Baby needs time on tummy - but hates it!

[MintyTea]

We took our DD to her 8-week appointment and everything was fine, but the one thing the doctor highlighted was that, when the doc pulled our DD up by her hands from a lying position, she didn't hold her head up (think they call it head lag). Her head/neck were still floppy.

The doc said not to worry, but to give DD lots of time on her tummy (up to an hour a day!) and her neck would strengthen. But DD hates time on her tummy, and cries within a couple of minutes - I mean, really cries, and sounds so upset.

I have tried holding her under her chest so that she's on her front but doesn't have her head buried in the mat, but I don't know if this does the trick.

Has anyone any tips for extending tummy time? Should I just let her cry for a while and see if she stops, and gets used to being on her tum?

Thanks!

[QuintessentialDead]

Maybe it is not being on her tummy that she hates, but the feeling of "abandonment", lying face down on a mat, she may not know where you are!?

I did not practice "tummy time" for either of mine. But during nappy changes, I used to place them on their tummies for a little while on the changing table, and just give them a quick body massage with some lotion. Baby was high up, could see me, and feel my hands on their bodies. They loved it.

[MintyTea]

Chippingin, that is interesting indeed to read about the results of good tummy time. I'm taking it on board.

I tried tummy time this evening when DD was on her changing mat, and she did it for a little bit longer. Still only about a minute or two, but hopefully we can build on that. And I turned her back before she started bawling and getting upset, so I'm hoping she will start to see it as a nice thing!

I also took the V-pillow which I use for breastfeeding, and popped it on my lap with her sitting up against it, to give her more sitting-up time.

schmee, is plagiocephaly this a condition you can correct? I've read about it in my hospital leaflets but nothing about what you should do about it.

Thanks all for further insight!

[MedicalEd]

You could also try lying DD along your lap when you are sitting so her head is at your knees and then put your feet up on a little stool or something.
This gives them a new vantage point and can keep them happy on their fronts a bit longer.
Also a rolled up towel under her chest with her arms over the top of it will bring her up a bit.
Tummy time is not important just for holding their heads up but building all sorts of muscles, strengthening hands for writing later on, eye teaming for reading later on ect.
My DD did little tummy time and is now 7.5 months and seeing a physio for some delays.
I wish someone had said earlier how important tummy time is for some babies.
I think some don't need it as much and will roll, crawl ect anyway but maybe some babies need that extra help.

[Firsttimer7259]

My DD has developmental delays and I dont know how relevant this is for more typical children but...she was a late crawler and when we first saw physio at 15 months she wasnt crawling at all but could roll a bit (used rolling mainly to gte off her tummy)
Anyway physio helped me come up with ways to enforce more tummy time as DD needed to strengthen all those muscles in shoulders and trunk in order to progress to crawling. We would put her on a rolled up towel with toys in front of her to keep her occupied and just keep putting her back there. Or I would sit on floor with my legs out with DD lying over a leg and playing with something in front of her (so she was in a supported press up position). She was up on all fours within a month and crawling a month after that.
My DD couldnt crawl because the muscles in her hands, arms, shoulders and trunk were too weak. She needed to spend time on her tummy to correct that. Not all children are like this and some may find other ways of getting around weaknesses that still enable them to move but ideally you want to help your child stay on her front and develop that strength.
You may also find as we did that it does not take long before your child gets used to being on their front. After a week she would stay that way and was quite content exploring in that position

[Scorpette]

Minty, my DS hated tummy time on the floor. I got him to enjoy it by turning it into a game where he lays on his front on me. I do this two ways: 1) I lay on my back on the bed with my head supported by pillows then I make a game of bringing DS onto his front over my ribs. He can see the world around him and it doesn't feel as weird as being flat on his tummy. 2) sitting down, I hold him in the bog-standard 'baby's face to my shoulder' position. I then gradually slump down on the sofa until I'm reclining and move him more centrally onto my tum. This particularly encourages him to look up, as he wants to see my face. The physical comfort also makes it a more pleasurable experience for him. Someone told me that doing tummy time on you instead of a flat surface is just as good. DS is 20 wks now and has gone from having a meltdown if he even suspected we were going to attempt tummy time to indicating that he wants to do it because he enjoys it so much. HTH.

[reallytired]

I found the best way to do tummy time was to lie on my back and put the baby on my chest skin to skin. A very young baby will crawl to the nipple and latch on. See this link it is quite amazing to watch.

Babies like tummy time when they get fed at the same time. Being stuck on the floor without being able to see Mummy is not as nice.

[candy11]

hi i posted at tummy time thread on here not long as go as my LO hated time on his tummy i have just brought and mirror with toys on it designed for tummy time off ebay and he loves it managed to get a good 10mins out of him today have neva been able to do that before. its called an INFANTINO 2 IN 1 ACTIVITY MIRROR COT/TUMMY TIME try it as i said my LO loves it!!!! hope that helps

[boognish]

Loads of babies hate tummy time.
I'd second having her lying against your chest with her neck craning upwards, plus wearing her in a sling. Also playing Row Row Row your boat on your lap once she's strong and mature enough to enjoy that.

[ShowOfHands]

DD hated being on her tummy and so we didn't bother with it. Of course she's 4 now and they tie a piece of string suspended from the ceiling to the top of her head to keep her head up in school.

Oh no hang on, she's fine.

DD was in a sling 98% of the time which does the same job really. She met all milestones early really. Developmentally, lying face down on the rug screaming and thrashing wasn't helping her.

[saldoozer]

My DD hated tummy time but really improved when we put a small rolled up towel under her chest. After a couple of weeks she was much happier on her tummy and didn't need the support. Not sure about crawling etc as she is only 5 months.

[Armi]

I fold a small towel and place it under DD's upper body which means she isn't just face down on the floor. Before she had head control I would turn her head to the side and rest it on the towel so she could breathe/see me. I usually lie on the floor with her and sing to her, although lately she's been happy to study a brightly coloured book or interesting corner of her gym mat.

[schmee]

Mintytea - sorry to delay replying - plagiocephaly is where the baby develops a flat patch on their head and can range from a very minor thing that the baby with grow out of, to a fairly severe deformity that causes some functional issues. Early intervention in the form of physiotherapy and/or repositioning can help. Tummy time has the dual benefit of them spending less time on their backs, and also getting the baby sitting earlier because they have stronger muscles. Hope that helps.

[schmee]

Interestingly I was talking to the HV about this issue this week. She didn't seem to think that mummy tummy time was enough. I'm not sure why.

[jjbingo]

Our DD was like this, but has really improved now that she's 5 months. We didn't do tummy time because it just used to make her upset, so I know what you're going through. x

[MintyTea]

I've not been able to access MN for a few days, and I've just seen all these replies - thanks so much, everyone! This gives me confidence that I can persevere, using a combination of all of these methods and tips.

I did some more tummy time with DD today and placed a picture that she loves at the end of her changing mat so she could see it. She actually laughed for a minute or so, before the usual head-down-and-upset thing started, so that's progress!

Thanks for the tip on the mirror which they can play on, candy11 - that's great.

reallytired, that's an amazing video.

Thanks all x

[Ozziegirly]

They are tediously obsessed with tummy time over here in Australia. My DS hated it at first, so we would just do really short bursts, with me laying in front of him, making a little game out of it.

He did crawl early etc BUT at my mum's group we nearly all did some version of tummy time and they have all done things at totally different times.