Tummy time equals difficult time!

[blue22]

My DD is 7 weeks old. I've been doing 'tummy time' for the last 3 weeks, but she absolutely hates it. We've never lasted more than about 30 seconds. How long should I be doing it for? I've tried lying next to her, but it doesn't make a difference. I want to help her develop, but don't like making her do something she hates? Any advice welcome!

there wasn't much emphasis on tummy time until after the back to sleep campaign, when they realised that kids were developing differently as a result. so, back to sleep, while preventing cot death, does have other negative effects on muscle dev apparently, hence tummy time. when i was a kid the advice was to put children on their tummy, sides and back in rotation.

Sorry, Isitmeor - I didn't notice your post!

I was going to say what Aitch said - that babies used to get lots of tummy time naturally when they were place on their fronts to sleep, but that doesn't happen as a matter of course anymore (or not so much, anyway).

I can't see the point in dismissing tummy time out of hand when there is plenty of evidence that it does help to build muscle tone and strength.

DS hated it. He'd tolerate it if propped up on a cushion or rolled towel or put in front of a mirror. Sometimes I'd put him at the edge of our bed, and kneel down in front of him, making funny faces etc to keep him amused.

He sat at 5.5 months. He was a late roller, never properly crawled (only dragged himself along on his tummy) but was up on his feet at 10 months and walking by 13 months. He was always happier to be upright rather than lying down.

Aitch is right, there are lots of good reasons for tummy time stemming from the amount of time babies are on their back now. Preventing plagiocephaly is another one to add to the list.

Carrying them in a sling also helps with head shape. Is there actually any evidence that tummy time is essential for develpoment?

There is probably evidence to show it good for development but I doubt that it is essential, what about cultures where babies are carried all the time? Or what about traditional methods of swaddling/cundling up babies such as in the picture here? I'm sure they all develop at some point.

The phrase "tummy time" annoys me. It seems to me that it's creating another thing for parents to worry about. If it wasn't named, people would just do what seemed to suit the baby and not stress about it.

My DD hated Tummy time too. I would try it every now and again but didnt worry too much.

It didnt harm her at all.... She was sitting up unaided at 3.5 mths, crawled at 9mths and walking at 11mths!

She missed the whole rolling phase completely.

Even at a few weeks her head was pretty strong and she liked to sit on your lap and be carried facing outwards so she could see what was going on. Shes just as nosey now!!

Just do it every so often and dont push it. Putting DD's fav toys in front of her during tummy time helped. Even the shortest time each go is a start.

As far as other development I have read that the children in countries like Indonesia (IIRC) don't have any issues even though they are carried for much longer. But again, they are in slings and so use upper body strength much more I would think than in a carrier. And it's the carriers that increase the risk so much more for plagio.

DS had reflux and so putting him on his front was a recipe for bringing up milk. In order to keep as much milk in him as possible we didn't do much tummy time.

He was fine, as he got better from reflux he was slowly happier to be on his tummy, but never did long stretches or loved it. He crawled a little later than some but was standing up ridiculously early and walking on his own at one.

Don't beat yourself up over it, I'm no medical expert but I think when your DC is ready they'll want to be on their tummy - or at least tolerate it! You don't see people failing to walk/sit etc because they didn't lie on their front as a child!

It's hard enough being a parent - give yourself a break on this one.

DD loathed tummy time so I didn't really bother with it. She never crawled at all, just got up and walked one day. And she couldn't roll over until well after she could walk. None of it seems to have done her any harm!

according to my chiro it's essential for all sorts of neuro stuff, i'll ask her next time for papers, she'll have some... she's that type.

i really don't think it's a good idea just to dismiss it out of hand, tbh. better to ask why your child hates it, surely?

just an overview but does suggest that it's worth pursuing

and there are refs at the foot.

My DD hated tummy time with a passion until she was about 4 or 5 months, we tried it every few days, but didn't get past 30 seconds. It did seem to help to get us to 60 seconds if I was on my tummy too and looking at her, or was lying down with DD lying on my chest. But I don't think it did any real harm, she's almost 10 months, has been crawling for over a month, and is pulling herself and cruising.

Keep trying it when you feel like it, but don't beat yourself up about it

True Aitch you do need to look for reasons. I think ds hated it because it involved putting him down rather than any chiro type reasons . He also hated being put on a play mat on his back or just not being glued to me or dh in general . I wondered what the hell a play mat was for until dd came along!

well that all seems to make sense...

(although i would also say that being 'glued' to someone, presumably in a sling or somesuch, is a more 'active' way of bearing oneself, so probably attends to a lot of the muscular stuff that they might otherwise be missing out on just lying on a mat, iykwim?)

Oh gosh I have never ever heard of tummy time. My dc were born in 2001 and 2003. They were both walking by 13 months. Don't have you baby doing something that makes her cry because you feel you ought to ...

I never did "tummy time" with either of mine. I carried them in slings, had them sat on my lap or in a reclining baby chair, or laid them at an angle on my chest. Both of them crawled at the "normal" time.

It really isn't needed. Anthropologically speaking babies are not put down, not on their backs, not on their tummies, they are carried every where and sit on laps all the time. They all crawl and walk just fine.

If she doesn't like it don't do it, sit her on your lap or lay her on your chest, these things will develop her neck and upper body muscles, with no stress or tears!

right, so blue22 the moral of this story is that if your baby is sleeping on her back you should be doing 'something', whether that's tummy time or keeping them actively supported in a sling. but don't just ditch it with no plan b.

as it happened, both of mine were in slings and slept in a hammock, which is pretty sound, anthropologically-speaking, but dd1 still hated it until the chiro unjammed her neck.

My DS hated tummy time too so we just used to let him lay on our chests (as we reclined on sofa). It's a lovely cuddle and sort of tummy time. Also held him against chest lots when walking about as that encouraged him to lift his head to look around.

PMSL

"throw away the books and do it my way!"