Tummy Time - Cleveland, OH

Hello and no worries. Tummy time will happen just keep up the good work of offering it to her daily or even just a few times a week. I have 19 month old twins and neither of them enjoyed tummy time. (I was actually a little relieved because I wanted them to continue sleeping on their backs.) No physical worries here. Both are very active. You are doing a great job! Keep it up!

I wouldn't worry too much. My son hated it also and I rarely put him on his tummy(he would cry and it made me feel horrible). He rolled over at 3 1/2 months and is crawling now at 6 months. Good Luck!!!

My kids all hated being on their tummies too. As an alternative to tummy time, carry your baby in a sling. The baby builds arm muscles pushing up against your body.

Babies don't have to have tummy time! If she hates it, then just skip it. Wearing your baby in a carrier or holding her upright is actually more beneficial than tummy time, and it doesn't usually involve making the baby cry. :-) Every time you move around, the baby has to shift her muscles and it helps develop them faster and stronger than just laying on the tummy. I didn't do any tummy time with my daughter and she sat up by 4 months and was walking at 9 months! Being held up and able to watch the world goes by really gives babies an advantage, muscle-wise and mentally too because they get lots of stimulation, warm touch, and so on.

Don't worry. That's not unusual. My son HATED tummy time but rolled over just on schedule. I don't think it's time to worry yet. Every kid has their own schedule.

Hi M.,

I never focussed on tummy time and my kids are just fine. I think they both started to turn over around 5 months, crawled around 8 or 9 months and my son walked at 14 months. My daugter is going to be 1 yr old this month and is couch walking.

C.

My son gots lots of tummy time. But he was on his own terms. He rolled over at eight months(we thought he couldnt move his head. he has a big one) crawled at nine walked at 14 months. My son does everything when he is ready and not a minute before. I think if his doc didnt go in there and take him out he would have been late. They are ready when they want to be and a little coaching doesnt hurt. Good Luck

She'll eventually roll over - there's no hard and fast rule as to when babies should do this.

If she doesn't like tummy time, try leaning all the way back in a recliner or laying down on the floor or a bed. Place your daughter on your chest and sing, smile, make goofy faces, kiss, etc. She's still on her tummy, lifting her head and developing the core muscles needed to roll over.

You can also try tummy time by putting her on an unbreakable mirror (they make a zillion of them). She might enjoy looking at herself in the mirror. Also, try putting toys in front of her or laying down on your tummy and making faces at her. Try anything that might make being on her tummy a lot of fun rather than boring and helpless.

She is only 3 months old.

give her some time 3 months is just the beginning of rolling over. some don't do it that early. she will in time.

a lot of babies hate tummy time at that age. they are just so used to being on thier backs it just feels wierd for them. but a little bit of tummy time each day is essential for the development of their back and neck muscles. what i did with my little girl was jsut get on the floor with her for a about 10-20 minutes several time thoughout the day and place a rolled up blankie under her chest and put a few toys around her to try to grab at. she's tolerate it for a little while and then start fussing. once she was done, i'd turn her back over. she started trying to rol over when she was about 4 months old. even once she succeded in getting over, she got mad becasue she didn't like being on her belly. it was funny watching her...she'd get so flustered trying to get from her back to her belly, then she'd still be mad once she got on her belly. after several days, she got more used to it and didn't mind being on her belly.

Continue to put her on her tummy multiple times a day, for as long as she will tolerate. It's been suggested that with the back to sleep children aren't getting enough tummy time at all. Leaving them to hate their tummies. I've read multiple studies about leaving babies on their stomaches all day long, during naps and all, while you are awake to watch them. Then putting them on their backs at night when you are asleep.
My son also hated his stomach but he rolled. Once they have good head control they like their tummies more and more. She will roll, in her own time.

Don't worry...my five month ol rolled over and over and over...all around the living room just the other day. He hated tummy time and I rarely put him on his tummy. I did do it a little but not regularly.

Your little girl will still develop. Just help herpractice sitting and standing. Thoseleg and core musles are what she will use to roll over.

You can try layin her on your tummy while on your back. That way she sees you during tummy time.

Hi M.:
We weren't that big into tummy time either and our daughter was slow to roll over, but has been quick to reach all the other physical milestones -- crawling, walking, etc. The only time she liked tummy time at that early age was when I put her on a big exercise ball (holding her of course) and rocked it back and forth. I think it was soothing in a way, and because it wasn't a flat surface, she was forced to hold her head up. If you don't have one and want to try it, they sell them at TJ Maxx or Target for pretty cheap! Good luck!

Yeah I was there too a short while ago. While my son preferred to sleep on his stomach and thus had no shortage of tummy time, my daughter couldn't stand it until the day she actually started crawling (about six months)....so we bought the toys that were sposed to help and did the horrible screaming at mom with the "WHY?!" face and big crocodile tears with lots of snot until I said,"Screw it. She's not gonna be on her tummy with her face in floor screaming at me when she's forty. She'll learn." So I stopped pushing it. And she did learn. Turns out it was an incredibly uncomfortable position that completely frustrated her because she wanted to crawl so badly and physically couldn't (purportedly because she wouldn't do the prescribed "tummy time".) We quit tummy time. And at six months she started rolling over and crawling everywhere and now at ten months she's starting to walk.

Don't worry - it will come. i wouldn't stop trying it, forcing the issue for at least a few minutes a day, a couple times of day. But if she doesn't do a full twenty minutes three times a day or whatever the prescribed amount of time is, I wouldn't worry about it. She'll learn by doing other things.

BTW, the most acceptable form of tummy time (even tho she still HATED it) to mine was the Lamaze Spin & Explore Garden Gym. She hated it, but it got her face out of the carpet and forced her to strengthen her abdominals due to the position of the thing....and she gradually came to like the toys (once she got past her own misery and making sure I noticed it.....)

Good luck!

My daughter wanted nothing to do with being on her stomach till she was 4 months. Then she would let us put her on her tummy for a few mins here and there. She learned to roll over just fine without all of the tummy time the doctor told us to give her. They all roll over on their own time. When you least expect her to roll over she will. Like you put her on the couch and turn to grab the phone and she has rolled off the couch before you know it lol.

M., mine too! She did not like being on her tummy. I would put her on her tummy as long as she would tolerate it and the time got longer and longer. She learned to roll over but it was on her time schedule not one from a book. She is doing well.. try not to worry too much, your little darlin will roll over when she is ready. R.'

The idea of "tummy time" is so new - it's only because most babies are forever stuck on their backs now, in car seats so much of the time even while OUT of the car (it's so common for babies to be put into the car seat carrier, and then REMAIN in the car seat carrier once they get to their destination where the mom takes the car seat carrier and plunks it into the stroller, and then the baby is fed in the carrier, etc.).

I saw a few other moms give this advice already, but I just really want to support what they said --> if you carry your baby in a soft carrier (like a sling or a soft-structured carrier or a wrap), instead of transporting your baby everywhere in the car seat, then you don't have to worry about tummy time - seriously!

Here are a few links w/ more pics and information:
http://peppermint.com/guide.html
http://www.cottoncradles.com/stylesdescription.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babywearing

So... instead of keeping babies in plastic baby buckets all day, simply leave the car seat carrier where it's intended to be: IN THE CAR! And just take your baby with you, held close to your body, and breathe in the sweet smell of your baby's head. Then you practically never have to worry about tummy time (assuming your baby is developing normally).

P.S. - Enjoy their being so small, so portable, and their being right there with you - this is a short time in their life! Soon enough they'll be running everywhere. :)

M.,

Really no need to worry. My son hated it and would spit-up if I left him too long. I just put him on his tummy for a few minutes (or seconds) each day, or not:). One day while playing on the floor, he just rolled to get a toy and that was that. He ended up sitting at around 4 1/2 months and walked/ran at 10 months.

I am finding with my second baby, that they all do things their own way and on their own schedule.

Hi M.,
My son was the same way he hated being on his belly. I think that this is very normal...especially when they can't roll over yet...they can't see mom or dad and it's a little scary to them. Maybe you could prop her top half up on a pillow or a tummy time mat (those water filled ones). The only other thing I can think of is if she has a lot of gas she might be uncomfortable. Whenever we would put our son on his belly he would have a bowel movement. I hope some of this helped :-)