Should infants lay flat as much as possible?

[sospel]

Hi, I am hoping to get some qualified input about whether infants should lie flat as much as possible the first months of their life.

In my country, it is considered very important to let children lie completely flat for as long a period as possible.

Others however, claim that a hammock might be better for an infant, for instance Amby Baby Hammock Motion Bed Infant Sleep Aid.

I have also noticed that in many other countries it is quite normal to let newborns lay in a reclined car-seat-on-a-stroller position.
(I am not talking about sitting up in a car seat, which can problematize an infant's breathing, and understandably put too much strain on the lower back).

A newborn child is born with a C-shaped spine, and for me, it seems most logical to thus let the spine be bent a little in the beginning.

So I am simply wondering: why is it so positive for a (newborn) infant to lie completely flat as much as possible?
What kind of negative impact may there be by letting the child lie in a little more curved position?

And what about wearing a child vertically in a wrap or a sling (the same way as the kangaroo care position) for extensive periods a day - in what way might that be negative for the infant's physical development?
(I am talking about "ergonomically correct carrying", like explained here: Storchenwiege - Your Baby Sling | No need to slow down your active life - just bring baby along!).

I would be very grateful for relatively detailed answers, with references or specific terms if possible.

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[estherderu]

dear sospel,

In many western and europeaan countries sleeping supine has become standard because of the dangers of SID (sudden infant death) in sleeping prone. ( SIDS Network home page )
As a result many parents became reluctant to let their children even play on their tummy.
Stimulating parents into putting their children on their tummy to play and on their back to sleep has become necessary as a result. http://www.healthychildcare.org/pdf/SIDStummytime.pdf
Tummy time for tots - News - News and events - The CSP

Research has shown that postural support promotes variation and quality of movement in young children http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES...ters/03_c3.pdf

I hope this is of some help.

Kind regards

Esther de Ru

[sospel]

Research has shown that postural support promotes variation and quality of movement in young children http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES...ters/03_c3.pdf

This article is very relevant! It has given me some new concepts to look into, and several of the references seem interesting to investigate further.

Thank you so much!