My baby hates tummy time

amother

Fri, May 24 2024, 12:02 pm

My 3 mo really hates tummy time. I try to do it a few times a day but he rarely lasts more than a minute or two before crying. I have a colorful playmat, put toys or a mirror in front of him, put my face in front of him, lie down and put him on my stomach so he can see my face, apply counterpressure to his back... I've tried it all and he still hates it! Bh his head control is not bad but I know it's so important for his development to get lots of tummy time. Any ideas?

amother

Denim

Fri, May 24 2024, 12:07 pm

All/most babies hate it. Having them on your chest while you’re laying down is tummy time so maybe try that.

My baby didn’t do much tummy time because she screamed every time I tried and bH she developed very well anyways. She sat up, crawled and walked on time.

amother

Babypink

Fri, May 24 2024, 12:10 pm

Normal normal normal. Just do it for as long as they’ll tolerate it and hopefully eventually they’ll start being able to tolerate it for longer. Look up online other ways to try to get tummy time in for babies who hate it (putting them on your chest, your lap, etc…)..

amother

Azure

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:12 pm

Check for tongue tie with a very literate provider, the restriction can cause tension all the way down to the core and make it very uncomfortable for them to be on their stomachs.

Craniosacral therapy can help with "tightness" even if there aren't any ties.

Surprisingly, wearing baby in a carrier counts as tummy time because they need to work on head/neck control. Even just holding them helps. Anything except flat on their backs.

Also, try putting her on her stomach on your lap and patting her back lots of babies really like that position.

behappy2

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:15 pm

Ppl underestimate how important playing on their backs is. So just want to put that out here. They learn so much from being on their back and exploring when they are little.

amother

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:32 pm

amother Azure wrote:

He nursed great from the beginning bh is there a chance he could still have a tongue tie?
He's not a tense baby he just kvetches and I want to make it more enjoyable for him. I don't think it warrants craniosacral therapy

zaq

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:33 pm

Nobody's underestimating anything. They're on their backs almost all the time as it is. And that is the problem: it can lead to a condition called plagiocephaly, which is not merely a cosmetic problem but can lead to asymmetric development of the brain and other organs, which can eventually require extensive surgery to correct. They also need tummy time to develop muscles of the neck, chest, and shoulders, and of course to progress to crawling. Insufficient tummy time--recommended is an hour a day, but it can be broken up into many sessions of a few minutes at a time--results in delayed crawling even if the child never develops a flat or asymmetric head.

amother

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:33 pm

behappy2 wrote:

Ppl underestimate how important playing on their backs is. So just want to put that out here. They learn so much from being on their back and exploring when they are little.

Yes he loves looking at toys on a mobile or playmat. bh he can entertain himself by looking at toys for a while and I like to let him entertain himself so he doesn't always need me waving things in his face

amother

Azure

Fri, May 24 2024, 1:54 pm

behappy2 wrote:

Ppl underestimate how important playing on their backs is. So just want to put that out here. They learn so much from being on their back and exploring when they are little.

What do they learn from being on their back and how can they explore on their backs?

amother

Dustypink

Fri, May 24 2024, 2:24 pm

Ya idk it's hard my kids hated it and so I barely did it and they never crawled

Trying to do better with current baby

amother

Lightgray

Fri, May 24 2024, 2:36 pm

It is very important for their development, tummy time and crawling!
One of my babies also hated it, but I did it Even for a minute at a time and he learned to like it and I was able to leave him each time for a bit longer.
But even if he doesn't learn to like it you can put him in stomache again and again for a little each time.

amother

Honey

Fri, May 24 2024, 2:50 pm

amother OP wrote:

At 3 months he should be happy on his stomach and be able to play that way for a bit.
Are his legs coming back up behind him when he’s on his stomach? Does he bear weight on his arms, engage his core?

You say it doesn’t warrant craniosacral therapy but even one session might really help him!

amother

Fri, May 24 2024, 3:08 pm

amother Honey wrote:

Sometimes his legs pop up but my pediatrician recommended putting counter pressure on his lower back and that helps him keep them down
If I position him with his arms under him he’ll bear weight in them. Often he ends up with his arms by his sides and shoulders up

smss

Fri, May 24 2024, 3:12 pm

If he can only tolerate a few min at a time then just try to do it more often. It all adds up. Doesn't have to be one long session

amother

Sun, May 26 2024, 4:06 pm

His playmat comes with a little bolster pillow to go under him for tummy time. Does that help or is it doing all the work for him?

amother

Canary

Sun, May 26 2024, 4:11 pm

No need to be all worried.
Many babies don’t like it and they develop fine.
Just do your best and don’t sweat it.
And the dire stories that you hear are not necessarily telling. For example a baby who didn’t do tummy time and then didn’t crawl and then had issues from that - it’s very possible that the not crawling came form something else entirely and that caused the tummy time aversion.

amother

Wheat

Sun, May 26 2024, 4:23 pm

I know I'll get hell for this but that's why I put my baby to sleep on his tummy.

He developed his muscles really well and I didn't have to force it. He was lifting his head right away.