Why Do Babies Sleep On Their Backs? It’s The Preferred Position For A Very Important Reason

So, you have just delivered your bundle of joy and your happiness knows no bounds! After going through a roller coaster ride of pain, discomfort, elation, and frustration for over nine months, your journey finally culminates into a cute little addition to your family. However, if there is one thing that remains unchanged from the moment you announced your pregnancy up until now is, the dos-and-don’ts advises. And one advice that tops this list following childbirth is – put the baby on his/her back to sleep!

While you may be nervous taking home a newborn with zero experience of handling one – especially if you are a first-time parent – you may wonder why it is so important that the baby sleeps on its back, that everyone, from doctors, nurses, neighbors, to even your own granny, keep reminding this to you again and again. The reason for this may shock you.

In the year 1974, the US Congress passed a landmark legislation – the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (called SIDS) Act- in order to find out the reason behind shocking deaths of healthy infants while they were asleep (1). To achieve this task, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) was roped in. The NICHD performed an extensive research to discover what was causing these deaths, the risk factors involved, and the prevention techniques (2). Some of the findings of the research were quite surprising. Most of the babies had apparently died due to suffocation or asphyxiation!

So, what would have happened to those innocent little babies? While the exact reason is not certain, some of the findings suggested a correlation between SIDS and what seemed like a harmless act of putting infants to sleep on their tummies. This is also why such deaths were later termed as “crib deaths.” Infants are yet to develop roll-over skills during sleep. Therefore, they require extra efforts to breathe while sleeping on their stomachs than on their backs, which is why their breathing would have been greatly restricted. Additionally, sleeping on plush mattresses and pillows would have formed a pocket around the nose and mouth of the infant that resulted in the exhaled carbon dioxide re-entering the respiratory system. The decreased amount of oxygen and increased carbon dioxide, along with other factors, like an underdeveloped brain, proved fatal.

These findings led to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending in 1992 that all newborn babies be put to sleep on their backs to safeguard them from SIDS (3). This recommendation was extended for infants up to one years old too. Parents were also advised against using soft pillows, plush mattresses or stuffed toys being placed around the infants’ crib even if they sleep on their backs. Despite some myths relating choking of infants to sleeping on their backs (supine position), there have been no conclusive pieces of evidence or studies to prove this claim. Following these recommendations of American Academy of Pediatrics since 1992, the annual rate of SIDS-related deaths has declined more than 50 percent (4).

Now that you are aware of the life-saving importance of placing the infant to sleep on his/her back, you may keep a few other reminders in mind –

1. Make sure your baby sleeps on flat mattresses in the crib/cradle.

2. Do not overcrowd your baby’s crib/cradle with soft pillows or stuffed toys to avoid choking.

3. Do not try to take your baby to bed with you. As much as you may be tempted, there have also been instances where parents have unintentionally choked their little ones.

We hope these pointers will prove helpful to you in handling your baby. However, do not get into a panic mode every time your baby falls asleep. To get a better insight of newborn-related issues, always reach out to your doctor and they’re sure to hear you out.

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