Andrea,
I'm in the middle of reading Dr. Sear's new book on SIDS and just read the
section addressing your issue.  Dr. Sears suggests getting baby to sleep by
nursing or in another position first, waiting until baby is deeply asleep
(15-20 minutes), and then moving baby to his back.  If all else fails, Dr.
Sears does say that in some cases it might be better to "listen" to the baby
than to force this regime upon him.

However, Dr. Sears also mentions your observation that mothers who sleep with
their babies have less problems with babies sleeping on their backs.  He
notes that babies and moms generally back or side-sleep, probably for easier
access to each other; both seem to feel most secure this way. In the case of
a baby alone, however, he feels that the baby may more naturally feel secure
in a fetal position, which is best accomplished prone if not side; it is a
case of baby "self-soothing" in absence of parents, if you will.  (family bed
is looking awfully good, isn't it?)

-Lisa Marasco, LLLL, IBCLC
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