tummy time for 4 mth old?

[firstbubba]

Hi - my 4mth old DD really hates "tummy time", and therefore I chicken out and pull her up or roll her onto her back after not long!!But I know she needs it, so really, how much of tummy time should she be getting a day!?? Thanks

[~mia&ryan~]

Any amount of time you can encourage is great!! Dont stress though some bubs really dont enjoy tummy time.. Just let you DD guide you, she will get the hang of it eventually..

Also try popping things she likes on the floor in an ark shape in front of her so they will distract her for a little while..

[SalTheGal]

Dont worry mine hated it at that age too, now he is six months and rolls onto his tummy every time I put him on his back (and then grizzles after a few mins cause he can't get himself back:rolleyes: )

Any time you can give her on her tummy is great- if she is getting distressed then it isn't going to benefit anyone by persisting. But basically I just put DS on his tummy whenever I thought of it just for a min or two more frequently.

[Nanay]

bubs is 4 months old as wel...what i usually do when he doesnt like being on the floor is i pop him on his tummy on my lap while on a swivel chair and move side to side so it feels like he is doing superman...as well chn mentioned getting on the floor legs stretched out and putting bubbs on your leg with their feet touching the floor and rocking back and forth like that
hope this helps..

[Karrina]

I try to make tummy time fun, get down to hat level and have some items and toys for bub to look at. You can also support their feet where they can push themselves forward towards the toy.:yes:

[Cat13]

My 3 1/2 month old hates tummy time too. He only gets a minute or so of it after his bath while we are drying him off. Like you, I know he needs it and pop him down on his tum but I also turn him back over pretty quick. No point forcing him if it upsets him.

One suggestion I heard was to place a rolled up towel under their chest/arms to help keep their head raised from the floor. Didn't help us any but might work for you!

[CharlisMummy]

My daughter is also 4 months old and she hated tummy time too.
Now that she's been rolling over for two weeks she can push herself up and is quite happy to stay like that for a little while.
I didn't worry too much about it because I knew she would get used to it in her own time!:) :)

[shed]

We never did tummy time. I personally think its a bit over-rated.

My DS started lifting his head at the normal time and started crawling at eight months and is now standing at nearly nine months so I don't think he has suffered for the lack of it. He has always had good neck control and prefers to sleep on his tummy now anyway.

I'm not saying don't do it, I am just saying its not the be-all and end-all of child development so don't worry too much.

[mizmiz]

My daughter holds tummy time but umm shes crawling now...shes 4 months old....


Shes commando crawling therefore i cant leave her on the bed anymore....

[cheezelz]

My DD is 12 weeks and hates it most the time too. When the nurse came out at 8 weeks she said that she should have 5 minutes twice a day! I give her about 3 minutes twice a day or until she starts to get fussy and sucks the floor.

[bronny-jane]

wow im going to sound like a mean mummy:D
dd3 loved being on her stomach...but dd1 and dd2:no:
i just left them there crying... dd 3 would sometimes cry... dd2 rolled at 4 weeks out of anger:laughing:

i dont feel bad about it.... i know its good for them... zoe spends her day on her stomach now... she rarely wants to be picked up... she started crawling too, so she gets around by herself... so much easier on me:D

[elise]

I found she likes it best tummy to tummy, i.e., me sitting with her tummy to tummy and making faces and talking to her. She loves looking at Mum's face :)

Runner up is popping her on our bed with her propped up on our pillow and then sitting on the floor in front of her and talking.

I find that toys and all sorts of other things pale in comparison to mummy and daddy's face... a child health nurse tipped me on this one.

[jbie]

same situation here, after half a minute he cries and smushes his face into the floor like he's trying to sink into it.

we just have him tummy to tummy with us leaning back on the couch, his arms push up against our chest.
plus when he's being carried upright, his head is unsupported, so it's being strengthened there too.

most ppl i've talked to say it's overrated too; they never did it, and their kids obviously learnt to anyway. don't stress abt this, just enjoy your baby; the most important thing is your relationship.