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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not have time for "tummy time"?

97 replies

andiflondonburns · 26/03/2016 12:31

my daughter is 3.5 months

i don't have time to do tummy time (single parent + other things) and the times i've done it the past i don't feel comfortable when i've done it, i know you pick them up when they start to show signs that they're not happy and sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and all that but there's nothing else developmentally where i have to watch her struggle

is it really necessary? I'm quite happy for her to crawl later than she would have done with tummy time.....will she miss out with brain development?

surely she will do it herself when she's ready, once she's worked out how to get on her front? She can almost get herself on her side already.
thanks for any constructive advice/support!

OP posts:

honkinghaddock · 26/03/2016 17:05

I think it is poor that the floppy, haters of tummy time children are not picked up earlier by hcps. Ds passed his 8 month assessment without being able to hold his head up properly.

maydancer · 26/03/2016 17:21

I always put my babies on their tummy even though it wasn't a thing back then. Because, even when they are very young they do that 'trying to crawl' swimming type of action, it seemed the natural thing to do.
Am worried how you will find time to hear your DC read and so on in a few years.

educatingarti · 26/03/2016 17:22

Shiny, it isn't shoulder strength you need as in lumberjack muscles, it is shoulder stability. It is true that some children have more global issues with muscle tone but not all of them. Handwriting is not just about fine motor control but also about shoulder and core stwbility. As I say, if you don't believe me, go ask an expert.

Children who have sufficient tummy time and time crawling do benefit and as clarella says, you can't always tell which children will be affected when they are tiny.

I'm not aiming to make any one feel guilty, just to counteract those who are saying of course it doesn't matter, because actually it does, and to encourage the op and any others with babies to persevere with TT or use a sling or lie them down on you or many of the other helpful suggestions people are making.

Wouldn't it be worse if I deliberately stayed quiet when I knew there were further reaching issues to think about?

SoupDragon · 26/03/2016 17:46

Meh. I did "tummy time" with my PFB. He hated it, invariably threw up and then wiped his head in it. I didn't bother much with the next two.

foragogo · 26/03/2016 18:58

educatingarti as I said, if you do plenty of other things with your babies, as I did, like carry them in slings, sit them on your lap, tickle them, lie them on you, lie them on your knee, throw them up in the air, stand them on your knee, bounce them.on your knee, take them to classes, play row the boat, pass them around etc etc etc etc then tummy time is not essential and any child, without specific medical issue, will develop normally, as mine did, without specific allocated tummy time.

I think we should encourage new parents to spend time with their babies and interact with them, not scare them about the mythical tummy time which some babies hate (particularly the ones with reflux).

Lurkedforever1 · 26/03/2016 20:09

Yabu to say you don't have time because you're a single mum. I was too with a load of other stresses and responsibilities so that's a crap excuse. Will you be dragging that line out as long as you're a single mum?

I can see the logic in not doing it if they hate it, but I still think it's physically important to find other ways of placing a baby in a similar position for all the benefits.

lljkk · 26/03/2016 20:15

Beware, if you think nappy changing pause is a good time for tummy time... putting babies on tums means pressure on tums and pressure on tums means any material in the tum has to move to somewhere .

BombadierFritz · 26/03/2016 20:21

Mine hated it so i never bothered. They were v early walkers at 9 + 10 months. Probably just hated headbutting the floor.

BombadierFritz · 26/03/2016 20:23

Those saying there is a link with longer crawling and reduced dyslexia/better motor skills. Is that actually causative then? I thought not.

Floggingmolly · 26/03/2016 20:32

It's developmental? I thought it was just so they didn't get that flat headed thing from constantly lying on their backs .

Ninjagogo · 26/03/2016 20:35

Don't worry about it, mine were all Velcro babies so rarely flat on their backs anyway. All have great motor skills, met developmental mile stones etc. YABU about the lack of time though

eurochick · 26/03/2016 20:43

Mine just face planted on the playmat and didn't enjoy it so we did "tummy time on mummy time" - basically an excuse to lay on the sofa with her on my chest for a while.

educatingarti · 26/03/2016 21:14

Fritz, the theory is that crawling strengthens the connections between the left and right parts of the brain because you are moving left hand and right knee together, then right hand and left knee etc. Many reading problems occur because children have difficulties "crossing the mid line" - ie, moving both eyes smoothly from left to right as needed for reading.

There is a correlation between higher incidences of dyslexia and those children who don't crawl but I'm not sure how much it has been proven as a causative link. The link between lack of crawling or other opportunities to practice pushing up body with arms and poor shoulder stability and consequences when writing seems to be accepted fairly well by paediatric OTs as far as I know.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 26/03/2016 21:42

If it only takes a few minutes out of your day, I can't see why you wouldn't do it even if you don't agree with the theory behind it?
It wont harm you baby and could benefit their development.

BombadierFritz · 26/03/2016 21:45

Those are just myths though surely?

Lottie2611 · 26/03/2016 21:53

No time for tummy time. Time to post a thread about it

backtowork2015 · 26/03/2016 22:06

YABU, just do it. Going to a friends house for coffee? Put her on the lounge floor in front of you, sitting in a waiting room? Lay her across your lap on her tummy. Why can't you find time to consider her leisure time?

educatingarti · 26/03/2016 22:09

I don't think so Fritz

artisanroast · 26/03/2016 22:11

Lottie - hahahaha!!!! (there is no 'like' button)

My daughter has excellent head control for her age. I think it is down to the tummy time/skin-to-skin we had to do to encourage her to breastfeed.

My house is quite untidy though which is definitely the downside to all the ime spent during the day with my daughter. My rule is clean kitchen and bathroom and the rest just as and when I can. Guests can take me as they find me. If they are offended by my lack of tidiness they can babysit or clean themselves to help me out!

BombadierFritz · 26/03/2016 22:34

Sure it is. Its a theory from a very long time ago but theres no evidence to back it up. Theres a lot of 'idea' but no 'proof'. There are definite links with eg dyslexia but its not usually suggested it is causative
www.slate.com/blogs/how_babies_work/2013/04/24/crawling_and_development_parents_obsess_about_it_but_your_baby_will_be_fine.html

WhoaCadburys · 26/03/2016 22:49

Judgy replies here

cornishglos · 26/03/2016 23:20

It seems like such a natural thing to so. Part of playing and exploring with your baby. Surely you don't just leave them on their backs all the time?

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