Baby Sleep Positions

We first had the idea about creating co-sleeping diagrams when we spoke about how little sleep we both got. Each of us co-slept to varying degrees but anytime our babies slept on or near us, we noticed how utterly uncomfortable we were. Once Andy, a designer, thought of drawing a birds-eye view the ideas exploded out of our mouths. We now have a list two pages long of every conceivable and inconceivable body position. We also get a ton of submissions from readers telling their best/worst sleep position which is always a gas. Our favorite thing about these diagrams is the user-interaction. People are so ready to tell you how little sleep they got and the new, strange position they found themselves in. It's like a co-sleeping support group by email and blog comments.

These diagrams originally appeared on howtobeadad.com.

 

Comments

[Watch The Vote]

08:20 AM on 03/03/2012

Baby's are adorable!

[Susan Shaffer]

12:24 AM on 02/23/2012

I have three that want to sleep with me. Everyone wants to be beside me so you know there is always a fight and so close that I can barely breathe. It can be good in winter but it is hell in summer and it is not unusual for me to have to get out of the bed, go have a shower to cool off and then go sleep on the floor.

[Harvey32]

05:55 PM on 02/22/2012

As a father of a young daughter, I can't tell you how many times I ended up in the neck warmer position while my wife slept peacefully for long periods of time. Then, in the morning, when I'm the tired one, it's "daddy is grumpy".

LOL - it's all good though. As long as I can avoid the roundhouse kick to the head...

[yesythegreat]

03:24 PM on 02/22/2012

This is hilarious! My kid has done each and every one of these moves! With my second child I am making sure that little guy makes it to our bed because I'd have to invest in a king size! lol

[VeneziaHM]

02:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Holy heteronormativity, Batman!

[Kimberly Smith Linn]

12:59 AM on 02/22/2012

My son who is now 14 months from the time he was born slept in my arms even in the hospital. Very few times was he put in his plastic nursery by my bed to sleep. He is safer in my arms than anywhere. So were both my girls now 18 and 16. I am right there keeping them warm and feeding on demand. As he grows he still sleeps curled up in front of me. He will not sleep if I roll over away from him. We sleep facing each other and my arm always around him. It is amazing. I will never have to fear a stranger stealing him from his bed. I will never have to fear walking into my baby in his cold crib dead from SIDS. He will forever be at my side as he grows just as God intended.

[maliha390]

12:41 AM on 02/21/2012

Wow. I just HAD to comment. Some of the stuff you guys are posting is SO IGNORANT! There are MILLIONS of people all over the world that co-sleep with there children. In fact, many would be surprised that you could leave an infant alone in a crib. My two sister as I co-slept with our parents till we were kids and then we slept in our own beds. We turned out fine. In fact it was a great comfort to me when I was little to have my parents around whenever I had nightmares.

[NICUNurse77]

12:06 PM on 02/21/2012

Posting credible research findings and recommendations denotes ignorance? My primary role is to provide evidence-based education to my patients therefore I posted the current recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Everyone has a choice to make the appropriate decision based on the current 'credible' information.

[alywelch]

08:45 PM on 02/21/2012

Why do you assume she meant you?

Anyway, Dr. Sears and other sleep researchers have a different stance from the AAoP, also supported by evidence and research.

http://www.askdrsears.com/news/latest-news/dr-sears-addresses-recent-co-sleeping-concerns
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/scientific-benefits-co-sleeping

The fact is SIDS is less common places like Asia where co-sleeping is the norm. A lot of studies opposing co-sleeping included parents who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol and happened to pass out with a child under the umbrella of co-sleeping, which is disingenuous to say the least.

Hmm, I wonder if it's our unhealthy habits that make us a threat to our young?

As Dr. Sears notes, "The Consumer Product Safety Commission published data that described infant fatalities in adult beds. These same data, however, showed more than 3 times as many crib related infant fatalities compared to adult bed accidents 15. Another recent large study concluded that bed sharing did NOT increase the risk of SIDS, unless the mom was a smoker or abused alcohol."

It otherwise defies logic that children should need to be protected FROM mothers when all other mammals need the warmth and protection OF theirs.

Ultimately studies and statistics are meaningless to the individual. At the end of the day, you have to use common sense and trust your instincts as they pertain to your individual circumstances.

[Kimberly Smith Linn]

12:54 AM on 02/22/2012

Just because it is from the AAoP does not make it credible. Please.... That is a joke.

Dr. Sears and other sleep researcher­s have a different stance from the AAoP, also supported by evidence and research.

http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/news­/latest-ne­ws/dr-sear­s-addresse­s-recent-c­o-sleeping­-concerns
http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/topi­cs/sleep-p­roblems/sc­ientific-b­enefits-co­-sleeping

I bet you being a nicu nurse taking care of very sick babies that only weigh about 2lbs at times would also recommend to the mommies of these sick babies that you have to do their vaccinations right on schedule and that their sick little bodies can handle the toxic stuff in them as well. I mean is that not the propaganda that the AAoP recommends. Even though if you read the very inserts of the said vaccines it states that a sick child is NEVER to be injected until fully well not even a sniffle or cold or any kind. Or do you just believe everything the AAoP states and your so called medical books???

[NICUNurse77]

09:53 PM on 02/20/2012

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the safe sleep recommendations advise against co-bedding. "Room-sharing without bed-sharing is recommended—There is evidence that this arrangement decreases the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. In addition, this arrangement is most likely to prevent suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment that might occur when the infant is sleeping in an adult bed. Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend any specific bed-sharing situations as safe. Moreover, there are specific circumstances that, in epidemiologic studies, substantially increase the risk of SIDS or suffocation while bed-sharing." Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/1030.full

[Kimberly Smith Linn]

12:40 AM on 02/22/2012

http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/news­/latest-ne­ws/dr-sear­s-addresse­s-recent-c­o-sleeping­-concerns
http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/topi­cs/sleep-p­roblems/sc­ientific-b­enefits-co­-sleeping

I trust Dr. Sears over you or the aaop. I also trust history more than I trust you or the aaop. I have co-slept with all three of my children. My oldest is 18 and the youngest is 1 and my children are better for it. You won't read about my child being stolen out of their bed. You also won't read about my child dieing of SIDS. Why???? Cause I am right there. If they would stop breathing for a moment my mommy instinct wakes me up. How do I know? Cause it has happened. I also don't vaccinate as it is also a leading cause of SIDS. Bet you and the AAOP don't agree. LOL oh well those that are institutionally educated seem to be the dumbest when it comes to natural things of nature.

[Kimberly Smith Linn]

12:56 AM on 02/22/2012

Dr. Sears disagrees and he has his own research to back it up.

http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/news­/latest-ne­ws/dr-sear­s-addresse­s-recent-c­o-sleeping­-concerns
http://www­.askdrsear­s.com/topi­cs/sleep-p­roblems/sc­ientific-b­enefits-co­-sleeping

[liviann]

01:37 PM on 02/20/2012

I need a name for the position my daughter likes which is her using my arm as a pillow and me being unable to disengage myself.

[darcylu]

04:18 AM on 02/19/2012

Too funny. And of course this story brings out howls of protest. Some breast feed their kids, some don't. Medical experts say breast is best, but no one cares about that so much. Some breast feed in public all the time, some would never, ever. Few notice the quiet baby ... but a screaming baby is rarely welcome. Some have guns in their homes, some wouldn't dream of it. Some spank, some would never dream of that either. Some go to church, some don't. Some work, some stay at home. This goes on and on.

Do your best, which is different for everyone, and love your kids.

[Susan Shaffer]

12:30 AM on 02/23/2012

I had twins that were 1.9kg and 2.8kg at birth. They spent 3 weeks in hospital till i could bring them home. I could not produce enough milk and were bottle fed with some supplement from me.
They left hospital weighing 2.2kg and 3.2kg. A week after leaving hospital I had a visit to the baby clinic and in that week they had put on .4kg and .5kg respectively.
The nurse said amazed at the weight gain "i don't know what you are doing but keep on doing it"
In spite of being 5 weeks premmie they caught up pretty quickly and are in the 97th percentile for length.

[darcylu]

11:30 AM on 02/23/2012

No one tries to stop you from bottle feeding your kids, at home or in public, I assume. But breast feeding a baby in public, no matter how discrete (and being discrete is the norm, I assure you) is actually under attack by those who find it disgusting to feed your baby as nature intended.

The same with kids in beds. What works for some does not work for others, When my kids were born, the 'experts' of the time said to never put your baby to sleep on their backs or they could choke on their own vomit. My babies wouldn't last on their stomachs for long, maybe 10 minutes. No matter how many times I would place them that way, they would soon push with their arms and easily flip onto their backs. They never did it the other way, from back onto stomach. I stopped worrying about it, because I had no choice, lol.

Parenting is a personal choice. One size does not fit all. We all do the best we can, because we love our kids so much. Enjoy your kids!

[sck1623]

02:58 PM on 02/18/2012

I laughed so much at this article. Our first baby co-slept with us and now our toddler co-sleeps with us. My husband can attest that he finds himself in the neckwarmer position quite often.

[whyldlife]

02:55 PM on 02/18/2012

Even though all my children were trained to go to sleep in their own beds there are many times you find yourself cosleeping, especially when your wife breast feeds. Dog house was my go to position when sniffling toddlers came climbing into bed (cowardly I know but in my defense I was working and she was a full time Mom)

[listgirl3]

01:56 PM on 02/18/2012

Ok...every one of these shoes a baby sleeping in a bed with a parent.

Duh.

[artist5153]

11:39 AM on 02/18/2012

Seriously?

[lilbit4368]

11:38 AM on 02/18/2012

I co-slept with my first and it was a nightmare to get him to sleep in his bed. I learned my lesson the hardway a from nd didn't repeat my mistake with the next two. I've had enough bruises in my back, arms etc from little feet and arms.

[Kimberly Smith Linn]

12:44 AM on 02/22/2012

Why should your child have had to leave your bed? I don't understand the pressure to stop co-sleeping at a certain age. Kids are saver with their parents. In Asia and the jungle kids sleep with their parents until teenage years when they naturally break off to become their own person. My girls slept in our bed until they were close to 12 and wanted to sleep in their own room. My 18 year old clear up until she moved out on her own would pull her mattress into our room and sleep on the floor next to our bed. Why? Cause that is safety and that is natural.