Tummy Time - Vancouver, WA

My daughter hated tummy time and I did not push it. I did try to put her on her tummy about every now and then (couple of times a week) and if she cried - that was it.

We did practice baby-wearing however, which helps them develop the same muscles and also keeps the pressure of their heads, so they don't get flat spots. I wore her in a carrier or sling pretty much all day and we did not place her into her car seat or a baby-swing for extended periods of time. I did talk to her doctor about it back then and he said what we were doing was fine. Her development ws (and is - now she is a toddler) perfectly on target and she has a beautifully formed head.
Once she could turn around on her own she started loving being on her tummy.

3 moms found this helpful

Hi J.,

Your post just makes me sigh. Sometime in the last several years, tummy time has become one more thing that mothers fret over. I'm not sure why the pediatrics world has gotten their collective underpants in a bunch about this, but let me reassure you: if your kid doesn't like tummy time, it's really okay.

I've taken care of lots (lots!) of kids who all had different responses in regard to being on their stomachs as babies. Some liked it, some screamed, some fussed and hated it and some seemed ambivalent to the whole thing. They all, each and every one of them, ended up sitting, crawling and walking in their own time. My own son HATED TTime with a passion, which made sense as he had some digestive/gas issues. I don't want to lie on my stomach if it's not feeling good, so why should he? I'm not saying your daughter's stomach is bothering her, per se, just that all kids will react differently and that being in tune to what your daughter is telling you is the best you can do for her.

What will happen if your kiddo holds off on tummy time for a few months? Nothing significant. There's going to be a very broad spectrum in any group of babies in regard to when they sit up, crawl and walk. My son was on the tail end of this and while I did get a little antsy, knowing that all those other kids did it in their own time was reassurance to me.

Doctors sometimes worry about this sort of stuff, and if your kid isn't fulfilling some sort of developmental milestone by a certain date, many like to refer to pediatric occ. therapists. Only relatively recently has all this information come out about the kinds of exercise and movement our children need in order to become better walkers/eaters/etc. While it's good we have correct information (esp. in regard to toys which may cause imbalance in the muscle development and lead to incorrect walking/crawling movements), what we have to keep in mind is that billions and billions of people were just fine before the advent of Tummy Time.

Here's the big However...other than the reclined bouncy seat or carseat on travels, your daughter can certainly benefit from having opportunities to work on developing her muscles on her own. Being propped up in Bumbo-type chairs and exersaucers or Johnny Jump ups CAN be inhibiting to your child's natural movements and while these inventions may seem to soothe our children/entertain them, they can cause the muscles to develop incorrectly (esp. Exersaucer and Johnny Jump up, because they are jumping on pointed toes instead of their flat foot, which changes the leg extentions and how they use their musles. ) Better to use a few soft blankets on the floor or to hang toys on a string over baby in a moses basket or the like. Baby gyms are cute but costly and you can easily make one with string and those cheap plastic links. We had 'stations' around the house where my son could play while I worked and the string and toys just hung from doorknobs when they weren't in use.

All this to say that your daughter will likely be fine, that we receive an abundance of information (some of which can scare us and some of which is useful) and that there are other things we can do to ensure that our little ones are getting opportunities to use their bodies than just tummy time. I hope this gives you some peace of mind. She'll do it when she's ready!

2 moms found this helpful

Hello J.,

My daughter didn't like tummy time either. I did a few things.
1. I had her do her tummy time on my chest - so I was on my back and she was on me. It worked a little and was better then nothing.
2. I involved the animals - she loved the dogs - so I put one in a down stay and plopped her right in front of them - feeding the dog for good behavior and getting a happy baby at the same time.
3. Lots of short little tummy times and dealt with the upset crying.

Eventually my daughter started to like it, especially when crawling came along.

Positively,
M.

2 moms found this helpful

J.:
I would have to agree with Peg. My daughter did not like tummy time either... so I would lay her on my chest as I laid on the couch or bed & spoke to her to encourage her to lift her head & look at me. She seemed to enjoy that better. Maybe it's the feel that mommy is still there. I also propped my daughter on a boppy on her tummy & just made sure she was snug in there... she didn't mind it too much but didn't like being that way for too long so, that might be something you could try to strengthen baby. :) Also, try turning on some soothing music... I did a lot of instrumental or I would sing to her myself.

Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful

as a couple of others have said, tummy time should really be on your chest! so you can enjoy each other's company! it's unfortunate that doctors are telling people to do tummy time but have forgotten the obvious!

2 moms found this helpful

:) I think that most babies hate it. The one thing that I found that worked really well with my baby was to lay her on her belly across my legs when I am sitting in a chair. She feels close to me... and enjoys it I wiggle my legs a little and she likes it. She has gained great head control by holding her head up while she is on my legs. Now she is 4 months and only likes tummy time on a blanket outside b/c she can hold head up and look around

1 mom found this helpful

Tummy time can be on a boppy or your lap too. You just want to get her back extensors firing. It should start for a short time too. A minute may be all she'll tolerate and that's great. Just keep building up.

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Many babies feel helpless and frustrated until they become more mobile and are able to grasp. I wouldn't like it either if I couldn't go anywhere, grab anything, or even see very much, with mommy looming up there somewhere.

I remember lying on my back and holding my daughter on my belly/chest, which she loved. Lots of bonding: eye contact, touch, movement, encouragement, laughing. I loved it too.

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J.,

Good luck! Both of my kids hated tummy time with a passion until they could roll over on their own then I couldn't get them off their tummies.

Keep trying with her, and when she's had enough pick her up. My kids also loved sitting on laps where they could look around and see more.

Hope this helps,
M.

1 mom found this helpful

Wearing a baby in a sling or baby holder counts as tummy time and is actually even more effective than tummy time. I never gave either of my kids tummy time and they both managed to hold up their heads, crawl, etc. anyway. Think about how many babies in the world and throughout history never had tummy time and then got their heads up, crawled, walked, and hunted deer or gathered berries, or did whatever the supposed benefits are, anyway!

I think this is enforced torture, personally. If they don't enjoy it, think about the emotional hurt you are giving them by purposely putting them in distress! Right now they need to be getting as many happy feelings as possible, and minimizing any distress, in order to have healthier emotional development.

I would have to agree that most babies don't like tummy time when they're awake. I started my ds with just 30 second time periods. Literally 30 seconds. We'd do that several times a day for a few days then I increased the time by 15 seconds increments.

My 14 month old didn't get a lot of tummy time because we had hard linolium floors and no income to buy rugs or anything for padding. Towels and clothes just made it bumpy and didn't work. She didn't crawl till about 9 or 10 months which may or may not be a result. Either way, the doc says she is right on developmentally. So I say if baby doesn't like it, don't sweat it.

My baby hated that too. Instead I put him on my chest so when he lifts his head he sees me. Worked like a charm for the exercise. He still hates his belly and had a fit the first time he rolled over, LOL. Also, don't sweat the small stuff. I agree that baby exercies is just plain ridiculous.

My youngest also HATED tumy time. She to would scream and just flat out hated it. try rolling a towel or blanket and prop her up a little. I also would put toys for her to look at close to her so she would see when turning her head. Just do a few mnutes at a time if your little one gets so upset.

My daughter also hated tummy time, as did my son. I used an exercise ball and rolled her around. I didn't push it when she was really little, but after about 3 months wanted her to start working on neck muscles and getting them more strengthened. She could hold her head up fine, but she had a large head compared to body (50th% head and 5th % body) and it was hard for her to hold up her head on tummy time.

Now, my son was sick frequently with head and chest colds starting at 2 weeks and I tried to keep him upright as much as possible to try to loosen the crud so he could breathe better. He got small spurts of floor and tummy time when he was well in between colds. He is right on developmentally as is my daughter. Both were early talkers and walked at about a year. My son learned to sit up before he learned to roll over due to the upright time.

Tummy time is recommended more now because we have our babies sleep on their backs to reduce SIDS, they need to learn to strengthen their tummies and necks more with tummy time.

Don't push it, if she starts to fuss, tummy time is over. You want them to enjoy the time not get so frustrated to where they won't do it.

Good luck,
D.

I agree with the others about having tummy time be on your chest or lap. I think at 10 weeks, it definitely is normal for her to hate it. My baby hated it too and we didn't push it. We'd give her a few minutes every few days. And gradually, I think when she was around 3-4 months, she started to like it more. So even though at ten weeks your baby hates it, I'm sure as the weeks go on she'll start to like it (or at least not cry so much). good luck!

Dear J.,
Hello. I'm a mother of 1 year old twin girls. What I did for tummy time with them was I started laying back on the couch with them on my tummy. This gave us some "mommy and daughter" time. Then I graduated them to the floor. Also, after a while I would put them on a play mat. Anything that has toys attached to it. Mirrors are awesome when they turn 6 months old. But don't be hard on yourself. My girls didn't really like tummy time either until around 3-4 months old. Your little girl is doing just fine. And don't try to push her to accept tummy time right away. All babies are different. There is no set timeline when your daughter has to perfect her tummy time. Although if by her 6th month she isn't getting any better then your pediatrician will work with you on it. I hope this helps! Good luck.

T.