by Heidi Green
March 29, 2011

After four babies, I have yet to find one that likes tummy time. “Back to sleep, tummy to play,” urges the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Their recommendation makes sense. After all, babies who sleep on their backs (the safest way to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS) are prone to developing flat spots on their heads. This risk is even greater when they spend their waking hours on their backs. Tummy time also gives babies a chance to strengthen their neck and back muscles.

But that doesn’t mean Max has to like it. He doesn’t. Neither, for that matter, did Ben, Katie, or Sam. Even though each of them was born with a fair amount of head and neck control, they all despised tummy time.

With Max, I start by making sure he has a dry diaper. Then I spread a blanket or mat on the floor and put his tummy pillow or my nursing pillow on top of it. I prop Max on the pillow, and I lie down next to him or in front of him. I then pull out all the stops—singing, talking, playing with toys, doing whatever I can to distract Max from his frustration with tummy time. Often, Sam helps. (He may be better at it than I am.)

We typically last all of five or six minutes before Max’s irritation causes us to abandon the floor. The AAP wants parents to reach a total of at least one hour per day by the time their baby is 3 months old. We’re getting there, slowly but surely. We try a few times a day now. And it used to be we’d stop after just a minute or two.

Fortunately, there are other ways a baby can get his necessary tummy time. Max likes lying tummy-to-tummy with mom or dad. When he’s on his tummy this way, Max lifts his head up and looks all over, curious about the people and things in the room. I’m not sure why Max prefers this position but I suspect the attraction is the ease with which he can transition from observing the world around him to resting or nursing.

Although I’ve tried some of the other recommended strategies for tummy time (such as carrying Max tummy-down in an “airplane” position or lying him across my lap to rub his back), none have been as successful as lying on Michael or I. I don’t stress about it. I remind myself that the key here is for him to spend some time each day off his back. Carrying him upright in my arms, or in a sling or an infant carrier, are all ways we help minimize the amount of time his soft skull is pressed against a hard surface.

And, truly, I’ll take holding him or lying tummy-to-tummy over floor play any day.

Parenting four children between the ages of 6 weeks and 7 1/2 years keeps Heidi Green busy! Add in husband Michael, paid work, and volunteer work, and life becomes a juggling act. Check in with us every week to find out how she manages (or not), and what she learns in the process.