Sleep is extremely important for the health and development of children. Putting babies to sleep on their side is now the choice of many parents. Is this a good sleeping position for babies? The following article will analyze the pros and cons of this sleeping position.
1. How important is a good sleeping position for children?
For children, sleep is as important as food and drink. Deep sleep is essential for children to develop physically and mentally. It is especially important for newborns. Sleep is when the child's brain develops, about 80% of brain cells are born in the first 3 years of life. When sleeping, the amount of growth hormone secreted by the child's body is also 4 times more than when awake.
The need for sleep in newborns is very high, on average, children sleep 16-18 hours a day, sleeping both day and night, children only wake up a few hours a day to breastfeed and play. Therefore, sleeping position is an important issue affecting the growth and development of children. A good sleeping position for children, helping children to be comfortable and sleep deeply will contribute significantly to helping children grow. On the contrary, when the baby's sleeping position is incorrect, it will make it difficult for the baby to sleep, wake up easily, cry, be tired, ... leading to anorexia, slow weight gain, and reduced immunity.
Newborns do not know how to turn over on their own, so their sleeping position is mainly decided by their parents. Newborns lying on their side when sleeping is a fairly common position, this position has some advantages but also many disadvantages.
2. What are the advantages of sleeping on the side for newborns?
If the newborn does not sleep on the side for too long, and does not sleep on the side continuously, it will not only not affect the health but also have many good benefits for the baby such as:
Newborns lying on the side helps reduce choking and regurgitation of milk while sleeping. When the baby vomits, lying on the side will help the vomit in the oral cavity flow out of the mouth, not into the throat, helping to avoid the phenomenon of causing coughing and suffocation.
If the baby snores while sleeping, switching the baby to lying on the side will make the snoring disappear, and the baby's breathing will also be easier.
Newborns lying on the side when sleeping will reduce pressure on the heart, and the digestive system will also function better.
3. What are the disadvantages of sleeping on the side of a newborn baby?
3.1. Flat head syndrome
In the early stages of life, the skull of a newborn baby is still quite soft. Therefore, if pressure accumulates at certain points on the skull for a long time, it will cause this part to sink inward and cause flat head syndrome. If flat head syndrome occurs at a severe level, it will limit the brain's ability to expand and make the brain underdeveloped. Newborn babies lying on their side while sleeping for a long time also causes the baby's ear to be compressed, changing the shape of the ear.
These phenomena often occur when newborn babies lie on their side when sleeping regularly and on the same side. Therefore, if you let your baby lie on his side when sleeping, parents need to pay attention to alternating sides for the baby.
3.2. Torticollis
Torticollis due to shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle connecting the side of the head to the map bone is also a phenomenon that can occur when babies lie on their side when sleeping. The cause of this phenomenon is that the baby's muscles are still soft and developing, the muscles are negatively affected when the baby lies on its side. The manifestation of a child with torticollis is often a tendency to tilt the neck to one side while turning the face to the opposite side. If the baby has torticollis to the right, the baby's head will tilt to the right and the baby's face will often turn to the left. When breastfeeding, the baby only likes to breastfeed on one side because when turning to the opposite side, the baby will feel uncomfortable. When detecting the above manifestations in the baby, parents need to take the baby to a medical facility for examination. The doctor will instruct parents on neck stretching exercises so that parents can practice at home for the baby.
3.3. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a condition in which a baby under 1 year old suddenly dies, often while sleeping, without a clear cause. This is considered the most dangerous risk for newborns. The cause of this phenomenon is not yet clear, but the risk factor will increase when the baby lies on his side or on his stomach. Because the baby is too small, he cannot turn his head and body when he is suffocating.
4. Advice on good sleeping positions for babies
Although there are some advantages, lying on his side is not recommended as a regular sleeping position for babies. Lying on his back is still considered the safest sleeping position. Parents often worry that lying on his back will cause flat head, but this condition will usually go away when the baby begins to roll over. When the baby is about 4-6 months old, the baby can roll over, roll over on his stomach and roll over on his back. At this time, the baby can change his position to his side or stomach when sleeping. Mothers do not need to change positions often while the baby is sleeping because the baby can roll back on his back when he feels uncomfortable. However, mothers still need to put the baby in a supine position when putting the baby to sleep.
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