Is it okay for a 7-month-old baby to sleep on their stomach?

1. Is it okay for a seven-month-old baby to sleep on their stomach?

a. Babies feel more secure. Most of the time in the mother's womb, the fetus adopts a curled posture with its abdominal surface facing inward and its back facing outward. Compared to the back, the abdominal surface lacks bone protection and is more vulnerable to external harm and sensitive. This posture is the most natural self-protection posture. Many babies inherently prefer sleeping on their stomachs based on this principle. It protects the most vulnerable parts of their bodies, providing a sense of security and allowing them to sleep deeply and reduce crying, which is beneficial for the development of their nervous system.

b. It improves respiratory efficiency. From the perspective of human anatomical physiology, infants' chests and posterior sides of their lungs are relatively long. When lying prone, the lungs are the least compressed, and breathing is most natural. Studies have shown that when babies sleep on their stomachs, their respiratory efficiency is higher, and the oxygen content in hemoglobin increases by 5% to 10% compared to sleeping on their backs. Therefore, there is anatomical and physiological rationality in babies sleeping on their stomachs.

c. It can prevent vomiting or spitting up. Babies have small stomach capacities and limited bending capacity, and their cardiac sphincter has weak contractile ability. Therefore, they are prone to spitting up after feeding, which is a common occurrence. However, when babies sleep on their stomachs, the cardiac sphincter is elevated, which can prevent spitting up. If vomiting occurs while the baby is sleeping on their stomach, their face is downward, preventing aspiration of vomit and subsequent airway obstruction or asphyxia.

d. It improves sleep quality. Scientists abroad have studied the sleeping positions of 80 healthy infants and found that infants who sleep on their stomachs have longer sleep durations and higher sleep quality. This may be related to the reduced external stimuli, such as sound and light, that the body receives when sleeping on the stomach.

1. Babies with abdominal distension should not be allowed to sleep on their stomachs, such as those with congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, duodenal obstruction, congenital megacolon, meconium plug syndrome, necrotic enterocolitis, intussusception, or other conditions such as ascites, hematological malignancies, renal diseases, and abdominal masses.

2. There are also babies who must sleep on their stomachs due to specific conditions, such as Robin syndrome, which is characterized by a small chin, a large tongue, and symptoms of swallowing and respiratory difficulties. Sleeping on their backs may be uncomfortable for these babies, so they must be allowed to sleep on their stomachs.

3. Newborns should not sleep on their stomachs until their umbilical cords have fallen off.

4. Babies who are not yet a month old are not recommended to sleep on their stomachs because they cannot yet turn their heads to the other side.

5. The bed or pillow should not be too soft to avoid the baby's mouth and nose sinking into it and affecting their breathing.

6. Do not let the baby sleep in clothes with prominent front buttons.

7. After drinking milk, the baby can lie on their right side for a while before sleeping on their stomach.

8. It is recommended to choose a truly breathable pillow for sleeping on the stomach.

9. It is best not to let the baby sleep on their stomach when they are sick or have a cold.

10. If the baby often sleeps on the same side, parents should help them change sides to avoid head shape issues.