Putting your baby to sleep on their back reduces their risk of sudden infant death syndrome putting babies to sleep on their backs until at least 12 months of age (or older if they were preterm). But if they roll onto their bellies after you put them down—and you are certain they can easily roll from their stomach to their back— it’s fine for them to let them sleep in that position. before they can roll back from their bellies easily on their own, it is not safe for babies to sleep face-down. Research shows that babies who are put down to sleep on their stomachs are more than twice as likely to die of SIDS than infants sleeping in other positions Overheating To reduce the risk of overheating, dress your baby in a lightweight wearable swaddle, keep their head and face uncovered, and watch out for signs your baby is too warm. If they are sweating or feel hot when you touch their chest, remove a layer or dial down the thermostat Rebreathing When infants sleep on their stomachs, they may rebreathe expired air trapped in the bedding. That can lead to dangerously high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels in their bodies Most babies will wake up and breathe fresh air, after which they are fine, she says. But some infants are slower to respond or will not be able to roll over, and will lose consciousness. Researchers think that some babies have brainstem abnormalities that hamper this arousal process, and they are hard at work to develop a system for identifying who those babies are. Suffocation If a baby without sufficient head control rolls onto their stomach with their face buried into the crib mattress or bedding, that could pose a suffocation risk. You can help protect a young baby from suffocation by keeping the crib free from pillows or bumpers and avoiding sleeping wedges or weighted sleep sacks that could inhibit their movement.
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Friday, September 20, 2024