Tummy time

My dd and ds are 8 weeks old and although I try tummy time, it only really lasts for a few seconds. They don't like it at all and everyone ends up frustrated and upset. My DD will push up with her arms and raise her head etc...she even sits in the bumpo seat. My DS; however, can't really do anything with his head, neck, or arms but is really good with his legs. When I put him down for tummy time he scoots all the way across the blanket by pushing with his legs but he drags his head/forehead on the blanket and it looks painful. He grunts and groans and starts crying immediatly. I have tried one of those mats for tummy time that has a ledge type thing to set him on but he shoves himself forward off of that also. He has terrible torticollis and plagio and I know tummy time is the best thing for it but I cannot get him to do it. Even when he does do tummy time he still holds his head all cockeyed.

Do most babies that are around 8weeks have a lot of trouble with tummy time?

Thanks,
Amy

 

Mine would only last a minute at a time at that age. The more you do it, the more they get used to it.

 

I think it depends. Somedays the boys cry thru the whole thing so i cut the session short. Somedays, one or the other seems to enjoy it and will push himself up. They're slowly getting good at keeping their heads up. Oh, and I generally don't let tummy time last more than 10-15 minutes. I think your son maybe just needs more time to get used to it - so maybe keep trying for short periods of time and he'll get used to it??? I really don't know anything about torticollis or plagio, though - sorry!

 

Also, when do you do tummy time? I hate to do it when they are hungry or fussy or tired but I hate to do it when they are happy playing in their bouncies or on their back because I don't want to ruin a good thing and get everyone mad...

 

Mine wouldn't last very long at all. They seemed to cry almost instantly. I would probably only get a minute or two out of tummy time. I didn't let them cry very long b/c I didn't want them to associate crying and tummy time as a bad thing.

We did tummy time many times troughout the day. Eventually they got to liking it and would last longer and longer. It just takes time.

 

Have you tried putting his chest on a boppy pillow so he can see easier? He might enjoy it more. I did tummy time when they seemed alert. I'd lay them on the couch to do tummy time so they could look at me (otherwise they'd scream). If my face was there they were more interested.

 

QUOTE(ahmerl @ Jul 26 2007, 02:30 PM) [snapback]344680[/snapback]
I hate to do it when they are hungry or fussy or tired but I hate to do it when they are happy playing in their bouncies or on their back because I don't want to ruin a good thing and get everyone mad...

Exact same problem here. Ours lasted 5 minutes at most, and that was when they were more like 3-4 months! Amy did OK, but Sarah just always hated it. Eventually I sort of gave up. :blush:

However, neither of them had plagio or torticollis. Maybe your ped can suggest some strategies, or give you the name of a physical therapist who'd have some advice?

We did have a bit more success with "lying on mom/dad" tummy time. I would lie down and put the baby on my chest, so she could look up and see my face. Or sometimes I would just lie head-to-head with her on the floor and make faces or talk to her -- this extended tummy time for 30 seconds at least.

 

My boys are 2 months and they can handle tummy time for only a few minutes at a time. After that it seems they get frustrated.

 

We had a great tip from their PT that has made tummy time more tolerable, and even fun for the boys. We put a full length mirror, horizontally, just above the baseboard on the wall. Then we put a quilt in front of it, so the boys lay on their tummies on the quilt and can lift their heads to see themselves in the mirror. Those little cheesy baby mirrors never did it for them. This way they can see themselves, they can see each other, and they can see me when I lie down there with them. The only issue is now that they're getting bigger, we'll need to find something to protect the mirror so they don't throw a toy at it or something and break it.

 

Ditto, mine hated it at first. They got better at it gradually, now at 6 mo they like to hang out on their tummies for up to 20 minutes. Don't worry! I was definitely not religious about making them do it every day. They spent a lot of time on their backs on the floor during the early months, liked that a lot better. They rolled at about 4.5 months, then would cry because they got stuck on their bellies! Now they like it.

 

My girls will play contently on the floor with tummy time for a good 15-20 minutes if we are sitting down there with them sometimes longer. They HATE being propped up on the boppy... the prefer to pick their head up. A few things I do...

Make sure they are AWAKE... if they are kinda drowsey its no fun.
Make sure they burped well after eating!
Also I lay them down on a blanket that is black & white... the love the contrast & it keeps them busy for a bit & makes them want to pick there heads up.