Seeking Advice About Tummy Time for My 8 Month Old

I have never heard of "tummy time", but if she doesn't like it any longer than 5 minutes, stop doing it! When she's ready, she'll crawl on her own. All babies develop at different rates of time.

If she is strong enough to sit on her own, why are you worrying about tummy time? You give them tummy time when they are new borns and can't do ANYTHING else. She will crawl when she's ready, you can't force it and tummy time for an 8 month old is pointless.

You might try a little bit of tummy time every time you change her diaper. That's what I did with my twin daughters. After I changed a diaper, I'd roll the baby over to her tummy on the changing table, and then put my face down to hers and talk to her. They both liked having my face close to theirs, and it made the whole process more fun. We did it for a couple minutes with each change, which was easier to take than trying to do a block at a time. I also have two adorable photos that I cherish -- close-ups of their faces -- taken when they were on their tummies on the changing table. Something to keep in mind!

Good luck!
A.

Hi S.,
I have an 11 month old who hated tummy time and wouldn't even roll over till 9 1/2 months. However, he loved to sit! One day the lightbulb went on and within 2 weeks (at 10 months) he learned to sit up on his own when I did put him on his belly, and he then started crawling. He did this by leaning forward and reaching when he was sitting up. At his 9 month check up, my doctor said the best thing to help calm my fears... 'Have you ever seen a 3 year old who didn't walk? They all do it, just in their own time'. Now I wish that he didn't know how to crawl, it was so much easier!!

Try a mat that will stimulate her with activities. Also, be sure to get down there with her and keep her occupied. And, try propping her up on a boppy pillow. They can see more that way. The Boppy works well.

I never put my daughter down for "tummy time" and she was just fine. I won't say she ever really crawled, because she learned to walk well before her she had a handle on crawling at 8 months. (My mom assures me I did the same--started walking early, but never "learned" to crawl.) So honestly, I wouldn't worry much if your baby is meeting their milestones and interacting well.

My son also disliked tummy time. I found that putting a large mirror on the floor with him really helped. He kept trying to lift his head to see and eventually tried to crawl over to the "ther boy".
I used a cheap full length mirror from Target.

My son rarely spent time on his stomach and learned to crawl just fine. After he learned to roll well he would roll HIMSELF on his stomach and go from there. I really did not see the importance in it and feel that children are fussy on their stomach for a reason. We all have instincts on how to survive. Eating and walking are two of them I believe and just really don't need to be forced. I know it seems like your baby may never crawl but she will...don't worry. :)Best wishes to you!

S.,
Our daughter hates it as well. We did it a few times a day for a couple minutes each time. Not only did she crawl, she was fully crawling by 5 months. So, as long as you do it, it doesn't matter if you do it for 20 min all at once or five minutes four times a day.
Best of luck,
J.

S.,
Can she sit up yet? (or sit if you place her there?)

She may want to see more - try a pillow under her tummy sometime.

She may want to DO more. Put favorite toys just within her reach so she has to lean over for them - even if she rolls over onto her face or back - it'll be good for her.

Stretching her horizons is mostly what tummy time is about.

DS HATED tummy time with a passion. He didn't do much of it. I thought I was shorting him. This kid has abs of steel. He's fallen backwards while learning to walk, and he just curls right up so his head doesn't even touch the floor - or if it does, it's not hard (going forward, different story, but that's not tummy related!)

Do little short stints instead of trying to get a longer time period in. Like, place her on her tummy, and a couple of seconds later, roll her over to her back. Make a game of it.

Good luck!
M.

Hi S.. My baby girl hated tummy time since she was very very little. I never pushed it (even though the pediatrician told us she should be on her tummy for at least 30 mins per day) as I didn't want to see my child suffer. She is now 10 months and crawling around the house so fast that you can't catch her. She's very strong, gets up all on her own, roams around and when we put her down to sleep, she gets on her fours, pulls up her head and sneaks out looking at us :o) So, here's my advice. If your child doesn't like tummy time, don't stress over it. Don't force it, don't make her cry, when she's ready she will crawl and walk just fine. And don't compare her to other kids who may be crawling or walking sooner, every child is different. Good luck!!!

My daughter hated tummy time as well. She wouldn't even tolerate 5 minutes. Fast forward to today: she's a healthy normal 6 yr old. :-)

I am an Occupational Therapist, and I often hear similar discussions. Yes, I am quite opinionated about it!! Despite what some people say (even pediatricians), Tummy Time/Crawling is important for a childs physical and cognitive development. (That is not to say that if your child does not crawl, they will be delayed by any means- especially if they are able to scoot, roll, sit etc). However, Tummy Time helps to develop the neck, arm and trunk muscles necessary for rolling, and crawling. This position also allows the baby to see the world around them and gives them incentive to reach and grab for objects, which also helps to develop visual motor skills. Putting a young infant on their stomach does not hurt, and is not torture. If you start it from day one, they get used to it. Start off slow, and just do a few minutes at a time, several times per day. Try using a boppy pillow under the chest and put a mirror in front of the baby, or better yet, get on the floor too, and talk to your baby. Crawling is not considered a milestone now, because nowadays not all children do it (due partly to the fact that mothers are told to sleep babies on their backs because of the sids risk- parents tend to stear away from it entirely). However, that doesn't mean that it should not be considered a milestone.
Crawling is a bilateral skill that requires coordination of both sides of the body, and can actually help stimulate the brain for cognitive skills as well. Also, many children who don't crawl, may be able to walk from point A to point B, but will be unable to get up on their own when they fall, and won't be able to crawl to something to pull up on. So, although children all develop at their own pace, and some may not crawl, I believe that some Tummy Time is definately important! Just do it a little at a time when your baby is happy, and make it fun.

A couple of suggestions:

Try a bolster pillow or the boppy. We had a tummy time mat that had a small boomarang shaped pillow to prop her up on.

Try laying on Daddy's chest on her tummy.

5 minutes is plenty of tummy time and the more you do it the longer she will go as she gets stronger and learns to hold herself up. Don't give up.

Hi S.,
You aren't alone. I work with lots of moms who struggle for ways to offer tummy time to make it fun!
I am a speech language pathologist and suggest that parents stand up a good interactive picture book to keep your chlld interested (and maybe forgetting she is on her tummy!). I suggest accordian books, there is a good one, Stop and Go Maisy, that is 5 feet long and full of fun things to talk about.
Check out my website for more ideas to interact with your baby while on her tummy:
www.playonwords.com
S. Artemenko

My older son was the same: if I got 5 mins of tummy time out of him (during which he cried through most) we were doing well. It did get better as he got stronger -- which happened faster than I expected -- so I'd suggest that you stick to it. As a side note, a dear friend whose daughter is 14 months also hated tummy time and didn't do much of it; my friend struggled with letting her baby cry. Thing is, her daughter never crawled and went right to walking, which is a problem because she isn't strong enough to pull herself to standing; she never built up those important muscles. My friend is having quite a time with things now. Crying is part of what babies do, and as long as you're there encouraging and cheering your little one on, she is bound to build up some strength that will allow her to gain some mobility. You'll just both need to be patient. Good luck!!

My son HATED tummy time when he was very young- 3-4 weeks. He would scream and lay there until someone picked him up. Babies need to be on their tummies to build strength in their torso and neck. Without this strength they will not roll, crawl or walk. Believe it or not, this strength is needed to be successful later in school. We took the "edge off" by putting him on the Boppy on his tummy and putting his favorite toys in front of him. Eventually he learned to like that time b/c he could look at his books. By two months he would lay on his tummy and push up to see the toys and books without the Boppy.

If your daugher is not pushing-up, rolling and looking ready to crawl (tyring to pull his legs under him) talk to your pediatrician. There may be something developmental going on. If you are concerned, call the County Early Intervention office and request a Physical Therapy evaluation. If your son needs therapy, it will provided to you at no cost. This may be really helpful for you and your daughter!

Hi S.! Oh, I know how you feel. My son was just like that, he didn't start to crawl until 10 months. He was just like your daughter! It is very frustrating but she will crawl at her own pace! Just keep doing what you are doing with her and she will be fine!!!!! Keep me posted! Good luck!

my daughter was not a fan of tummy time, so I just did it when I could for as long as I could. She liked to watch Baby Einstien videos and that was a good distraction during tummy time.
Many friends say the same thing, that their kids didn't like it, so it's normal, don't worry:-)

My son hated it too, so I never did it. He was totally fine. And most of us didn't have tummy time as babies! What about tummy time where you lay on the floor on your back, then hold her on your chest, tummy down? She can look at you and interact this way, but still needs to hold her head up to see you. I did this with my son, and he loved it. My ped said it doesn't count, but I had friends whose peds said it actually counted as tummy time.

I always thought that tummy time had more to do with strengthening the back and neck muscles of young infants. I also thought it was to help keep pressure off the back of the head to avoid that "flat-head" syndrome that requires a corrective helmet. (I apologize to anyone dealing with this I don't know the medical terminology...)

I am assuming that at 8 months your daughter is at least sitting. She may even be pulling herself up into a standing positions and/or cruising. If she is sitting and attempting any of the other "advanced" moves, I would not worry about it. My daughter never really crawled. She went right for the walking/running part! Now she finds it funny to crawl around on the floor chasing the dog!

Lots of luck.
~C.

Hi S.!
My daughter is almost 11 mos now and still isn't crawling. She also HATES tummy time. My daughter is doing extremely well in every other aspect of her development and have talked to SEVERAL other mothers that have children that never crawled. I know these children personally (I nanny one) and they are great children! Some kids just need to go at their own pace. Please don't worry or get frustrated because she isn't reaching the "typical" goals "on time".

K.

She'll crawl when and if she wants to. Seriously! At 8 months, it's all about the desire to move. When she's had enough of being carted around, she'll decide to go for it on her own!

Some kids don't crawl until almost a year, and some just go straight from sitting to walking. Don't stress, and don't put her on her belly if she doesn't like it. (Tummy time is really for younger infants to develop neck and back strength. Your kiddo is older, and probably just fine in that area, right?) Just let her sit up on her own, and put some neat stuff out of reach. Eventually, she'll work her way over to grab it! :)

My son hated tummy time. I had to do crazy things to get him to stay on his belly. Finally he crawled on his 9 month b-day. Why don't you have your son do the dirty work and act like a dog to get her distracted. By the way, Have you looked into hosting an au pair? An au pair is a very affordable childcare option and your baby has much less chance of getting sick if cared for outside a center. I can assist you if you would like more info about the program. You can see my website: http://egendler.aupairnews.com

Hi S.,

I did not do much tummy time for my son, he hated it. It did not stop him from walking. Not too much crawling because I have wood floors and I know that hurt his little knees. Trust me when they want to crawl,walk,run, and jump they will. :)

Lots of babies HATE tummy time. I wouldn't force it if it makes her miserable. Don't worry about her not crawling either. I have several friends whose babies never crawled. They just went straight to walking. It's not even considered a "milestone" at drs visits. My daughter never did any of the army crawling of scooting on her stomach. I didn't think she would crawl either but then at Christmas there was a bow on a present across the room and she just up and crawled over to get it! Good luck:)

My almost 7 month old hates it too-has since he was born. He only recently will tolerate a couple minutes- so we do very little. But he loves to stand and jump. We let him practice standing holding onto stuff supporting himself. My sisters baby is 8.5 months and also NEVER gets tummy time. She will never let anyone put her down hardly at all. She also is just practicing standing supporting herself as well. I hear about many children who never crawl, go straight to walking. As long as she developing otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it.

My daughter HATED tummy time too. It was torture, so we just didn't make her do it. If she felt like being on her tummy, awesome...if not, well, that was okay too! She crawled early, and walked early, so I don't think it's a problem if she's anti-tummy time.

My now 11 month old hated tummy time too. It was like torture for him, so I didn't push the issue. He just started crawling about a month ago, and didn't really roll over alot until about 1 1/2 months ago. Believe it or not, he actually now LOVES sleeping on his tummy! LOL! She will be fine and will crawl when she is good and ready! :-)