Tummy Time - New York, NY

Susan,
Place his favorite toy in front of him while he is on his tummy.
You can also place a pillow on his side to help with the flatness of his head. This way he will be laying on his side and will generally get used to other positions aside from on his back only,
Good luck

My daughter HATED tummy time; so we rarely did it. Instead, I would lay down on my back and rest her on my chest with her on her tummy (she liked seeing Mama's face), or while still on my back I would lift my legs, bend them at the knee and rest her on her belly on my lower legs, and give her airplane rides. That helped her get used to being on her stomach (also good exercise form Mom!). Eventually it stopped bothering her.

Good Luck!

I used to do a lot of tummy time with my son on me in a recline position. Get some toys and a mirror and get him used to those things this way and move him on to the floor eventually.

Also, using a pouch or a sling gets him up off the ground and my son enjoyed moving with mom.

Hi Susan,
Please don't let him cry. There's a reason he doesn't like it, whether he's too little or his stomach muscles are too underdeveloped. He'll enjoy it when he's developmentally able to enjoy it. Crying it out - even for 5 minutes - is just plain mean. He doesn't like it - he will eventually. Wait a week or even 2 days. In the mean time....
Buy a sling from ikarma.com or karmababy.com and wear your son around constantly. He'll not only lose the bedhead, but he'll develop stomach muscles and neck muscles immediately. I wore DD around for 3 months straight. She wouldn't lie flat either. You won't need tummy time if you wear him. Not a baby bjorn either, but a free hanging sling. Emma is now 8 months old and I'm sure will start walking this month. She was crawling, sitting alone at 6 months and standing with furniture at 7 months. sling sling sling. it's not too late. He'll love it, and you'll love the bonding time with him.
xoxo good luck

Dear Susan,
Try wearing your son in a sling/mie tie or moby wrap during the day. Baby wearing has many benefits one of which is rounder heads because the babies are not laid down often.
Other benefits include, better bonding, more stimulation, less reflux and less crying!

Best of Luck,

M

What about a play table with a walker seat with pillows to prop him? My dgtr HATED tummy time too - I actually stopped trying all together b/c it was sheer torture! She developed fine! With that said - she also needed to be held constantly - so was rarely laying in one spot on a mattress except to sleep for the night.

If he is laying on his back - you can put something interesting to his right - then switch to his left after a little while so he moves his head back and forth. If he will be propped up kind of sitting - give him something to reach out for - like those hanging toys.

They do have those - tummy time toy things - but I'm pretty sure my dgtr would have thrown it away herself if we had one and she could have! It's hard when they just won't do it - but they sure do know what they like and what they don't! I would try to find alternatives to tummy time if he hates it that much while helping him have more mobility with his head.

What are you doing to entertain him? When he is on his stomach he cant see you or much of anything else, if he cant raise his head. get a soft blanket, put it on the floor and then get down and play with him. Talk to him and shake toys at him. They sell little mats with play things for 'tummy time'. Also try putting him to sleep on his side, instead of flat on his back.

Though I'm not there yet, I read a great article in Parents magazine (Perhaps the August or September issue) that said if your baby doesn't like tummy time, to try an alternative. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and hold your baby onto your calves, so that his feet are pointing towards your feet and his head is up by your knees. It still works his tummy, and he may be a little calmer because you are holding him and he can see you. Good luck!

hi susan... my daughter had the same problem, i was/am a first time mom and didnt know that having the baby on her back the entire time would make her head go flat, she was ALWAYS so good and content just lying around. well the dr noticed her head being flat and i had to take her to see another dr about it. they gave me a couple of months to try to corredct it my self and if not she would got the helmet. they told me to just lie her on her sides,alternating, throught out the day. so we did. just roll a blanket up and place one in front of him and one behind him to keep him on his sides. my daughter was a little older then you son and could wiggle out of them or make her way back to her back. just the gravity of being on her side helped and she didnt need the helmet. she is 3 now and is fine. tummy time is to help strengthen there little necks and backs, so you can try that again when he gets older, when he is more comfortable. good luck

My son hated it too, I think every kid hates it, but just like everything else they will eventually protest you have to do it! I just did it every chance I got even if it was only for a few minutes. Now at six months every time I put him down he rolls onto his belly, go figure. Good luck!

Try holding him over your shoulder so he gets used to holding his head up. Then maybe tummy time will go a little better. Good luck!

Susan: My daughter, who just turned 5 mos old, hated tummy time as well; however, I would put her on her tummy until she got frustrated, then back on her back. After about 10-15 mins, I'd start all over again. They just get frustrated because they have no control. I never thought my daughter would stay on her tummy, but she just rolled over last week and I now find her sleeping on her stomach when I check the camera while she's sleeping. Just give him some time; he'll take to it! Hang in there. S.

I used a mirror in front of my son with like mural characters hanging down. Th stores sell things like it but I improvised.
I found he was amazed at his own reflection and the toys he would try to grab. Tummy time was much better after that.
3 minutes is a long time as well, give it a try hopes it works.

Tummy Time? The only time my daughter ever spent on her tummy was when she rolled herself there and couldn't figure out how to roll back over again :D Seriously. I never put her down on her tummy, and I didn't have any problem with flat spots on her head and she was way ahead of all the "milestones." Granted she spent a lot of time in a sling, in arms or on my back, and none in a stroller, so this probably helped.

As far as the flat spot goes, keep changing positions, wear or carry your baby more so he doesn't get pressure on the flat side of his head, use a donut pillow when you lay him down on his back or in a carseat/stroller. Don't stress too much about it, it should get better when he starts sitting and crawling and in the end it's totally a cosmetic concern.

Both my daughters hated tummy time for a while...try doing tummy time on your back with baby on your tummy instead of the floor...this will reward his effort with your face, and make you able to hold and calm im easily if he starts to work up a fuss.

Hello -- I had the same problem with my son at 4 mos. But we kept trying and now at 5 months he likes it more. He still yells a lot but it is better. I have heard if you get on the floor with them so they can see you, helps. Also, we have a tummy time mat that came with a mini bobby that raises him up a bit. Keep trying -- it will get better. For now, I would try to get on the floor with him and see if that helps. Good luck!

I found that tummy time was easier on my little one when I placed a mirror on the floor with him. He loved to keep lifting his head to the "other" little boy.

Both of my children hated tummy time too! I would lay them on their tummy on top of my tummy, so they could see my face, even if it was for 5 min. at a time, I just did it more often. Also, I used the boppy to prop them up on their tummy so they didn't have to work so hard to lift their head. I would get down on the floor and 'play' with them, again, even if it was just for 5 min at a time. Eventually, they started to like it and I would do it for longer periods. You may want to try putting him down on his side (proped or swaddled so he can't move too much), or in a bouncy chair, to help with the flat spot.

He may respond better to tummy time if you put him on an activity mat. They have bright colors and pictures and he may find it interesting. There are lots of different kinds that you can buy at Buy Buy Baby or Babies R' Us. A lot of children don't like tummy time--don't worry about it too much! Best of luck!

Hi Susan,
My guess is that it doesn't frighten him, rather that he's either mastered that skill and it is boring or he just doesn't like how it feels. My daughter was never much of a tummy time girl, especially after she rolled over from belly to back. I'd say to give him his time, and when he fusses, change position. Or, you can practice rolling over with him, if he hasn't yet. He might enjoy the challenge. You can prop mirrors up around him, he might enjoy looking at himself, or other toys he needs to reach for. What about laying down on your belly too face-to-face? Also, have you tried getting a bumbo sitter or Bebe pod? That helps them sit upright, it would keep him off his back. Lastly, I purchased and neck support that had the center opened, a big round "O" where the back of the head goes. I used it all the time: changer, car seat, swing, activity chair, on the floor. It is supposed to keep babies from getting flat head. I'm not sure it was the reason why, but my daughter didn't have any trouble with it. I hope that helps!! :)

I agree with the walker idea. At four months my children enjoyed sitting and wiggling their legs or bouncing. Not one of them enjoyed being on their tummies. It is much better for them than lying back against a flat surface all the time and it strenthens their necks because they can turn all around to look at everything,

Hi Susan
Wow, he was there 3 minutes before crying!!! My son who is now 10 months also hated tummy time, OH MY did he hate it. He cryed the minute we put him on his tummy. I kept trying little by little but it was so hard and he seemed to like trying to walk better. We got him a walker (6 months) and he was loving it. My husband never crawled he just got up and walked by 11 months. And I can understand about your concern with his head. I asked my doctor the same thing and she didnt seem concerned at all. The helmet seems a bit much to me. I think in the next few months that he starts moving more, it will be fine. Maybe when laying him down try laying him on his side or when he is asleep gently move his head to one one side then next time on the other side. I did that a little. Oh by the way, since 8 months my son has been sleeping on his tummy which I thought he would never do and if I put him on his back he flips over to his tummy so quickly now that diapering is impossible these days. So dont worry take one moment at a time and know that he'll flip over and move all over when he is ready. Keep it up though because the more you do it the sooner he will get used to it. My son has been working h*** o* his crawl, i think he would have done it sooner if i spent more time with him on his tummy. Even 3 minutes 5-10 times a day. God Bless and a big congrats on having him. I have waited a very long time for mine. Enjoy all your moments, they pass so fast and you'll be worried soon about protecting him from everything in the house, chasing him around remembering the days when he hated tummy time.:)

Hi,
My daughter had a hard time with tummy time too when she was about that age. I found that getting down with her during the time helped a lot. She also protested quite a bit and cried after a few minutes. I did not push her when she became upset but rather did tummy times several times a day until she became more comfortable with it. I think she was getting frustrated with the fact that her neck wasn't strong enough to hold up her head. When she got stronger, tummy time became easier and the crying stopped.

good luck and enjoy your baby!!

A.

a few minutes at a time. doesn't have to be long. put toys in front, then take one toy (red) and start moving it from one side to another so he can move his head while following the toy. helmet isn't the end of the world. my daughter had to get it due to flat spot caused by torticollis (sp?). she wore it for a few months and now at age 4 her head shape is just great. we still have the helmet :)
good luck

my son hated tummy time as well. i would put him on his tummy only a few minutes a day and that was it. i agree with the post on putting him on your calves. that could work! Its not unusual for children to hate tummy time - and your ped shouldnt put the helmet on so early in your sons age...usually they wait a few months to see if the problem corrects itself. good luck

The idea behind tummy time is to strengthen your baby's neck muscles so that he can better roll his head from side to side which can help prevent him from keeping his head in the flat side position all the time. Three minutes is actually really great.

To make it more comfortable for him, try to place him on a softer surface such as your bed, and roll a blanket under his chest to help him keep his head off the mattress. Your bed is also helpful because then you can easily lie down with him, keep eye contact, talk/sing/play with him, or keep him occupied with his favorite toys.

For times when he is lying back on his playmat, diaper changing table, car seat, or stroller, you can purchase pillows by Boppy (Amazon.com) that have holes in the middle and use them religiously - they relieve pressure spots that lead to flatness.

I also purchased Swedish Goi Goi pillows (http://www.goigoibabypillows.co.uk/) designed specifically for babies which are used routinely in their hospitals for babies they also place on their backs. They are sold all across Europe, but not sure about the US - you might have to get a friend to send it over your way. I think there is a recommendation not to use pillows in the US due to SIDS risk. For me, I felt that until my child was able to roll onto his tummy by himself that it was safe and very effective at relieving pressure points during the most lengthy period of time he's on his back - during nighttime sleep. I stopped using the pillows during the short period of time my son was able to roll onto his tummy by himself but didn't quite have the hang of rolling himself back onto his back. I would have kept the pillows out if he ended up being a stomach sleeper, but it turns out that he is a back and side sleeper.

I agree with changing the position of his bassinet/crib and diaper changing table so that he changes the direction of whatever he is currently drawn to (usually lights, window, etc).

Also, when you lay him down to sleep, place his head on the side that is not flat and if you wake up during the night you can quickly check his head position and change it again if it is on the flat side.

Doing all of these things prevented me from having to place my son in a helmet and the problem corrected itself within a few months. Good luck.

Instead of placing him flat on the floor or beds, I would have them propped up on a U-pillow. Exactly like here.
http://www.eieiobabygear.com/store/images/tummy%20pillow.JPG
Good luck!

HI susan, I had a similar problem with my now 6 month old son. He cried anytime we would give him tummy time and our doctor just told us to let him cry for a little bit (5 minutes or so)while he was on his tummy. We also would lay on the floor with him and try to entertain him with toys or even just talking to him. We were also concerned because his head was getting flat only on the left side. We invested in a Bumbo seat (it was a little pricey) but with alot of supervision and help from us he would sit in his bumbo for about 30 minutes and it has helped tremedously. Eventually with a lot of patientence he now enjoys his tummy time. Hope this helps a little (I am no doctor but it has worked). Good luck, B..

Hi Susan-
Tummy time is sooo important. It helps to build stomach muscles, which is needed for crawling, which helps eye and hand coordination, etc.
I did not know the importance of tummy time until recently. My son hated tummy time, and since I am a first time Mom, I didn't know any better. My son now has occupational therapy due to lack of tummy time (who knew?).
There is a pillow called a "noggin nest" which will help shape your son's head. There is also a new pillow specifically made for tummy time in Babies R Us.
I hope this helps
K.

My daughter, too, hated tummy time at that age. She had torticollis (kind of like a twisted neck), which meant when she was on her back, she always had her neck turned to the same side, thus she was developing positional plageocephaly (flattened head). She went to physical therapy at the Rusk Institute in NYC for about 6 month and one of the things they stressed was (as you know) tummy time. We would put a mirror in front of her - - they sell one that is like a triangular stuffed block with a non-breakable mirror on it. We also put a bunch of toys in front of her to play with. We had a tummy time boppy (not sure they still make that). It's hard but even if he can only tolerate 4 minute increments, just keep doing it. Oh, the gymini is also good....

You might try a little bit of tummy time every time you change his diaper. That's what I did with my twin daughters. After I changed a diaper, I'd roll the baby over to her tummy on the changing table, and then put my face down to hers and talk to her. They both liked having my face close to theirs, and it made the whole process more fun. We did it for a couple minutes with each change, which was easier to take than trying to do a block at a time. I also have two adorable photos that I cherish -- close-ups of their faces -- taken when they were on their tummies on the changing table. Something to keep in mind!

Good luck!
A.

Do you put toys down that he can look at? They have tummy time mats with mirrors and toys on them.

i dont mean to scare you, but my daughters head was the slightest bit flat, so i know it can be a serious issue. remember, if you son is crying from being on his stomach, imagine how it would be if he had to wear a helmet. this is a very common problem, but to suggest the helmet may be needed makes it sound a bit more concerning.

ok, heres what you need to do. i assume its flat on one side? change your changing table and anything like a mobile or other toy so your son will lean towards the other side. in his sleep, make sure he is not laying on the flat side. put him in a sleep positioner on the opposite side . also take note, which side you are feeding him if he is only bottle fed. nursing you switch, but with bottles people tend to favor one side.

and remember, he doesnt need tummy time to fix this problem, he needs not to put any unneeded pressure on the flat side to make it worse. wearing your son in a sling will prevent anymore flattening. there are many other positive benefits as well anyway. the flatness happens from sleeping on one side, but moreso from being in strollers, car seats, swings, bouncy seats. since the flatness is already there, when he relaxes his head, it automatically falls to the flat side making it worse. so if you wear him in a sling, he wont be in that position to make it worse.

i would correct it by adjusting his head when he is in places he must be like sleeping or changing, and use a sling to prevent any reoccurences. you should be able to correct this in a month or 2 if you are perisistent. remember, its not tummy time that prevents flattening, its keeping his head off any surface. good luck to you.

ETA- once it is corrected, be sure to alternate everything like sleep sides, changing tables, ect so it wont occur on the other side.

Try putting him on his tummy on the changing table and sit in front of him so you are face to face, or get down on the floor with him. Its scary down there when you are so little. Everything else is so big!

Good Luck,
R.

Susan,

I understand your frustration with tummy time. My daughter absolutely hated tummy time and I felt like I was torturing her every day. Unfortunately, she was born with a condition called torticollis (a shortening/tightening of neck muscles on one side) so we had to up the t.t. to 90 minutes a day as recommended by her p.t. I have not read all of the responses below, so not sure if this is mentioned, but one of the suggestions made to us was put my daughter at an angle on a couch or chair cushion so she is still on her stomach, but the cushion is angled. We tried to incorporate tummy time on different surfaces i.e. our bed, her changing pad, our legs, our chest, etc., so it wasn't always the same place. It is so hard to hear the complaints, but you do have to push through. Try to add one minute to each time you do it. You will be amazed how quickly time adds up.

In terms of the helmet, we were told the same thing saying it was easier to correct in the first 6 months than afterward. I did a lot of research and found that most cases of helmets are only needed in extreme cases (i.e. there is distortion in the facial features, uneven ears, etc.) but most doctors encourage due to, this is awful to say, parents unwillingness to work on the issue or for cosmetic reasons that hair will eventually cover. I would do your research, get more than one opinion before you go down that road. My daughter still has some flatness, and we have been in constant communication with her doctor, and a slew of other specialists and all agree that it is just a cosmetic flaw that her hair will cover. They also agree that the helmet suggestion was extreme and a one size fits all answer to a problem. This is not to say that there are many kids who definitely need and benefit from a helmet. Just do your research.

My head is flat in the back and I have lived a very happy productive life! LOL.

Best of luck to you!

One way we did tummy time was on the big balance ball. She loved being on her belly and moving close to then away from my face. I just held her hands and rocked the ball. We also let her lay on top of us. Maybe he just doesn't like being alone down there.

I know this will sound like a stupid question, but my kids are teens now....... what will wearing a helmet during tummy time do for the baby? It seems like it would be too heavy for the baby to try hold up! My babies were more often in the walker with rolled up blankets around them to keep them propped up, so their little heads were just free most of the time. Plus I did hold them a lot..... because I enjoyed it.

Susan, I am also a mother of a 5-month old at 40 years old. My son does not like tummy time too much himself, although he will play in that position minimally. He is not however, getting the flat head because I bought a walker. He sits in it, and it helps his arm muscles because he has to raise himself up to stand and reach the toys on it and also he has to push his legs up when he thinks he is standing alone. So, therefore he is still getting the exercise he needs. I find that he is as strong as any 5-month old should be. I hope this helps.

My daughter hated being on her tummy also at first. I bought one of those activity mats and she really loved it. It was great because it gave something for her to look at and things to touch and feel while on her tummy. Good luck