Anti-tummy time

My girl turns four months tomorrow and even though I've done tummy time with her since she was 2 months, she has never liked it and cries as soon as I put her on her stomach. I turn her around as soon as she cries. She hasn't attempted to roll over yet. Sometimes I wonder if I let her cry for a minute, she'll try to roll but then I don't want to because it might traumatize her. Any input? Should I be concerned?

[Anja5922]

Don't be concerned. My son didn't care for tummy time either till he - later - realized how much more interesting it can be to lay on his tummy.
Your girl is still pretty young and there is no need to force her to "like tummy time".
I would try tummy time for a little bit every couple of days and show her a toy or something interesting to distract her while she is on her tummy.

[deanne11]

I think all babies hate tummy time.

I'm a bad momma...I never did it with my DD nor with my DS (who will be 4 mos on Monday).....

My DD would scream her head off and I couldn't handle it....same with DS.

Yesterday I just put DS on his tummy to see and he did alot better....I laid on my belly in front of him and next to him....seemed to make a big difference.

[AndiJ78]

It is an important element for development to get your baby on their belly as much as possible. Get in the floor and play with them while they are doing their tummy time.

[deanne11]

Is tummy time that critical before 3-4 mos?

I just started it with DS, never did it with DD and she was absolutely fine...always ahead of the curve...but she is so so strong willed...my boy isn't.

Very laid back

[DollChina]

My son hated it too so I never let him lie on his belly for too terribily long.  He is now 15 months and he is just fine.  Just do a little bit at a time.  It's better than none.

[cantwait4baby]

My dd hated it too.  I can tell already she will walk all over me because I could not stand to see her struggle.  I went out and purchased all those tummy time toys to help her.  Some were better then others (the kind with the little pillow was good) but still she did not like it  She never really cried just struggled.  So I stopped.  I am a bad mommy too but she started to walk at 7 months and now and 8.5 months she walks on her own.  By 9 months she will be running.  She never crawled - just scooted on her butt.  She also sat up on her own at 4 months which was way ahead of her time.  Pulled herself up at 7 months.  In the meantime she has no teeth.  She looks like a little old lady.  All babies are different.  They say tummy time is important but so far it has not stopped my dd developmentally from anything except crawling.  The above poster said it best - do a little at a time.  It is better then nothing.  Good Luck

[Crritter]

I did small spurts with Cam as his reflux was really bad and I was told by his ped it was very important to keep him elevated most of the time.  He also has had respitory issues, but was told it was still necessary to do a little at a time on the tummy.  Cam actually liked it, I would put toys out and lay on the floor right there with him, so did his big brother.  They do need to gain muscle tone, so I would try it some each day.  After awhile baby will be more than happy to be on the tummy.  Some kiddos also don't roll over till close to 6 months, some are doing it by 6 weeks, each one will be different.  CAm is 10 months and not walking.  By the time Carson was this age he was walking well, dancing, waving, saying a few words pretty well...Cam just crawls and babbles, pulls up some and cruises if he really wants...no mama yet, only dada.  Oh well, hang in there and do what is best for you both, remeber that they may not always like what's best though, it's like medicine, have to give it sometimes even if they don't like it, just be quick.

[tiredbuthappy]

i took a newborn class while we were in the hospital and they said to start tummy time the day we take the baby home!
i asked my ped about it at her first appointment. he said normally you should start immediately, but because dd was a preemie he said to wait til she was 7 lbs.

until she got used to it, we did tummy time with her on the couch. the curve of the cushion propped her slightly, and it was easier on me to sit rather than lay. we made silly faces and sang songs. my ped gave us a pamphlet explaining the importance, but i have since thrown it out.

[AndiJ78]

Yes it is that important to start right away. You are right, your kids will run all over you for years to come if you are unwilling to do something that has been shown to help their development in so many ways and you refuse to do so simply because the baby fusses a little. Your child will fuss over many things in the years to come and you need to make the right decision to help them. My 3 year hates having his hair washed, I still do it. Sometimes the baby doesn't like having his wet pants changed, I still do it. Tummy time is imperative to development. Sure some kids do fine without it, but that isn't enough to dispute the proven benefits. It is no coincidence my kids are as strong as they are and hit all their milestones well before their peers. It is not abusive to allow your child to struggle, that is how they grow and develop.

I do not have the time to list all the benefits, so simply google "tummy time benefits" or go to AAP.org and search for the same. It is so much more than crawling (which BTW studies have shown crawling is extremely beneficial and can actually translate into reading proficiency due to encouraging both sides of the brain to work in sync) it builds neck strength, core strength, self-soothing skills, and much more.

[kjbutcher]

AJ also hated tummy time.  I would put him on his tummy every other day or so just until he cried.  (about 2 mins or less).  if i left him there after he cried, he would just cry louder and harder.  one day I put him on his tummy and he immediately rolled right over.  I was shocked.  even after he rolled over he still hated tummy time and it took a while for him to roll over a second time.  It will come.  try not to worry.