Are Some Babies More At Risk For Plagiocephaly
Premature babies are more likely to have flattened heads, because their skulls are less developed. They also spend more time lying down while healthcare providers tend to their medical needs.
Some babies may have a muscular torticollis, which is a problem with tight neck muscles. Having torticollis or a premature baby increases the chance of plagiocephaly.
When Is Side Sleeping Safe For Your Baby
As weve mentioned, putting your baby to sleep on their side may make it easier for them to accidently roll over onto their stomachs. This isnt always safe, especially if your little one is younger than 4 months. At this tender age, babies are often too small to change positions or even lift their heads.
If your baby only falls asleep on their side , gently nudge them onto their back as soon as you can do so without waking them up!
If your acrobatically gifted baby rolls into a side-sleeping position after you put them down on their back, dont worry. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that its safe to let your baby sleep on their side if theyre able to comfortably roll over on their own.
After the age of about 4 months, your baby will be stronger and have better motor skills. This means that they can lift their head to explore this will be fun for both of you! and roll themselves over when you put them onto their tummy. At this age, its safer to let your baby sleep on their side, but only if they ends up in that position on their own.
Bottom line: Its still safest to lay baby down on their back for nap time and bedtime. Putting your little one to bed on their stomach isnt safe at any time in the first year of life and placing them in a side-sleeping position is unfortunately a quick way to get to the stomach. Tummy time is for when your baby is wide awake and ready to exercise with you.
Which Sleeping Positions Increase The Risk Of Sudden Unexpected Death In Infancy
You may have observed infants sleeping in various positions. Some of these sleeping positions increase the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy . SUDI is a broad term that encompasses all sudden deaths in infants, including SIDS, which is generally caused due to suffocation in a newborn. Sleeping on the chest/stomach is one of the most dangerous positions for infants. Lets take a look at some more sleeping positions that increase the risk of SUDI.
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Sleeping Position For Neck Pain
13% of the American population suffer from neck pain. Neck pain occurs due to the involvement of your tendons, muscles and the ligaments which are termed as soft tissues. The neck pain is a severe pain which occurs either due to age, wear and tear due to age factors. Muscle spasm or strain occurs due to the underlying conditions such as arthritis, spinal stenosis, disc degeneration or trauma which might result in neck pain. The two best sleeping positions for neck pain include the following:
When Should Babies Start Sleeping Through The Night
Some babies begin sleeping through the night around six months of age. At six months, about 62% of babies sleep uninterrupted for at least 6 hours. By the time they reach one year, about 71% of babies sleep uninterrupted for at least 6 hours at night.
Infants three months and younger generally don’t sleep throughout the night without waking up to be fed. Parents shouldn’t be concerned if their baby doesn’t sleep throughout the night without waking up, even if the baby is a year old.
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Best Sleeping Position For Pregnancy
Experts recommend that pregnant women sleep on their side with the knees bent. The side sleeping position relieves the pressure of a growing belly, enabling the heart to pump and blood to flow easily throughout the body. In particular, the left side is recommended because it prevents pressure on the liver and facilitates healthy blood flow to the fetus, uterus, kidneys, and heart.
If you feel discomfort sleeping on your left side during pregnancy, you can switch to the right side now and then to relieve pressure on the left hip. You can also relieve tension by placing pillows under the belly, between the legs, and at the small of the back.
What Is Tummy Time
Tummy time is when you put your baby on her stomach while shes awake. It can help make your babys neck, shoulder and arm muscles stronger. It also helps prevent flat spots on the back of your babys head that she may get from sleeping on her back. Always watch your baby during tummy time or make sure an adult who is awake is watching your baby.
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Gerd And Infant Acid Reflux
GERD is gastroesophageal reflux disease. Most babies experience some infant acid reflux, particularly in the first few months. Sometimes that reflux can be uncomfortable during sleep. In the past, some doctors would occasionally recommend that babies who suffer from severe reflux sleep on their stomachs. Because the efficacy of this treatment has come into question, only in rare cases is this still recommended instead, doctors might recommend raising the head of the crib to elevate the babys upper body. Dont put your baby to sleep on her tummy unless under the advice of your babys pediatrician.
How Can I Train Myself To Sleep On My Back
Whether youre concerned about your complexion or want to improve your physical health, there are ways you can adapt to sleeping on your back.
Consider investing in a bed thats well-made for back support to help you feel more comfortable if youre not used to this position. Next, you can try placing pillows in areas such as under your knees or lower back to help support you if youre feeling discomfort.
Ensuring youre tired before attempting to sleep is also key to changing positions since the more awake you are, the more likely youll notice discomfort and go back to your previous method. To help you feel sleepy, try out calming nighttime routines such as a hot bath, drinking tea, or reading a book.
Most importantly, though, you must be persistent and understand that it will take you some time to get used to a new sleep pattern, but once you do, youll be able to reap the benefits.
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Why Tummy Sleeping Isnt The Best Newborn Sleeping Position
Roughly 50 percent of sudden infant deaths are attributed to SIDS. As previously mentioned, babies who sleep on their stomachs are at greater risk for developing it.
There are several reasons why this newborn sleeping position is believed to be unsafe. It could put added pressure on the jaw, potentially restricting your babys airway. Also, this head placement causes them to breathe recycled air continually. This eventually leads to a buildup of carbon dioxide and a lack of oxygen. Thankfully, back sleeping effectively addresses all of these issues.
The Best Sleeping Position For A Baby
October 11, 2009 by ModernMom Staff
One of the lessons drummed into new mothers and fathers is the importance of sleeping position for babies during the first year of life. Knowing that sleeping position has been linked to occurrences of SIDSsudden infant death syndrometodays parents are understandably eager to know the best way to put their babies to sleep. Although medical researchers have not yet come to a consensus on how to prevent all cases of SIDS, amazing strides have been made since the introduction of the Back to Sleep Campaign in the 1980s, which has reduced the number of babies who die from SIDS by as much as 50 percent. The best thing you can do to lower your babys risk of SIDS is to put your baby to sleep in the recommended sleeping position.
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Can Babies Sleep On Their Side
The side sleeping position for babies is not particularly alarming. But, recent research shows that babies who sleep on the side eventually turn on their tummy, and this increases the risk of SIDS. Babies tend to learn to roll over by the age of six months. If this is the case, you can let the baby continue to sleep on his side as the rolling over indicates strong internal organs and low risk of choking. However, if the baby rolls over to the side before six months of age, ensure you put them him in the sleep-on-the-back position.
What Are The Sleep Patterns Of A Newborn
The average newborn sleeps much of the day and night, waking only for feedings every few hours. It is often hard for new parents to know how long and how often a newborn should sleep. Unfortunately, there is no set schedule at first and many newborns have their days and nights confused?they think they are supposed to be awake at night and sleep during the day.
Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. Most babies do not begin sleeping through the night without waking until at least 3 months of age, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. However, this varies considerably and some babies do not sleep through the night until closer to 1 year. Newborns and young infants have a small stomach and must wake every few hours to eat. In most cases, your baby will awaken and be ready to eat about every 3 hours. How often your baby will eat depends on what he or she is being fed and his or her age. Make sure you talk with your doctor to determine if it is necessary to wake a baby for feedings.
Watch for changes in your baby’s sleep pattern. If your baby has been sleeping consistently, and suddenly is waking, there may be a problem such as an ear infection. Some sleep disturbances are simply due to changes in development or because of overstimulation.
Never put a baby to bed with a bottle propped for feeding. This is a dangerous practice that can lead to ear infections and choking.
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Sudi Including Sids And Fatal Sleeping Accidents: Risk Factors
When a baby dies unexpectedly and for no obvious reason, its often described as sudden unexpected death in infancy . SUDI is a broad term that includes SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents.
Deaths from SUDI including SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents have decreased a lot in Australia. This is because we understand more about safe sleeping practices for our babies, and weve been following these practices. These safe sleeping practices can reduce the risk of SUDI including SIDS and fatal sleeping accidents.
Safe Sleeping Position For Infants
The sleep-on-back position is the safest and the best sleeping position for infants. It is the most suggested sleeping position for babies as it keeps the airways open and has minimal risks of suffocation. The US NICHD recommends the sleep-on-back position for short naps as well as for sound sleep throughout the night in babies.
However, this sleeping position also has some risks involved. Here are some of them:
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How To Sleep Better On Your Stomach
Without the right pillow and mattress, its easy for the stomach sleeping position to cause aches and pains. However, it is possible to sleep well in this position. If you enjoy sleeping on your stomach, try doing so with a very thin pillow, or no pillow at all. This way, you can avoid tilting your neck back and up, creating further spinal misalignment and discomfort. Place a thin pillow under your hips to further even out the spine and relieve pressure.
A firm mattress can also prevent some of the spinal alignment issues that come from sleeping on your stomach. When your mattress is firm, youre unlikely to sink deeply into the mattress surface and stretch your spine out of alignment.
The best sleep position for you is whichever sleep position enables you to enjoy a restful night of uninterrupted sleep and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, without any aches and pains. If that describes your current sleep position, dont feel forced to change it. If you think a new position might make sleep more comfortable for you, though, go ahead and try another position. Be patient and use the strategies named to help yourself adjust to the new position.
Your sleep position plays a pivotal role in the quality of your sleep. Changing it up is just one of many strategies you can try for better sleep.
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Key Points On Why Back To Sleep Is Safest:
- Always place baby on the back to sleep and not on the tummy or side. There is an increased risk of sudden unexpected death for babies when they sleep on their tummies and there is a danger of rolling to this position if they are slept on their sides.
- It is important that babies are always placed on the back to sleep. Babies who are usually slept on the back and are placed on the tummy or side for the first time are at an increased risk of sudden unexpected death.
- Once a baby has been observed to repeatedly roll from back to front and back again on their own for several weeks, they can be left to find their preferred sleep position .
- At the critical time of starting to roll it is very important that the sleep environment remains safe
- Babies that can roll should no longer be wrapped
- Babies born preterm should be slept on the back as soon as they are medically stable .
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Which Are The Best Sleeping Positions For Preterm Babies
Preterm infants are at a very high risk of SIDS. It is advisable that preterm infants too should be put to sleep on the back. But, if the infant is suffering from acute respiratory disease, then he can be put to sleep on the stomach under strict observation. This is only advisable in a highly monitored inpatient setting.
Success Of Back To Sleep Campaigns In Reducing Sudi
In Australia, between 1989 and 2014, 4,808 babies died suddenly and unexpectedly . Baby deaths attributed to SUDI have fallen by 85% and it is estimated that 9,967 babies lives have been saved as a result of Red Noses baby safe sleeping campaigns. Evidence suggests that the marked reduction in incidence of babies dying suddenly and unexpectedly can be directly associated with Red Noses Australian public health campaigns which promoted safe sleeping practices, particularly advice given to parents to place their baby on their back to sleep1. These findings are consistent with international studies that have reported marked declines in SIDS in countries which have introduced similar public health campaigns to reduce known risk factors.2-5 In 2014 there were 54 SIDS deaths among the 113 SUDI deaths reported in Australia .
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