Side-sleeping may be a common practice for adults, but is it safe to put your baby to sleep on her side? Find out at what age babies can sleep on their sides, and why the back-sleeping position is recommended to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Is It OK for Babies to Be Put to Sleep on Their Sides?
Babies younger than 12 months should not be put to sleep on their sides. Medical experts once believed that side-sleeping was OK for newborns and infants, but evidence has shown that this position isn’t as safe as back-sleeping. This is because side-sleeping may increase the risk of SIDS, especially in the first six months.
Why Shouldn’t Babies Sleep on Their Sides?
If your baby falls asleep on his side, he can easily end up rolling onto his stomach, a sleeping position that can block the airways and impair your baby’s breathing.Sleeping on the stomach may also increase the chance of your baby “rebreathing” the air she has already expelled, leading to a decline in oxygen levels and an increase in carbon dioxide. This can result in your baby not being able to wake herself up.Until your baby turns 1, be sure to place her to sleep on her back for every sleep, including naps.
If your baby is struggling with sleep or maybe you just want to get one step ahead on healthy sleep habits, check out these tips from Mandy Treeby, Chief Pediatric Sleep Consultant and co-founder of the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers:
What if Your Baby Rolls on His Side During Sleep?
If you notice your baby has shifted onto his side during sleep, gently roll him onto his back. Do this during the first year until your little one is able to roll over both ways by himself. Read more about when babies typically start learning to roll over by themselves.
How to Prevent Side-Sleeping in the First 12 Months
There’s no way to prevent your baby from rolling onto her side or stomach during sleep, but what you can do is ensure that you always put her down to sleep on her back.If she happens to roll onto her side or stomach, gently return her to her back. Keep doing this during the first year until you are confident your baby can roll herself over both ways without any difficulty.
Reducing the Risk of SIDS
There’s more you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS:
Put your baby to sleep on his back
Have him sleep in a crib with a firm crib mattress covered by a tight-fitting sheet
Keep the crib empty — no blankets, quilts, pillows, plush toys, or bumper pads.
When Can Babies Sleep on Their Sides?
After the age of 1, you can let your baby sleep on her side.However, it's important to always place your baby in his crib on his back onto a firm crib mattress that’s covered with a fitted sheet.In the first year, the crib shouldn’t contain any loose bedding, bumper pads, blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals. It should be completely empty.
The Bottom Line
During the first year of your little one's life, always place her on her back for every sleep. Back-sleeping is the safest sleeping position for your baby. Side-sleeping can increase the risk of SIDS. If your baby happens to roll onto his side or stomach during sleep, and is under 1 year old, gently return him to the back position. Continue to do this until your baby is able to comfortably roll herself over in both directions.
To stay ahead on sleep safety and everything else related to baby sleep, download the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ app. It's jam packed with expert guided classes, videos and articles, as well as tools to help easily solve your baby's sleep challenges.Plus, there’s step-by-step guidance on creating an ideal sleep environment, establishing soothing bedtime routines, and sleep coaching approaches customized for your unique baby. It’s a total game-changer – and sleep saver.Got sleep questions? Take this FREE Sleep Assessment!
How We Wrote This ArticleThe information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.
FAQs
Side or stomach sleeping can lead to injury, SIDS, or suffocation. All babies should be put on their backs for bedtime and naps. If your baby is less than 1-year-old and rolls over onto their side or stomach at night, reposition them onto their back.
Is it OK if my baby sleeps on her side? ›
Keeping your baby safe while they're awake as well as while they're snoozing is a top priority for you as a parent! Your baby sleeping on their side is a sleep safety no-no. Whether it's for naps or nighttime, put your baby down on their back. But if they roll over themselves, let them be.
What if my baby rolls on her side while sleeping? ›
But it's OK for infants to sleep on their stomach or side once they're able to flip themselves over to that position themselves. So if your child is able to flip onto their stomach and seems to enjoy sleeping that way, you can let them continue sleeping in that position.
Should babies sleep on their side or their to decrease the chances of SIDS? ›
Place babies on their backs to sleep for naps and at night.
It is not safe to place babies on their sides or stomachs to sleep, not even for a nap. The safest sleep position is on the back. Babies who sleep on their backs are at lower risk for SIDS than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides.
Is it okay to let baby sleep in a poopy diaper? ›
It depends – for newborns, since they poop a lot, experts say to change them right away. For older babies, it depends how early in their sleep they are. If they just went to bed, you should probably change them, so they don't sleep with a poopy diaper for multiple hours.
Is it OK for baby to sleep on side all night? ›
Side or stomach sleeping can lead to injury, SIDS, or suffocation. All babies should be put on their backs for bedtime and naps. If your baby is less than 1-year-old and rolls over onto their side or stomach at night, reposition them onto their back.
What happens to baby when laying on side? ›
Side sleeping in a baby increases the risk of SIDS, which is a leading cause of infant death. While many factors can cause SIDS, a few simple modifications to a baby's sleeping environment may help prevent it.
How long can babies sleep on their side if supervised? ›
Side sleeping isn't worth the risk. Side sleeping is usually safe once your baby is older than 4 to 6 months and rolls over on their own after being placed on their back. And always put your baby to sleep on their back until the age of 1 year.
How to stop baby sleeping on side? ›
How Can You Prevent Side-Sleeping in the First 12 Months? There's no way to prevent your baby from rolling onto the side or stomach during sleep, but what you can do is ensure that you always put your drowsy little one down to sleep on his or her back.
What month can I stop worrying about SIDS? ›
After 6-months old, babies are typically able to lift their heads, roll over, or wake up more easily, and the risk of SIDS decreases dramatically. However, 10% of SIDS happens between 6 and 12 months of age and safe sleep recommendations should be followed up to a baby first birthday.
Even though the thought can be deeply unsettling, experts agree that there aren't any warning signs for SIDS. And since SIDS isn't diagnosed until after an infant has died and the death has been investigated, you can't catch SIDS while it's happening and stop it, for instance, by performing CPR.
Are there any signs of SIDS before it happens? ›
SIDS has no symptoms or warning signs. Babies who die of SIDS seem healthy before being put to bed. They show no signs of struggle and are often found in the same position as when they were placed in the bed.
Do I need to wipe my baby after pee? ›
Changing Diapers and Cleansing the Bottom:
After you remove a wet diaper, you don't need to do anything. Urine does not contain any germs. And hardly any urine is left of the skin.
Should you change diaper or feed first? ›
Change your baby before you change sides (or halfway through the bottle). This usually wakes babies up enough to get them to take a full feeding. If that wakes your baby too much, change their diaper first, and then feed them. If you change the diaper after you feed your baby, you risk completely waking them again.
When can you stop changing diapers at night? ›
This varies from baby to baby. Many babies will need diaper changes at night until they wean all night feedings. However, after the newborn stage, if your little one can take a good feeding without a diaper change and doesn't struggle with leaks or diaper rash, you don't need to change them at night.
How can I stop my baby sleeping on her side? ›
Give your baby a binky when you put him down for his nap or to sleep at night. Having something to suck on can be soothing, plus it's harder for babies to keep pacifiers in their mouths if they roll onto their tummies or sides, so it's a tactic that often works well at keeping them sleeping on their backs.
How to stop baby sleeping on stomach? ›
If you notice your baby has rolled onto his or her stomach while asleep, just gently return him or her to the back-sleeping position. However, when your baby gets older and finds it easy to roll in both directions (back to stomach and stomach to back) unaided, then there's no need to reposition your little one.
Why won't my baby sleep on his back? ›
Much more likely is that your baby just doesn't feel as secure on her back. If that's the case, there are a few tricks you can try to encourage back-sleeping, including swaddling your baby and giving her a pacifier at bedtime. Just skip the sleep positioner, and stick with a consistent routine.
