What Is The Most Dangerous Position To Put Your Baby To Sleep?
Babies need many hours of sleep to develop properly during their first months of life. For this reason, it is essential to ensure that our little ones’ rest is always as comfortable and safe as possible. Today we tell you which is the most dangerous position to sleep your baby.
Tummy down: the most dangerous position to put your baby to sleep
The most dangerous position for a resting baby is face down. In fact, this position is pointed out as a risk factor for sudden infant death, one of the main causes of death in babies under six months of age.
Sudden infant death syndrome is characterized as the sudden death of the baby in infancy. In these cases, the child is found suddenly dead, without having presented any indicative symptoms of illness.
In most situations, the autopsy is not determinative in indicating the possible explanation for the baby’s death. Therefore, pediatricians and researchers have not yet reached a consensus on the specific causes of sudden death in infants; sleep posture could well be a conditioning factor.
Without a doubt, it is one of the most painful experiences that families can go through. For this reason, prevention is the keyword in this context.
How to prevent sudden death in babies?
According to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), the relationship between the unexpected death of the infant and sleeping on the stomach is indisputable. It is even estimated that sudden death is up to 14 times more frequent in babies who sleep in this position.
However, sleeping on the stomach cannot be singled out as the sole cause of sudden death. Experts tend to work with many possible causes, and the absence of symptoms makes it difficult to advance studies.
One of the most accepted hypotheses is that this syndrome is associated with alterations in the nervous system. These would lead to the difficulty of regulating heart functions and breathing.
So, being the most dangerous position for your baby to sleep on their stomach, it is essential to avoid it. Beyond this, experts recommend following the following guidelines to prevent sudden death:
- The baby should always sleep on firm surfaces.
- Babies up to six months old should not share their bed with other people (be they infants, children, or adults).
- Moms who usually sleep with their babies should pay special attention to their own sleeping posture, so as not to interfere with the baby’s breathing.
- Care must be taken with excess clothing and coats so as not to obstruct the baby’s airway.
- It is not recommended that the mother smoke during pregnancy and lactation.
What is the best posture for babies to sleep?
Now that you know the most dangerous position to sleep your baby, we can see which are the safest positions for the little ones to enjoy their hours of sleep.
On your back: the safest posture for baby’s sleep
Nursing babies will be safest by sleeping fully on their back, which is called the supine position. According to the AEP, all babies up to six months of age should sleep exclusively in this position. The exception will be cases in which, on medical advice, you have to sleep in another position.
When the baby sleeps on his back, his airways (nose and mouth, mainly) are free to breathe in and out. In addition, in this position, the infant can return the milk that he has taken without the risk of sucking it. In this way, the risk that they may suffocate due to aspiration or lack of air is significantly reduced.
After six months, babies are usually able to roll over instinctively. Therefore, the risk of sudden death and suffocation is much lower after this age. Likewise, it is recommended to maintain the position on your back when sleeping until the first year of life.
Sleeping on your side: intermediary risk posture
Sleeping on your side also reduces the risk of sudden death by up to five times when compared to sleeping on your stomach. However, it is an unstable position and less secure than face up.
Sleeping on your side does not eliminate the risk that the infant may suck back milk while sleeping. In addition, there is a risk that the baby will accidentally roll over and end up on his stomach; As we said, this is the most dangerous position to put your baby to sleep.
Ultimately, it will all be a matter of getting the little one used to staying in the way we consider appropriate. Consulting the doctor on this subject will always be useful; of course, you also have to control the child’s movements at night.
