Reflux baby- refusing tummy time

NewMomma21 · 2024-04-18T15:06:07+00:00

Hi there Hoping for advice from fellow reflux baby parents My DS is almost 7m. Medicated for silent reflux. Can have some pretty bad reflux episodes but generally okay apart from being a very fussy, cranky baby who needs a lot of entertaining and stimulation. My concern is this. He absolutely refuses to do tummy time. Will screech when placed on his stomach. When placed on his back he also screams and digs his heels in and refuses to roll no matter what stimulating, interesting objects placed near him. Previous DS was confidently rolling by this age. Has anyone found their reflux baby to be similar? I’m stumped as to what to do. Any advice or experiences welcome

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Superscientist · 18/04/2024 16:17

My daughter with silent reflux did maybe 1 minute of tummy time in total on the floor. She was pretty much permanently in my arms and lay on my chest which counts. She had exceptional head control by a few weeks old. She rolled twice at 5 months and then nothing for another 6 weeks and then she rolled again nothing for 2 about 2 weeks then never stopped so around 7 months.

She has met every milestone in the same way. Early attempts then nothing then just does it when she knows she has mastered it.

Original poster

NewMomma21 · 18/04/2024 16:48

Superscientist · 18/04/2024 16:17

My daughter with silent reflux did maybe 1 minute of tummy time in total on the floor. She was pretty much permanently in my arms and lay on my chest which counts. She had exceptional head control by a few weeks old. She rolled twice at 5 months and then nothing for another 6 weeks and then she rolled again nothing for 2 about 2 weeks then never stopped so around 7 months.

She has met every milestone in the same way. Early attempts then nothing then just does it when she knows she has mastered it.

Thanks so much for that. Did you persevere with the tummy time or just do it every now and then? I really don’t know what to do, he is clearly in distress when lying down and is very strong willed

OP posts:

Superscientist · 18/04/2024 17:10

NewMomma21 · 18/04/2024 16:48

Thanks so much for that. Did you persevere with the tummy time or just do it every now and then? I really don’t know what to do, he is clearly in distress when lying down and is very strong willed

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We did it 2 or 3 times for seconds and stopped. When she was 4 months she screamed as soon as she was out of my arms (and in them to be fair) so it just never came on to my radar. She cried and screamed for 16-20h a day so we were fire fighting and trying to keep her from crying. We saw HV every other week and never got asked about tummy time. They all commented on how strong she was as she back arched in my arms with reflux and I tried to keep hold of her.
Her GP was undertreating her reflux and she had a lot of food allergies. She was 17 weeks before these were properly addressed. She was behind developmentally at this stage too not smiling or responding to sounds that sort of thing. By 5 months she was on target after 3 weeks of high dose reflux meds and I started taking her allergens out of my diet.

Row23 · 18/04/2024 18:36

My son had silent reflux and we basically had to stop tummy time at about 4 months as he would just throw up all his milk and there were concerns about his growth. It was a little while before we tried it again but he has always hated it.
He was much more interested in standing or being sat upright, so we focused on that instead. He never crawled but was walking at 9 months.
I think it’s worth trying tummy time anyway, but also give baby a chance to try other things like sitting or standing.
My little one didn’t roll from back to tummy until he was about 10 months, and he only did that so that he could get onto his hands and knees so he could stand.

Original poster

NewMomma21 · 18/04/2024 20:24

Row23 · 18/04/2024 18:36

My son had silent reflux and we basically had to stop tummy time at about 4 months as he would just throw up all his milk and there were concerns about his growth. It was a little while before we tried it again but he has always hated it.
He was much more interested in standing or being sat upright, so we focused on that instead. He never crawled but was walking at 9 months.
I think it’s worth trying tummy time anyway, but also give baby a chance to try other things like sitting or standing.
My little one didn’t roll from back to tummy until he was about 10 months, and he only did that so that he could get onto his hands and knees so he could stand.

Thank you so much for this! I expect something similar will happen with my DS

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MojoDojoCasaHouse · 18/04/2024 22:59

Do you carry your baby in a carrier or sling? I had to carry my reflux baby upright in a sling a lot to reduce the vomiting. When they're in a sling or a carrier that counts as tummy time.