At bedtime, I place my 5 month old on his back to sleep but when I go in the morning to wake him up, he is on his stomach, having flipped over during the night. What should I do about this? Also, when can he start sleeping with a pillow?

Because the scientific definition for SIDS is up to one year of age, we generally recommend that the risk reductions measures be adhered to through this period. Arguably, some factors, including no smoking around an infant, can continue through childhood. Many parents get concerned at about 5 or 6 months when some infants flip to their stomachs to sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that once an infant can turn, continue to place him or her to sleep on the back and allow s/he to adjust to whatever sleeping position is comfortable. Note that after 6 months of age, the rate of SIDS deaths decrease dramatically; in fact, the highest incidence of SIDS is between 2 and 4 months.

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