TUMMY TIME

My baby boy is 12 weeks old this week - I put him on his tummy but he hates it and starts to cry. I know he has to have this time to strengthen his neck but does anyone know how long he should be on his tummy and how many times per day? I probably don't do it often enough as it upsets me to see him so upset! Help!

hi
my daughter is 4mths old and she HATES it on her tummy i put her on my bed , on the floor on even on the floor lying on her dads chest. she wont have a bar of any of it. we did it about 3 times a day and she lasted not 30secs each time, so we only put her on her tummy when shes all smiley and happy . about once a day. and when she gets grumpy we turn her over. she never lasts for more than a minute tho.

all kids are different aswell.
they do stuff when they r good 'n'ready smile

you could sit him on your lap keeping his back supported and this makes them hold their heads up which is neck muscle control too.

Do what ever you gut tells you to do. theres no wrong or right way with some things, its just what comes naturally

Hi,
My daughter is now 5 1/2 months old and loves her tummy time, however when we first started putting her on her tummy she too would cry and have a tanny and would not hold her head up at all. My ecn told me to roll up a small blanket and place it under her chest/arms (sort of under her arm pits so her arms are haning over the blanket). It encouraged her to hold her head up making it a bit more interesting. It still took a while for her to really enjoy it but it did make a big difference.
Hope this helps,
Dan

My son is 8 1/2 months old - he hated tummy time until he was about 4 or 5 months old. I never forced him, he would only last 30 secs or so to start off with. Our nurse suggested putting him on his tummy on his change table after every nappy change, I did that and he seemed to like it better. I never stressed myself about it. I have to admit days would go by without any tummy time. I agree it's important but just go with the flow - he will get used to it in time. They are all different. My son was rolling right across the floor by 5 months and he has been crawling since 7 1/2 months - and pulling himself up to stand on everthing!!! So it certainly hasn't delayed his development not having much tummy time. Just relax, if you have any concerns go and see your health nurse. Hope this helps.

Jasmine

i will have to try that
the rolled up blanket.
thanks

This post has been edited by the moderator.

Hi,
My son never used to enjoy his tummy time either. Cruel as it may sound, we would leave him on his tummy for a couple of minutes a day, with or without crying! But i found hanging a toy in front of him just above his head gave him something to look at and he began to actually enjoy his tummy time! Through the early days, although he wasn't too happy on his tummy, he was lifting his head up and strengthening his neck! We were pretty impressed though, because he was holding his head up on his own in the very early weeks of his life ... very strong little boy:)

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your suggestions - I tried the rolled up towel and it works a treat! He can now lay on his tummy for much longer and actually smiles and looks around. smile

I've written this on so many posts throughout this site!!
My baby didn't like tummy time much at first. At about 5 months she got into it.
When I go out, I lay her in her pram on her tummy (if you have a pram you can do this with) and she LOVES it. I pull the big flap up so she can see out. She can see everyone approaching and they can see her and always have a chuckle and say what a great idea it is. People always stop for a chat as they think it is fab!

Hi Bibblesox,

You might like to try and have your son laying on your arms and walk around, you could pretend that he is superman. i found that my daughter loves it everytime we go flying around the garden.

At first my son hated his tummy time and would cry whenever we put him on his tummy. But my ecn made a point of if he rolld onto his tummy and isn't used to it he'll surely crack a huge wobbly. So just after a feed while I'd get everything ready for a bum change I'd put him on his tummy. Graduely he got used to it and was rolling from tummy to back at 3 months. Now he rolls to his back whenever we put him on.his tummy.
Another way is if there's something they like to look at eg TV, toy with flashing lights, put that to the front or side so that they're distracted.
Kristy

my daughter when born NEVER got put on her stomach she hated tummy time she would scream. if she was not standing or sitting she would cry. so i bought her a walker, a jolly jumper and a u shaped baby pillow and sat her up or stood her up she was stronger than most children and she never layed on her stomach. i dont regret it and if we eventually fall preggas again i will do the same thing. with the next one if the next baby dont like tummy time. i wanna get a swing next time i didnt have one for eilish