I need tummy time help...

fitmama418

Ok, I just tried to search this topic on our board and let me say I am SHOCKED that nothing popped up. Seriously. So if this has been discussed before or has been beaten to a pulp already, my apologies.

Sophia H A T E S tummy time. I can usually get her on her tummy with the Boppy propping her up for about 5 minutes before she starts screaming...but her neck is already pretty strong so now I'm just trying to get flat tummy time going so she can start pushing up on her arms and get some upper body strength (because she's not pushing up AT ALL it seems) and the Boppy makes her lazy. Plus, her head is starting to get a liiiiittle flat so I want her to be able to do things off her back as much as possible during the day. I asked the doctor about her head and she didn't seem concerned...but of course I still think it's a little on the flat side.

I've tried mirrors (since she stares at herself in the mirror during bath time each night), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the TV, toys like her Ooball rattle and Taggie elephant around her (but she's not really interested in many toys yet other than her play mat), I lay in front of her and encourage her, talk to her, try and help her get her arms under her and she just SCREAMS.

So...who else is with me on this? Any of you moms who have mastered tummy time have any advice? TYIA!

fitmama418

ANDPLUSALSO...

The doctor said tummy time ON me was not a good idea because it also makes her lazy and she has no room or way to push up on her arms. Whomp.

rspalding001

So this is probably an unpopular solution but when my daughter won't stand tummy time as a last resort I put her in front of the TV. She is so interested she forgets she hates doing tummy time I don't use the TV as a baby sitter... But in this instance it does the trick.

fitmama418

@CFox815



Ok ok I'll hang...

fitmama418

rspalding001 said:

So this is probably an unpopular solution but when my daughter won't stand tummy time as a last resort I put her in front of the TV. She is so interested she forgets she hates doing tummy time I don't use the TV as a baby sitter... But in this instance it does the trick.

Hey...did you see where I wrote that I put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Please. No shame at all. I don't see how it's any difference than plopping your kid in front of the iPad as high contrast images roll by. I'm with you...but sadly? It doesn't work for her, really.

JennOH85

Exact same frustrating boat. I don't push it, maybe that's the wrong answer. I figure he'll get there when he's ready as long as I give him opportunities. If he screams, I'll try to distract him but if he keeps screaming then I pick him up and say forget it. I'm a firm believer that babies will hit those types of milestones on their own time table pretty much regardless of what we do. (Language, etc. are different and can be encouraged, I think, but what do I know).

michelleh0385

I don't have any advice but want you to know you're definitely not alone in this. LO absolutely loathes tummy time. I mean, she'll lay there for all of 30 seconds before pitching a royal fit. I'm jealous of the moms that actually get 5 mins at a time out of their Lo's. I've tried all of those tricks too and she could care less. Idk what else there is to do other than just keep trying.

fitmama418

Thanks ladies! A friend of mine sent this to me on Facebook earlier as well:

https://nspt4kids.com/physical-therapy/3-easy-alternatives-for-tummy-time/

We had a little success with the second two methods earlier. Now she's just being a brat lol. We're just having a rare form day, I suppose. But I will keep trying!

Littlemama01

I *think* we are doing pretty good at TT, the key for us is when I put him down for it. He has to be happy to begin with cause if he's fussing from another activity and then put him on his tummy he loses it. So typically tummy time is the first activity after he wakes, before he eats (to avoid pressure on a full tummy) . And we take breaks so if he's starting to huff I roll him over for a bit too calm down then we go back down for TT. I also put him on a hard surface because on a soft surface he can't push up as well and gets frustrated, so we do it on the hardwood with a baby quilt under him. At the start try holding their bum down gently and you will find their head pops up. I also find at the start he could lift his legs and bum but not his front, so holding the bum a bit really helped him gain strength.

I also place him with his arms sort of under his neck crossed, like if you were using arms as a pillow yourself when laying on your tummy and that has helped him learn to roll from Tummy to back.
Attached a pic for fun, no idea why they are upside down

elroda

DevynnMarie said:

I agree with CFOX.. I flip him on his belly after diaper changers..

We just started doing TT on his mat, and he's lifting his head fine, but holds his hands together in almost like a "superman" position (workout term)

I also change him on his changing table so when I do flip him over, he's higher up and he wants to look around more.

When flat on floor he has no interest in anything around him.

On the floor, I also praise him if he lifts his head for at least 5-10 seconds. I help him roll over and give him tickles an kisses. Then we start again.

This. I've noticed that my little guy will be more active and happy if I lay him on the couch (with a rolled blanket bumper just in case) and I sit on the floor looking at him. 1)I don't have to lay on the floor 2) my furbaby doesn't come try to lick my human baby clean 3) being up higher makes him want to look all around 4) I think it's too drafty on the floor with the polar vortex and all.

Good luck momma!

BeachCouple

We had the same kind of trouble here as well.  I have found the best place for her to do tummy time is on my bed.  I think she really likes being higher up than on the floor and I can get a good 10-15 minutes, sometimes more.  We are also battling a slight flat spot on the side of her head, so I have also start letting her nap on her belly (very supervised).

Just when I started getting good tummy time stretches, she started rolling over though.  Which is awesome, but I still need her on her tummy to help the flat spot.  Someone posted above about placing them with their arms underneath them already, and I totally agree with that.  That helped LO learn to rollover.

katie.725

We do all of those alternatives... he seems to do well with laying on my shins...(every time I accidentally type shits instead of shins...)

Tummy Time is a fighting battle at our house too... we've made baby steps...

lnreynol

The baby on couch, mommy/daddy on floor method has really helped us too.

Kfran84

5 whole minutes?! I need to do better. I'm a bad mother.

Dreamingmommy4

L only will do 2 or 3 minutes before she starts sucking on her fist and fussing. I just make sure we do it multiple times a day to get more TT total. I usually lay her on the floor or the bed and I lay in front of her and talk to her and encourage her (she doesn't have much interest in toys yet). Definitely prop the arms under them, it helps a lot. GL!

BSnipes35

As a STM, let me just say "don't stress over it". DS1 had awful reflux and hated tummy time. I was sure he would never crawl or have any upper body strength. I would feel like the worst mom ever. Well, he learned to crawl just fine and is a perfectly happy (and athletic) four year old.

DS2 has no complaints about tummy time, but I sometimes forget to do it. Bad mom, I know. Just keep doing it for as long as they'll stand it. I'm sure they'll still hit their milestones.

michelleh0385

nciesla said:

Thanks ladies! A friend of mine sent this to me on Facebook earlier as well:

https://nspt4kids.com/physical-therapy/3-easy-alternatives-for-tummy-time/

We had a little success with the second two methods earlier. Now she's just being a brat lol. We're just having a rare form day, I suppose. But I will keep trying!

Wow, that article said the goal is to have babies on their bellies 50% of their awake time. I need to step it up!

BeachCouple

michelleh0385 said:

Thanks ladies! A friend of mine sent this to me on Facebook earlier as well:

https://nspt4kids.com/physical-therapy/3-easy-alternatives-for-tummy-time/

We had a little success with the second two methods earlier. Now she's just being a brat lol. We're just having a rare form day, I suppose. But I will keep trying!

Wow, that article said the goal is to have babies on their bellies 50% of their awake time. I need to step it up!

I was surprised when my ped said she should be up to hours (total) at her 2 month appt.  That was one of the reasons I started putting her on her belly to nap as well.

ranaverde

Iris is not fond of tummy time either.  The only time it's successful is if I do it in the morning, while she's in the best mood of the day, and even then it's only for a minute or two.

That said, two things.  First, this post was really helpful for us in moving beyond desperate and angry shrieking to just grumbling:  https://mamaot.com/2012/03/25/tips-for-making-tummy-time-a-little-less-um-miserable/

Second, I'm not that worried about it because we hold her upright a lot, sit her up a lot, and hold her so she can stand up.  She impresses her ped and the mommy-class nurse with her skills in those areas, so if she's delayed in terms of things like push-ups and rolling over, I'm not going to worry about it.  She'll get there eventually; babies in cultures that don't do tummy time end up walking just fine, after all.