[MrsDamonSalvator...]

hi,



my DS is 6 weeks old today. we have been trying tummy time with no sucsess since about 3 weeks old (he was in hospital until this point) but DS HATES it!! we are lucky if he stays calm for a minute!



as soon as we put him down, he will cry and cry and cry. i always do it before a feed so he doesnt have a full tummy. ive tried putting a soft blanket down, he has a mat, ive tried propping him on a pillow, rolling a towel underneath him... i dont know what else to try :-/


the MHCN has said we really need to try and give him more tummy time as his head is going flat, but i just dont know how to make him enjoy it! both DH and myself will be on the floor with him talking to him patting him etc and he still hates it...



any suggestions on how to encourage him to enjoy it???

[deejie]

i always do it before a feed so he doesnt have a full tummy.

Do you think maybe he is just too hungry to do tummy time if you do it before a feed?
Both of my DSs have not been fans of tummy time. I had the most success 15-20min after a feed, so nice full tummy but long enough so that they are not going to bring the whole lot back up again. Even then, DS2 still possets bits and pieces but I have a lot more success with getting him to pull a decent stretch on his stomach.

I know my two have also been attracted to colour and movement, so I will always lie down next to them and drive brightly coloured cars/trucks around infront of their face. When they get cranky (it is hard work), pick them up, soothe them wait a few minutes and pop them down again to see if you can get a bit more time. I also found they enjoyed tummy time more on a softer surface as they got older (our bed for example) rather than on the floor.

A few tips, hope some of them help!

[MrsDamonSalvator...]

i didnt think to try and wait until a bit after a feed, il give that a go!

i was just reading the notes in his blue health book and the nurse has written she suspects he has a mild hernia... could that have something to do with it? shouldnt that be treated :-/ she didnt even mention it on her last visit :-/

[laridae]

I don't think there are many babies that do enjoy tummy time at first.
But... you don't actually have to do it on the floor. Basically "tummy time" is any position where they aren't putting pressure on their head - so you could lie him face down on your chest (even with you sitting mostly upright) and it still counts as tummy time.

Eventually as they start to become a bit more mobile (rolling etc) they start to enjoy it a bit more.

[paradox]

Don't know anything about a hernia, but my son barely tolerated being alone on his back, and protested loudly about being alone on his tummy. What worked for him was laying down myself, and laying him on his tummy on my belly. We quite enjoyed our eye contact, cuddles and chats in this position.

[Frau Farbissina]

DS1 also disliked tummy time. I put a mirror or little toys in front of him, plus a rolled up handtowel under his chest, which helped a bit. I guess any time that you are holding him, he's sleeping in your arms or on your chest, consider it non head flattening time. I mean the nurses also told me to make sure DS1 had an hour of tummy time every day. That didn't happen on the floor till he was much older - and never a whole hour! maybe 5 or 10 min max!!

[bubzillaiscoming]

My DS wasn't a fan either but it is small chunks and he will build up over time. As Laridae said, it can be on your chest and also when you carry him around you can carry him facing to the ground, this also helps. And as with all babies, one day he will just do it/like it for no apparent reason

[Flutter Bug]

Hi!
My DD isn't a fan of tummy time either but she likes to lie on my chest and have some 'face' time with me which might help you? At least your DS won't be on his back then and will still be getting some one on one intereaction with you. I actually forget to put her on her tummy a lot of the time but it hasn't seemed to have impacted her development much - I put her on her tummy today and she rolled from tummy to back for the first time, 3 times!

Re the hernia - it could be an umbilical hernia which is common and doesn't need treatment or cause pain as far as I was told by my MCHN (I could be wrong here..?) - DD had one too, so her belly button would be an 'outy' one day and then pop back in the next! I wasn't aware of it either until I noticed that her 'outy' had become an 'inny'!

[Jenflea]

I did tummy time with my baby on my shoulder, or across my legs or any way OTHER than flat on her stomach and she's just fine. I think it's a bit overrated and I've yet to hear of a baby who likes it, especially babies less than 3 months old who just want to be held all the time.

[MrsDamonSalvator...]

Re the hernia - it could be an umbilical hernia which is common and doesn't need treatment or cause pain as far as I was told by my MCHN (I could be wrong here..?) - DD had one too, so her belly button would be an 'outy' one day and then pop back in the next! I wasn't aware of it either until I noticed that her 'outy' had become an 'inny'!

i think thats what her DR's scrawl says! lol if you squint your eyes and tilt your head it looks like the word umbilical hahaha



okay, ill just let him have tummy time on our chests until he is ready



thanks guys!