Nigerians on social media have reacted to a viral video of a medical practitioner, Aproko Doctor, warning against placing a child who is less than one year old face-down to sleep.
In the video he made, the doctor stated that although this practice has been with Nigerians for many years, it is wrong to place a child sleeping face down. He said that such sleeping positions can cause a child to suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
According to him, babies less than a year old have not developed head control, and so they can move their necks to any side to enable them to breathe well. He said children placed face down to sleep tend to breathe the same air, and this could lead to Hypercapnia, which means a buildup of carbon dioxide in the baby’s body.
Nigerian mums, however, seem to disagree with him. They argue that their mothers taught them to place their babies face down to sleep, and it has been working for many years. They also argue that babies tend to sleep better and for a longer time when they sleep on their bellies and not on their backs.
Watch the video he shared and read the different reactions below….