Is it better for a baby to sleep on his side or on his back when he is just born? What is the best sleeping position for a baby when he is just born?

We all know that babies are relatively weak when they are just born, so they spend a lot of time sleeping and growing. There are certain rules for newborns to sleep, especially the sleeping time and sleeping posture. So is it better for babies to sleep on their side or on their backs when they are just born? Let's take a closer look!

Should babies sleep on their sides or backs when they are born?

Newborns need to sleep both on their sides and on their backs every day.

Maintain a flat sleeping position

Newborns can usually sleep flat to make blood circulation smoother. This sleeping position is also more comfortable for babies and they will not feel tired even if they keep it for a long time.

Just finished feeding, you must sleep on your side

However, when the baby has just finished feeding, in order to prevent the baby from spitting up milk and choking, it must keep the baby sleeping on the side for at least 10 minutes. Of course, you can't always sleep on the left side or the right side, which will cause the baby's head to tilt to the right or left. It is best to switch to the other side every once in a while.

Notice:

Change your child's sleeping position from time to time. If the child keeps the same sleeping position for a long time, the head shape will not look good. The mother should also observe the child's head shape at any time and adjust it at any time.

In short, sleeping on the side and lying flat each have their own advantages, but you must burp the baby before he goes to sleep, clear out foreign objects in his sleeping space, and adjust his sleeping position at any time to ensure his safety and help him get a good head shape.

What sleeping position is good for a newborn baby?

1. Newborns within one week

When the baby is just born, it is better to sleep on his side, mainly because the newborn may spit up milk. When the milk flows into the ears along the cheeks, it will cause otitis media in the baby.

After the baby finishes drinking milk, hold the baby upright and pat the baby's back until the baby burps. This will reduce the baby's spitting up of milk.

After burping the baby, let him lie on his side. However, there are two types of side lying: left or right. If you let the baby lie on one side for a long time, it will easily cause the baby's head to tilt, and then the baby's head shape will not look good when he grows up.

Therefore, when the baby is lying on his side, the mother should change the baby's sleeping position every once in a while so that the time spent lying on the left and right sides is as equal as possible.

In addition to sleeping on the left or right side, the baby can also sleep on his back for a certain period of time, but when the baby first lies down, he should sleep on his side first.

2. The significance of side-lying and supine lying

①Alternate side lying

This sleeping position can give the baby a beautiful head shape and prevent spilled milk from entering the ears or nasal cavity. It is an ideal sleeping position.

② Lie on your back

When babies sleep on their backs, it can reduce the pressure on organs such as the heart, gastrointestinal tract, and bladder. In addition, the muscles of the whole body are in a relaxed state when sleeping, which is a sleeping position that makes babies sleep comfortably.

③ Don’t lie prone

This is a very dangerous sleeping position. If the baby adopts this sleeping position during the day, it is best for the mother to correct it and pay attention to the baby's sleeping position at all times, because this sleeping position increases the baby's chance of sudden death.

Inventory of various sleeping positions for newborns

The sleeping position of a newborn baby is mainly determined by the caregiver. At the same time, the newborn baby lives in bed all day, and even when awake, there are problems with sleeping position. Therefore, sleeping position directly affects their growth, development and physical health.

1. Supine position

This sleeping position can relax the newborn's muscles throughout the body and reduce pressure on the body's organs.

However, this sleeping position is prone to danger. Because the fundus of the newborn is small, it is easy for milk to regurgitate. It is very dangerous to have milk regurgitation when lying on the back. The milk may choke on the organs and cause suffocation of the newborn.

Furthermore, the skull of a newborn is relatively soft and easily deformed when under pressure. If the baby lies in the supine position for a long time, the back of the pillow will be compressed and become flat.

2. Prone

This sleeping position puts heavy pressure on the heart, lungs, bladder, stomach and other internal organs. The most important thing is that newborns cannot turn their heads or roll over, and the bedding can easily block their mouths and noses and cause suffocation, so most parents are reluctant to let their newborns adopt this sleeping position.

3. Side lying

The side position is a sleeping position that should be encouraged for newborns. This sleeping position will neither cause a flat skull nor squeeze the forehead and back of the head. It can also limit the excessive development of the mandible and prevent the cheeks from being too large. Therefore, it is the most suitable sleeping position for newborns.

Things to note when placing a newborn baby on his side:

1. Make sure to alternate between lying on both sides, not just on the left or right side, to prevent the child from having one side of the face bigger than the other;

2. When a newborn baby lies on his side, be careful not to fold the auricle to prevent the external ear from being deformed due to pressure.