My daughter just turned 4 months and at her last 2 dr appointments, they have really encouraged tummy time to help the back of her head round out. I know as a former nanny the importance of tummy time for infants, but my baby seems to be very against it. I just wonder how far I should push it each time. She gets so upset on her tummy. But I worry without pushing it that the back of her head (which is pretty flat) won't round out and that she'll be delayed in crawling and pushing up on her hands. Should I keep just doing for a few minutes at a time even though she gets so upset or should I just not push it and let her develop at her own pace? Also, is the back of her head being flat something to worry about or will she grow out of it on her own?
Thanks so far! The baby wearing is not an option for me as much as I want it to be. I have tried it with several different baby carriers and my lower back locks up every time. I have disc problems in my low back so it seems to irritate it by baby wearing. Then I'm no good to her by being in so much pain for several days.
I will keep working on tummy time and am getting a bumbo seat soon anyway, so hopefully keep her off her back more will help. Her face is not mis-shapen at all, but the back of her head is quite flat. I just hope that we can avoid the helmet route. Our dr said as she starts rolling over and sitting up, it should begin to even out more, but I am just worried about it still. Btw, she loves to lay on her boppy lounger pillow. Is the soft surface on the back of her head making things worse too?
My kids have always preferred laying on their stomach so this wasn't an issue.
Have you tried getting on the floor with her and talking, entertaining her? You put a baby on their tummy it blocks their view of the world so kind of boring.
She'll like tummy time a lot more if you lay down on the floor (or bed) and have her lay tummy down on top of your tummy.
Our son never got a flat head, but then I carried and wore him all the time so he didn't spend a lot of time on any flat surface so his head would get that way.
Find a sling that will work for you and wear her all you can.
There are other much easier things that you can do to help prevent flat head then just putting them on a blanket on the floor on their tummy for "tummy time". All 3 of mine hated it if I tried to just put them on the floor like that.
Number 1 is when you go out somewhere, anywhere in the car, leave the carseat in the car. I don't care that it snaps out of it's base to carry them around. This is by far one of the biggest reasons children have flat heads. Take them out and wear them in a carrier, I always preferred the very simple ring sling. Or put them in a stroller that lies flat so they can move around. We have a very simple Graco stroller that the seat lies perfectly flat. When baby wearing wasn't the best choice, like a super long day during a hot summer or we were going to the mall and I wanted to try things on we'd use the stroller.
Number 2 is hold them tummy to tummy on your chest whenever you can. They will want to look up at you to see your face which helps strengthen the same muscles you're supposed to be doing by putting them on the floor. Tummy time does not have to be flat on a blanket on the floor. I have to admit that it really bugs me that this is the only thing people think it is.
Number 3 is don't keep them in swings, bouncy chairs, or any other thing all day while you are home. A little here and there is fine but not all day.
Number 4 is to change their position in their crib. Put their head facing the top one day and the bottom the other so they have to look different directions to see around each day so they aren't looking only one way all the time.
Dr. Sears' website has some suggestions if you want to take a look.
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/childhood-illnesses/flat...
You need to keep her off the back of her head as much as possible. It can correct itself if it's not too bad but it is a serious issue and one that can get worse if you don't do things for it now.
My girls hated tummy time too! I would lay on the couch on my back and then lay them tummy down on my tummy/chest. This encouraged them to lift their head to look at me. I would sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to them, put a couple soft toys on my chest for them to grab, or just rub their head/forehead until they would fall asleep. I would do this for about 30 minutes a day and none of my girls had issues with having a flat head.
I hope this helps you!
You should definitely keep doing tummy time, as well as look for other ways to keep her off the back of her head. If you don't have a bumbo seat, get one. She's old enough to sit in it and there won't be anything at the back of her head. She can also use a jumperoo at this age, so again, she'll be supported, but not lying down. If you can wear her in a carrier sometimes, that can help too.
Also, when she is doing tummy time, try lying a flat mirror on the floor that she can look into. This may be entertaining enough to keep her there for awhile.
I would say that if she still has the flat head at her six month checkup, they will recommend a helmet. So, if you can take care of it now, do it.
Can you lay your baby on the floor and get down there with her - face-to-face. Talk to her, make faces, etc. That's what I used to do with my babies to encourage tummy-time. They loved it.
And no, a flat head is not something she'll grow out of. You need to keep her from laying on her back ALL the time!!
Good luck!!
My first hated tummy time too. This is what worked for her though.... Go to a dark room or wait for night. Lie your baby on her belly and slowly move the beam of a flashlight on her hands, on the floor, up the wall. My daughter was fascinated and just followed the light.
Also, if I were you I would let your daughter sleep in your arms, and otherwise carry her around for the day to get the pressure off of her head. I have seen kids with flat heads and it can change the appearance of their faces.
I would keep trying occasionally (maybe once per day or every other day) and try to help her through it until she likes it better. However, I may be wrong but I think the point of tummy time is to help build their core strength and neck muscles. 5 minutes (or even 1 hour) a day of tummy time is not going to fix a flat head. To address the flatness, how about using one of those incline wedges with the sides? I used to use one with my DD not for flat head but because she really preferred to sleep on her side. The wedge with the sides kept her from turning on her tummy. I don't see why your DD could sleep on her side for awhile on one of those to help the flat head. Good luck!
from her very earliest days, my little one would always roll to her right side to sleep. as a result, that side of her head started to get smooshed (to the point where it was about to change the structure of her face). the pediatrician had us alternate which side she slept on by placing a 5-lb bag of sugar behind her, so that her head evened out (I KNOW that sounds kinda weird, but even with the sugar bag, there was nothing in the crib that could be dangerous, if you really think about it).
anyway, my thought is that maybe you could encourage less flattening of the back of the head by having little one sleep on her side sometimes (and therefore on the back less, but still not on the tummy while sleeping)... of course, i'd run it by the ped first, but it may help.
as for tummy time specifically, the point of it is that you want little one not to be on her back. my daughter wasn't a huge fan, but I would get down on the floor with her sometimes (as others have suggested) or i'd lean back really far in the couch (almost horizontally, but not quite) and let her be on her belly on my chest (and sing, play, be goofy, etc.). the slight incline really helps some babies; it helped mine, and she was still getting some serious baby workout. :)
these days (over 2 years later), my daughter's head is perfectly rounded, and she has remarkable upper body strength...
hope you find what works for your little girl and you!
You could try a couple different things: First, hold her a lot when she is awake. Tummy time doesn't have to be "tummy", it just has to be "not flat on back" time. So, a sling, moby wrap, etc, will do the trick. Also, try propping her up on the Boppy pillow for tummy time, that is, lay her on her tummy so that her arms and chest are kind of "over" the Boppy. She'll feel more supported this way.
Also, if you are able to, let her nap on her tummy either on your chest, or VERY nearby you. She will sleep better (most babies sleep wonderfully on their tummies), and you are awake to supervise and check in on her. But only if you are comfortable with that. All 5 of mine were complete tummy sleepers from day 1, so its easy for me to suggest, but I realize that some people aren't comfortable with that.
My first HATED tummy time. I did not do it very often because of that. He did not get a flat head and sat up around 6 months.
My 2nd liked it and did not get a flat head
My 3rd would do it just fine but he still got a flat head. I don't know why. Maybe it's because he slept on his back and did not roll around much. He is 4 now and his head is still flat. His whole back is flat too. Maybe his bones were just softer or something. He is very advanced in every other way.
