Hard time with "tummy time"

nicademus20

Hello everyone, 

My LO is 3 months old and when I do "tummy time" he seems to be doing worse at it instead of better. 
He has a few times lifted his head for a couple seconds; but then lets it down and rubs his nose into the blanket. 
He also has turned his head to suck on his knuckle instead of trying to lift his head. 
When I tried it before writing this question, he did what he does most often, put his head into the blanket and cries loudly. 
This causes me to be anxious doing it, so I haven't been doing this as often. I use a dense blanket and is on the floor so (to me) hard enough to provide a solid surface to lift from, but soft enough to be comfortable for his face, when he puts it down.
The pediatrician picked him up and saw too that he doesn't try to lift his head and we are lined up for a development appointment.
My little guy was premature so may have a role in this hard time figuring out what he needs to do. 

I'm wondering which methods of "tummy time" have worked for you, and what your experiences have been. How long did it take for your little one(s) to "get it"? 

knottied8db2918b117c594

Have you tried a tiny pillow for under his chest? They make ones for tummy time. Helps lift them a little and makes it a bit easier to lift their heads and see forward instead of just down, which can frustrate them because they can't see anything

knottie95d8057ce56fb778

Tummy time can be such a struggle! I’m a first time mom whose also a pediatric PT and I would suggest a couple things: first, try to change how you think about the crying. This is just your LOs way of telling you this is hard work, not they are in any way being harmed! It’s so hard to do but makes a huge difference. Second, try calming tricks like butt pats, back rubs and calming music. (I’m a huge fan of the Disney instrumental playlist on YouTube). The first step with tummy time is tolerance. The rest will come with time. Make sure you try multiple short episodes a day. You can put a mirror in front of your LO too to make it more social! Hope this helps. Keep at it, if gets better. I’ve seen it with countless patients and also with my baby boy 😊

I would also say to go see a peds PT. Having the support and guidance will go a long way for your peace of mind. You’re not alone!

knottie215be9c8327db6a6

Thank you for posting this! I’m having the same issues so I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

jotaella

Don't get discouraged. I have been regularly putting my daughter on the gym pad (purchased on Amazon) whenever she is awake.  We do this often and daily.  I have noticed progress over time (longer times before fussing, more movement,  and strengthening of arms and neck). She does better on that,  than a regular mat and/or blanket.   This may also help,  it was posted on this app:

• Baby’s getting stronger, perhaps lifting their shoulders during tummy time and their head while in a seated position. Give baby plenty of time on their belly, so they can practice lifting their head, which will strengthen the neck muscles!

Keep us updated!

00kim00

I work in early intervention, so tummy time is something we work on with lots of kiddos! The PT above has good advice- what you want is *tolerance*. Work on how long he's able to do tummy time as your first goal, more so than what exactly he's able to do (that comes later). My best tips: lie in the floor WITH your child, face to face, talk and sing and look at your child, bring some exciting toys in for them to look at, too, and books. Or, many kids prefer if they're on you, chest to chest. You can be flat in your back or slightly inclined and they can push up on you. Tummy time is hard work, there will be some crying and that's ok, just keep trying- several times a day for increasing lengths of time. The more they do it, the stronger their muscles get, the better they tolerate it. And if you or your pediatrician is concerned, ask for a referral for PT and/or early intervention. And remember to adjust your expectations to match your child's adjusted age if they were premature- 3 month old should be meeting 1 month milestones if they were 2 months early, for example.

turtletaylor0522

My newborn has had very strong neck muscles from early on so we haven’t really struggled a lot, but he still doesn’t like tummy time. I’ve found he tolerates tummy time much better on my chest with me laying on my back on the couch or using our Boppy to support him on his activity mat. It’s also easier if I distract him with some cards that have high contrast shapes on them. And I always talk to him a lot and make different sounds (like clicks and whistles) to make him look around. 

nicademus20

Thank you everyone so much for your advice! 
I did begin using a small, rolled blanket under his chest/armpits for support, and that did work alot. 
One (sortof) mistake I made with that at first was I had him in a frog position so he still was having trouble trying. 
But I saw a learning/development person and they also showed me that when he's supported that way, to have his legs out from beneath him and even sometimes to gently push the lower back/butt as that helps him "lift" at the shoulders and neck. I'm describing it poorly from how they explained it, but it worked much better, which is the important piece. 
He also now enjoys laying on my chest to lift-which sometimes still seems like he's "motorboating" my chest and makes me laugh, and I have to get over the sometimes drool/snot left behind from him rubbing his face--but I have found that position helps him too. 

He lifts his head more and more now, and for longer periods of time. I'm more patient and understanding now with him. It was frustrating while I posted this as I was "is he going to try more?" And my own being upset when he got upset. I like the comment above with to understand his crying can be saying it is hard work, not from being harmed. 
Thank you everyone for commenting  😊
While we're still far from crawling, I'm so happy to say he has begun enjoying tummy time more and is become more strong to crawl eventually ☺

knottie95d8057ce56fb778

I’m so glad the new strategies are helping! It’s always so cool when a baby gets over the hump and starts to enjoy tummy time 😊