Ok my 7mo old has never slept on his back, we had problems when he was a newborn where he ended up sleeping on me on his belly, well he is now a very healthy 7mo old who still does not sleep on his back, he will roll onto his sides just fine but seems almost as soon as he hits his back he wakes up with the lovely blood curdling scream of sheer terror I roll him back over give him his paci and pat on him a little and back to sleep he goes, but at nap time I try to get him to sleep on his back on the couch with me there and he jumps every so often throws his arms up and everything sometimes it even wakes him up. He will roll onto his side and be just fine, I would like to know since he didn't do the back to sleep method how much longer am I gonna have to deal with him not sleeping on his back. Ok little info he sleeps in a pack n play we don't have room for a crib and I need to get him a true mattress for it wonder if that would have anything to do with it since he is still on the harder pnp bottom.
Once a baby is old enough to roll over it is okay to leave him on his back.
The startle response is completely natural and happens to all babies, back sleepers or not.
Both my babes slept in a pack and play (one is still in it). With the first, I was pretty diligent about having her sleep on her back. (This after her first couple of months sleeping on her tummy on me.) With the second, she was and is a tummy sleeper, and I didn't fight it. (And, yes, I'm fully aware that this is not recommended. We did what we had to do.)
Since yours is already 7 months, he'll probably be rolling over soon. At that point, it just doesn't matter. For now, see if you can find the padded cover for the pnp bottom. (Mine is like a fleecy, slightly padded, mattress cover.)
Id think at 7 months he is rolling over and can put himself in the position he likes best. If in the middle of sleeping he happens to roll to his back and doesnt like it, he can roll himself to his side or tummy. Some kids can be helped with the startling reflex by swaddling at nap time. I know some moms who still wrapped their kids like little burrittos when they were 9 and 10 months old. You might try and see if that helps to calm him and keep him from jerking himself awake so often.
maybe never, my 2 1/2 year old has been a stomach/side sleeper since he was a newborn. It was tough keeping him on his back, even in a swaddle. I am a side/stomach sleeper so I am sure that is where he gets it from.
Why are you trying to make him sleep on his back? He's old enough to turn over.
he may never sleep on his back...both of my boys are belly and side sleepers...they are 9 and 11 - both preemies and IF they are on their back, it's rare and they don't sleep well on their backs...
I don't know about the startling and such - i'd make a note of it for your next well baby visit but not rush to the dr before then...
GOOD LUCK!!
You could try to lay him down so he's next to the side of the pack n play, so that if he rolls, he's leaning on the side of the pack n play and won't roll all the way over to his back. Or try rolling up receiving blankets and tucking them next to him (under arms/shoulders, away from face) to make it harder for him to roll over onto his back. I did those things when I was transitioning my baby from back sleeper to tummy sleeper b/c she was also jerking and startling herself awake, and could roll over from tummy/back. A week or so of doing these for every nap/night and she was sleeping soundly on her tummy. Also, once she grew out of jerking/startling awake, rolling onto her back while sleeping wasn't a problem.
