tummy time = hell on earth :-(

redshoegirl

I'm really hoping I'm not the only one this happens to (because if so, I must be doing something wrong lol!). My boys hate tummy time. HATE it. As in screaming the entire time they're on their stomachs, whether they're flat on the floor or have a towel rolled up under them or are propped up on a nursing pillow. 

All of the websites and books make it sound so easy and happy: "Make sure you spend time every day playing with your baby on their tummy!" Well, what if they don't want to play? I get down on the floor so we're face to face, I talk and sing to them, try to distract them with toys, but they'd rather just shriek.

I do it anyway because it's good for them, but I can't stand listening to them cry and scream for longer than about 2-3 minutes while we do this, and half the tummy time info says to do it for 15 min at a time! Am I really supposed to let them scream for that long?

I'm assuming they'll grow out of this with time, but in the meantime please help me feel better and tell me if your LO hates tummy time too! 

sanae78

Sorry, Lisa. Kaya didn't love it but she tolerated it for a few minutes back then. Now she can stand it for quite a while before she fusses. Have you tried putting a mirror in front of them? That seems to keep her interested for a while. I think Renee said Ashton hated it. Maybe she can chime in on what worked for him.

redshoegirl

sanae78:

Have you tried putting a mirror in front of them?

I hadn't thought of this...I don't think I have one that is large enough so they can both see themselves at the same time, but I have a hand mirror that I could swap back and forth between them. 

SirenSong

Oh Maya hated it too. She would always start crying and face-planting the second I flipped her bellyways.

So...I hardly EVER put her on her tummy. Yep, bad mummy, thassss me. She pulled through her babyhood quite ok, considering the 'no-tummy-surfing' issue. 

Maybe that's the reason why she throws a tantrum every day now though. Or why she won't eat her broccoli.

Samara, nothing bugs that wee one. She copped a kneecap to the head the other day from Maya that was so loud I heard the knock on her skull. I gasped and watched her wide-eyed, waiting for the scream. She stared back at me wide eyed, then broke out into a gleeful Buddha grin.

So, that second kid of mine is a bit of a freak of nature, don't listen to her. Stick with my first kid and compare.

SirenSong

redshoegirl:

sanae78:

Have you tried putting a mirror in front of them?

I hadn't thought of this...I don't think I have one that is large enough so they can both see themselves at the same time, but I have a hand mirror that I could swap back and forth between them. 

Maybe that right there is your problem. Maybe one hears the other one complainin' and thinks "Yeah, what HE said!" and the other one thinks "HE doesn't like it, so I won't EITHER!" and they keep bouncing off in that vicious circle off each other.

*Nods wisely*

Seriously though, I wouldn't stress it, hon. Whenever you think of it, do it for as long as they'll take it and then flip them on their backs again. A minute here, three minutes there...hell 20 seconds if that's all they want to do before they get cranky.

You can always do other things towards what the tummy-time is trying to achieve...like have them upright as much as possible (babywearing, sitting them up on your knee a lot etc). I do the alternatives with Samara a lot and put her down for tummy time today and she was all "Yo, I'ma proppin myself up like a pro, ya'll! Reh-cog-NIZE!"

True story.

redshoegirl

SirenSong:

Maybe that right there is your problem. Maybe one hears the other one complainin' and thinks "Yeah, what HE said!" and the other one thinks "HE doesn't like it, so I won't EITHER!" and they keep bouncing off in that vicious circle off each other.

.....

You can always do other things towards what the tummy-time is trying to achieve...like have them upright as much as possible (babywearing, sitting them up on your knee a lot etc).

Funny you say this because they've actually started doing that lately. For aaaaaages we've been wondering when they'd really start to pay attention to each other and react to what the other was doing. Now they've started...and whenever one throws a temper tantrum, now the other does too. Makes me want to scream, "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT BY PAY ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER!" That will teach me to be careful what I wish for, eh? 

We do tend to keep them upright when we're cuddling them, or sit them on our knees, etc., but I'd read somewhere that doesn't count (apparently it doesn't use as many neck muscles?). Eh, whatever...I'm sure babies have been surviving for thousands of years with perfectly fine neck muscles even without 15 minutes of tummy time at a time, right?

SirenSong

redshoegirl:

SirenSong:

Maybe that right there is your problem. Maybe one hears the other one complainin' and thinks "Yeah, what HE said!" and the other one thinks "HE doesn't like it, so I won't EITHER!" and they keep bouncing off in that vicious circle off each other.

.....

You can always do other things towards what the tummy-time is trying to achieve...like have them upright as much as possible (babywearing, sitting them up on your knee a lot etc).

Funny you say this because they've actually started doing that lately. For aaaaaages we've been wondering when they'd really start to pay attention to each other and react to what the other was doing. Now they've started...and whenever one throws a temper tantrum, now the other does too. Makes me want to scream, "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT BY PAY ATTENTION TO EACH OTHER!" That will teach me to be careful what I wish for, eh? 

We do tend to keep them upright when we're cuddling them, or sit them on our knees, etc., but I'd read somewhere that doesn't count (apparently it doesn't use as many neck muscles?). Eh, whatever...I'm sure babies have been surviving for thousands of years with perfectly fine neck muscles even without 15 minutes of tummy time at a time, right?

Lol @ them egging each other's tantrums on...oh no. 

That tends to be my philosophy re. we've managed to survive thus far without things that are 'encouraged' or 'forced upon' us in respects to babyrearing today.

Is it probably better for them to have tummy time every day: yeah. Will it really harm them if they don't: negative ma'am.

Don't sweat it if they hate it, just do what you can. Like I said, I could probably count on one hand how many times I actually gave Maya tummy-time.

She got it....eventually  

sanae78

SirenSong:

"Yo, I'ma proppin myself up like a pro, ya'll! Reh-cog-NIZE!"

Tina, you crack me up. I would pay good money to hear you say that with your Aussie accent. (I lurve Aussie accents btw. I had 3 Aussie roommate in college.)

Married2MrWright

A lot of babies hate it...have no fear!

When Libby was less than 2 months old we could on do about 4-5 minutes/day.  I was worried too...but over time it go better.  I also think that wearing her in carrier helped to strengthen her neck, back and "core" muscles better than any 5 minutes of tummy time!  Around 2.5-3 months she was much better about being on her tummy and soon learned she could roll over if she was done being face down.

I also made a game of it from the start....not just putting her on her tummy.  I'd lie down on the floor next to her while she was on her back then pull her over onto her side so we were facing each other (which she was already used to because of side-lying to nurse) then onto her belly, then back to her side then onto her back again.  So cumulitavely she got 5+ minutes on her tummy but not all at once, KWIM?

lola808

Have you tried giving them tummy time on your chest?  We lie back and let A push up and play on our tummies/chests... it's nice b/c of the contact and eye-to-eye views.  He does well with tummy time in general, but I like this option b/c I get to watch him so up close.

redshoegirl

lola808:

Have you tried giving them tummy time on your chest?  We lie back and let A push up and play on our tummies/chests... it's nice b/c of the contact and eye-to-eye views.  He does well with tummy time in general, but I like this option b/c I get to watch him so up close.

Yeah, they're not too thrilled with this either...or they just snuggle in and go to sleep lol! 

HulaLove

Elyse hated tummy time.  I'm in the bad mama camp.  We gave up on it.  Now that she's started rolling she can play on her tummy quite contently. 

 

mrs.winter

Ashton hated it! Really, I didn't push it and I don't think that it has delayed him in any way. He rolled over, sat up and started crawling when he should have and we hardly did tummy time. We did have him lay on our belly's so maybe that helped a bit.

redshoegirl

HulaLove:

Elyse hated tummy time.  I'm in the bad mama camp.  We gave up on it.  Now that she's started rolling she can play on her tummy quite contently.

mrs.winter:

Ashton hated it! Really, I didn't push it and I don't think that it has delayed him in any way. He rolled over, sat up and started crawling when he should have and we hardly did tummy time. We did have him lay on our belly's so maybe that helped a bit.

This (and Tina with Maya) makes me feel a lot better! I'll do what I can with them until they start screaming - which was about 30 seconds each at their last tummy time session about 15 min ago - but I'm not going to stress over it. Thanks ladies!

mrspresley

what's funny is that she HATED tummy time with a passion.... until she learned to roll over onto her tummy herself.  after that happened, i could hardly keep her on her back.   as soon as i put her down, she'd roll from her back to her tummy and play so she loves tummy time now! whenever she is on her activity mat, i'd say 40% of the time she is sitting, 40% of the time she is on her tummy and only 20% of the time she is on her back.

when she was younger we'd mostly do tummy time with her laying on my chest as she seemed to tolerate that better. the pedi said we still needed to do some tummy time on the ground though b/c it works different muscles...she said even a few minutes each day is good.  so that's what we did...maybe 3-5 minutes per day.  despite this, she never missed any of her milestones such as holding her head up, rolling, etc.

so yeah, don't stress it just do what you can!

myday1708

The best piece of advice has already been mentioned... A pyramid with a mirror on it so they can look at themself, Alexa loved that. 

I would also point out b/c no one else has that.... All babies are different. Not all babies like being on their tummy. Plain and simple, some just do not like it, it's just different for every baby.

Alexa happened to like being on her tummy, but I think she liked it more once she could hold her head up better. I think early on, it was hard on her neck muscles so she didn't like it as much. 

HTH! 

MrsNJSwimmer

B loved it in the beginning, but then grew to hate it.  Even on me he didn't want to do it.  So we tried for a few minutes each day, but gave up for awhile, and then at the one dr's appt they told me he was getting a flat spot, so we got more vigilant about it then. 

lisakeiko

J hates it too.  He can be in a really good mood after eating and finishing his poop but as soon as I roll him from his back to his stomach, he starts crying and definitely lets me know that he is NOT happy.   

SirenSong

lisakeiko:

J hates it too.  He can be in a really good mood after eating and finishing his poop but as soon as I roll him from his back to his stomach, he starts crying and definitely lets me know that he is NOT happy.   

Just curious, do you give him tummy time soon after a feed? I know Samara tends to complain a little if I put her on her full tummy after a feed.

Christine, if we ever meet or speak in real time, remind me to rawk that line out for mates rates (no charge)