tummy time hater!

Donna - posted on 01/04/2010

Hi Rebecca - my son Reuben was a preemie at 31 wks and is now almost 11 months (9 months corrected) and he has always hated being on his tummy also! I have been advised by various health pros to try to put him on his tummy as much as possible as it can hinder their ability to crawl sooner - I am now trying out a gym ball that you would normally use to exercise on and I just put him on it and try to keep him happy on his tummy for as long as possible! Im not sure if its a side effect from the incubator but I wouldnt be surprised so keep trying and good luck - hope this helped!

Jaqlyn - posted on 01/02/2010

my son is the same way, he was 5 weeks early. he hates to be on his tummy. cries everytime. finally he just wares himself out and finally comes down and he tries.

Patricia - posted on 12/20/2009

My daughter doesn't like tummy time either. She is 71/2 months (6 months corrected). She'll stay on her tummy for about 1 minutes before she starts complaining. She lifts her head but insists on placing her arms out towards her sides. She is my second preemie - my first is 13 with mild cerebral palsy. I've contacted an organization in my area (CHICAGO), Easter SEals, to have them come out and do an assessment on her. I might be paranoid but that's okay. My husband and I would rather be aggressive than not given our experience with our first. My baby is starting to sit up and grasps for things in front of her. She rolled over yesterday for the first time. If there are any issues it's better to deal with them sooner than later as early intervention programs do exist and can only do them good.

Ashley - posted on 12/19/2009

I have been worried about my son. He is 5 1/2 months old and dislikes tummy time too. He isn't even rolling over yet by himself. I want him to roll and sit and crawl... reading these posts helped me know he isn't the only one. I hope he catches up soon but he is doing fine for a premie. And that makes me happy.

Cathy - posted on 12/11/2009

Hi Rebbeca,



we had a peidatrician tell us to lie our little one (who was only 4 months gestation and 1 month corrected) to lay her on her tummy, put her hands underneath her chin and for us to put our hands gently but firmly on ner bum. She said that sometimes they can't quit put together how to do it and by putting your hands on her bottom helped her steady her legs and she lifted her head right away. We were told to do it twice a day only and for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on her.



she would do it and didn't like it too much, but after a week or 2 she did it with ease.

Rebecca - posted on 12/09/2009

he started sitting up yesterday so hopefully he will eventually just tip himself over to crawl - or if not it doenst matter! im excited that he is sitting!

Marie - posted on 12/08/2009

My little boy HATES tummy time too, screams the place down everytime i try it so i have given up now, Maybe he will forget crawling altogether and just walk instead.

Rebecca - posted on 12/05/2009

thanks to all yr replies - i thought it may be a prem thing as all my friends babies love tum time!. we will keep trying a little bit each day. thanks :)

Sharla - posted on 12/05/2009

Hi Rebecca. My son was 9 weeks early. When we brought him home from the NICU, all he would do would lay on his tummy, he really hated his back. Now that he DOES lay on his back, he HATES to be on his tummy. He is now 9 months old and I struggle with him to keep him there for as long as he can. I lay down with him and play with his toys. He is going through Physical Therapy and they told me to roll up a blanket and put it under his chest area with his shoulders in front of the rolled up blanket. The thing is that you REALLY have to work with them to get comfortable on they're belly. It's hard work, but as a parent you just have to stick to it. It's what's best for the children. My son is 9 months old, and he has YET to be able to push himself up on hiss arms while on his belly, so no crawling or anything. Just be patient.

Melissa - posted on 12/03/2009

hi rebecca, my boy was 6 weeks prem as well and HATES tummy time i have learnt to deal with it but it is soooo hard when you try and try with them i try and do it all the time with him, he last for about 3 mins than starts wingging and i fell bad for doing it so i roll him back over and say" wat a good boy". He is now 7mths and still dose'nt like it and i want him to crawl soo much, so all you can do as a mother is just to keep trying..

Melissa - posted on 12/03/2009

My daughter was a premie too and hated tummy time. She didnt start liking it until about 7-8 months, but i would make a point of putting her on her tummy for a few seconds or up to a few mins each day. Even tho they dont like it, I think you should still do it.

Melanie - posted on 12/03/2009

Hi Rebecca my little girl was also Prem like your little one absolutely hated tummy time she didn't start liking it until she was about 7 Months it took a while but we finally got there we took her to see a Physiotherapist to get some help she advised us to put her down for a small amount of time even if it is 30 seconds then change her position to her back and keep doing it for 5 - 10 minutes at a time let her rest for an hour and have another go then when we thought she was confident with that milestone we kept doing it for longer periods and then introduced her to a rolled up towel under her chest and started the process all over again I thought what the physio advised us was awesome and it allowed for Dad to get in and give me a hand so that I could have a break hope it helps