What If My Child Looks Uncomfortable?
The sight of a sleeping baby is one of the most peaceful, comforting views I can imagine. They are so calm, with their tiny almost inaudible breaths, and the way their little arms just fall so relaxed; it’s the true definition of “rest.”
That is of course, until they start rolling and crawling around in their cribs! You may notice that some very laughable, uncomfortable looking positions appear once they are mobile.
And the most impressive piece of it all is that they are legitimately SLEEPING like that. After having a chuckle though, you might begin to worry about their safety in such a strange position. Do you need to intervene when your little one looks uncomfortable?
One of the much-discussed cornerstones of infant sleep is independent sleep skills, or teaching your little one how to sleep on their own. And while I’ve been helping families accomplish this, a very common scenario that occurs is “what am I supposed to do if my child looks uncomfortable?” Parents definitely don’t want to wake their little one up by repositioning them when they worked so hard to get their baby to sleep in the first place, but they also don’t want to leave them bunched up in the corner looking like they tied themselves up in a knot!
As with most things parenting-related, the answer is not a simple yes or no. But I’ll do my best to make it as close as possible for you!
“Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.” And when it comes to safety, everything else gets shifted on the priority list. A great example: if your baby has learned how to roll from back to front, but hasn’t mastered front for back, you want to do your best to flip them over until they have shown mastery of both directions.
Will this wake them up and cause some fussing before going back to sleep? Will this slow down building those independent sleep skills? Yep, it’s possible, but in this case you should intervene and gently help settle them into a safe position.
Luckily this is usually a very short-term issue! Babies tend to learn how to roll from front to back quite quickly once they’ve learned the back to front maneuver (or vice versa), so don’t fret that it will be months of adjusting. Focus on some practice during wake times to help them figure it out and BAM, done stressing over that one! (I love using a blanket to facilitate practicing this motion)
Now, if your little one has gotten themselves in a position where they have an entire limb sticking out of the crib that could get stuck or twisted when they try to move, again I would suggest that you quickly and quietly help put it back in the slats. Keep interaction minimal if they wake/stir. But please note, most cribs nowadays don’t have as much potential for this kind of occurrence – slats are now closer due to safety standards & regulations that all cribs on the market must pass.
Next, let’s say your little one can easily flip from either direction, a limb doesn’t seem to be stuck outside of the crib, but they are squished up against the side of the crib and it just looks straight up uncomfortable. Should you go in there and shift your baby back towards the middle?
In this case, probably not! Babies tend to find comfort in seemingly awkward positions and as long as their airway isn’t obstructed (head tilted forward, nose + mouth in full contact with mattress) then it’s probably better to just let them sleep. I know it can be a little worrisome, but if they are truly uncomfortable, they’ll shift themselves and fix it.
Safety always comes first, no matter how your family chooses to sleep! You can also always talk to your pediatrician about sleep positions so you can make informed decisions about when you should and shouldn’t intervene with their sleep positioning. More often than not, if they are sleeping peacefully, they are doing just fine, no matter how silly it may look. My oldest always slept in what we affectionately called a “booty pop” position on her belly once she could roll. Her little rear would be sticking up high but she slept SO soundly like that.
And one last note – avoid using any “positioners” or “nests.” Many of these products can tip a baby’s head forward and others have plush sides, both of which can interfere with infant breathing. The FDA has issued a warning against these products, and despite their marketing claims, they increase rather than reduce the risk of SIDS.
Sleep well!
