Is it safe for an 8 month old to sleep on their tummy if they roll on to it? if yes why is that different than laying them down on their tummy?

Back sleeping: Sleeping on the front is less safe than sleeping on the back because of sudden infant death syndrome. However, no one expects a parent to stay up watching the child to make she she stays on her back. Eventually, children mature to where they can roll themselves back and forth, and at that point the issue becomes somewhat moot.

Best sleep habit: "Back to Sleep" is the advice in pediatrics. Before then, Docs worried about crib death and when parents made sure that babies slept on their backs, the incidence went down. However, the vast majority of crib death occurs by 4 months of age and since your child is now 8 months and rolling, you don't need to worry. You are safe at this age.

Guilt: Since the label is applied to any unexplained infant death in the first year, putting baby down ton the back is the present recommendation.It is unrealistic to expect parents get up and force back sleeping on older infants.Yet, SIDS does occur after 4-6 mo,so putting them down on their back avoids heartbreak and feelings of guilt in the rare times it can happen later.