Tummy Time

[LikeAnAdventCandleButNotQuite]

How do I get this ball rolling. I put (now 10 w/o) DD on her tummy maybe once a week, she lasts about 30 seconds then cries

She can hold her head quite well when sat on my knee or up on my shoulder, but just cannot seem to lift it even to turn it sideways when on her front.

Am I too early, or am I just not doing it often enough?

Also, I am just popping her down on the mat/blanket. Should I maybe roll something up to put under her chest to raise her head slightly?

Im so confused, and dont want to leave it so long that it becomes even more of a challenge.

If she is on your tummy against your chest, that counts as tummy time. She doesn't have to be on the ground.

Ah, great! I do spend good chunks of time with her up against my chest, or I lie back almost flat with her on top, she does seem to prefer that way. Just thought being on the floor would also encourage rolling etc, but one step at a time I think

you don't have to do it al all! As my mother used to say, babies ought to be born with "this grows up automatically" tattooed on their foreheads!

and never a truer word spoken. I am tempted to raise a free-range child, but am too neurotic. Plus, the poor poppet is getting a bald patch on the back of her head, which makes her look even more like her father.

Arf @ 'look more like her father .

DD was born with a full head of hair, most of which fell out, and she was left baldish/patchy-haired. When people commented "gosh MrNinja, she looks so much like you" he would reply "it's the hair isn't it?!".

I was paranoid about tummy time as well because whenever DS was put on his tummy he would, like your DD, last about 30 secs and then grizzle and shout. By 4 months, when a friend helpfully posted up a video of her DD (2 weeks younger than DS) lifting her head right up and looking around for 2 whole minutes while on her tummy, I was convinced DS had been scarred for life by my failure to get him to do more tummy time.

He's 5 months now and still grizzles if I put him on his tummy but can last a whole minute now with his head raised up, propping himself up on his arms while looking around, no problem! As my doctor said, some babies just don't like tummy time but they still develop rolling and crawling skills when they need to.

My HV scared the life out of me when DS was 2 weeks old by saying that when he wasn't asleep, he should be on his tummy. Seriously. Sigh. I hate my HV. I'm sure there are some good ones, but with her it's her way or no way.

Actually he could flip himself from tummy to back from 3 weeks but still hated being on his tummy. It changes on its own so just persevere with as much or as little tummy time as your LO will tolerate, I reckon. DS is now 7mo and rolls everywhere, so he's quite happy on his tum. He's been like this for a month or two. Hope that helps!

DD hated tummy time so I rarely did it with her. I can't remember when she rolled over but she sat up at 5 months, crawled at 7 months and walked at 12 months. I have to admit her head was a bit flat at the back but this has resolved itself now (perfect head)!

DD1 just screamed, so we tried about twice.
Didn't bother at all with DD2.

Both of mine just cried if you put them on their front until they were able to get themselves there...well after that even tbh, I'd have to keep turning them back over after they'd rolled by themselves and then didn't like it, lol

DD hated it but we persisted because we thought we should. She got feck all out of it bar a carpet mark on her forehead.

DS we haven't bothered. He rolled both ways by 13 weeks and at 6 months is crawling, getting from lying to sitting, bum shuffling etc. And no hours of enforced tummy time. He is slung most of the time though which helps muscle development too iirc.

I gave up - dd hated it.. made absolutely no difference to her development whatsoever. Listen to your instincts and don't battle with all the (rubbish) HV's tell you to do, relax and enjoy your time with baby rather than stress about doing this and doing that.

Another here that didn't do it. Why your child in a position that they clearly dislike? The 'benefits' of tummy time didn't stack up to me.

Have a read of this www.regardingbaby.org/2010/09/20/no-tummy-time-necessary/?wpmp_tp=0

That was suppose to be 'why put your child..."

DS hated tummy time too, so we didn't do too much of it.

He's now learned to roll from his back to his front (at about 6 months) - unfortunately he still isn't all that keen on tummy time, and he hasn't figured out how to roll himself back onto his back again yet....

dd couldn't do tummy time she had reflux so we just both ended up covered in sick

That's definitely a reason not to do it blackout

DS hated it too. He never crawled but did walk at 13 months and now at 4, can run, jump, skip and generally caper and fart-arse about so I don't think we've done any lasting damage but not enforcing it too much.
Things that did help were putting a rolled or folded up towel under his chest so he wasn't flat on the floor. I would also put him on the edge of the bed, with his head over the edge and sit underneath him. I didn't do this when he was too young but once he'd developed a bit of head control! He also quite liked having a mirror propped up in front of him

I think tummy time is a bit of nonsense. My DD hated it despite me spending a small fortune on contraptions to make her enjoy it. She walked at 11 months and started jumping at 14 months. If you think about it for yourself it is generally not that comfy lying on your front. I think it is to counteract the sleeping on back recommendation but I think as long as you vary how they are sitting/lying then that is ok.

HV told me I should be putting DS on his tummy frequently so his head would grow into a nice shape and not get flat at the back.

Oh the rules!! Mine absolutely hated tummy time. Would howl and burst into tears at each attempt. I felt bad and stupid for making a content,happy, smiling child live with the tummy time rules. Nonsense I said and gave up. He is a fine 20mo little baby boy - walks, runs. Started walking, crawling in his own sweet time..
Hth.

And the bald patch...all babies put on their backs to sleep will get it irrespective of how much time they spend on their tummies...

Naah, never did it with dd1 and the little bugger walked at 9 bloody months . In fact, if I do do it with dd2 will she walk later so I can have some peace? Early walking is seriously overrated.

Tummy time is because we don't put babies to sleep on their fronts anymore so they dont develop certain muscles as quickly as they would if we did. I think there was a study which showed that babies who slept on their fronts from birth had more advanced motor skills compared to those that didn't, hence the tummy time "guidance". However after a certain age the difference in motor skills levelled out (ie they all get there eventually)

I did tummy time with DS and do with DD. Both like it as I give th something to look at. I did it because I wanted DS to sit up etc sooner cos he had reflux. Just made sure it wasn't too soon after a feed. Putting DD on her tummy was the only way to stop her screaming during a nappy change when she was a newborn!!!

you changed her nappy while she lay on her front? That is rather skilfull!

Haha I'd do the clean up in theusual fashion with her screaming then flip onto her tummy to put a new one on. Thankfully at 12 weeks she's happy enough so no synch lunacy needed.