Tummy time for baby?

I was at the plunket centre with my second still very young. The mature plunket nurse asked about tummy time. I said I didn't do very much with him, as he didn't like it. She commented that yes I should do it, though in her day (5 kids of her own) 'tummy time' wasn't even heard of and they all managed to hold their heads up just fine.
Just putting it out there.

Our lifestyles are very different today to what they were 20-30 years ago and I see lots of babies that spend much of their day in carseats,baby swings and bouncinettes etc. Some have very little opportunity for floor time and as a result, are slower to develop good muscle tone. Playing on the floor and tummy time help to offset this.

My kids have never really liked tummy time just on the floor alone, I have always had to prop them up on a blow up pillow that came with their play mat - and then they liked it and seemed to like seeing the world from another perspective than laying on their back I definitely didn't/don't do it every day though.

A very close friend of mine is of the same belief as newme that babies should not ever be put into a position that they can't get into themselves and both her kids have developed wonderfully and in fact they both rolled both ways very easily, very early on (neither of my kids have ever rolled back to front, only front to back and yes I know rolling isn't a milestone but still). Granted my babies have also been a lot bigger than hers which I believe is part of it.. still, they are perfectly developed kids.

Also just putting it out there..

Edited for spelling

Edited by MrsEmma

Hi there,
A good resource to check out is the Active Movement brochures put out by SPARC - they have some specific info on tummy time. If you just google Active Movement, it'll pop up. Also the Moving Smart website is worth looking at.
This is what's so good about forums - questions come up and information gets shared.

DS didn't like tummy time so I didn't bother, he spent lots of time on the floor on his back trying things out. He spent hardly any time in bouncer and we didn't have exersaucer thing, and he didn't like being propped up. Yip he was slow to roll, slow to sit, slow to crawl, slow to sit....by todays standards that is.
Doesn't seem to have affected him in the least, he is fine now, he can certainly walk normally enough and is an active little boy.

I can understand there might be problems if babies are always in walkers/excersaucers, propped up with pillows, sleeping in car seats etc....

perhaps there should be a promotion of getting babies back onto the floor to allow the natural development happen (ie reduce all the 'lifestyle' gadgets and choices) rather than pushing tummy time?

I guess it's just with the whole safer sleeping on their backs??

I had a baby that had a strong neck from birth and didn't seem to mind tummy time at all (I don't really remember making a huge effort to give her tummy time) but I know there are babies that don't like it.

But like T Rex... I'm wondering what position exactly can newborn babies get in to themselves? Does this mean that none of you ever put your babies in a sitting position until they are able to get there and back themselves?

I know it's a big thing in the Pennie Brownlee etc philosophy but... for the first few months all we do is put them in various positions they can't get in themselves.

I found it interesting the difference between my two - one had a lot of tummy time from day one and developed great neck control. It also gave him time off his back when not being held, to stop him getting even more of a flat head. He was an early crawler (4.5 months) and had excellent neck muscles and flexibility in movement.

My daughter had barely any tummy time - she had horrible reflux and only got a few seconds before she'd vomit everywhere and put her face in it. While I still gave her tummy time as I think they spend way too much time on their backs, it wasn't as much as my son. She took a lot longer to develop neck control and didn't develop an urge to move to get to things until later either, as she didn't often see things in front of her that she could grasp easily (other than things hanging down from the playmat etc).

I'm quite concerned though that even tummy time is now becoming a debatable issue kids these days are so often plonked on their backs or held by people or devices - none of which develop their muscles.

T_Rex wrote: Just curious on the idea of only putting baby in positions she can get to herself - my 5 week old isn't capable of getting into any position herself! She rides upright in the moby and manduca and sleeps on her back in the cot. Put even if I put her on her back on the floor, that's a position she can't acheive herself. How is it different if I lay her on her front? I'm actually curious, not stirring

i seee your point but the idea of putting baby on back instead of front is that on back babies spine is fully supported, he can move his arms and legs freely, he can freely move his head from side to side, can see a whole lot more, no part of him is trapped when he is in this position, he is fully in control. out of all position the back supports free movement the most.

He can use this to find his hand, see how they move, what they look and taste like. He can kick his feet, raise them up, play with his toes, see how they taste. he can roll side to side, eventually rolling over to tummy, to learn the things he needs to on his tummy.

Doesnt the beginnings of good excersise start at the core? if you're worried about how much baby is doing lie down and copy them, you will soon realise they are working hard to strengthen their core, this leads to excellent posture and ability to roll, crawl, walk.

theory goes that if baby sleeps on a firm mattress, and plays on a firm surface (ie thin sheet, not squishy sheepskin) they will not get flat spots as they can freely move their heads to any position they like and wont stay in the same place.

I agree that plunket etc should not be pushing for tummy time but for free movement, time out of the excersaucer and bouncer to just be and learn to develop their muscles properly