10 week old seems to prefer sleeping on his tummy?

[**Clare**]

Finlay is 10 weeks old, his naps are pretty rubbish possibly due to being overtired due to rubbish naps!! Anyway, today I put him down on his side as the back of his head is becoming quite flat!! He woke and managed to flip himself on to his tummy and he has now been asleep for 2 hours!! This is extremely rare. I have noticed this before when putting him on his side, that he trys to put his face in the mattress... is this okay?? I am keeping a close eye on him as he is snuggled into a pillow I put in his pram to evevate him as hes quite snuffly at the mo... maybe its the pillow but he def seems to be more comfortable on his front.

What do you think? Is it safe? Im guessing the pillow isnt? He sleeps fine on his back at night and has slept through from 7 weeks so Im just thinking of nap times here?

[fiona1274]

I have always put my LO (11 weeks) down on her side ,mainly so I could shush pat, and have her propped up with rolled up towels but often find her flipped over onto her tummy. When I put her down she seems to rub her face on the mattress, I assumed she was trying to block out the stimulation and when she is a bit bigger and not swaddled she will probably like a luvvie and self soothe by rubbing it on her face, this is a big assumtion I know but it makes sense to me. The only thing I don't like is that she is swaddled and ends up on her tummy but her arms still wake her so no choice really. If I find her on her tummy when I check her at night I pop her on her back but for naps I leave her. She has good head control and can lift it clear of the mattress so not too concerned but will be happy when we can throw the miracle blanket out.

[brenda2]

i agree with fiona, maybe try propping him on his side with some positioners like rolled towels.  i would say the pillow definitely isn't safe, could you put it under the mattress so it's still elevated but without the soft pillow? 

might be something to the blocking out of visual stimuli...what temperament is your LO?  my DD has a lovie that always ends up on top of her face (if she's not face down that is) and i think they like to have it dark to block out the stimulus.

[fiona1274]

i'm going to invest in a black out blind soon, she seems to nod off okay just now but the older she gets I guess it may start to be bothered by it.

[Jocasta]

Clare, all of mine have been tummy sleepers.  Babies are just naturally more comfortable that way.  I know that it's not the safest position for them but I have a sensor pad which offers some reassurance.  With Mae, she just CANNOT sleep on her back due to the reflux it causes her actual pain.

Having him on his side would be a good middle ground but it didn't make a difference with Sophie.  She started sttn the day we put her on her tummy for the first time!  Her naps have been excellent since then.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that having a dummy reduces the risk of cotdeath.

Also, I don't know if you remember me telling about how Mae stopped breathing?  I'd actually put her down on her side that day - not her tummy! 

I'm rambling now! 

If you can avoid putting him to sleep on his tummy, that'd be the best bet as you'll worry yourself silly if you're anything like me   DS sttn from birth but I slept really badly as I was constantly poking him to make sure he was still alive lol!

[**Clare**]

Thanks ladies!! Unfortunately I cant put the cusion under the mattress as he sleeps in his pram and the mattress is attached!! But nyway, this is REALLY thick but DH reminded me today that there is a little handle on the pram that you can turn to elevate the head of the mattress!! Doh!!

I think ill try to keep him on his back like Jo said, ill only worry!! Ill save tummy sleeping for if Im desperate but he is fine on his back for nighttime sleep so thats good!!

JO!! STTN from day 1!?!? Jacob really was an easy baby!! 

[Jocasta]

JO!! STTN from day 1!?!? Jacob really was an easy baby!! 

Tell me about it!  Until Sophie I thought it was down to my natural mothering ability lol!  Talk about maternal arrogance!  Turns out he was just a lazy so and so - just wanted to sleep all the time - he's not changed

[KATE999]

I'm so glad I found this post because now I know I'm not alone! I have a 10 week old son too and he sleeps through the night on his back with no problem. But for naps, he wont go down on his back at home. Only if we're in the stroller. It's been about 5 weeks since he's slept more than 25 minutes in his bed at home for a nap and this morning in desperation I put him down on his tummy (checking him every 2 minutes!) and he's been sleeping for 1 hr and 15 minutes now!!). He has stirred a couple of times ...he wakes up and looks around a bit and then settles back in to a new position and falls back asleep. On his back, he'd just wake up and start crying. I don't know what to do now. I'm thinking I might do this for naps when I can keep a close eye on him but keep to the back for nighttime sleep. I worry a little, but I know that if I'm keeping a close watch and he likes his tummy so much better, it is probably okay.