The child turns over and cries. Laying on your stomach is important! Wakes up and cries - possible reasons

Pediatricians often call the anxiety of caring mothers, who constantly worry whether her baby fits into developmental norms, the “worry mommy” syndrome. Such parents do not leave specialized forums for young mothers and overwhelm the pediatrician with a lot of questions, one of which is: “Is it possible to teach a child to roll over from his back to his stomach?” The famous children's doctor Evgeny Komarovsky tells whether this should be done and how to deal with the child correctly.

Norms

Developmental norms, which so often make mothers feel inferior, are a very vague concept, says Evgeny Komarovsky. Each child develops according to his own individual program, and comparing him with other children is stupid, and sometimes even criminal. Mothers can never simply compare, but strive to do something so that the child “catch up and overtake” the neighbor’s baby.

The inferiority complex is strengthened by friends who, according to them, had babies tossing and turning from side to side as early as 2 months, and at 4 months the baby began to sit up. The feeling of catastrophe is generously given by local pediatricians, who at the next appointment state that if the child does not roll over on his own at 4 months, then this is “bad.”

As a result, the mother, driven to despair by disturbing thoughts, is ready to do anything to teach her child at any cost to do what he cannot yet do at his age.

The problem does not exist with the child, says Evgeny Komarovsky, but with the parents, who attach too much importance to the words of “experts” - neighbors, grandmothers, girlfriends and virtual acquaintances from the Internet. In this situation, it is necessary to treat the mother, not the baby: give her valerian, train her nervous system and endurance.

The standards that “experts” and the local pediatrician refer to exist only in theory. According to them, the average baby begins to roll over at about 4-5 months of age. However, in practice, everything happens differently. Some children make attempts to roll over before this period, while others do not roll over even after 6 months. Such a “lag” is not necessarily caused by illness or some kind of inferiority that restless mothers instantly come up with in their thoughts. There are enough reasons:

• Individual characteristics of temperament(the child is lazy, slow, calm),
• Body Features(the child is well-fed and weighs slightly more than normal),
• Combination of the above two factors(very often well-fed toddlers are lazy, slow and sleepy).
• The child was born premature.
• A flexible and thin child will begin to roll over earlier than his plump counterpart. However, this is not at all a reason to sound the alarm and urgently take some active measures.

What should parents do?

First of all, Evgeniy Komarovsky advises to calm down and stop comparing the baby with norms, other children and the experience of friends. If the mother is only worried about the fact that the baby at 5-6 months does not roll over from his back to his tummy, and there are no other complaints (nothing hurts, nothing bothers him), then he should leave the child alone and wait until he the muscular system will become so strong that he will be able to perform coups easily and naturally. This happens to every child at its own time.

If there are additional complaints, you should definitely visit a pediatrician, orthopedist and neurologist. If the baby does not have serious disorders in the activity of the nervous system, everything is in order with the musculoskeletal system, then, again, you should leave the baby alone and give him the opportunity to develop, as nature personally provided for him.

There are not many diseases that can cause inactivity, and all of them are extremely serious. Parents will learn about their presence already in the maternity hospital or at the first scheduled examination of the baby in the clinic. If doctors didn’t tell you anything like this until you were 5 months old, and your baby’s chart doesn’t include diagnoses like “cerebral palsy,” then you shouldn’t “attribute” the reluctance to roll over to illness.

If parents find it completely unbearable to watch the little one lie on his tummy or back and not feel the need to spin, then you can start giving him a massage aimed at strengthening the muscles of the abdomen, back, and side muscles. You can harden your baby and arrange longer walks in the fresh air.

What can't you do?

In their attempts to help their child with physical development, parents should not go too far, says Evgeny Komarovsky. So, there is no need to hang a five-month-old baby in a jumper, or put an older baby in a walker (read more about this in the article “At what months can a child be put in a walker and is it worth doing it”). These devices are very amusing and touching for parents, but the benefits from them are much less than the real harm. Early verticalization threatens the child with serious problems with the spine in the future, sometimes so serious that it can result in disability.

All activities, if you decide to actively help your child, should be reasonable, gentle and competent. There is no need to teach a child to sit, toss and turn, stand or walk if his muscular system and spine are not ready for this. When they are ready for the baby to accept a new body position in space, he will definitely do it himself - this is how nature works.

Thus, the task of parents is only to create favorable conditions under which the strengthening of the back, tummy, legs and arms, as well as the spine will proceed faster.

Massage and gymnastics

Mothers who bring their baby to a doctor’s appointment with complaints that the little lazy guy doesn’t want to roll over on his stomach at “his 5 months!” will most likely receive an appointment for a massage, because a neurologist will definitely diagnose such a baby with “hypertonicity.” " Increased muscle tone is common to all newborns, and few babies completely get rid of it by six months.

This fact allows both the neurologists themselves and the massage therapists, whom they strongly recommend, to make ends meet. Komarovsky claims that no one can give a massage to a healthy child diagnosed with hypertonicity (and this is a healthy child!) better than a mother. And this is true not only from the point of view of saving money, but also for reasons of children's perception of the world. The baby needs tactile contact with his mother, her touch, and not half an hour of heart-rending screaming in the hands of a stranger with a massage therapist diploma.

Massage to strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen is very simple:

• Circular and transverse techniques on the tummy. Place your baby on his back and use your thumb to draw circles around the navel, gradually increasing their radius. Using your two thumbs, make arcing movements from the navel to the ribs and from the navel to the groin.
• Classic back techniques. Place your baby on his tummy on a hard surface. Use three techniques of classic massage - first stroking, then rubbing and pressure with vibration. Don't rub too hard or press too hard. The child should not be in pain. Ideally, mom should close her eyes and press her finger on her eyelid. As soon as it starts to hurt, that’s where the limit to the degree of pressure that a small child can withstand.

The massage should be done with warm hands, using baby cream or massage oil. The total duration of the session is no more than 10-15 minutes. If the baby begins to worry and cry, you should stop manipulation.

In the second month of life or a little later, babies begin to roll over onto their tummy. This skill indicates the correct development of the baby and good coordination of movements. The little one practices his new skill all day long. But sometimes the mother is worried that the child turns over on his stomach in his sleep and begins to wake up. What to do in this case?

A newborn should gradually become accustomed to different sleeping positions.

Babies do not always wake up after turning over from their back to their tummy. Sometimes they sleep peacefully in this position until the next feeding. But then mom worries. The child's pose makes you think about the inconvenience: the baby is practically standing on his knees, pulling his legs towards his stomach. Do not worry. This position is quite natural for a baby. Remember the position of the child in the womb. Isn't it very similar?

The benefits of sleeping on the stomach for infants are obvious:

• In case of excessive regurgitation, the position eliminates the possibility of choking.
• The baby does not raise his arms in his sleep, which means he does not wake himself up.
• During inversion, the abdominal muscles work, improving intestinal motility.
• By turning the head from one side to the other while sleeping, the child strengthens the neck muscles.
• The blood supply to the brain improves due to the position in which the lower part of the body is elevated.

If your baby rolls over onto her stomach and doesn't wake up, don't worry. Let your baby choose his own resting position.

Sleeping on your stomach and safety

Special mattress to hold the child in one position

Despite the benefits of sleeping on your stomach, take care of your baby's safety.

• The mattress should be firm to avoid suffocation while sleeping. For the same purpose, a pillow is contraindicated. For a child under one year old, a folded diaper under his head is sufficient. Yes, and it is used only to indicate a place for the head. It is quite possible to do without it.
• Don't put tiny toys in the crib. The fur of a soft bear can get into the respiratory tract and cause allergies. If the baby touches a hard rattle, it will hit itself and wake up.
• While sleeping on the stomach, the baby may crawl. He pushes off with his legs and moves forward slightly. To protect the little head, use soft sides for the walls of the crib.

If you take these simple rules into account, your baby will not be in any danger while sleeping on his stomach.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is often associated with infants sleeping on their stomachs. Such assumptions are not confirmed by anything. Pediatricians associate SIDS with underdevelopment of the central nervous system and other child health problems. Unfortunately, all the reasons are still unknown. However, this has nothing to do with your sleeping position.

When is sleeping on your stomach contraindicated?

The child is crying because he woke up and something hurts.

Sleeping a child on his stomach has its contraindications. First of all, they are related to the health of the baby:

• Infantile torticollis. It can be congenital or acquired. Being in one position for a long time, the neck muscles weaken on one side and become stronger on the other. When the symmetry of the muscles is disturbed, the child's head is slightly tilted to one side. It is difficult for a baby to turn his head to the right or left, depending on the location of the pathology. When sleeping on his stomach, the baby puts his head on the side that is more comfortable for him, aggravating torticollis.
• Central nervous system disorder. For certain problems, a neurologist may recommend not placing the child on his stomach while sleeping.
• Apnea. If your baby holds his breath, it means his breathing reflex is not fully developed. Do not place your baby on his stomach. Having buried his nose in the mattress, the baby may not feel the need to raise his head. If there is a history of apnea, parents are advised to acquire a breathing monitor.

If your baby has any health problems, talk to your doctor about sleeping on his stomach.

A child should absolutely not sleep on his stomach if his parents smoke in the apartment. Nicotine is a poison that affects the child’s immature respiratory system. Having inhaled smoke, the child feels suffocation, sometimes a spasm, and tries to turn away from the negative factor. And he can only turn on his stomach towards the mattress. The consequence is suffocation. Don't risk your baby's health!

Why does a baby roll over and cry?

For a healthy baby, sleeping on the stomach has many advantages. But what to do when a child rolls over on his stomach in his sleep and cries? In this case, the mother is forced to get up a dozen times at night to turn the child onto his back or side. Let's figure out why the baby still wakes up:

1. The baby is scared. At first, the child turns over onto his tummy with a jerk, sometimes not fully understanding why he is doing this. In a dream, a sharp turn frightens the baby, and he cries. So, all that remains is to wait - the fear will pass with age.
2. Stomach ache . When turning over, the abdominal muscles tense. Lying on his back, the baby may experience minor discomfort - this could be gas or slight overeating. When the abdominal muscles are tense, the pain intensifies, causing tears.
3. The child hits his nose on the mattress. The nose is one of the most painful points of a person. Despite the fairly soft bed, it hurts the baby when hit. Over time, coordination of movements will improve and the problem will go away.
4. Baby gets tangled in a blanket or sleeping bag. The baby begins to flounder helplessly and wakes up. Even adults sometimes cannot avoid this fate, let alone a baby. Try changing the blanket. Soft blankets fit the body more tightly and are easier to get tangled in. A blanket made with synthetic padding is more “standing” and fits less, which means there is much less risk of getting tangled in it. In the warm season, you can do without covering. To keep your baby warm, dress him in a onesie.
5. Uncomfortable sleeping suit. Pay attention to the clasp. Buttons or a snake on the tummy can cause discomfort when turning over. Also look at the applications. Sometimes manufacturers worry about the appearance of children's clothing, forgetting about convenience. The reverse side of the application may be scratched, causing irritation or itching.

There may be many more reasons, but babies, unfortunately, have not yet learned to speak. So we can only guess.

How to prevent night coups?

A sleep-deprived mother becomes nervous. To avoid taking it out on your loved ones, try to prevent your baby from turning over during sleep.

• If your baby is under 4 months old, use loose swaddling.
• Place the baby on its side, placing a cushion folded from a blanket in front near the baby at the level of the chest and tummy, so that the baby does not rest his face on it. The roller will delay the coup.
• Instead of a crib, temporarily use a stroller cradle. There is little space in it, and it is very difficult to roll over.
• Place your baby to sleep next to you. You won't always be able to prevent a rollover, but you can quickly return your baby to an acceptable position.
• Place your baby to sleep immediately on his stomach. If your baby is comfortable sleeping on his stomach and doesn’t wake up from rolling over, lay him down the way he likes.

Be patient. 2-3 weeks will pass and you will forget about this problem.

Summary

Parents decide whether to allow their baby to sleep on their stomach or not. Remember that this is not dangerous. Medical contraindications are a powerful argument against sleeping on your tummy, and the rest is just speculation. If the baby constantly wakes up during the night somersaults, be patient. Over time, he will learn to control his body, and you will remember with a smile the problem that is now so distant.

Placing children under one year of age on their stomach is extremely important. Kristina Sandalova found out for us why exactly and how to do it correctly.

Do you know how to properly put a newborn baby to sleep? That's right, on your back. It is this simple rule that prevents sudden infant death syndrome. This became known back in the mid-90s, which made it possible to reduce the number of infant deaths worldwide by 50%. However, this measure also led to an unexpected effect: mothers began to be afraid to place their children on their tummy not only while sleeping, but also while they were awake. As a result, the development of children's motor functions slowed down: in order to crawl on all fours, the child needs to use both arms and legs, the muscles of which must be sufficiently trained. If your baby constantly lies on his back in the crib, he is unlikely to be able to master the necessary skills. When lying on their backs, children do not have enough anti-gravity load on the extensor muscles, which can lead to a delay in the development of the child’s psychomotor functions: the ability to crawl, sit up and roll over from the stomach to the back. You need to regularly lay the baby on your stomach while you are awake. This measure will help not only to avoid the formation of a “flat” back of the head, but also to develop the necessary skills.

I do not want and I will not!
Some children begin to resent being placed on their tummy. And no wonder: for a baby who constantly lies on his back, the position on his stomach is unusual and unpleasant - the child has difficulty raising his head, cannot turn around, feeling discomfort. The baby begins to cry, calling his mother for help. Don't give in to provocations! There is no need to make your baby cry, but try to lay the baby out for 5-10 minutes every day, gradually increasing the time to half an hour. Always be close to your baby. If he gets fussy, you can keep him entertained and he'll stay on his tummy longer. Please note that the child’s hips should be apart and his hands should rest on his forearms.

In the first 2-3 months of life, the baby tries to balance himself and therefore tilts his head in the direction opposite to the position of the body. In other words, lying on his tummy, the baby will begin to raise his head, which contributes to the correct and timely development of the cervical spine. He will hold his head in an upright position longer and longer, then he will begin to rise on his arms, roll over, and by the age of six months he will stand on all fours and make his first attempts to crawl. Daily training will improve coordination of movements, help strengthen the shoulder girdle, arm muscles, and spine, which in turn will have a positive effect not only on the physical, but also on the intellectual development of the baby.

In addition, laying on the stomach will perfectly strengthen the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall, will prevent umbilical hernia, and if done before meals, will help to significantly reduce colic.

Never leave a baby lying on his stomach alone in the room. Do not place pillows, soft toys, or blankets next to the baby that the child may bury his face in.

Let's get started
Place the baby on his stomach as often as possible: before feeding (do not do it after eating - the baby may burp profusely and choke), during massage, gymnastics, and swaddling. Before the procedures, ventilate the room and remove all unnecessary items. The surface of the bed should be flat and hard - for example, a table covered with a thin blanket. A hard surface encourages a child to tense his torso muscles, which, by the way, does not happen when lying on a pillow or soft mattress.

To prevent your baby from getting bored, place a toy with a mirror in front of him - children really like to peer at their own reflection. Or place a bright musical rattle nearby that will occupy the baby’s attention for a long time.

Sometimes lying on his stomach irritates the baby because the child cannot watch his mother. Communicate more with your toddler. Alternatively, you can place the baby on your chest - this way the baby can look around without raising his head too high.

Buy a play mat with arches in the grooves of which you can hang toys. Lying on his stomach, the child will look at the intricate design of the rug, touch parts made of various materials, and reach for hanging toys, trying to grab them, and gradually learn to lift himself up on his hands. If the child can already easily reach the rattle he likes, his arms and back are stronger, you can try to move his favorite toy further away so that the baby tries to crawl to it. Of course, you shouldn’t be zealous, because the first “inclinations” may not happen right away.

When the baby is 5-6 months old, it is worth spreading a large blanket on the floor so that the baby can explore new horizons. By limiting the child’s space with a playpen or crib, parents thereby deprive him of the opportunity to explore the world.

During this period, you can also practice the “reflex crawling” exercise, which strengthens the muscles of the legs and lower back: in a position on the tummy, spread the baby’s knees to the sides and bring the feet together. Then clasp your baby's shins with your palms and touch the soles of your feet with your thumbs. In response to your actions, the child will straighten his legs and, pushing off, move forward. Your hands must be fixed on the table, otherwise the baby will not move forward. The exercise can be repeated 5-7 times.

Some mothers prefer to place the baby on their stomach while sleeping, but this increases the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and besides, during sleep the baby does not try to sit up or raise its head and, accordingly, does not train the muscles.

Smart choice
According to a study by Canadian scientists, children who sleep on their stomachs and spend most of their waking hours in this position develop slightly faster than their peers who sleep on their sides or backs. Such children begin to hold their heads up, sit up, crawl, and walk earlier. But in 1−1.5 years, the development of both levels out. You shouldn’t risk leaving your baby in the tummy position overnight, just try to give your baby some little exercises more often.

Consultant: Tatyana Goryacheva, head of the Center for Psychodiagnostics and Psychocorrection at IBP, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Psychology, Russian State Medical University