Is it okay for children to always sleep on their stomachs?

After birth, the baby will always stick to the parents. Watching the baby grow up is a happy thing for the parents. Every baby is the treasure of the parents. In addition to the hard work of being a parent, they also taste the happiness of being a parent. During the growth process of the baby, the baby will show various shapes, especially in childhood. Children will be more physically demanding and often climb up and down. Even their sleeping postures are in various postures. So, is it good for children to always sleep on their stomachs? Let’s take a look at it together below.

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.

In short, letting the baby sleep on his stomach is beneficial to his physical and mental health, but it is important to note that the child's quilt and pillow should be as soft as possible, while the bed and mattress should be slightly hard. It is best to have a parent guarding the child to prevent the child from burying his head in the pillow or quilt and causing an accident.

The above article tells a detailed introduction to whether it is good for children to always sleep on their stomachs. Raising children in life is both hard and happy. Every expression and posture of the baby will touch the hearts of the parents. Children always make various postures when eating and sleeping. At this time, parents should correct some bad movements of their children and teach them some correct sleeping and sitting postures.