Can babies sleep on their side?

The sleeping position of the baby actually troubles many parents, because some parents will find that the baby likes to sleep on its side when it is still young, and they are worried that it will have an adverse effect on the development of the baby's limbs. Most parents are accustomed to letting the baby sleep on his back, but from a medical point of view, sleeping on the side is beneficial to the baby's physical and mental health, so parents don't need to care too much.

1. The posture a baby takes when sleeping is closely related to his physical development. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the standard sleeping position is lying on the side, that is, lying on the right side with the right leg bent and the left leg straight; bend the right elbow and support the head with the palm; straighten the left upper limb and place it on the left thigh. It is believed that this posture can "prevent damage to the spirit". After waking up, you should lie on your back and stretch your limbs, so that your mind will not be distracted.

2. More Chinese parents are accustomed to letting their babies sleep on their backs, so the faces of most Chinese people are relatively flat and lack a strong sense of three-dimensionality. Some babies sleep with their heads tilted to one side for a long time, which causes the back of their heads to tilt to one side. Westerners are accustomed to letting their babies sleep on their stomachs, which causes long-term pressure on both sides of the cheeks, making the face shape become distinct. However, sleeping on the back can make the baby's facial features grow more straight and symmetrical, while sleeping on the stomach or on one side for a long time may cause the baby's left and right faces to be asymmetrical. This is because the baby's bones are relatively soft and easily deformed when subjected to external forces. Therefore, do not let your baby sleep in a certain position for a long time, as this will make your baby's appearance more beautiful and correct.

3. The baby's sleeping posture is the same as that of adults, including supine, prone and side sleeping. From a medical point of view, sleeping on your side is most beneficial to your baby's physical and mental health. Lying on your side best meets the physiological needs of the human body. When lying on your side, the spine is slightly bent, the shoulders are leaning forward, the legs are bent, and the arms are free. The muscles of the whole body will be in the most relaxed state, allowing the baby to fall asleep peacefully. It is more reasonable to lie on your right side.

4. For babies whose digestive tract function is not yet fully developed and who easily regurgitate milk after feeding, sleeping on their side can also prevent vomit from regurgitating milk from entering the respiratory tract and causing suffocation. When lying on the right side, the baby's heart will not be compressed, and the liver located in the upper right abdomen will receive more blood. At the same time, this right-side sleeping position can also help transport food in the baby's stomach to the duodenum, so that the digestive function can be fully exerted.

5. Sleeping posture will not affect the development of bones, but frequent sleeping posture will affect the baby's appearance and should be corrected. Moreover, if you sweat frequently, you need to supplement calcium and get more sun exposure when the weather is good.