Please help me with tummy time...

devenney · March 2010

I am mainly a lurker so I'm sure no one recognizes me. I am hoping someone can give me some hints on how to make DS like tummy time. I've tried putting a pillow under him and having him lay on me. He makes no attempt to pick up his head at all. He just gets mad. Maybe his playmat isn't entertaining enough. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

ashdonne · March 2010

DD started tummy time at about 1 1/2 months so I don't know if this helps. Can he support his head at all? Maybe try putting a toy on the mat for him to want to look at or try to grab. The thing is if he doesn't get tummy time, he will not be able to stregthen those areas so it is important even if he does not like it at first.

Layla116 · March 2010

DS hated it until here recently (when he got strong enough to lift himself up to see). He would lay there and scream...

I did tummy time with him for only a couple of minutes at a time (that's all he would tolerate), but I'd do it several times a day so the total tummy time for the day would be around 20 minutes.

Also...DS has that same sleeper. I LOVE the rhino feet! Smile

sgrl · March 2010

She didn't really start liking it until she could roll. Until then, we just gave her as much as she would tolerate!

Kristinmo · March 2010

Just keep trying. DS hated it until he was about 4 months and then one day it just clicked. He now immediately rolls to sleep on his tummy and would much rather be on his tummy than his back.

I promise your LO will get it eventually.

adreamisawishyourheartmakes · March 2010

just wanted to let you know that we are in the same boat -- i have been trying to get her to like tummy time for 3 months now and she still hates it and hasnt figured out how to prop herself up. one thing that helps sometimes is if i tap my hands on the floor to a beat while she is on her tummy. she also has this playmat thing we got at BRU that is made by lamaze and it has this raised surfboard looking thing that you prop LO on and they can spin themselves around with their hands -- she likes that a little bit better than just being on the floor or on me. GL!

avbliss · March 2010

DD seems to really like being on top of the exercise ball on her tummy. Maybe try that?

mommy~to~mj · March 2010

I used the TV (bad I know) to get her attention. Then I just distracted her with toys, being goofy, etc.

devenney · March 2010

Thank you so much, great suggestions. He is really good at holding his head up for everything else, I think he just doesn't like being on his belly. I am definitely going to try the tv when elmo is on. Unfortunately, he takes after his mom and dad and loves the tv. I don't have an exercise ball but I bet he would like that because he likes getting airplane rides on my shins.

I know I should do it for short periods a lot through the day. I feel like a bad mommy that I don't. I just hate when he screams, it takes so long to calm him back down so I just avoid it and only do it once or twice a day. I will put on my big girl panties and just put him on the mat more Stick out tongue

Thanks!!

ZAngel · March 2010

Try laying him on your stomach for tummy time. DD wasn't crazy about laying on the floor until a month ago. Before that, I would just lay her on my stomach and talk to her. If she started to get fussy, I would lift her up into the air and then back to my stomach.

Christmasbaby18 · March 2010

We have a rug on top og a wood floor. I lay DD on the edge of the rug on her blankie and then roll balls along the wood floor. She loves to watch and listen!

TashaLee · March 2010

DD is not really a tummy time fan either. Although now that she's a bit older she will tolerate it longer, now she'll go sometimes up to 10min before she gets mad and starts fussing/crying. Before she would only go about 2-3min before pitching a fit. We just keep working at it, even a little bit each day will help. I usually try and give DD tummy time before each feeding, that way I don't have to worry about the pressure on her belly making her spit up and she usually wakes up in a good mood so that helps too! Right now it works out to anywhere from 20-45min/day in tummy time so that's much better than it was before. I also try and keep her busy with toys and things to help her from getting upset. GL!!

kevandkerri · March 2010

I feel ya! DS has never like being on his tummy. He only rolls over from back to tummy though. This is a riot because once he rolls onto his tummy he lasts maybe 1 minute and then starts crying. I'll flip him over to his back - but it never fails....he rolls back onto his tummy and the cycle just repeats. Too funny. One of these days he'll get mad enough and figure out how to roll back onto his back

PathwaysMom · April 2010

You can try some Tummy Time holds. Instead of always propping the gals upright on your shoulder, try soothing them on your lap, face down across your legs. Try carrying them in a ?football? type hold, close to you, but facing down. You can also put LO G across your legs in a crawling position and let her take the lead. For more tips, check out this helpful parent-friendly website from Pathways Awareness: https://bit.ly/8IhuuF. They also have a unique, personalized, developmental calendar of activities you can do to foster your babies? growth: https://bit.ly/5lGkTm.

SilentC · April 2010

My son hated tummy time until this week - seriously. It was an on/off switch. Before, he'd tolerate it for a couple of minutes and then just scream. Now, all of a sudden, he's excited about it. Weird.

When he was hating it, I just tried to do a couple of minutes on his change table after every diaper change. That way it ensured we did it, but it wasn't a huge undertaking each time.

monkey_mama09 · April 2010

PathwaysMom:
You can try some Tummy Time holds. Instead of always propping the gals upright on your shoulder, try soothing them on your lap, face down across your legs. Try carrying them in a ?football? type hold, close to you, but facing down. You can also put LO G across your legs in a crawling position and let her take the lead. For more tips, check out this helpful parent-friendly website from Pathways Awareness: https://bit.ly/8IhuuF. They also have a unique, personalized, developmental calendar of activities you can do to foster your babies? growth: https://bit.ly/5lGkTm.

THIS! I found this website before I had DS. I've used several of the techniques - they really help! I do the "football hold" a lot when I carry him around, and he loves it.

Another thing I do is have him fly on my lower legs. I lay down on the floor and put him on my legs so his chest is at my knees, then I put my legs up with knees bent and move my legs around. I hpoe that makes sense! He loves it, and he gets to look around a little better than when he's on the floor.

PathwaysMom · April 2010

Tummy Time will help your LO pick up his head and push up on his arms ? milestones for the 3 month mark. TT helps with upper body strength since babies now spend so much time on their backs sleeping and in ?containers? like car seats, strollers and swings. Try some tummy-down holds: the ?football? hold with baby face down on your arm, carried close to you. Instead of propping baby on your shoulder, soothe him face down across your lap to get him accustomed to the feel of the position. For more tips, check out this parent-friendly site from Pathways Awareness: https://bit.ly/8IhuuF.

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