Tummy Time=Not So Fun Time

As you can see by the title of this post Dylan is/was NOT a fan of tummy time. Tummy time has been a struggle since he was 3 weeks old. I tried it for a couple days in the beginning, but he disliked it so much that I just stopped trying. I kept putting it off and kept thinking it was not THAT big of deal.

When he was 6 weeks old I was talking to a friend and she was saying how her doctor told her she had to give her baby at LEAST 30 minutes of tummy time a day. He stressed how important it was to build up their neck and back muscles AND that inadequate amounts of tummy time can lead to bad posture later in life...not what I wanted to hear.

Poor Dylan didn't know what hit him. That day I laid him on his tummy and for about 5 minutes he was fine and then he started whimpering. Before my talk with my friend, whimpering = end of tummy time, but not that day. I was determined to have a child with strong neck and back muscles and good posture...it drives me crazy when I see someone with bad posture!!!

Our first day of tummy time lasted 15 minutes and Dylan spent the whole time with his face in the carpet screaming...no muscles were strengthened, just his lunges. Our second day of tummy time lasted the same amount of time, but this time he held his head up for about half the time...all the while screaming :) Days 3-7 he held his head up and stared right into my eyes screaming bloody murder, but he held his head up for about 15 minutes. And on the 9th day Dylan got smart and realized it was just easier if he laid his head down and went to sleep...tummy time turned into nap time.

I am somewhat stubborn and I wasn't going to let this get the best of me. I decided that 30 minutes in one sitting was way too long for him to be on his stomach. I broke tummy time up into 10 minute intervals throughout the day and it actually started working. Dylan still gets fussy after 5 minutes, but he usually holds his head up for the full 10 minutes and he will occasionally play with the toys on the floor or will look at Momma...who is also getting her tummy time in :)

I can definitely tell tummy time has helped. My sister had not seen him for about a week and the first thing she commented on when she saw him was how good he was holding his head up. I can tell his neck and back (and lungs) are stronger, so I guess the struggle has been worth it. I just hate to see or hear him cry and him not understand why we are making him do it.

I will leave you with a picture of him in the happy stages of tummy time.