DD is going to the ped today to discuss gas and reflux issues. That said I'm starting to worry about tummy time. We got a late start to it anyway, but DD screams the minute she's down for it, makes herself pee and gets more pissed off and then wants a bottle. We've never been able to start adding minutes like everyone talks about. I wonder if it's normal, could be related to reflux, or if it's something else. A different ped told me she needs tummy time 17x a day and to be on the floor most of the day anyway. Is that realistic?!
I'm going through the exact same thing! My LO is 11 weeks and still hates it. I can maybe get 1 minute a day without her crying. I only do 5 minutes a day total because she hates it so much and screams bloody murder. I recently came across this article and am going to try some of these methods. Just wanted to share in hopes it could help. I hope your pedi can give you some advice too.
DD is going to the ped today to discuss gas and reflux issues. That said I'm starting to worry about tummy time. We got a late start to it anyway, but DD screams the minute she's down for it, makes herself pee and gets more pissed off and then wants a bottle. We've never been able to start adding minutes like everyone talks about. I wonder if it's normal, could be related to reflux, or if it's something else. A different ped told me she needs tummy time 17x a day and to be on the floor most of the day anyway. Is that realistic?!
Um, what? Why would you leave your baby on the floor for most of the day? That doesn't make sense. I WORE my baby all day for the first two months of his life.
My son is 4 months old. He can roll over and hold his head up fine. And he hates tummy time. I probably gave him only three minutes of tummy time a day on the couch because he hated it do much...I laid him on my tummy and held him in an upright position against my chest. I'm not saying to skip tummy time, just that you shouldn't get too stressed about it if your LO refuses to cooperate.
@TracyB4889 , thank you for sharing the article! I've been having my LO do tummy time on an incline on my chest and he is MUCH more tolerant than when I put him on a flat surface. I find it to be a nice way of getting him to exercise his core without upsetting him.
I started "late" as well as my baby is 8 weeks old now. He hates it too. A good rule of thumb is to do tummy time after every diaper change 1-2 minutes is good. The baby will associate tummy time with diaper changes and it will help you stay consistent as well.
DD is going to the ped today to discuss gas and reflux issues. That said I'm starting to worry about tummy time. We got a late start to it anyway, but DD screams the minute she's down for it, makes herself pee and gets more pissed off and then wants a bottle. We've never been able to start adding minutes like everyone talks about. I wonder if it's normal, could be related to reflux, or if it's something else. A different ped told me she needs tummy time 17x a day and to be on the floor most of the day anyway. Is that realistic?!
Tummy time is very important for core muscle strength, neck strength etc. It will prepare her for rolling, crawling and sitting. So, its an important part of the day. My pedi and midwife also said that same thing about being on the tummy (or worn) most of the day. Some LO's just don't tolerate it that well. You might try short little sessions (1-2 minutes at a time) and then gradually increase it.
My kids all loved TT, but the LO I nanny for does not. So I just do it in 2 minute increments and try really hard to sing/play/show books or other things to distract her through the 2 minutes. Eventually, even LO's that hate TT will get used to it and start to enjoy it. Especially once rolling, and zombie scooting is possible. They learn to realize that they have agency and can move on their own. That is exciting for them.
I was terrible about doing tummy time while I was on maternity leave. So for the first 2 months I did tummy time like 5 minutes a day. I wore him a lot though, and we'd do a modified tummy time where I'd let him lay on my chest. Pediatricians claim this isn't real tummy time but he loved lifting his head to look at me, and I had a nurse tell me that was perfectly good tummy time for a 1 month old. Once he started daycare he started enjoying tummy time more, and by four months old he LOVED it. No issues with the late tummy time start. He's hit all his physical milestones without issue.
I had to explain to my mom what tummy time is. Apparently it wasn't a mandated thing around 30 years ago when she had me and my sister, and we turned out just fine. Of course I think it's important, but I wouldn't sweat it too much just yet.
Re: 7 weeks old/ at what point do you stress about bad tummy time
https://mamaot.com/2012/03/25/tips-for-making-tummy-time-a-little-less-um-miserable/
BFP #1 12/23/13 MMC 01/24/14 @ 9w5days
Tummy time is very important for core muscle strength, neck strength etc. It will prepare her for rolling, crawling and sitting. So, its an important part of the day. My pedi and midwife also said that same thing about being on the tummy (or worn) most of the day. Some LO's just don't tolerate it that well. You might try short little sessions (1-2 minutes at a time) and then gradually increase it.
My kids all loved TT, but the LO I nanny for does not. So I just do it in 2 minute increments and try really hard to sing/play/show books or other things to distract her through the 2 minutes. Eventually, even LO's that hate TT will get used to it and start to enjoy it. Especially once rolling, and zombie scooting is possible. They learn to realize that they have agency and can move on their own. That is exciting for them.
Hang in there!
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