this from another post:

You might want to try tummy sleeping?

This is from the American Academy of Pediatrics & how they recommend that tummy sleeping is best for GERD babies. http://www.aap.org/new/sids/question.htm (thanks Sherry & Christine!)

There’s a monitor that you can use called the Angel Care Monitor that many of the parents on this board have had great success with. Jonah was sent home with a monitor from the hospital, so I don’t know firsthand about the Angel Care monitor, but here’s all about it: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/search.asp?KW=angelcare&am p;SM=2&SI=TC&FM=0&OB=2

BEANIE BABY: for day time naps I suggest this: Try putting her on her tummy & put a beanie baby on her back for 2 reasons- to see that she’s breathing (the beanie baby will go up & down )

& for the weight- put your hand on her back & then slowly leave it & the beanie baby is there instead…

[Anonymous]

My ped wants Emma off the bottle at the end of this month. Sometimes they say what sounds good on paper but not what is reality. At this point, when it comes to weining my daughter that is my choice, no one elses. Emma sleeps with me but she is still elevated, she has been since day one. If you are worried about them b/c they vomit then whatever makes you comfortable is what you should stick with, only my opinion, I just don’t want you worry about their safety when there is nothing set in stone saying something will happen to them if they are not lying flat by 6 months (which I think is absolutly insane). Emma has her 15 month checkup tomorrow and I will be telling the doc she is off the bottle, just to tell him what he wants to hear. I put a big sleeping blanket in Emma’s crib to elevate it, and when I put her back in her bed she will still be elevated, now that is just how she likes to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Robin- The side wedges you are talking about sound like what I have. I also have the crib wedges. The problem is that my daughter, she’s such a tiny peanut, lifts her legs and her arms and ends up sliding down so that those side wedges are on the sides of her head. Not good! I tried my son back sleeping too on the crib wedge with the side wedges. He woke up after only half an hour, during when he normally takes a 3 1/2-4 hour nap. I agree with you, as long as they are sleeping, what does it matter if it’s flat on their back or not.

Laura- When they were younger I would let them nap on their tummies. But as their reflux got worse I stopped because they were just vomitting too much. Now they HATE being on their bellies. Belly time is a challenge, but we still do it every day, but I think they would have a fit if I tried to sleep them on their bellies.

I’m wondering for those of you who didn’t or don’t sleep on their backs, how old your babies were when you started sleeping them on their backs.

[hellbennt]

I think we made the crib flat at about 8 months or so…

we were tired of him sliding to the bottom and just decided to try it out…

we put him on his tummy though, but oftentimes he would wind up on his back. he was not a spitter/vomiter, though…

[Anonymous]

Adan just turned 6 mos, and I HAD to have him start sleeping flat (no choice no matter how small of an incline the crib was on, the little bugger kept rolling to the end) it’s funny because for the first week or so, I put him on his back, and he kept waking himself up when he rolled over on his tummy, but now, as soon as I put him in the crib he rolls right onto his left side and stays there ALL night (I had the positioner for him and he wasn’t to thrilled about it and once he could roll over he kept rolling over the thing ). I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to have them sleeping flat by 6 months that’s like saying all babies HAVE to crawl by X amount of months..as long as they’re sleeping I wouldn’t mess with it.

[Anonymous]

I was actually just going to post a question about back sleeping. I was wondering how many of you DO put your refluxers on their backs for sleeping? I got the Tucker wedge/sling when Tess was about 2 months old because we were desperate to get her off of US (she would only sleep on our chests in a recliner). About 3 months ago she started sleeping on the wedge just fine. We also swaddle the heck out of her with a Miracle Blanket. Now we’re attempting to wean her off of all of these things. I wanted to ditch the blanket first because I think if she had her hands free at night she could probably soothe herself back to sleep at times instead of us having to get her pacifier for her or even feed her (not sure she’s really hungry at these times). However, she freaks out when she’s not swaddled. We also have the problem that if you lay her on her back unswaddled she’ll roll to her tummy and then get pi$$ed big time (she hates being on her tummy). So because of these two things I’ve decided to try getting rid of the wedge first. She’s never been a spitter (silent reflux) and I’m not even sure she really needed the wedge to begin with.

Are there others who’s babies sleep flat on their backs?

Karen

[Anonymous]

Abigail sleeps (and has since she was born) just slightly inclined on a small wedge but most of the time she ends up sliding off of it so she sleeps mostly flat on her back. She has also slept flat without any troubles at daycare and when we go to my moms with no problems.

As with anything, I think all kids are sooooo different, how their reflux affects their sleeping is soooo different – if only they came with individual “instruction books” life would be a breeze!!

Robin

[Anonymous]

I have always had the wedge in Sebastian’s crib, but he has never really slept on it. By 3 ½ months he was wiggling himself sideways. He always sleeps sideway’s in his crib right at the bottom of the wedge. I am not sure why I have not taken it out. I put him in bed on his back on the wedge and within minutes he is on him tummy or side sideways. He sleeps fine. I do sometimes find wet circles of what I am assuming is spit-up in the morning (which freeks me out) and he usually wakes up coughing a few times a night, but it does not seem to bother him.

[Author]

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