Tummy Time

My dd is 3 1/2 months old and her neck muscles are getting quite strong, she holds her head upright very well now and can lift it up and keep it at almost a 45 degree angle when on her padded changing table matt or in her cot. However, she hates to be on her tummy on the floor and she grunts and moans and doesn't seem to be able to keep her head up as far or for very long there. She gets very frustrated and ends up laying face down on the floor grunting. Did any of your dc's have this trouble? What can I do to help her through this? I'm concerned because she's getting to the age where she should be learning to roll over from her tummy to her back but I fear she never will if she doesn't spend more time on the floor on her tummy. Help! TIA!

Maybe do a few alternative tummy times throughout the day. Like sitting on a chair with her face down & a bright book or daddy laying underneath so she has things to entertain her as well?

We used the fit ball & put Matilda on it & rolled her around & bounced on it and put a mirror on the ground and rolled her down to it.

Matilda loved tummy time though and screamed everytime we put her on her back... :-k I have known other friends whose babies have hated tummy time and they just persisted with 5 minute turns 2-3 time a day. Goodluck!

Stef, Maddy HATED tummy time and used to cry and lie her face into the mat in defeat.

Now that she can roll, she actually loves to roll onto her tummy and falls asleep like that in the cot.

Just persist with little bursts like Christy suggested and it will help with her back & neck strength.

What age do you start 'tummy time'? :-k

We started Maggie about 9 weeks with tummy time, mainly because I had started to massage her and she loved having her back massaged.

I started tummy time with Matilda from her 3rd day. We would lay her with her belly down on our arm & her head near the elbow facing down, and we would rub her back.

I wouldn't stress too much, most of the bubbas get better at it over time. Louis didn't like it at all to start with so we just persisted with a tiny bit of time each day. Of course he's fine now and looks like he'll start crawling sometime soon. But he still gets tired even now after a while...

Tummy time from what I understand can be started from the very beginning for short amounts of time.

Kaitlyn also hated tummy time. Dont worry I dont think there are many bubs that like it !. I agree small stints are a good idea and try distracting her with a toy when she gets upset. I did this with Kaitlyn and slowly she was able to stay on her tummy for longer each time.

Cass

Thanks everyone, great suggestions! Now, I'm just curious: how many of your babies rolled from tummy to back first and how many rolled from back to tummy?

Gussy learnt to roll from his tummy to his back first (at about 31/2months). It was mostly so that he could escape tummy time - which he hated (and indeed still hates with a passion!).

Ben rolled from tummy to back one day after he turned 2 months. Now he loves to show off his new trick... so cute. :p

Louis was back to front first!! hehe. That was about 3 months or so. He's not that keen on rolling though. He learnt to sit up at 4 1/2 m and completely on his own for the last 3-4 weeks so he doesn't spend heaps of time on his tummy.

Matilda rolled from back to tummy consistently at 12 weeks, she rolled from tummy to back from I think around 10 weeks.

Kaitlyn rolled from Back to tummy at about 4 months. She has rolled from Tummy to Back a few times but really still does not to it often . She still needs saving in the cot when she ends up on her tummy!.

Marnie hated Tummy Time at first (2 - 3 months) but now she loves it (41/2 months) We use to alternate it from the floor and also tummy time on Mum or Dad's chest. She's too big for our chest now so she is quite content on the floor for awhile. Marnie also liked it if I was on the floor with her so she could see me during tummy time. - Marnie also used to grunt.

Renee; your little girl is a December 2005 little lady...we'd love to see you in the Dec 2005 Baby Buddies thread! :) We're always eager to chat with more parents with holiday season bubbies!

Jordan wasnt a fan of tummy time in the beginning. We persisted with it though for about a minute a day as soon as he woke up so he wasnt tired.

He is now rolling from back to tummy although he gets his arm caught up underneath him most of the time.

Eventually they get used to it. I just roll him back when he gets too agro as he starts to suck at the rug.

Well since I originally posted this thread Abbie has gotten much more used to tummy time and is starting to show signs of rolling over. I think she may end up rolling back to tummy first, when she's on her back she's started twisting her head over her shoulder and arching her back and twisting towards her head (really hard to describe) but it looks like its just a matter of time till she gets herself flipped over on her tummy. I'll keep you posted. Thanks to everyone for their replies!