For children of different ages, there is a recommended sleeping position. It is understood as exactly the position in which the child's body feels as comfortable and safe as possible.
Sleep on your side
A newly born baby can only sleep safely on its side. This position is best for a fragile body, even if it spits up during sleep, it will not be able to choke. After each feeding, you need to put the baby on the left side, then on the right, placing a rolled up diaper or towel under the back. This is to prevent the child from rolling onto their back. Sleeping on your side will continue to be the optimal position for your baby. Especially during illness, because when a stuffy nose or a cough suffers, you need to be able to breathe freely.
Sleep in the fetal position is most often chosen by newborn babies. At the same time, they press the legs to the tummy, and the arms to the chin. As a rule, children unlearn this position after the first month of life.
Sleep on your stomach
During the period of intestinal adaptation to the digestion of breast milk or adapted formula, many babies suffer from colic. The best way to relieve discomfort is to lay your baby on his stomach. With this position, the work of peristalsis will be much more effective, gases will not accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract, thanks to the self-massage of the baby's abdomen and the heat from the crib. In addition, lying on its stomach, the baby will learn to raise and hold the head. Also, during sleep, the muscles of the back, neck and shoulder girdle are strengthened on the stomach.
Sleep on your back
The most "adult" sleeping position for an infant is sleeping on the back. He masters this position at the age when he has the ability to roll over on his own. The child will not want to fall asleep in the position in which you put him, he will lie down, as it will be more convenient for him. When sleeping on the back, the cervical vertebrae and the entire spine will get stronger, therefore it is especially important that the children's mattress is of the correct shape. It is better to opt for an orthopedic mattress. Keep in mind, pediatricians warn against letting your baby sleep on its back for up to five months.
The baby spends sleep in the position in which his parents put him to bed, since he still does not know how to roll over. That is why the task of the mother is to teach her baby to fall asleep in the correct position from infancy.
How to help your baby sleep well
Even newborn babies do not need to be swaddled tightly, otherwise he will not be able to move, and even in his mother's stomach, he felt freer. You should not put a pillow under your baby's head, at this age he does not need it. And the last recommendation: do not put your baby to bed immediately after feeding. Try to walk around with him first, holding him in a post, and letting him regurgitate. So colic will bother him less, and the baby will sleep peacefully.
Sometimes children use very unusual positions to sleep. If, in your opinion, it is safe, do not shift the baby, let him rest as he is comfortable.
