Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

Crawling when tummy time is absent

35 replies

Monstermoomin · 16/04/2023 15:50

Just wanted to get other people's experiences really.

My youngest is 7.5 months and will not tolerate tummy time. This has been the way since birth. I've tried to make it fun, not done it when she's too tired etc and if she's started crying I turn her over/sit her up or pick her up so she doesn't associate it with so much upset.

But she absolutely hates it. She doesn't put weight onto her arms doing it and just smooshes her face and screams.

She is able to bear weight on her arms cos she is held on us and will push off etc, but won't do it on her tummy.

My eldest would go on her tummy so crawling was normal at around 8-9 months.

But I just wanted to see if others had found there was a delay with crawling if they couldn't get there LO to go on their tummy? She really is frustrated she isn't moving I think but just won't go on her tummy (or back really).

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
CurlewKate · 17/04/2023 13:34

It just seems yet another thing for mothers to beat themselves up over. I hate that!

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 17/04/2023 13:37

My eldest was born in 1989 (I know, I don't look old enough!) and putting them on their back to sleep was definitely a thing then. Tummy time was not. In fact, 'tummy time' wasn't a recognised 'thing' for any of them, and my youngest is 27. None of them have suffered any adverse effects from not being left face down for periods of the day or night. They all crawled and walked in an appropriate timescale too.

FlounderingFruitcake · 17/04/2023 13:49

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 17/04/2023 13:37

My eldest was born in 1989 (I know, I don't look old enough!) and putting them on their back to sleep was definitely a thing then. Tummy time was not. In fact, 'tummy time' wasn't a recognised 'thing' for any of them, and my youngest is 27. None of them have suffered any adverse effects from not being left face down for periods of the day or night. They all crawled and walked in an appropriate timescale too.

Pre 1994 the advice wasn’t consistent so it makes sense that no one had dreamt up tummy time yet. I was born in 1989 too and was put to sleep on my front. It was also part of Anne Diamond’s campaign that if she’d lived elsewhere she might have been told about putting baby on their back, and her son died from SIDS in 1991.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

6-9 months old Babies & sleep Families General parenting
Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 17/04/2023 13:54

FlounderingFruitcake · 17/04/2023 13:49

Pre 1994 the advice wasn’t consistent so it makes sense that no one had dreamt up tummy time yet. I was born in 1989 too and was put to sleep on my front. It was also part of Anne Diamond’s campaign that if she’d lived elsewhere she might have been told about putting baby on their back, and her son died from SIDS in 1991.

Show quote history

I know Anne Diamond's campaign hadn't started, she lost her baby in 1990 which was when my daughter was born, but I know the general advice was beginning to be 'don't put your child on its front to sleep'. The advice about cot bumpers and all that had yet to come out though.
Maybe it was regional? I know my MIL wanted the babies to sleep on their stomachs, because that's what her children did, but I already knew it wasn't safe, and I had to have got that from somewhere.

Oldnproud · 17/04/2023 13:58

CurlewKate · 17/04/2023 13:22

@RoxanaRoxana "
One woman did tell me that her 6 year old has great handwriting because they did lots of tummy time, but I wrote her off as a loon."

There was a very plausible but now discredited theory about 20 years ago that crawling facilitated the brain/muscle link that helped with handwriting. Some schools had those cargo net things for reception children to crawl under in an attempt to re-educate their neural pathways. Much more fun than many interventions at least!

Interestingly, at our local primary, the Reception year children actually do a lot of writing practice while lying on the floor!

Ichosetheredpill · 17/04/2023 14:37

Neither of my two did tummy time. I couldn’t bear the crying. Both crawled by 7ish months. Humans learned to crawl/walk before tummy time was a thing.

Mrsmch123 · 17/04/2023 17:11

I mean maybe there is a link between tummy time and crawling but ever been to a job interview and they asked you when you started crawling?.....mine hated tummy time, didn't crawl until he was 11 months and walked at 17 months. He's now 21 months and runs everywhereeeeeeeeeeeeee😂😂

DreamiesAnonymous · 17/04/2023 17:27

Lol at the handwriting thing!

My ds hated being on his tummy, never crawled but was a super speedy bum shuffler - it was a sight to behold. Walked on his 1st bday. Now aged 14 and making up for lost time doing tummy time in front of the TV 😉

Honestly, it's bollocks.

deliwoman1 · 18/04/2023 09:03

My DD is 9.5 months and has always struggled with tummy time too but she had weirdly good neck control almost from birth (maybe due to being breech?🤷🏽‍♀️). Used to scream blue murder when she was laid on the mat but was okay with being on our chests, which we did a lot. She’s been able to get up on her elbows and hands for a while now and has just started sort of shuffling backwards, but I’ve yet to see her get up on her knees and it seems slow compared to her peers who are all super mobile. She’s got strong legs and wants to use them so we think she might just get up and walk one day 😂

Original poster
Monstermoomin · 18/04/2023 15:33

Thanks everyone for the responses! I wasn't worried that if she doesn't do tummy time it'll hinder her development, I was just curious if it meant people's experience had been they were later to crawl due to this :)

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page