X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

Tummy sleeping: Is it dangerous for infants?

3 min read

tummy sleeping

A child sleeping on its tummy

How many of you reading this prefer to sleep on your stomach or even on your side? Probably a good number of you. Tummy sleeping for infants, however, is risky and should be avoided for the first year of life.

Why infants shouldn’t sleep on their tummy

Tummy sleeping is the biggest no-no when it comes to infants because it is linked to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Since the time that experts have encouraged parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs rather than their stomachs, there has been a 30% decrease in the number of SIDS deaths.

RELATED: Making your baby’s room safe for sleeping

Tummy sleeping also increases the chances of infant suffocation. It is not easy for a sleeping or drowsy infant to roll from their stomach onto their back. Therefore, if they become entangled in a blanket or get their face ‘buried’ into a pillow, blanket or other object, they can suffocate more easily.

tummy sleeping

What if my baby is used to sleeping on the tummy?

What if my baby likes tummy sleeping

There are many babies out there who sleep better and longer when they sleep on their tummy. And if you are the parent of such a child, it’s only natural for you to want to allow tummy sleeping. After all, a sound-sleeping baby equals a sound-sleeping parent.

From this mum’s standpoint, all four of my babies were tummy sleepers. When the first three were born, this was the preferred way to let them sleep to avoid SIDS. By the time my fourth was born, they had changed it to back sleeping, but she, too preferred tummy sleeping.

Now I am NOT advising you to go against your pediatrician’s advice, but I am telling you to use some common sense. If your baby absolutely sleeps sounder and longer on his/her tummy, then let them. However, make sure you take all other precautions against SIDS and check on them regularly during nap times. If you notice your baby does have episodes of forgetting to breathe, then by all means, move them to their backs.

How to encourage back sleeping

Parents can encourage back sleeping by doing so right from the start. Newborns love to be swaddled and that naturally lends itself to back sleeping. So when you swaddle your baby and lay them down on their backs to sleep, it’s more likely to become a habit. Not always, mind you, but it can work.

RELATED: 7 sleeping tips for holiday travel

Once the age of safely swaddling your baby has come and gone (or if you don’t swaddle), using blankets to ‘lock’ your baby into position is acceptable. To do this, you roll two blankets and securely tuck them against your baby’s sides starting at mid-chest. WARNING: Don’t go any higher than mid-chest to prevent the danger of suffocation.

tummy sleeping

A child sleeping safely on her back

When can I stop worrying?

By the time your baby can easily roll from back to stomach and stomach to back, there is no longer a need to be concerned about whether they are a tummy sleeper or back sleeper. By this time they are able to move themselves to whatever position they find comfortable so nothing you do is going to matter anyway.

Did you know that tummy sleeping was dangerous for the first year of your baby’s life? Did this article help you? If so, let us know about it! For more on tummy sleeping, watch this video:

Partner Stories
4 Good Toilet Hygiene Habits for Kids to Have Early in Life
4 Good Toilet Hygiene Habits for Kids to Have Early in Life
Flu in Singapore: Is Your Family Protected?
Flu in Singapore: Is Your Family Protected?
6 Top Ways to Prevent Diaper Rash
6 Top Ways to Prevent Diaper Rash
Experiencing Mood Swings, Irregular Periods and Weight Gain Among Other Things? Here’s What You Need to Know About Hormonal Imbalance
Experiencing Mood Swings, Irregular Periods and Weight Gain Among Other Things? Here’s What You Need to Know About Hormonal Imbalance

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Darla Noble

  • Home
  • /
  • Development
  • /
  • Tummy sleeping: Is it dangerous for infants?
Share:
  • Safest sleeping position for your baby

    Safest sleeping position for your baby

  • Sleep, Baby Sleep: Tips On Getting Your Baby To Sleep Easily
    Partner Stories

    Sleep, Baby Sleep: Tips On Getting Your Baby To Sleep Easily

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Safest sleeping position for your baby

    Safest sleeping position for your baby

  • Sleep, Baby Sleep: Tips On Getting Your Baby To Sleep Easily
    Partner Stories

    Sleep, Baby Sleep: Tips On Getting Your Baby To Sleep Easily

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.