Is it good for babies to sleep on their side?

When the baby cannot turn over, he always sleeps on his back, and parents will help him sleep on his side. Therefore, some parents worry about the good or bad of side sleeping. Is it good for the baby to sleep on his side? The baby can sleep on the right or left side. For the development of the heart, it is best to sleep on the left side. Of course, in order to maintain the head shape, it is best to sleep on the side alternately, otherwise it is not good for the heart or head shape. Of course, when the child grows up, the sleeping posture will have new changes.

According to common belief, babies should sleep on their backs. Sometimes, starting at 6 to 7 months old, babies will switch from lying on their backs to lying on their stomachs. Parents may find this very strange and worry that there is something wrong with their children. In fact, this just shows that children of this age can turn over freely. Babies always sleep in the most comfortable position for them. If they feel comfortable sleeping on their stomach and can turn over by themselves, they will adopt this position. In fact, most animals in nature also sleep on their stomachs. Recent studies have found that sleeping on your stomach has many benefits.

To improve sleep quality, foreign scientists once conducted a study on the sleeping postures of 80 healthy babies. Of these, 40 babies usually slept on their stomachs, and the other 40 usually slept on their backs. The results showed that babies who slept on their stomachs slept longer, had higher-quality non-rapid eye movement sleep, and had fewer and shorter awakenings. It can be seen that sleeping on one's stomach helps healthy babies sleep. This may be related to the reduction in external stimuli, such as sound and light, that the body receives when sleeping on one's stomach.

Improve respiratory efficiency. From the perspective of human physiology and anatomy, the thorax and posterior part of the lungs of infants are longer. When lying prone, the lungs are least squeezed, and breathing is most in line with natural laws. Data show that when babies sleep on their stomachs, their breathing efficiency is higher, and the oxygen content in hemoglobin increases by 5% to 10% compared to when they sleep on their backs. This shows that there is anatomical and physiological rationality for babies to sleep on their stomachs.

Preventing vomiting: The capacity of a baby's stomach is very small, the curvature is not enough, and the contraction force of the cardia is weak, so it is very common for babies to spit up milk. The cardia is close to the middle of the stomach. When the human body lies prone, the cardia is raised to prevent vomiting. Even if vomiting occurs at this time, because the baby is facing downwards, he or she will not suffocate due to vomitus being inhaled into the trachea.

Strengthen the body: When children sleep on their stomachs, the chest cavity is compressed and the reaction force of the bed can promote the development of the heart and lungs. Babies can lift their heads at 2 months old. As their limbs develop, they begin to move their limbs independently and at will. Sleeping on your stomach is more conducive to physical exercise. From simply raising your head to supporting your head with your wrists, you can strengthen the muscles of your wrists, arms, neck and back. At the same time, children can cultivate an independent and self-reliant spirit by doing various things within their capabilities through their own efforts from an early age.

Is it good for babies to sleep on their side? It is better for the baby to sleep on his side. Of course, sleeping on his stomach is also beneficial, but you should pay attention to the pillow or clothes to avoid suffocation or physical discomfort if the bed is too hard. Pay more attention to your baby when he is sleeping. If he stays in the same posture for a long time, you should pay attention to changing the direction to prevent the body from becoming stiff. It is also easy to cause discomfort in the neck, hands and feet.