Baby Who Hates Tummy Time

Hi M.~
I just went through this with my 7.5 month old son. He could not stand being on his stomach, we tried everything. The doctor told us not to worry about it, some babies just don't like being on their tummies. I would put him on his stomach for about 5 minutes (no more) each day. I am happy to say that he has out grown it and has no problem being on his tummy now. He was about 6 months old I think when he stopped crying when on his tummy. Don't stress yourself out over it, you are a great mom and your son will out grow this and will be all over the place before you know it.

He needs to be on his tummy to develop the muscles to roll and push up for crazling later. Do you have a baby gym. Gymini has a great one with a mirror. This way the baby can play and look at themselves in the mirror. My son was frustrated too. But once they start to develop those muscles it stops.

Don't worry about it. My stepson hated tummy time. Screamed like you were killing him. He didn't start crawling until he was over a year old. He started walking at 18 months. He is 3 1/2 now and perfectly normal. You can't force a child to do something they don't want to do. Your son has a schedule of his own. He will be just fine.

Things that worked for us:
-> Tummy time in 2-minute sessions spaced throughout the day.
-> A mirror to look in during tummy time. We have that Sassy one (that everyone seems to have - http://www.bizrate.com/crib_strollertoys/oid451644516.html) and it's actually STILL in our daughter's crib.
-> Tummy time over the Boppy pillow (or a rolled-up towel or blanket) is easier for them and still lets them work their muscles.

The biggest thing for us was distractions - we had to be down on the floor with our daughter during tummy time or she'd howl immediately.

M.,

Look at tummy time from your son's perspective. He's in a position where he can't really use his hands, he can't see anything but the floor next to him, and it's rather unfamiliar. When you look at it this way, it does kind of suck. I'd cry too.

This isn't a bad thing. If your son doesn't like tummy time, he'll fight harder to learn how to fix it. All that struggling to move and to puch his head out of the floor is good for him. It helps build strength for rolling and eventually crawling.

As far as reaching milestones on time, your doc's right. He's going to roll later than babies used to when they slept on their stomachs. But, he's probably going to roll right on time in comparison to modern babies who all also sleep on their backs. There's no medal for this, so does a couple of weeks really matter?

Take it from one who knows, my son is now two. Mobility is NOT the holy grail new moms think it is. It's a big pain in the neck. I would give my left arm to go back to immobile infanthood for just one afternoon! To just once find my son in the same spot I lift him when I went to the bathroom. To not have to wonder if he's sitting indian-style in the middle of the dining room table calling Nana on the cordless phone. To not walk back in from filling his sippy and find him dancing to the Dora theme on the back of the couch. Not escaping out the back door because we've figured out the lock on the screen door, or scaling the changing table to get the wipey box and throw them around the nursery like a snowstorm. This too chall be yours in a remarkably short period of time. If he waits a week to roll over, put your feet up and grin.

Hi M.,
Most babies don't like being on the tummy at first. My 5 week old cried every time i put her on on her tummy but after doing it a couple days she likes it. In fact she prefers to be on her tummy now.

babys need tummy time to develope thier trunk muscles. these muscles help pull themselves up,crawl sit up, and evenyually walk.i would start putting him on his belly a few times a day at first he will start to like it. you could spread toys around him so hes more focused on whats in front and aroud him than what position he is in.good luck
angelica

There are a lot of great ideas here, but I have a couple more. Lie on your back and put your baby on his tummy on your chest. Now he has someone to talk to and look at. Or, lie on your tummy with him on the floor, face to face. Talking to him this way gives him a reason to lift his head and look at you!

My son had the same issue. I used to put him on his tummy for as long as I could get him to tolerate at a time. I also noticed that it helps if you get a sleep positioner and allow him to sleep on his side too. I'm sure that he'll be rolling in no time. Babies have this funny way of doind everything at there own speed.

Hello M.,

Don't worry about it. My boy (he is now 15 months old) hated tummy time also. By six months, he was rolling all over the place. My daughter also hated tummy time (she is 6) and she hit all her milestones early. It isn't a big deal, when the baby is ready, he will roll over. Just remember, all children develope differently. Love the milestones when they come, but don't worry about rushing them. they only come once, and babies are only babies once! Enjoy!

liz

Dont worry ... my daughter is very smart and has hit all her milestones but took lokger to roll over and never crawled just went to walking ... i used to worry and the pediatrician said all children are differant and some children just take their time with some things. My daughter is almost three now and walks runs rolls around and crawls around ... better to be safe against SIDS than for him to roll over quicker ,... Youre doing fine and hell get it:) Some kids just dont like the tummy thing ...