Tummy Time Fail

MrsMartin5 · July 2014

Hello Ladies -

I'm new to this discussion board so I just wanted to pop in and say hello! My DD was born on Mach 28 and she has been my world ever since. I was wondering if you ladies could give me some advice/opinions on tummy time.

I've been working on it here and there for the past 2 months and she absolutely hates it. On a good day we're getting about 30 minutes in with 5 minute intervals throughout the day. I was told and read that this is normal, but I just talked to a friend who is a pediatric OT who was telling me that we should really be spending half of our day now working on tummy time. WHAT?! She hates it! How am I supposed to do that? I am all about the idea of the Furber method, but it just kills me. Wouldn't she get negative connotations about tummy time every time I put her on her belly and let her scream it out? Am I a total failure as a mother?

Also - I want to make sure she gets it down by the time she starts daycare next month because I know they probably won't spend as much time with her on it there.

I apologize if this has been discussed at length before now. Again - I'm new :-)

kimberpoo · July 2014

half the day seems like a lot...we've been doing maybe 10-15 mins at a time a few times a day.

If your lo doesn't want to lay on the floor/blanket/whatever try putting her on your chest while you are laying on the bed or in a recliner and encourage her to lift her head and wiggle around. she might be more into it if she can lay on you and do it. good luck and welcome

MrsMartin5 · July 2014

I've found that when she is supported on the boppy, I get longer stretches out of her. Laying on our chests works for a shorter amount of time. Laying flat is pretty much a nightmare for her. Thanks ladies for the support!

angelsnight · July 2014

Mine hates it as well, and we're lucky if we get 30 minutes in a day. What helps my LO is if she is propped up a little. If she's flat on her tummy she just lays there pissed off and whimpering, but if I put a rolled up towel under her chest she can see a bit better and not be as mad.

We also do tummy time on the couch with her chest propped up on my thigh, though she's a wiggler so I have to keep a firm hand on her so she doesn't wiggle off the couch. I also hold her on my chest a lot as long as she is happy (sometimes she likes to sit with her back to me so she can look around). The other thing you can do is whenever you carry her somewhere, like to the changing table, carseat, etc is to carry her facedown so she has to use her muscles to look up. It's not much, but doing this whenever you carry her anywhere adds up. Good luck!

MrsMartin5 · July 2014

FFwifey said:

Also, half the day is a lot! I read 90 minutes on an OT thing I was reading. Basically, LO should spend as much time on her belly as she does on her sides and back. Each are important for development! The baby will be in an upright position and sleeping on her back a lot of the day at this age so I can't see how you would spend half the day on her belly.

Maybe this is why she told me half of the day because between sleeping at night and naps during the day - she is sleeping for about 12 hours.

kaking78 · July 2014

Half the day? I call it a success if we get in 20 minutes total per day. We do sneak in some laying on mom/dad when we are reclining though. Not that is matters that much now since yesterday J started rolling tummy to back. Now tummy time ends when he wants it to end.

SandiaLiz · July 2014

I was also worried about this and so I asked our pediatrician. He made me feel a lot better. He said work on it as much as you can and baby is happy(ish). And to do it however she likes it with a little extra challenge here and there.

I also have really embraced the idea that my kid will do things when she is ready. Maybe mine is just stubborn already, but things just go better when it is her idea and I support and guide. She HATED tummy time for months but we still practiced a little here and there. All of a sudden she is holding her head up like a champ!

And she loves, loves, loves flying baby! That counts as tummy time, right?

teachermommy9967 · July 2014

I'm lucky if LO lasts for 20mins a day. Some days he doesn't get any. But he holds his head great so I'm not too worried. My daughters didn't do even close to the recommended amount of tummy time and they developed just fine. Don't stress yourself out momma enjoy LO while they are little. Watching LO cry because someone said they need to spend hours on their tummy when they hate it doesn't do anyone any good

babylimas · July 2014

I deal with therapists weekly and they work with my son's tummy time. They definitely use a boppy. It makes it a bit easier for him since he still doesn't have head control and gets really frustrated. His favorite is just a rolled up blanket under his chest. No one has told us he should spend that much time in TT. My instructions are actually to do our exercises 3x a day and in total they take about 15-20 minutes (not all on his tummy). We use a stand mirror to try and get him to lift his head and I lie on the ground and encourage him in different directions. I also have to hold down his legs because he just flips himself over or scoots without lifting his head. He's a nut.

lwebley · July 2014

Just talked to a ped PT and she said 15 min, 3x per day is the goal at 3-6 months. Mine can tolerate about 5 minutes, 4x a day. We are working on it, but it's not pretty.

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