Tummy sleeping...

[redjam]

[quote name=GAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

The Back to Sleep campaign has been the most succesful public health campaign ever' date=' in this country and around the world. You and your siblings, and the rest of us here were the lucky ones.]

Gubodge, I quite agree, and of course I didn't mean to imply you should willfully ignore the official advice, esp for a young baby. But if we're talking about a seven-month-old baby, who sleeps better on his front, and he's in a well-ventilated room with no smoking etc, then I really think not much need to worry. The OP is clearly a sensible woman who knows about the risks and has tried all the alternatives - surely bringing up kids is a constant process of gathering information about risks and making decisions based on it? Of course everyone has to make their own personal decision about these issues but if I was in her position, I'd judge the risk as being fairly small at this age.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

My son sleeps on his tummy, it is the only way he will sleep all night. He has busy legs, hands and arms, so he keeps waking himself up when he sleeps on his back and he will not sleep in a grobag and hates being swaddled. He also brings up milk a lot and chokes when he is on his back.

I think as long as you don't smoke around babies ( and let's face it, years ago people were smoking around babies all the time) as long as there are no obstructions, and you have a good mattress ( one that does not have chemicals etc) so that when baby is breathing, fresh air is being circulated, and as long as the room is not hot so baby overheats, there should not be any problems. You could always get a monitor to be on the safe side.

The rate of SIDS is not even anywhere close to 1% for a tummy sleeping baby. Even though the rate has dropped since BTS, it was never high in the first place. As a matter of fact in its 1992 statement on sleep position it was actually said that all parents should keep in mind that SIDS is EXTREMELY RARE no matter how the baby sleeps.

This might help:

http://www.askdrsears.com/faq/sl10.asp

http://www.babble.com/content/articles/columns/parentaladvisory/Stomach-Sleeper/

I don't panic at all, I think we are nannied too much by the state, everything seems to be bad for us and the baby. I spoke to my doctor about this also and he stated that the cases of SIDs he knows, the babies were actually on their backs and he said we all have favourite sleeping positions and my son obviously likes his back. He has great head control also and can easily move his head side to side. He is also in the bedroom with me.

[redjam]

I don't panic at all, I think we are nannied too much by the state, everything seems to be bad for us and the baby.

Well said, I sometimes wish I could go round hugging all first-time parents and saying, 'Don't worry, chances are everything will be fine!'

[linzkg]

I also think that in today's society GPs and the rest are so scared of their own shadows (and by that i mean law suits) that they are super cautious with what advice they give you and play it very safe .. so I say definitely listen to what they have to say and then leave the rest up to "a mother's intuition"?