No tummy time - worried

[cracklybooks]

I’m a first time mum to a 16 week old DD. I’ve hardly done any tummy time with her and am a bit concerned that it may have affected her development.

I read that by 16 weeks, babies should be able to prop themselves up on their arms whilst on their tummy and have a look around.

I’ve been doing some tummy time with DD over the past few days and she is nowhere near that - her arm muscles seem very weak and she’s not pushing herself up off the floor at all. She just lies there, moving her legs and getting more and more distressed.

Have I affected her development by not starting tummy time sooner and is there anything I can do to help her progress?

[SandieCheeks]

@LeGrandBleu Pre-1990s most babies spent vastly more than 30 minutes a day on their fronts though.

[LeGrandBleu]

@cracklybooks tummy is a new invention dating mid 1990s and millions off humans developed perfectly normally before that,

DS2 would become desperate on tummy time. No attempt to lift his head, he would just desperately cry, his face in the rug.
Now at age 14 he competes at state level in NSW Australia in athletics and swimming and even qualified once for Nationals for Javelin. His brother and sister did plenty of tummy time and are couch potatoes.

So don't worry too much about this if she doesn't like it. There will be practice to lift head duding normal and natural activities.

[user1471465987]

My wee boy is just the same, down to the rolling from back to tummy first, though not quite got it yet, and has just recently also started trying front to back.

We did tt but he would just cry and thrash and would last 30 secs at a time. We tried everything... R
rolled up blankets, breastfeeding pillow, water mat, a roller thing for under tummy, spread over gym ball... honestly, I was freaking out. I then bought a boppy pillow and literally within a week he was raising head much more, even when off the pillow. It just gave him the boost to figure out what muscles to engage I think. 4 weeks later he is on his foreams and holding head up for much longer. He no longer cries so early into tt, and when he needs a rest puts his head down, but is happy to go again after a rest. He is now really good at sitting up supported by a corner and we are working on the unaided part. Remember this has happened during lockdown so things like babygroups aren't on. I am sure that getting out and about and meeting other babies and other people sooner would have also made things happen more quickly.
But long story short, buy a boppy pillow if you haven't already. The branded boppy, for us was the right height, whereas some other pillows were too thick.
Good luck, as others have said, have you ever met an adult that can't hold their head up?!

[SandieCheeks]

You can hold her to do tummy time OP - it doesn't have to be flat on the floor to start with. Once she's stronger and can push herself up and lift her head she'll be happier to lie on the floor.
apcp.csp.org.uk/system/files/tummy_time_2016_0.pdf

[SandieCheeks]

@Mandalalorianna

Never heard of tummy time. When did that start? DC ages 25 - 13.
They're all fine BTW.

Soon after the advice became to put babies on their backs to sleep, parents also started being advised to put babies on their fronts during awake/play time - some babies were spending no time on their fronts and paediatric physios were starting to see issues emerging such as flat head syndrome and torticollis, delayed gross motor skills.

[Namechange6005]

@cracklybooks

I’m not concerned that there’s anything wrong with her - she can’t hold her head up whilst on her tummy, but the reason for that is purely down to lack of tummy time I think.

I don’t know if she’s got good neck strength really - how can you tell? She’s not floppy like she was as a newborn, but beyond that I’m not sure.

Can she move her head when she's doing tummy time?

[Mandalalorianna]

Never heard of tummy time. When did that start? DC ages 25 - 13.
They're all fine BTW.

[cracklybooks]

I’m not concerned that there’s anything wrong with her - she can’t hold her head up whilst on her tummy, but the reason for that is purely down to lack of tummy time I think.

I don’t know if she’s got good neck strength really - how can you tell? She’s not floppy like she was as a newborn, but beyond that I’m not sure.

[Namechange6005]

Has she got good neck strength? I have a 13 week old. He's not all that keen on tummy time either but sometimes does better if his upper half is on a pillow and legs on the bed.
As everyone has said if you are concerned speak to the health visitor. If you get a red book in your area there's info in that.

[ScrapThatThen]

Let her lie on you for tummy time and cuddles

[cracklybooks]

Thanks for the reassuring replies! I will start doing a little bit of tummy time every day. It's hard because I obviously pick her up as soon as she starts crying, which she does after about 30 seconds. So it doesn't give her much time on her front. She does spend quite a few hours in the sling some days, so that is something.

She's also showing signs of wanting to roll from her back to her front, pushing herself up with her leg to turn a bit to the side when she's on her back. But I read that babies usually do the opposite first of all (roll from their front to their back). She's literally back to front!

[Illegitiminoncarborundum]

DS Hayes tummy time so I just gave up with it
He's fine and ahead of all milestones

[userabcname]

I don't hold any store by it. Ds1 HATED tummy time. Screamed blue murder. At 5mo he could sit independently and shortly afterwards could shuffle/move around. By 9mo he was pulling himself up and bearing weight on his legs. Ds2 loved tummy time. Settled on his tummy if crying, would lift his head to look around, once he could roll would roll onto his tummy by choice. Couldn't sit independently until 6mo and at 9mo can move around via rolling but is nowhere near as mobile as ds1 and not even close to pulling himself up. I honestly don't think it makes much (any?) difference.

[FrancesHaHa]

Never bothered with it, and DD was/ is fine, met all milestones and 'early' with some.

There are a lot of things you get told you must do and feel guilty about if you don't when you have a baby. Luckily this lessens as time goes on.

[olivo]

My DD hated tummy time, she'd just lie with her face in the mat until I moved her . She also didn't roll. She is now 11 and this didn't stop her doing many other things!

[Rainallnight]

Foster carer* not foster career!

[Rainallnight]

We adopted our DD and she spent the first 8 months of her life with a foster career who basically left her in a rocker or bouncer in front of the telly pretty much all day. So no tummy time and not much of anything else either!

She was v v slightly on the late side to walk but she is physically perfect is now an energetic four year old who runs and climbs and dances and never stops!

Babies are pretty resilient, really.

[Kitkat05]

@cracklybooks my lo hated tummy time.. only started showing interest around 5 months. Started rolling around 6-7 months. 8 months both back and front. 9months sitting up.

[GrumpyHoonMain]

Tummy time helps all the upper body muscles from jaw / neck to ribs and core. But there are a lot of ways to do it. If your baby doesn’t like being flat on the floor then try propping her up on a pillow (supervised of course) or on her side so she can look around. Put toys in front of her everytime she’s on her tummy.

As long as you do it everyday (even for a little bit) she will soon strengthen.

[KitKatastrophe]

Both of mine hated tummy time. My older daughter met all her physical milestones, it made no difference that she didnt do much TT.

My younger girl is 4 months and has just learned to roll despite doing tummy time for about 5 minutes total in her whole life.

[Feralkidsatthecampsite]

Tummy time is a new fad!! Ds walked at 9 months, no tummy time. Now a fully functional 28 yo. .

[ShirleyPhallus]

“Tummy time” can also include holding the baby up when you’re sitting / standing as that also engages their neck muscles. Pretty sure you will have been doing that so don’t worry

[SandieCheeks]

If you've never put her on her tummy then she won't have had the chance to develop those arm and neck muscles yet - but 16 weeks is still tiny, as soon as she gets the opportunity she will start pushing herself up and looking around. Even if it "delays" crawling by a few weeks it won't make any difference in the long run - no one will care if she crawled at 7 months or 10 months.

[RUOKHon]

I didn’t bother with tummy time with either of mine, because whenever I tried it they would start wailing after 30 seconds and I couldn’t bear to see them thrashing around upset on the floor.

They have both been surfing today and are now climbing monkey bars in the playground.

Don’t worry.

[molifly14]

Have you ever met an adult who can't hold their head up because their mum never bought a tummy time roller? No. Baby will be fine don't worry