Tummy Time and High Needs Babies

[donnag]

Hi All

Just wondered if your high needs babies took longer than most to get used to tummy time? I have been trying so hard to give my daughter (now 6 months) lots of tummy time, but it's not her favorite thing! Did you find your high needs baby took less or more time than average to crawl/walk etc?

I am worried that my daughter may go from sitting (she just learnt to sit by herself last week ) to walking and miss crawling as she loves to be held standing up and has little interest in tummy time! I have heard that if they miss the crawling stage it is not good.

I have tried all the tummy time tricks to get her to do more and it has improved slightly - although this week I feel like it's not so great again. But, I thought by 6 months she would be more in to it!

However, her fine motor skill are very advanced for her age - touching, grabbing and playing with anything and everything.

[Hollyadmin]

My short answer: My daughter HATED HATED HATED tummy time. She screamed every time. The only way I could get her to do a few minutes is if I took all her clothes off. She did do everything a little late - crawled around 11 months, walked at 13.5 months. No lasting damage

My son didn't much care for tummy time either, although he didn't hate it as intensely. Still, we rarely did it. He crawled at 9 months, walked at 11.  He also turned out fine

[MDT]

I honestly can't even remember when my son started to enjoy tummy time.  He HATED it from the time he came into this world!  It might have been around 5 months or so when something just changed.  Once he figured out that he could get around by rolling all over the place, his hatred of tummy time quickly faded.  He's 7 months old now and loves to be on his tummy (has been sleeping on his tummy for awhile now, too) and has already started to figure out how to crawl.  He definitely skipped the sitting up unsupported stage.  We figured it was due to the fact that he wasn't stimulated enough just sitting and he'd been sitting with support since he was born.  We think he got bored with it.  He has to be doing something constantly and we could never get him to sit unsupported more than a few moments without him getting distracted.

One thing he liked when he hated to be on his tummy was to be on his tummy stretched over my legs while I was sitting on the couch.  He loved to be bounced around like that and that's pretty much all the tummy time he got when he was younger.

[fbsurvivor]

The other term for tummy time is "Torture Time".  I don't think my daughter ever learned to like it.  And yes, she went from standing to assisted walking (6 mo.), and then scooting on her butt (8 or 9 mo.).  Then she crawled and finally walked on her own (11 mo.).  Now she sleeps on her stomach.   They are all different.

I used to do Tummy Time when my daughter was already screaming.   I figured that she was already screaming, so might as well do the tummy time at the same time.  From what I had read it sounded like it was just as effective, if not more so because she was thrashing around all of the time.

[sombrabella]

My son hated tummy time til recently (he's 6 months). And even now he only tolerates so much of it. Glad to know he's normal 

[sunshinebaby]

I had a tummy time hater too.  My daughter was SUPER timid about trying new things too though.  She never crawled or scooted, never even tried.  I think she started cruising furniture and walls at about 10 months and started walking at 14 months.  It was exhausting for me, but I have never heard that it is a bad thing for them not to crawl.  I wouldn't worry about it.  She is almost 3 now.