sitting up/Tummy time, etc....

Belinda80 · July 2012

I might sound selfish, but when i get home from work i put baby in her swing, she's 14 weeks today (3 months), am i suppose to be putting her on her tummy or placing her on the floor? I do the activity mat on the weekends and place her tummy every once in a while? What did/do you do with your baby?

THANK YOU!

FamiliaGreen · July 2012

Yes, you need to interact with your baby.

You can't just throw her in the swing and forget about her. You need to do tummy time, activity mats, hold her, and read to her. She needs to have stimulation.

When I get home I do everything mentioned above. It's suggested that they have 30 minutes of tummy time every day.

kaylaakosua · July 2012

Really? You don't play with her or let her play?..... I figure after a long day at work you'd want to cuddle and play a bit before LO went to bed. But yes they need to do tummy time still and interactive activities.

mrs.larry · July 2012

I agree that you need to interact with her, if you're not. She needs her mother and she needs human contact.

If she gets tummy time at daycare (or wherever she is while you're working) then that might not be a priority, but being with your child is. Especially for working parents. home should be the safest, best, most comforting and rich environment they know. it's where they grow and develop the best.

I say this as someone who absolutely does understand that temptation to put the baby down at the end of the day sometimes and get a chance to unwind. And yes, I use the swing or the bouncy seat when necessary. But interaction is SO so so important.

Some things I do: put baby on a quilt on the ground and lie down with him. From there we look at toys, smile at each other, tickle, etc, and read books. Another thing I love is to sit with my knees up (like on the couch sideways) and put the baby so his back is resting on my thighs and we are face to face. from there we can do pat-a-cake or "talk" back and forth. He likes doing the "YMCA" song and other things that move his arms around. He loves hearing me and his big brother sing to him. We also put on music and dance around the room together.

I know we all get sick of hearing it, but it's true that it all goes so fast. Don't miss out by popping your baby in the swing all the time. They're only squishy for so long.

Belinda80 · July 2012

Hold on...let me rephrase i put her in her swing while i make dinner, then we go for a walk or i carry her around / dance w/ her (which she loves) or put her in bed and play with her..i do interact w/ her & read her stories, talk to her, I just don't put her on her tummy too much, the activity mat on the weekends.. I can't wait to come home to her everyday. I wrote selfish b/c I'm not putting her on her tummy like i read on here. Man i guess I wrote it wrong the 1st time, if she were being neglected she would not smile as much as she does...she gets plenty of attention and love from her daddy and I.

Redsoxchick · July 2012

When I get home from picking him up he usually naps for about 20 mins and I use that time to straighten up, put his bottles in the dishwasher etc but once he wakes up we play, cuddle, some nights he gets a little sponge bath(if it was really hot out!)I put him in PJs and depending on what time he is due for his bottle we usually do tummy time or practice sitting up for a while before bed and then we read 2 books at bedtime. I know it's hard to squeeze everything in when you're working but you'll get into a routine with it.

LuluP82 · July 2012

Possibly because my sister is a physical therapist and works with kids who don't get enough floor time and are developmentally delayed, but I hate swings/seats and we hardly ever use them. And I work 30 hours from home, and only have child care for 15-20 hours per week right now, which is less than ideal. Anyway, little man spends as much time on the floor as possible, even while we're cooking and eating. I have blankets all over the house for this express purpose.

However, it doesn't sound like you're ignoring our kid, so it doesn't sound like a big deal to me! You could always wear her around while you do other chores that don't involve the stove.

Belinda80 · July 2012

Thanks for your feedback.. I will have more tummy time w/ her..Shes super alert, for being 3 months, her head has been straight since 2-1/2 months w/o support when she;s carried she holds her head straight up, just this past sunday at church, they thought she was 6 months b/c of her alterness...maybe they were being kind... but ohmy...I can't wait to get home to her!!! lol...

LuluP82 · July 2012

Also, I'm with my kid all day many days. On the days my babysitter is here, she does tummy time with him too. I have no clue what your daycare does, but I'm sure they give her attention adn floor time and all that. I really wouldn't worry too much about it! Just enjoy your time with LO.

contourhands · July 2012

Hi, I was right there with you...doing everything but tummytime... then I took my LO to doc and she told us to start doing it more..now I'm playing catch-up with tummytime...it's really hard at first but he is gradually getting used to it....

sunnyday016 · July 2012

Does she get any tummy time during the day while you're at work? I'd say give her a little mat time, but since you are interacting with her and dancing her around too, that is helping her physical development as well (strengthening back/neck muscles while holding her upright). Could you put her on her playmat for 10ish minutes while you're making dinner, rather than the swing?

twigmommy · July 2012

My DD still isn't the bigest fan of tummy time so I skip that week nights. They do tummy time daily at DC. When we all arrive home I nurse her while DH makes dinner. We then eat, sometimes as I'm nursing, other times while she's in her bouncy seat. After dinner we do playmat time and or go for a walk. she then nurses more. Weekends are a mix of activities.

stephaniegwynne · July 2012

Its so hard working! I only have about an hour and a half before baby's bedtime when I get home so i don't want to put him down ever! As soon as I get home I nurse him, then feed him solids, then bath time then bed time. It goes by so fast. We also play with him on my lap for a bit after nursing. I know I could move bed time later but then I would really get nothing done.

You could ask your sitter/day care what his daily schedule is. My mom watches him and I know she does lots of tummy time and he goes to a sitter one day a week. She gives me a little slip of paper each day with his feeding, nap, diaper schedule and makes comments on his day's activity like tummy time, playing outside, story time, etc.

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