All three of my babies have HATED tummy time for the first few months of their lives. They scream almost the instant I place them on the blanket for the ever-important time on their bellies. We all know that babies should not sleep on their tummies and should ALWAYS be put to bed on their backs. Medical professionals, however, are in agreement that babies should have at least 30 minutes of supervised tummy time each day in order to develop the neck muscles. Honestly, it is nearly unbearable to watch your child scream and cry for the recommended 30 minutes of tummy time each day (even if you only do it only 5 minutes at a time).
Over the years, I’ve gotten creative when it comes to tummy time. Here are four tips for when your baby hates tummy time. Hopefully these suggestions will make the time much more enjoyable for your baby (and for you):
1. Tummy-to-Tummy Time
Put a pillow underneath your neck and lay flat on your back on the ground. Put your baby on top of your tummy, making sure that you have both hands free to catch her in case she wobbles to either side. Talk to her, sing to her, make funny faces and noises. At first, she might not be able to hold her head up high enough to see your face, but it will be comforting to her just being near you.
2. Knee Rock-a-Bye
Sit in a chair and place your baby on your lap, laying over your knees. Be sure that her head is supported and not dangling over the edge of your knees. Slowly and ever-so-gently rock your knees from side-to-side. Sing a song or talk to your baby.
3. Shoulder-Holder
This typically comes natural when holding a baby, but holding your baby on your shoulder allows the baby to practice holding his/her head up. Just be sure you have your hand free to support his/her head as necessary (especially with younger babies). She will enjoy seeing the world around her from an upright perspective. :)
4. Mirror, Mirror on the Floor:
A shatterproof mirror is a wonderful tummy time tool. Place the mirror 6-12 inches in front of your baby and encourage her to hold her head up and look into the mirror. Once she catches a glimpse of her reflection, she might even smile at her “new friend”.
Does your baby love tummy time or hate it???
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Faith Still says
April 18, 2014 at 10:19 amShe is beautiful! Congratulations. Glad to know you are both doing well.
Kerrie says
April 18, 2014 at 1:24 pmWhen my son was a baby, he went back and forth between liking tummy time and hating it. The tummy to tummy time worked really well for us. It seemed like he felt more in control of tummy time during those times. I was really glad to hear from a physical therapist that those also counted as tummy time.
Angela says
April 23, 2014 at 11:05 amMy now-5-year-old loathed tummy time, although she was very good at lifting her head up when she was on our chests, from a very early age. I have to admit, after a while I think I gave up on it until she was ready, and I don’t think it did her as much harm as leaving her to scream would have done.
Dianna @ The Kennedy Adventures says
May 4, 2014 at 10:16 amI love love love the shoulder holder — it just kills my back after a while. ;)
Emily says
May 28, 2014 at 8:26 amI got my son a pillow that is kinda like a bloppy pillow and it also has toys attached to it and it has one with a Mirror on it it makes him so happy
Alisha @ The Savvy Bump says
January 8, 2015 at 7:39 pmI love these ideas, especially the mirror one! I have a 3 week old and she’s not too fond of tummy time so these ideas are very helpful – sharing on FB! =) Thanks!
Maggie says
February 24, 2015 at 4:12 pmThank you SO much for this post! My two month old did despise tummy time; your tips have helped so much!
Jenae says
February 25, 2015 at 10:16 amOh, I am so glad you found them to be helpful! Thanks for your comment!
Jess says
March 24, 2016 at 7:02 pmHe Hayes tummy time, with a passion. Hopefully some of these work for us.