Tummy time not needed?

sdlaura · June 2013

I thought this study was interesting:

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/tummy-time-may-not-be-needed/

Of course it doesn't apply to everyone, but we didn't do much tummy time with DD because she hated it, and she hit her milestones on time....

bigbootyjudi · June 2013

I'll admit to hardly ever doing tummy time. When I did, he lasted maybe 5 minutes. He absolutely hated it, probably because of the reflux we didn't get under control until he was close to 3 months old.

He has hit all of his milestones on time and he actually was able to hold his head up and had "awesome upper body strength" (quoting his pediatrician there) by 4 months old. We started solids because of how well he was able to sit supported.

JayandEmm · June 2013

I always thought tummy time was a little overrated in most cases. Ds didn't get much tummy time either, and he most certainly was not delayed on rolling over or sitting without assistance [both were around 4 to 5 months old].

mamahawk12 · June 2013

I don't buy it. H's doctors have directly attributed his gross motor delay to his lack of tummy time which caused low tone in his back and neck. His physical therapist said they see it all the time in babies who are unable to do tummy time for one reason or another - In DS's case, his orthodontic device. Will some babies be perfectly fine without it? Sure. But I'd really hate for people to stop doing something that is so widely recommended based off one study.

mamahawk12 · June 2013

Scout2005:
meaknigh:
I don't buy it. H's doctors have directly attributed his gross motor delay to his lack of tummy time which caused low tone in his back and neck. His physical therapist said they see it all the time in babies who are unable to do tummy time for one reason or another In DS's case, his orthodontic device. Will some babies be perfectly fine without it? Sure. But I'd really hate for people to stop doing something that is so widely recommended based off one study.
But don't you think your situation is more exception than rule? For the average kid, without other factors at play, they move on other ways to develop tone.

He's absolutely the exception, as most babies aren't physically prevented from tummy time. But I'm going on what I've been told by professionals who deal with GMD/torticollis/plagiocephaly every day. For this one study, there are hundreds that say otherwise. Like I said, I'm sure a lot of kids are perfectly fine with minimal tummy time. For us, I'll deal with the 5 minutes of crying for my own peace of mind.

jodegaard · June 2013

Lack of tummy time will not prevent your child from hitting gross motor developmental milestones in the grand scheme of things, but it absolutely has an effect on how quickly the milestones are reached.

lady_tytah · June 2013

meaknigh:
I don't buy it. H's doctors have directly attributed his gross motor delay to his lack of tummy time which caused low tone in his back and neck. His physical therapist said they see it all the time in babies who are unable to do tummy time for one reason or another - In DS's case, his orthodontic device. Will some babies be perfectly fine without it? Sure. But I'd really hate for people to stop doing something that is so widely recommended based off one study.

Your siggieis adorable! I

gracie__r · June 2013

DS is the only one I didn't push tummy time on, since he hated it. He is also the only one I got a lecture from the doctor about his head getting a little flat on one side (okay - I didn't get a lecture, but the doc mentioned it). FWIW...

amaite · June 2013

Ds couldn't do tummy time for several weeks following his heart surgery, and when he was first evaluated by early intervention he was behind in gross motor skill development. We were instructed to do lots of tummy time once he was able. He has been meeting his gross motor skill milestones either on time or early, but I guess we can't say for sure that it was the tummy time.

mamahawk12 · June 2013

lady_tytah:
meaknigh:
I don't buy it. H's doctors have directly attributed his gross motor delay to his lack of tummy time which caused low tone in his back and neck. His physical therapist said they see it all the time in babies who are unable to do tummy time for one reason or another - In DS's case, his orthodontic device. Will some babies be perfectly fine without it? Sure. But I'd really hate for people to stop doing something that is so widely recommended based off one study.
Your siggieis adorable! I

Thank you, ma'am!

twoitalians · June 2013

We didn't do much tummy time because DS hated it and did fine with his motor development so I can get where the studies might show that it is not necessary. DS even rolled back to front first. But once he started to roll both ways and started to like tummy time, I saw his muscle strength and coordination improve dramatically.

Want a personalized experience?

Tummy time not needed?

Re: Tummy time not needed?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards