What Sleeping Position Should Be The Best For Newborns?

What kind of sleeping position should a newborn baby adopt? For this problem, novice mother Lele has quarreled with her mother-in-law several times. The mother-in-law thinks that the baby is still small and cannot turn over, so he should sleep on his back, which is safe and more comfortable to lie down. Don't try anything like sleeping on your stomach. It's too dangerous. It's hard to get such a grandson, and you can't tolerate the slightest mistake.

But Lele’s mother thinks that lying on the back is of course good. Then you can’t just sleep like this. Seeing the baby sleeping like this for half a month, the back of his head is a little flat. If it is not corrected, I am afraid it will affect the baby's head shape in the future

Lele's mother and her mother-in-law have been arguing back and forth for a long time because of this matter, and there is no result. Lele's mother is also wondering, isn't there a way to get the best of both worlds?

In fact, mother-in-law’s worries are not unreasonable. Babies who sleep on their stomachs are more likely to have sudden infant death syndrome and are more dangerous. Lying on their back is relatively safe, but it is not appropriate to maintain a posture for a long time. Although the sleeping postures of the baby are strange, in summary, there are roughly three types: sleeping on the back, sleeping on the side, and sleeping on the side. So which sleeping position should the baby adopt? How can we ensure that the baby sleeps safely and sleeps better?

1. What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, medically called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), specifically refers to babies under 1-year-old, especially babies under 6 months, with the highest incidence of sudden death.

Although the occurrence of this type of syndrome is related to the baby's physical fitness, environment, disease, and other factors, the most important one is the baby's sleep state.

Although researchers have still not been able to find the direct cause of SIDS, through the analysis of dead babies, the researchers have concluded some methods that can reduce the risk of SIDS, the most effective of which is to adjust the baby's sleeping posture.

2. Which sleeping position is better and safer?

1. Sleep on your back

This sleeping position is the safest for infants and young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that healthy babies should lie on their backs as much as possible. Its biggest advantage is that it allows babies to move their limbs flexibly, without limitation, and sleep more relaxed. , Comfortable, and will not oppress the baby's face and internal organs, to ensure that the baby's breathing is smooth.

In case the baby has an abnormal situation, parents can find out in time that the baby himself will wake up due to discomfort and have a physiological protective reaction, thereby reducing the risk of the baby's "sudden infant death syndrome".

Sleeping on the back is particularly important for babies under 1-year-old, especially for babies who will not turn over within half a year of age, because the incidence of sudden infant death is the highest at this stage.

But it should be noted that, try not to let your baby sleep on his back immediately after feeding, it is easy to cause vomiting, and because the skull of a newborn baby is relatively soft and has high plasticity, sleeping on the back for a long time may easily squeeze the back of the head and affect the appearance.

2. Side sleep

Sleeping on the side can avoid the risk of suffocation when sleeping on the tummy. The right side position can also avoid heart pressure and prevent spitting up. It is a relatively safe sleeping position.

But it should be noted that side sleeping is highly unstable. When infants and young children are not flexible when turning over, sleeping on the side will accidentally turn into sleeping on the stomach. Moreover, if you lie on one side for a long time, your baby's head will become asymmetrical left and right, which will cause the head to shift and affect the appearance.

3. Sleep on your stomach

For a baby, sleeping on the stomach is the most secure sleeping position. The body has strength. Lying on the bed will give the baby a sense of security and make it easier to enter deep sleep; sleeping on the stomach is also helpful for the chest and lungs. Growth and development, to prevent aspiration caused by suffocation or aspiration pneumonia when overflowing milk.

But for newborns or babies who cannot raise their heads, turn their heads, or turn over, sleeping on their stomachs is likely to cause obstruction of the respiratory tract and cause suffocation; in addition, the breathing of the baby cannot be observed when sleeping on their stomachs.

An epidemiological survey that began in the 1980s found that sleeping on the stomach is the most important risk factor for sudden neonatal death syndrome. The risk of sudden death for newborns sleeping on their stomachs is 2.3 to 13.1 times that of sleeping on their backs.

Therefore, the face-down posture is the most dangerous and requires special attention.

Summary

After analyzing the above three sleeping positions, I believe that parents and mothers will find that although the three have their own advantages, none of the sleeping positions is suitable for the newborn baby to maintain for a long time.

Therefore, we recommend that newborns adopt a sleeping position that mainly sleeps on the back and sleeps on the side as a supplement. Babies less than one-month-old should not sleep on their stomachs.

In normal times, you can let your baby sleep on his back, which is the most suitable sleeping position for newborns. But when the baby is feeding, you should let the baby sleep on his side after the hiccup is taken to prevent vomiting up, and let the baby sleep on his back after sleeping for a period of time.

For older babies, you can try to let them sleep on their stomachs when they are taking naps during the day with someone taking care of them, which is conducive to shaping the baby's head shape.

But you need to pay attention to avoid the baby staying in a sleeping position for a long time. Mom and Dad should always help the baby adjust the sleeping position and direction to prevent the baby from sleeping with a flat or tilted head. Especially when the baby will not turn over, someone must take care of him when sleeping on his side or lying on his stomach.

In addition, it is also recommended that moms and dads give their babies a bed and a mattress that is not too soft, and do not leave stuffed toys, soft pillows, loose sheets, or blankets beside the baby for a long time, let alone The baby sleeps among the parents, so as not to squeeze the baby after the adult is asleep.

When the baby is older, he can turn over on his own. If he feels uncomfortable sleeping position, the baby can adjust by himself. At this time, moms and dads can make the baby sleep comfortably without too much interference.