Tummy Time

My girls were preemies, so right now their adjusted age is about 2 weeks old. They are pretty close to being able to hold their head up on their own, and they are able to turn it back and forth if they are on their tummies. I just have a few tummy time questions...

When did you start Tummy Time?

How long would you do it for?

Did you do both of your babies at the same time?

What toys did you use to keep their attention?

When did you stop doing Tummy time?

Thanks for the help!

 

I don't remember when we started official tummy time. My girls loved to lay on our chests and would lift their heads to look up at us. We did this when they came home from the hospital and considered it tummy time! We'd also lay them across a boppy once they were big enough and put it on the playmat so they had something to look at. Honestly we did tummy time more with Meara than with Ana because Ana was/is a puker and she had to stay upright so much more... and there wasn't a lot of time in between bottles and sleeping when they were tiny. I guess we stopped when they could roll over by themselves. Oh and having Ana on her tummy less than Meara didn't affect when they rolled. Ana actually was the first to roll from back to belly, but then Meara became master roller a couple days later and was much better at it than Ana, but I think that was because Ana likes people to 'serve' her so its not in her personality to do anything unless she has a really good reason!

 

Mine HATE tummy time!!! They panic when I put them like that. I do hold them and they can keep their heads up just fine (on my chest.) I also put them in the jumperoo and they sit upright. They are 10 weeks adj-15 weeks by birth. I don't really do much tummy time cuz I can't stand to hear them go ballistic -- and it's "self inflicted" which makes it worse! I figure they're getting enough head exercise throughout the day.

 

I started tummy time around 2 months, I think. I would put them both on their bellies on their boopy pillows at first and just lie in front of them and talk to them. Eventually we worked up to being on the floor with the boppy pillows but they usually only lasted for a minute or two here and there because they hated it. I stopped doing it once they were rolling well, and that wasn't until 7 months for my girls (which I hear is late).

 

We started it right away, and stopped when they became mobile. Remember that tummy time is about more than just holding up their heads, it is about learning how to use muscles, so that they become mobile. Without tummy time, it will be hard for them to learn to roll, then creep, then crawl. Ours spent most of the day on the floor playing.

 

We started ours within the first few weeks. They both hate it. But they're both getting really strong. We usually do them both together, in the evening, for about 5-10 minutes. To be honest, daddy usually does tummy time, while mommy runs away to check e-mail (I've usually heard enough crying by that time in the day).

It really helps them sleep well at night, too. Especially our boy Ian tends to have a lot of energy, and if he doesn't use it up during the day, it's going to be a long night for all of us.

I'm hoping now that they're becoming more interactive (8 weeks), we can find ways to make tummy time fun, with toys, etc.

 

In the beginning we would lay them on our chest on their tummy, so I guess that counts as tummy time. At about 4 weeks or so we started putting them on the floor on their tummies, but it was not until they were 2 months old that they really started to get into it. We would prop them on boppies alot in the beginning. Now we put them on the floor facing each other and they will look all around and coo at each other. Or we will put a fun toy down and they love it. My babies really prefer their tummies though, they have become tummy sleepers and get really frustrated when they forget how to roll back to belly.

 

When did you start Tummy Time?

We were told we can do this right away

How long would you do it for?

As long as they are content doing it 30 seconds to a couple of minutes usually

Did you do both of your babies at the same time?

Sometimes. If one is still sleeping and the other needs playtime, then they're separate

What toys did you use to keep their attention?

We have a singing toy (caterpillar) it's a learning toy too for when they're older

When did you stop doing Tummy time?

Still doing it

HTH.

 

We started right away, too, but weren't religious about it until 3 months or so, when they could start to reach for things and look around. One recommendation I've heard is to do it for a few minutes every sleep cycle (ie. sometime between one nap and the next).

The boys didn't love it by any stretch, but I figure my mom put me to sleep on my tummy from birth, so a few minutes aren't going to hurt them! And frustration (in moderation!) motivates them to move

 

We started very early doing tummy time, but the doctor said it wasn't 'crucial' to start til 1-2 months. My one DS had Torticollis & Plagiocephaly, so we were really encouraged to do tummy time with him. His PT recommended NOT to do it with a Boppy if he tolerated it. Luckily, both my boys enjoy tummy time & tolerate it more & more the older they get. I had been told if a baby doesn't like it, that laying them on your chest can be considered tummy time (more so if you're laying flat) & adding a Boppy or Tummy Time Mat can also be helpful (we found our Tummy Time Mat a waste of money).

As my boys push 6 months, they enjoy being on their tummies face to face with a toy in the middle. It's funny watching them steal it back & forth, or both chew on it at once! It helps keep their mind off the fact that they're on their tummy too!!!

GL!