Tummy Sleeper

My son loves sleeping on his tummy a lot! He could actually sleep from 5-9 hours in that position. I just could not help but worry though. In the US, parents do not allow their babies (especially the ones below 6 months old) to sleep on their tummies because it could lead to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). And according to some of the books (including e-books) that I read, it is safer for babies to sleep on the side or back because it alleviates the chances of SIDS. I guess there's nothing wrong if we, Filipinos, follow that practice. It's better safe than sorry...SIDS might be rare and unpopular here in the Philippines but hey, there's nothing wrong if we train our babies to sleep otherwise, right? I heard from a friend that someone's baby died while sleeping on his tummy. It's like, all of a sudden he stopped breathing! I can imagine how devasted the mother was when she found out that her baby suddenly stopped breathing. How tragic! And If I were the mother, I would have gone crazy.

 

So now I am training my little angel to sleep on his back or side. And so far, so good! He may not sleep as soundly as he does on his tummy, but at least it gives me some peace of mind. He can still sleep on his tummy during the day when I am awake to look after him. But during the night, I never let him sleep that way anymore. Call me paranoid but I'm not gonna risk my son's safety just to get a good-night sleep for myself. I still wake up every now and then to check if he's breathing or if he's sleeping in the right position. And i'm so proud to say that he's quite improving! Before, when he sleeps on his back or side, he would wake up after about 30 minutes. But now? He could sleep at least two hours straight without any interruption! Not bad huh? I feel better that way coz I know that it's safer.