Q&A Forum

27/7/21

Zoe

Hi. I have a 13 week old baby who has started rolling from stomach to back and is able to stay up on his stomach with his head held for a period of time. He has been doing this the past two days and is able to turn from his stomach back to his back. Last night he did this in his bassinet after being put to sleep on his back and started sleeping on his stomach with his head to the side. I have a boori bassinet that is quite large and has room for him to roll over completely, it also has breathable mesh walls and high sides. In consideration of SIDS, should we move him to a cot or is the bassinet suitable to accomdate him for longer. We want to continue room sharing till at least 6 months and thought of moving the cot in if possible yet the bassinet is more practicable. Please also advise if an owlet type monitor that monitors heartrate and breathing is suggested over a general video sound monitor? Thanks in advance for your advice. Zoe

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Posted a response on 27/7/21

Red Nose Education

Most babies will be rolling over by 4- 5 months - some earlier, some later.
This is very normal as babies grow & become stronger.
Many babies then prefer to sleep on their tummy.
This is not something that needs to be stopped. It is important to make his new environment as safe as possible.

Red Nose recommends that you transfer him to a cot from bassinet & to cease wrapping, if appropriate.
He needs the space & arms free to roll safely.

Ensure that the cot mattress is firm & flat & there is nothing soft or loose in his cot.
Always continue to place baby on back to sleep.
Increase tummy time when awake.

Red Nose has the following information now that your baby is starting to roll.

Give baby extra tummy time to play when awake and supervised as this helps baby to develop stronger neck and upper body muscles which in turn enables them to roll back over.
Make sure that baby is on a firm and well-fitting mattress that is flat (not tilted or elevated).
Make sure that baby’s face and head remains uncovered (do not use lambswool, doonas, pillows, cot bumpers or soft toys)

As babies grow and develop they become very active and learn to roll around the cot.
At this time, continue to put them on the back at the start of sleep time, but let them find their own position of comfort.
By this stage it is not necessary to wake during the night to turn baby over to the back position

Do not use any devices designed to keep baby in a particular sleep position.
https://rednose.org.au/article/what-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over

Red Nose does not recommend monitoring in general, as there is no scientific evidence that home monitoring reduces the incidence of sudden infant death.
Red Nose provides information in relation to home monitoring & the various types.
https://rednose.org.au/article/home-monitoring

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