Hey Geeks,

My baby is now 3 weeks old!
During the day she sleeps really well...she is at her most comfortable on someones chest! At night she is more restless...not a complete nightmare just yet but unsettled!!!!!

Last night we were with my mum, i was looking after Evie and by 4am i was beginning to run out of ideas...there is only so much sky+ a girl can watch at that hour!! my mum took her and put her in her crib on her tummy and she instantly went out like a light and slept peacefully for nearly 6 hours!

Now everything i have read says to put her on her back, which we have done every time since she was born, but my mum said that when i was born all babies went on their fronts.

I fed her a couple of hours ago and popped her in her bed...i decided to sit next to her and do some work (so glad i bought a laptop and not a desktop!) i put her on her tummy and she has not moved...the occassional sigh but nothing more!

I don't know what to do for the best...she is obvioulsy more comfortable on her tummy but i'm told i should put her on her back....

Any Suggestions????

PS - Sorry its long winded!

my daughter was the same....all the books say not to though but they change their minds like the winds!!!

Good luck ...my daughter is 4 and is STILL in our bed !! she has now decided there is more room at the bottom! so top and tails !!

Speak to your halth visitor hun and see what she suggests, my first child we put hm on tums my second we put bottom of bed on back.
with him w found if we elevated the hea end of th bed he slept better, but ia ms ure there i a good reason why babies houldnt be put on front, it may be bcause heya re too small to move their heads properly, as i siad chat to your health visitor she will ahve all the up to date infomation or ring one of the baby magazines adn see what they say.
x

Hi hun,

When Cameron was born I went through the same thing and my mum and all the other old wives in my family told me the same thing. "on the back" I know its againts what all the docs say but if it works go with it. Anyway I was very scared to put him on his back incase he was sick in his sleep and choked. Turns out I was right as that very thhing happened. Good thing I was still at the stage I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Now I can't wait to get away!! lol

my mom says (and she's had 6 babies) its better on its side than its tummy (as the "experts" do think there's a chance they'll suffocate on their tummy). roll a towel and put it either side (one behind her back and one in front but no higher than her chest). swap sides either night so that one night she sleeps on her left and one night on her right. This will stop her head becoming mishapen. no pillow.

my mom says the new thinking is to give them a dummy, because they are sucking they do not "forget" to breath. don't worry about weening her off a dummy, she'll grow out of it naturally, she won't walk down the aisle with it! (however, i still suck my thumb! but its cool)

I forgot..I did this as well.

ps. if your wondering my mom is here next to me, hence the amount of replies.

my mom says... (LOL here we go) she doesn't agree with lying babies on their back either because they can choke and the head goes flat at the back (she's just informed me my sister has a flat head because she kept rolling back ha ha)

Thank you so much for your replies...i've been debating about it all day, i've also been discussing it with my husband and my mum and we seem to be going round in circles!

I saw on the news the other day about giving a baby a dummy...i've tried this aswell - she seems keen to start with but as soon as she realises there is no milk shes not interested!!! i'll keep trying though!

Just read what I wrote and it doesnt make sense. The baby should go on the front!!!! See, this flippin kid drivin me mad!! LOL

Eeeew the last thing you will want hunny is to make a rod for your own back by being with her every night when you put her to bed, if you stay with her then she will end up realising you are there every time and won't settle well without you bieng next to her. I used to put mine to bed and leave them, always having the baby monitor on downstairs ofcourse, they both slept through the night from 6 weeks old!!!

when my son was born 14 years ago we were supposed to put them into their cot on their side with a rolled up towel or blanket behind their backs... then when my daughter was born 2 years later it had all changed and they were only supposed to sleep on their backs like Amber said it changes like the weather lol... well, guess what... both of mine wriggled around and ALWAYS ended up on their tummies, they slept comfortably and solidly.

when you're a new mum it's hard because you always want to do 'the right thing' however your baby will let you know if they disagree and yours obviously feels more comfortable on her tummy.

you have to do what you think is right hunny and the textbooks aren't always right, go with your instinct xxx

Hi there
Sleep deprivation is a horrible thing, I feel for you. My youngest for the first year and a half would only have 3 - 4 hours per night if I was lucky!

My first told to put baby on her front. Second put baby on his back.

The back thing worried me especially if he was sick and the health visitor told methey have a reaction that the move their head to the side. Being me I was constantly checking on them both when they where babies. both slept on their tummies.

Why not try baby massage, they do classes and it works wonders for babe and you also.

Things will get easier. And they grow up so fast. There not babies very long! lol Take care xx

another thing is, i've heard the experts change their minds about whether babies should lie on the back or front more times than they've changed their knickers, but you never hear about anyon saying they shouldn't lie on their side?

i remember when i used to watch all my friends babies years ago, (they all had babies in their teens but i was 32 when i had my first this year) anyway they were always on their side with the rolled up blanket behind them so i though that was the way i would settle brodie but it didnt last long as he soon learned to roll onto his back and that was the way he slept untill he learned to roll onto his tummy and now he is 8 months old he sleeps in whichever position he fancies....some of them you wouldnt believe....lol
his fave right now is lying across the cot with his feet through one side of the bars and his arms through the other side (he is a very long boy....lol)....lol

just go with your own instinct, remember the more sleep she gets the happier she will be and that goes for yourself too

stanleyann