Tummy time - what if your bub just doesn't like it

[mummynat]

Hi all

I took my 6mth old DD to Gymbaroo last week and the instructor said that I should let DD have more tummy time because she whinged after being on her tummy for too long. The instructor said not having enough tummy time could slow down her development, ie crawl / walk later.

DD has never liked tummy time much. She will stay there fore a few minutes at a time. She is able to roll onto her tummy and roll back. Therefore I can't force her to stay on her tummy anymore. Also, she loves standing up (assisted by me of course!) so I just don't know if not having tummy time is really such a big problem.

My mum told me I never really crawled but just started walking. I am thinking that perhaps DD takes after me and might not like crawling.

Are there any mums out there with bubs not liking tummy time too??? Are you worried??

Thanks

[Little Gorilla]

My bub (who is now a very healthy 2 year old boy who runs everywhere) hardly had any tummy time....he just didn't enjoy it - in fact it sort of stressed him out a bit.

He was a great crawler and walked at about 13/14 months.

There is nothing wrong with your bub crawling and walking "later".

I think your gymboree instructor was giving you alot of misinformation.:shame:

[~Emmylou~]

Exactly the same story as babaganoush here.
DD hated it, so I never made her do it. She walked at 12 months and no problems at all.
DS also doesn't like it so I don't make him do it either. He has just rolled over at right on 5 months - the same age DD rolled with no tummy time.

Tummy time is overrated IMO :p

[Mister Noodle]

Same here.

Asher couldn't *stand* tummy time until he started rolling over by himself (around 5 months).

Now you can't get him off his tummy if you try. He never had any problem holding his head up.

It'll all just happen when it happens.

[tickle]

I agree. Both of my children hated it and I never pushed it. DD's been crawling of a while, stands alone and is very close to walking, she's 10 months.
Don't stress out about it at all!

[MariaO]

same here - Aoife hated tummy time. I tried the towel under her etc. but she did not like it and I did not worry about it too much. She was crawling at around 7 months and walking well at 11 months. I really would not make yourself and your little one unhappy over it.

[Kylz]

Hi all

I took my 6mth old DD to Gymbaroo last week and the instructor said that I should let DD have more tummy time because she whinged after being on her tummy for too long. The instructor said not having enough tummy time could slow down her development, ie crawl / walk later.

DD has never liked tummy time much. She will stay there fore a few minutes at a time. She is able to roll onto her tummy and roll back. Therefore I can't force her to stay on her tummy anymore. Also, she loves standing up (assisted by me of course!) so I just don't know if not having tummy time is really such a big problem.

My mum told me I never really crawled but just started walking. I am thinking that perhaps DD takes after me and might not like crawling.

Are there any mums out there with bubs not liking tummy time too??? Are you worried??

Thanks

Hi

My little one is the same she hates tummy time i know exactly what you are feeling i feel the same way. She is 5months old & hasn't really started to roll yet she has rolled from her tummy to her back 3 times but that was weeks again & hasn;t done it since. now everytime she is on her tum she cracks it everyone keeps telling me to keep on it as she will get used to it but she hasn;t.

So i feel the same way as you do, don't strees your not alone :wave:

[Lin]

My DD was the same! She always seemed to struggle when I put her on her tummy - and it always made her throwup.
I never pushed her either. She didn't roll till late, which yours seems to be doing.
Mine started to sit up on her own by about 9mnths and 10mnths started to crawl. She's almost 12mnths and can now stand up and will be walking very soon! I don't call that very late myself. So I wouldn't worry about these so called slow development issues! All babies do it when THEY are ready. That's the biggest thing I've learnt is to not listen to what other people say they should and shouldn't be doing. It can drive you nuts! :banghead: If your bub is happy doing what she's doing then that's the main thing! ;)

[Beany]

He didn't like it so I didn't force him into it. Once in a while, I would have tummy-to-tummy time, where I would lay down on the bed and place him on my tummy so he could look up and see my face. He'd tolerate that for marginally longer.

Just go with the flow.

[mum2peanut]

I always tended to give my DD tummy time, when she was at her happiest, which was after a morning nap.
She too did gymbaroo, and at first she hated being on her tummy, when she whinged I'd pick her up and then try putting her back down, she started to stay down longer each week. But I wouldn't leave her on her tummy if she got really angry or upset. I know we used to let her lay on our tummies so she was looking at our face, she always liked that better.
Ignore the gymbaroo lady tho, do what keeps both you and bubs happy. She shouldn't be making you feel bad about it.

[motherhoodlmb]

Actually I'm going to go against the flow here! My younger son didn't like it either and basically didn't do much of it and I made the mistake of propping him up with cushions behind him (though he was older than 6 months). He never crawled, but got around on his bottom and didn't walk until he was 22 months :eek:

His development is slow and as his leg strength wasn't great I took him to kids physio when he was 18 or so months and the physio said by not properly crawling on hands and knees (so yes that's different to not having tummy time - but I believe he didn't crawl properly because he didn't have that time on his tummy) his development can be slow and that has been the case.

Of course he's running around like a mad man now, but he's only just started talking. Whether the two are connected who knows...

[Pixie]

I think it is utter poo if you child doesn't do tummy time other developmental stages will be delayed.
I never did it with my DD she hated it she first crawled at coming up 7 months and then stopped and started again at 8 months she is doing just fine!

As long as you baby is happy doing what they are doing on their back or side and have reasonable head control which I am sure they do at 6 months then don't worry about it they all develop differently.

You know best!

[Snuffys Mum]

I've been to a Physio too for this same problem. My concern wasn't so much developmental but that ds has quite a flat head from always wanting to be on his back. The physio basically said I need to avoid having him on his back as much as possible and really persevere with the tummy time. He's slowly getting better now. Might get a minute or two out of him and he has rolled from tummy to back twice but thats it. She did however, go against the consensus here, and say that it is quite common for development to be delayed in babies who don't get adequate tummy time. I guess she was wrong on that bit!

[Natsmummy]

I was told similar things re development by my early childhood clinic nurse when DS was about 6 months old so I just kept trying even though DS absolutely hated it. I'd do it multiple times throughout the day and as soon as he got upset we'd stop. Gradually the time it took him to get upset became longer and then within a pretty short space of time (a week or so) he liked it. And then he started to roll and everything else has just followed on from there. So I think its worth pursuing.

[Beany]

Like I said, I didn't really do tummy time as it upset him so much. His head control was fine early on - he used to prefer to be held sitting up rather than lying down. He rolled over off his own bat at around 4 months. At 5 months he was rolling from one end of the living room to the other. Now, at 6 months, I can see his little feet disappearing around the corner as he's crawling into the bedroom.

*runs to grab feet and pull them back*

[SammieSnail]

I too have been worried about DS's lack of tummy time....he only lasts a few mins max before I have to rescue him. Either that or he just lays there, finds his hand to suck and quickly falls asleep :rolleyes:

He has good head control and also prefers to be held in an upright position.

Ahhh time will tell how it affects him I suppose.

[tahnee11]

My DS rolled over from back to belly pretty early but he couldn't roll from belly to back until 1 month later, which left him frustrated being on his belly. He hated it. He probably only lasted about 2min max before he started crying.

After he learnt to roll both ways, rolling became his new method of transport and he loved it. He is now 6 months old and he has just learnt how to pull himself across the floor, not quite crawling but still fast enough to get into mischief.

I think all bubs are different but i have found with my DS that despite lack of tummy time, he still learnt how to move around on his own.