Is tummy time essential?

[Mybellyisaneasteregg]

With ds I did tummy time every day from birth a few times a day, gradually building up in duration. He rolled early and then went on to crawl and walk early.

Am pregnant with my second baby and I'm wondering how essential tummy time is. I don't want an early crawler/walker (didn't realise the implications of this with ds obviously) so I was wondering if there are others out there who didn't do any at all or who only did it occasionally it or when it occurred naturally.

[PenguinsHatchedAnEgg]

It is actually, as far as I know, a bit of a myth that babies 'used to always sleep on their fronts' as people often say. Up to about the 1950s it was advised to put babies to sleep on their back or side. The advice seems to have changed fairly suddenly. My grandmother was advised to put babies to sleep on their back, but by the time I was born (am in my mid 30s) my mother was told to put me on my front.

The change seems to have come about for a number of reasons, mostly to do with babies sleeping more deeply on their front and also worries about choking if they were to vomit. Other reasons included strengthening the neck and spine. One source I found says that Dr Spock's books changed from advocating back to front between 1955 and 1956 editions and that by 1958 he was strongly pushing front sleeping (though I don't have copies to check).

To me, personally, it has never made sense to say that babies were routinely and instinctively put to sleep on their fronts. As you lower a very young baby, you hold their neck, which makes it as least as natural to lay them on their back. Also, for most of human history, most babies co-slept. Which wouldn't allow for front sleeping.

So actually, the window of front sleeping as standard (as opposed to because some mothers found it suited their child) was pretty brief. About 40-50 years. Mind you, during that window my mother was berated for putting me on my back to sleep even though I screamed the house down every time she tried my front .

My babies have hated tummy time. With DD1 I diligently tried. With DD2 I hardly bothered. With DS (newborn) I will do the same unless he actively likes it. He's a baby, I've no urge to train his stamina at something he dislikes. They spend a lot of time in slings, being carried, etc. Both DD's were also sitting by 5 months and spent a lot of time sitting up. They were late crawlers, but walked bang on average (and judging by a video I found recently, at least DD1 was running very fast about three days later).

[naty1]

Stupid phone. I was only trying to read

[naty1]

P

[colds2012]

Sorry... Typing from my phone....

It had made all the difference in the world and the site is "Seven Tips for Making Tummy Time A Little Less....um....Miserable" :)
Just to add, my ds is loving being carried around on his stomach (step 4) and on an exercise ball I got from Walmart during pregnancy ($8!), I can adjust the angle he is at as we progress to being parallel with the floor.

[colds2012]

My son (three months tomorrow) HATES tummy time, and yes, the doctors scared me too about a month ago because he wasn't holding his head up. Whenever I put him down, however, he would scream murder and automatically want to nurse and wouldn't be comforted until then (So frustrating!).

But there is an article I stumbled upon last week and it has made all of the difference in the weekend! Look up "Seven Tips for Making Tummy Time a Little Less...um... Miserable let." It is at mamaot.com. It is a literally a list to help your baby progress/transition into enjoying tummy time.

Since starting this, I have found that my son is curious and probably just wants to see everything! I have also learned that he already has a lot of those muscles, but likes to be butt naked (really??) or on a blanket rather than our carpet to even try full blown tummy time. We are on steps four and five and he LOVES the exercise ball (so curios!) And when I try him on his actual tummy, he if starting to last even a little longer and starting to try to push himself up. Oh, and he rolled himself onto his tummy for the first time yesterday (then cried) after only doing this for a week. Hope this helps!!

[vichill]

dd absolutely hated it but crawled at 7.5 months. I didn't feel it was so important that I needed to scare her every day.

[ZingWatermelon]

deep

I couldn't agree more. It's "created" to make up for "lost hours" a child would have spent on their tummies even just a few decades ago.

because they were put in their cots to sleep on their fronts it was on only a natural extension to put them on their tummies when awake.

and that only applied if they weren't otherwise held/strapped on front or back of mother.

swings & roundabouts.

[deepinthewoods]

But "tummy time" is a modern invention, created for western approaches to having a baby lie flat on their backs in a cot all night.
It's not essential for babies who spend much of their waking and night times being mobile.
It's purely a response to the advice to place babies flat on their backs for most of a 24 hour period.

[Nocomet]

Eyesight and bladder control, I'd love to see a reference to proper peer reviewed evidence for those

[BathroomDrama]

IMO it is very important. The thing is that the advantages of it are not easily seen, so people don't see how it's helping.

There are lots of things that being on their tummies help them to develop - one of them is bladder control & another is eyesight. Unfortunately I can't remember the other things as they weren't the main focus of why we were doing it (the baby had a lump on his neck), we learnt so much along the way, but sadly my memory is crap for the 'detail' - but I do know it's important.

Being in a sling isn't the same as being on a firm surface which they can push against - so whilst it may help with head control etc, it doesn't replace tummy time.

Of course lots of people will say 'I didn't do it with my baby and s/he is fine', they can't know that - they can't see inside their baby or into the future, or know if their child could have had a stronger core, better eyesight or whatever.

There are lots of techniques to help a baby enjoy tummy time if you are interested?

[deepinthewoods]

"Tummy time is essential. It helps with their physical and sensory development."

But it depends on what babies are doing the rest of the time. Tummy time is not "essential" for all babies.
For babies spending most oftheir time lying flat on their backs in a moses basket or pram then tummy time is probably a great idea.
For babies that co- sleep ( which involves a great deal of movement and posture change including probably front lying) and are carried in a sling I don't think tummy time is that important.

[Charlotteamanda1]

Tummy time is essential. It helps with their physical and sensory development.

[passwordchange]

My DD (10 months) hated tummy time. I did it a few times, then gave up. Didn't stop her sitting at 6 months, crawling at 9 months and crusing at 10 months.

[Nocomet]

15 minutes!
DD1 wouldn't do 15 seconds, before you needed ear defenders.

And she wouldn't tolerate being put in a sling either.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

We did tummy time with DS, but then DH is a physio and felt it was something he wanted to do.

He crawled at 6 months and walked at 10. I totally understand what you mean about not wanting an early one next time for your benefit, it's exhausting having a child that wants to do the next thing all the time.

I'll still do it with dc2.

[deepinthewoods]

I think it is important if your baby sleeps in a cot or spends a long time in a moses basket or pram. Depends on your parenting style, more mobile babies may not need tummy time.

[alteredimages]

Tummy time is v important IMO. I wasn't doing it for the first month with DS and this was immediately picked up by the doctor at his six week check as his neck muscles were underdeveloped. At four months he now seems caught up but the difference was really obvious for the first couple of months compared to other babies his age.

He hated it at first, and still doesn't love it, but even five minutes a couple of times a day have helped immensely.

[naty1]

My DD didnt crawl properly till exactly 8m and walk till 13 but i assure you she was naughty enough anyway. She used to inch around on her back, turned the xbox on at about 4m. As soon as they can cruise they are as naughty as when walking anyway.
I think walking early is also personality (that and strength) some just wont let go others just fling themselves and fall over a lot.
I only did tummy time haphazardly as she didnt like it (nor lying on her back either, reflux). So ended up mostly holding her. Despite that she seems to have a flat corner of her head i think she was sleeping too close to the cot bars.
I would just do a reasonable amount.
I found they struggle with sleep when learning new skills but that would happen whatever age.
My DN is not walking at 15m as they have decided not to encourage too much.

[TheCountessOlenska]

My tummy time refuser (dd) crawled at 6 months and walked at 12 months. Had a slightly flat head but it seems to be a normal shape now (age 4)
Ds loved being on his tummy from birth, crawled at 5 months and walked at 11 I feel your pain OP
He has always had a lovely shaped head as well.

[deepinthewoods]

I never did tummy time, but we used a sling, and co slept, so my babies were very active and mobile during the night, not lying flat out in a cot.

[Raxacoricofallapatorius]

I never bothered with tummy time but the DC lived in a sling which is good for muscular development. Both rolled by 12 weeks, sat at 4-5 months and walked at 9 and 11 months respectively.

[TheScience]

DS1 didn't like being on his tummy so I didn't make him tbh. I can't remember when he rolled over but he was crawling at about 8 months walking at 11 months. He spent lots of time in his bouncy chair and was in a sling a lot - no flat head or anything.

DS2 preferred sleeping on his front as a newborn but now at 8 weeks will sleep on his back or in a swing in the day, and one his side or back (co-sleeping) at night. I haven't really done tummy time with him since the first couple of weeks.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

BTW dd was fine with crawling though she did go backwards to start with, sometimes getting herself stuck under the kitchen table which was quite amusing
She actually spent more time crawling than ds (who is more NT)
ds was less of a crawler, going more from sitting to walking IIRC

[ikeaismylocal]

I have dyslexia and I crawled normally, I think the dyslexia link is more likely to be that dyslexic children will possibly find it harder to learn to crawl and maybe skip that stage rather than them somehow becoming dyslexic because of the lack of crawling.