Tummy time question

StayingFocused · August 2016

Does it count as "tummy time" if he's on my chest? He does well picking his head up and turning it to face both sides. Just wondering if this counts as much as pitting him flat on the floor mat. He's 6 weeks today.

adiaz132003 · August 2016

It's easier for them to hold their head up when at an angle but honestly, it still counts. They are using the right muscles. Being on the mat helps the muscles that they will use to roll over and crawl so you still wanna get some mat time in. Preston gets fussy on the mat so he doesn't do it as much as I'd like.

ashkee05 · August 2016

Yeah they older they get you definitely want to get them on the mat. My dude is crazy with his head when he's on our chest but definitely not as good on the mat. He also gets very fussy so I just do a little bit a couple times a day to help him out. He kicked himself over the other day and his omg face was soooooo funny lol

amangels2 · August 2016

Sam hates tummy time. He's gotten to the point that he will just put his cheek down and cry. i will put a rolled up blanket under his chest which forces his head up. He does love to sit and hold his head up on my lap, so I do that quite a bit. I worry a little that he's not going to roll over because he hates tummy time do so much.

HeartLikeMine3 · August 2016

amangels2 said:

Sam hates tummy time. He's gotten to the point that he will just put his cheek down and cry. i will put a rolled up blanket under his chest which forces his head up. He does love to sit and hold his head up on my lap, so I do that quite a bit. I worry a little that he's not going to roll over because he hates tummy time do so much.

Same. My LO despises it and doesn't even try to lift her head when on the floor. She's just cried and gives up she hates exercise as much as her mommy lol. DS was the same way but around 3.5-4 months when he could actually get his head up real good he stopped fighting it as much and we did it more.

meggyme · August 2016

I've been doing supervised tummy time on our firm couch cushion so she's a little more cushioned and up off the floor. She seems to like having more things to look at. I've heard doing it on a table so she can more easily look at you is a good transition to tummy time too.

amangels2 · August 2016

HeartLikeMine3 said:

amangels2 said:

Sam hates tummy time. He's gotten to the point that he will just put his cheek down and cry. i will put a rolled up blanket under his chest which forces his head up. He does love to sit and hold his head up on my lap, so I do that quite a bit. I worry a little that he's not going to roll over because he hates tummy time do so much.

Same. My LO despises it and doesn't even try to lift her head when on the floor. She's just cried and gives up she hates exercise as much as her mommy lol. DS was the same way but around 3.5-4 months when he could actually get his head up real good he stopped fighting it as much and we did it more.

Thank you so much for this. I've been so worried that he's going to miss some milestone because tummy time goes so poorly. We do it many times a day, but it doesn't seem to do anything. And I keep hearing how important it is. So I really appreciate hearing what you said about you DS.

vintagevix2016 · August 2016

Damien doesn't like tummy time either. He might last a minute or two but he then starts fussing and crying. He holds his head up and steady really well though so I'm not too concerned.

HeartLikeMine3 · August 2016

amangels2 said:

HeartLikeMine3 said:

amangels2 said:

Sam hates tummy time. He's gotten to the point that he will just put his cheek down and cry. i will put a rolled up blanket under his chest which forces his head up. He does love to sit and hold his head up on my lap, so I do that quite a bit. I worry a little that he's not going to roll over because he hates tummy time do so much.

Same. My LO despises it and doesn't even try to lift her head when on the floor. She's just cried and gives up she hates exercise as much as her mommy lol. DS was the same way but around 3.5-4 months when he could actually get his head up real good he stopped fighting it as much and we did it more.

Thank you so much for this. I've been so worried that he's going to miss some milestone because tummy time goes so poorly. We do it many times a day, but it doesn't seem to do anything. And I keep hearing how important it is. So I really appreciate hearing what you said about you DS.

Aww good it's so hard not to stress everything the first go round.I think holding them in sitting helps a lot and I get LO to do some on DH chest because it's easier without boobs. Also try getting a mini boppy or neck pillow and you can prop them up with it under their arms DS like that so his face wasn't flat down. When LO wakes from her nap I will take a picture to show you what I mean. My DS turned our just fine and tolerated no TT for the first couple months.

cy&damonsmommy · August 2016

ashkee05 said:

Yeah they older they get you definitely want to get them on the mat. My dude is crazy with his head when he's on our chest but definitely not as good on the mat. He also gets very fussy so I just do a little bit a couple times a day to help him out. He kicked himself over the other day and his omg face was soooooo funny lol

I love their surprised faces. It's so cute.

kaitielynnrichardson · August 2016

We used the half pillow that came with his play gym for a while... He always got very frustrated. Today he clearly is enjoying tummy time without it! He does lay on his daddy's chest a lot and practice lifting his head. Our dr told us as long as he's getting tummy time and practicing using those muscles she's not worried about anything.

amangels2 · August 2016

Look how high his head is! Wow! How did you get him to learn to use his arms. Sam tends to just stick his arms straight out.

i do have to say, yesterday at Gymboree, he did tummy time for 8 minutes before he started to fuss.

vintagevix2016 · August 2016

kaitielynnrichardson said:

We used the half pillow that came with his play gym for a while... He always got very frustrated. Today he clearly is enjoying tummy time without it! He does lay on his daddy's chest a lot and practice lifting his head. Our dr told us as long as he's getting tummy time and practicing using those muscles she's not worried about anything.

Damien's mat came with a pillow too and he doesn't like it one bit either. He prefers to just be on his tummy....well he doesn't like that either but he will tolerate it longer.

jerseygirl9090 · August 2016

Alyssa hates tummy time she screams whenever I put her on her tummy. I've tried with a boppy pillow, on my chest, tummy time mat with a mirror, in different rooms, on the bed and outside she hates it. This is her outside during tummy time.

amangels2 · August 2016

@jerseygirl9090 how old is Alyssa?

jerseygirl9090 · August 2016

She turned 2 months on August 9th

amangels2 · August 2016

Okay. That's about what Sammy looks like when he's on his tummy.

jerseygirl9090 · August 2016

Okay yeah I was a little worried she is behind because she hates it so much.

kaitielynnrichardson · August 2016

I put his gym on the coffee table and then sit on the floor in front of him. Honestly he's just a very strong boy with a pretty wide chest like his daddy. I think that has a lot to do with him being able to use his arms.

amangels2 · August 2016

@jerseygirl9090 I have the same worry. My pediatrician said to just keep doing it.

adiaz132003 · August 2016

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/wn/deglunt2n3ti.jpg

This is what Preston can do most of the time and the other times he can actually hold his head even higher and we don't do tummy time too long cause he gets upset too. I think they get frustrated when they can't hold their heads and that's why tummy time gets better once the neck is stronger.

amangels2 · August 2016

@adiaz132003 Preston gets his head pretty high.

Would you guys say your babies are on their tummies over an hour a day, all together?

adiaz132003 · August 2016

amangels2 said:

@adiaz132003 Preston gets his head pretty high.

Would you guys say your babies are on their tummies over an hour a day, all together?

Haha I'm lucky if I get a total of 10 min. Most play mat time is on his back cause he just started reaching for the hanging toys. I've actually taken a little hanging toy and use it during tummy time to give him something to look for and that helped a lot.

kaitielynnrichardson · August 2016

@amangels2 we do about 45 minutes a day, provided he's not too frustrated and fussy. Some days it's 10-15 minutes.

amangels2 · August 2016

Okay. I would say we do like 10-15 minutes a day, because he can only tolerate a few minutes at a time. Tummy time is frustrating.

26pointrunningfor2 · August 2016

My 9 week old started rolling tummy to back today and it's his new favorite activity. Kinda hard to keep him on his tummy now

jerseygirl9090 · August 2016

Do you guys pick up your babies when they start fussing or do you let them cry when they are on there tummy? I feel like I don't get enough tummy time in because she starts fussing and I feel bad then after I pick her up she's still fussy from being on her tummy.

amangels2 · August 2016

I let Sam fuss a little, otherwise we would never do tummy time. I will tell him ten more seconds and then count down from ten. I know he doesn't understand the numbers, but something in his head understands that when he hears that it means tummy time is almost done and he stops fussing.

meggyme · August 2016

Sometimes when Jackie starts fussing, I can squeeze a few more minute out by giving her a pacifier. It puts her to sleep sometimes too, but ultimately she's still on her stomach, right?

vintagevix2016 · August 2016

I will wait a few more seconds since he will sometimes calm himself down but if it lasts longer than that, I'll put him on his back for a little bit and try tummy time again afterwards...assuming he isn't fussing on his back too...then it's just game over for a bit.

adiaz132003 · August 2016

If he starts to fuss I will grab a toy and make noise to distract him and it will buy another couple minutes. As soon as I hear a cry I pick him up. Last thing I want is tummy time to be a negative thing. Fun time only on the mat. I maybe get a total of 15-20 on his tummy per day but we also do sit ups to help his core muscles.

jerseygirl9090 · August 2016

Yeah I usually try to distract her with a toy but if that doesn't work I give her a break and try later. She fusses so quickly I feel like she isn't getting enough tummy time in but she seems to last longer on her tummy on the couch so she can see more but I watch her very careful of course.

amangels2 · September 2016

Are your babies still screaming through tummy time?

laurendiaz02 · September 2016

amangels2 said:

Are your babies still screaming through tummy time?

My guy definitely doesn't enjoy tummy time. He usually cries. If he fancys it, then that lasts for about 5-10 minutes.

Lizbeth86 · September 2016

Our LO hates tummy time. How long should I be letting her fuss for?

KaylaR628 · September 2016

Lizbeth86 said:

Our LO hates tummy time. How long should I be letting her fuss for?

I would not let her fuss long at all because you don't want to have a negative association. My baby hates it too, so I have just always had her do it for as long as she doesn't fuss and her length of time is slowly increasing.

Lizbeth86 · September 2016

KaylaR628 said:

Lizbeth86 said:

Our LO hates tummy time. How long should I be letting her fuss for?

I would not let her fuss long at all because you don't want to have a negative association. My baby hates it too, so I have just always had her do it for as long as she doesn't fuss and her length of time is slowly increasing.

Thanks. Yeah i haven't let her suffer much and i was starting to wonder bc she's making progress but slowly...

amangels2 · September 2016

Sam cries as soon as I put him down. And he doesn't try to lift his head or use his arms. I called the pediatrician and she said to just keep doing it and that he will eventually lift his head and use his arms. So I continue to put him on his tummy and he just cries. I'm getting so frustrated with it, I am growing to hate the words tummy time. I feel like I'm torturing my child and I'm so ready to say screw it except everything says how important it is.

laurendiaz02 · September 2016

amangels2 said:

Sam cries as soon as I put him down. And he doesn't try to lift his head or use his arms. I called the pediatrician and she said to just keep doing it and that he will eventually lift his head and use his arms. So I continue to put him on his tummy and he just cries. I'm getting so frustrated with it, I am growing to hate the words tummy time. I feel like I'm torturing my child and I'm so ready to say screw it except everything says how important it is.

During the day I let my son nap in the pack n play on his tummy. I put him in awake and we have one of those fish tanks that play music, lights up and the fish move (normally supposed to attach to the crib) and we prop it up on the opposite side of the pack n play. He will lift his head to look at it and then eventually falls asleep. When he wakes up, he will lift his head and look around. So this has kind of become our "tummy time".

adiaz132003 · September 2016

amangels2 said:

Sam cries as soon as I put him down. And he doesn't try to lift his head or use his arms. I called the pediatrician and she said to just keep doing it and that he will eventually lift his head and use his arms. So I continue to put him on his tummy and he just cries. I'm getting so frustrated with it, I am growing to hate the words tummy time. I feel like I'm torturing my child and I'm so ready to say screw it except everything says how important it is.

We had the same issue. Lately he's been trying to push himself into a roll so we use the cue to get him on his tummy, plus we realized he hated tummy time more when he had the bulky diaper on so we started using disposables just for tummy time or I'll let him be nude. Before that I also got him used to it by putting him on my chest so he can look up at my face, and I'd lay down at an angle so he wasn't completely flat. I think all these helped cause before he'd last maybe 30 seconds and now we've done the occasional 15 min split into three 5 min stretches while playing. If the day goes really well that adds olup to almost 30-45 min on his tummy per day.

adiaz132003 · September 2016

So I just found Preston rolled on his side in his sleep. I feel like he's gonna roll back to front before front to back and that worries me. What can I do during tummy time to teach him to roll the other way cause the last thing I want is for him to roll all the way on his tummy and get stuck. If he wants to sleep on his tummy that's one thing but if he ends up there and doesn't want to then he'll be waking us all night.

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