Question
My son is just eight months old and has been sleeping on his stomach at night since he was seven months old. He doesn’t do this during the day. He eats and is in good spirits, and has already grown eight teeth. What’s going on here?
Answer
This is normal. However, parents should pay attention to frequently changing the baby’s sleeping position. The correct sleeping posture for a child includes lying on the stomach, sleeping on the side, and sleeping on the back. Just like adults, babies can sleep in various positions such as supine, prone, and lateral. From a medical perspective, sleeping on the side is most beneficial for a baby’s physical and mental health. Lateral sleeping posture is most in line with the physiological needs of the human body; when lying on the side, the spine is slightly curved, the shoulders are forward, the legs are bent, and both arms are freely placed. The entire body’s muscles are in a state of maximum relaxation, allowing the baby to fall asleep peacefully. It is even more reasonable to sleep on the right side. When sleeping on the right side, the baby’s heart is not compressed, and the liver located in the upper right abdomen receives more blood flow. Additionally, this right-side sleeping position helps move food from the stomach to the duodenum in the baby, fully utilizing digestive function.