- WHY SLEEP POSITION MATTERS
Stomach and side sleeping are linked to a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome than back sleeping. If you ever find your baby sleeping on their stomach or side before they can roll both ways on their own, reposition them onto their back.
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Newborn Sleep Position
The position your baby sleeps in is one of the most consistently studied safe sleep factors. Here’s what’s recommended, why, and how the guidance changes as your baby learns to roll.
- KEY TAKEAWAYS
Always place your baby on their back to sleep until they can roll both ways on their own, usually starting around 2 months. If they can only roll one direction, reposition them onto their back. Side sleeping isn’t considered as safe as back sleeping, since a baby can easily roll from their side onto their stomach.
Why Back Sleeping Is Safest
Placing your baby on their back for every sleep — naps and nighttime — is recommended through their first year, including for babies born prematurely or with reflux. Stomach sleeping is riskier for a few specific reasons: it can increase the chance of overheating, make it easier for a baby to rebreathe their own exhaled air, and it’s associated with changes in heart and lung function that can reduce the oxygen reaching the brain.
Once Your Baby Can Roll
Rolling is an important developmental milestone that can begin as early as 2 months of age. Once your baby can roll from back to stomach and back again on their own, you can let them settle into whichever position they land in — you don’t need to keep flipping them back.
- IF THEY CAN ONLY ROLL ONE WAY
If your baby can roll one direction but not back again, always reposition them onto their back for sleep until they can roll both ways independently.
Tummy Time (While Awake, Supervised)
Tummy time is different from sleep position — it means supervised time on the stomach while your baby is awake and you’re watching. It helps build neck and shoulder strength and can help prevent flat spots on the back of the head. It should only happen while your baby is awake and being actively supervised, never as a sleep position.
What About Side Sleeping?
Side sleeping isn’t recommended as an alternative to back sleeping. A baby placed on their side can easily roll onto their stomach, and side sleeping hasn’t been shown to be as safe as back sleeping. Stick with back sleeping for every sleep until your baby can roll both ways on their own.
Sources
This guide is based on published guidance from the NICHD Safe to Sleep campaign on back sleeping and the American Academy of Pediatrics via HealthyChildren.org. It is provided for general education and does not replace your pediatrician’s advice.