Newborn babies like to sleep on their side

Many parents think that children should follow the current environment around us, so many children's sleep should be based on the sleep of adults, so many fathers will deliberately develop an adult sleeping method for their children, such as sleeping on their side, sleeping for too short a time, sleeping at night, etc. Newborn babies like to sleep on their side. Will this problem have an impact?

Medical clinical observations have indeed found that before the skull sutures have closed and taken shape, different sleeping positions will have an impact on the future growth of the face and head. In addition to the baby's appearance, parents are also concerned about the impact of sleeping posture on health and intelligence.

In fact, from a health point of view, whether sleeping on the back or on the stomach will not affect the baby's health. Does it have any impact on the baby's intelligence? According to a report in the American Journal of Pediatrics, researchers conducted a sleeping position study on 350 healthy babies and found that babies who sleep on their stomachs may have faster intellectual development, but babies who sleep on their backs can catch up with babies who sleep on their stomachs day by day. In fact, they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s see how to make the right choice.

The three most common sleeping positions for babies

Sleeping on your back

Sleeping on your back means lying flat and sleeping straight. As the saying goes, this is the biggest sleeping position in the world.

This sleeping position can relax the muscles of the whole body and is least likely to cause pressure on the baby's heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, bladder and other internal organs. However, it may also cause the relaxed tongue root to fall back, so there is also a concern about blocking the respiratory tract.

advantage:

(1) The body feels natural and healthy without any pressure.

(2) It is less likely to cause suffocation by covering the mouth and nose with a blanket or other external objects: it is highly safe.

(3) Parents can see their baby’s sleeping status at a glance.

shortcoming:

(1) For newborns, breathing will feel more difficult if they snore.

(2) When a newborn baby spits up milk, it is easy for it to reflux and block the mouth and nose, and in severe cases, it can lead to aspiration pneumonia.

(3) The head shape can be flattened easily due to sleeping, which may also affect the face shape.

(4) Because there is no restraint, the baby feels less secure.

Reminder:

(1) After feeding, do not let your baby (especially newborns) sleep on their back immediately. Let them sleep on their right side first.

(2) It is recommended to tie up the baby’s hands to make him feel more secure. (Don’t tie it after one month so as not to affect the development of the hands)

(3) It is recommended to use a "back sleeping pillow" (sunken in the middle) to support the baby's neck which is not yet fully developed.

Experts give lectures

You must have heard the elders say: "If the child sleeps well and eats enough, he will grow up well." For babies under one year old, eating and sleeping can be said to be a large part of their lives, because they may sleep for 12 to 15 hours a day. How much influence does sleep have on babies? Sanyuan experts said: "If the baby sleeps well, he will greet you with a smile when he wakes up; if he doesn't sleep well, he will usually wake up crying and ask for a hug."

So, what sleeping position should be adopted to make children sleep soundly, healthily and safely? Sanyuan experts can say: "If the parents do not give special instructions, I usually let the children sleep on their side. In addition to safety, I will use pillows to fix the front and back, and let them hold a small pillow between their feet, so that they can sleep more peacefully and for a long time. For children who cannot turn over, I will take advantage of their movement to gently switch them to the other side to continue sleeping."

Regarding the popular belief that sleeping on your stomach can help you shape your head better, Sanyuan experts have this to say: "Sleeping on your back will of course make your head flat and ugly, but I think children who always sleep on their stomachs have thin cheeks and a more convex forehead, which is not suitable for the beauty of Oriental people."

As for many mothers who believe that drinking milk is the key to a child’s growth, when they see their children sleep longer than the milk-drinking time, they will wake them up to drink milk no matter how soundly they sleep. Sanyuan experts believe: "If it is at night, never wake up the child, let him sleep; if it is during the day, it depends on whether the child's growth meets the standards. For some premature babies or children who are obviously thin, you can consider waking him up to eat."