Six-month-old baby likes to sleep on his stomach

As the apple of adults' eyes, babies are always cherished and loved by their parents and family members. Some babies' less common daily habits often cause parents to worry. For example, a six-month-old baby likes to sleep on his stomach every day. Although babies abroad often sleep on their stomachs, and people always say that many babies seem to like sleeping on their stomachs, there is currently no consensus on which sleeping position is best for babies.

1. Why do six-month-old babies like to sleep on their stomachs?

In fact, babies like to sleep on their stomachs because they were in this position when they were in their mother's womb, so they feel that this is the safest and most comfortable position. The reason why I didn’t do this before was because I couldn’t turn over completely to this position. There is no need to correct the baby excessively, just make sure the baby does not block the mouth and nose and affect normal breathing.

2. The advantages and disadvantages of six-month-old babies sleeping on their stomachs

Babies will feel very safe when sleeping on their stomachs at night, which is beneficial to stomach motility and digestion. Sleeping on their stomachs is less likely to cause vomiting but is beneficial to digestion and absorption. It is also conducive to rolling over and crawling training. However, sleeping on your stomach can easily cause suffocation and is not conducive to heat dissipation. The chest and abdomen are close to the bed, which makes it difficult to dissipate heat and can easily cause fever or eczema due to sweat accumulation in the chest and abdomen. It is also difficult to move the limbs and hands and feet.

What is the most suitable sleeping position for a six-month-old baby?

Strictly speaking, it is recommended that children sleep on their backs when they are 0-12 months old (especially before they learn to turn over independently). Mainly, sleeping on your stomach greatly increases the probability of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). To prevent SIDS, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies aged 0-12 months should always sleep in a supine position, and it is recommended to sleep on their backs and play on their stomachs. Especially before the baby can turn over on his own, he is likely to cover his mouth and nose when sleeping on his stomach, increasing the probability of SIDS.

4. Situations where babies cannot sleep on their stomachs

1. Babies with abdominal distension should never be allowed to sleep on their stomachs, for example: congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, duodenal obstruction, congenital meconium obstruction, necrotizing enterocolitis, intussusception or other conditions such as ascites, blood tumors, kidney disease and abdominal masses.

2. In addition, there are babies who must sleep on their stomachs, such as those with Robin syndrome, who have small chins, large tongues, swallowing and breathing difficulties, etc. They will feel uncomfortable sleeping on their backs, so they must sleep on their stomachs.

3. It is not recommended for babies under one month old to adopt this sleeping position because they cannot turn their heads to the other side.

4. The bed or pillow should not be too soft, as the baby's mouth and nose may sink into it and affect breathing.

5. Don’t let your baby sleep in clothes with buttons protruding from the front.

6. You can lie on your baby's right side for a while after drinking milk, and then let your baby sleep on his stomach.

7. It is recommended to buy a truly breathable pillow for sleeping on your stomach.

8. It is best not to let your baby sleep on his stomach when he has a cold or is sick.