New parents are directed to place their babies on their
stomachs for tummy time. When I had my oldest daughter seven years ago, the
idea of placing her on her stomach frightened me. So, I delayed it until she
was four months and she did tummy time without a problem. When my youngest
daughter was born last August, I was better prepared and placed her on tummy
time as soon as I could. And boy does she hate it! She hates being on her
stomach. She even doesn’t like being held with her stomach against my chest. So,
I started research alternatives to help her develop the skills that tummy time
does without doing tummy time. What I found surprised me. What is tummy time?
Is it necessary? Are they any alternatives?
In 1992 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended
that babies sleep on their backs in order to prevent Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS), the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than a
year old. Also known as crib death as many infants die in their cribs. As a
result, the rates of SIDS decreased by 50% since 1994. However, there was a
sharp increase in plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome. Several studies since
1998 reported that infants placed in the supine (face upward position) lagged
in motor skills, social skills and cognitive ability development. In order to
combat this, the AAP recommended parents place their babies on their stomach
while awake and supervised in order to help strengthen their neck and shoulder
muscles and promote motor skills. Doctors recommend that babies do tummy time
soon after birth for a few months and adding time as the baby gets older for a
total of twenty minutes a day.
According to Magda Gerber (d. 2007) and the RIE philosophy,
tummy time is not necessary and that parents need to allow babies to move
freely according to their inner schedules and dictates. By allowing gross motor
development to unfold naturally means avoiding placing babies into positions
they can’t get into or out of on their own. Therefore, according to this idea,
babies shouldn’t be on their stomachs until they can get into the position on
their own. By placing babies on their back for sleep as well as play allows
babies to be more relaxed and freer to move. Gerber suggested that babies know
best how to be babies and some thing we should not be rushing and putting
babies into position they are ready for sends the message of “I don’t value and
appreciate what you can do, but I expect you to do what you can not yet do.”
She also suggested that tummy time makes the babies more dependent on their
parents and stuck until we can rescue them. According to Irene Lyon, a Feldenkrais
and Somatic Experience Practioner, says rather than listening to our babies,
“we are asked to put faith in recent studies about plagiocephaly, studies that
do not take into account that infants are now spending more time than ever in
restrictive devices that inhibit babies from doing what they are naturally
inclined to do” round out the back of their head by turning it side to side.”
I found anecdotal evidence that there are countries which do
not follow the back to sleep program or even tummy time. One commenter on an
article stated that Indian parents do not do tummy time and that the thought of
tummy time is ridiculous; however, I could not find another source to confirm
this. So, if tummy time is not necessary, what is the alternative? Many
opponents of tummy time suggest floor time instead. Floor time places a baby on
his or her back on a firm surface with interesting toys or objects to look at. Playmats
are a great tool to use for floor time. Many childcare websites suggest usually
a boppy pillow or a rolled blanket under their arms until they learn to be
conformable with the position. There are also toys which are designed
specifically for tummy time. During my research, I also discovered that a baby
laying their parent’s chest counts as tummy time. It allows for a more
comfortable position and the incentive to lift his or her head up to met Mommy
or Daddy’s eyes.
If there is one thing I have learned as a parent is that the
doctor is supposed to be a partner in the care of a child. He or she is
supposed to advise the parents on a course of action. They are not to dictate what
should be done. Parents don’t realize that one doctor’s suggestion is not set
in stone and we are entitled to a second opinion. When my oldest daughter had a
problem with jaundice, her pediatrician recommended supplementing with formula
without an explanation. Discouraged, I switched to formula exclusively. I find
out that breastfed babies are often jaundiced longer than formula fed babies. I
hated myself for not question her doctor why she recommended formula. Now that
I have another daughter, I was ready to question her doctor, not to be a pain
but to be informed. I understand that most doctors are used to patients being
read up on the medical information. But that’s not me. I researched babies
disliking tummy time and what to do. I was prepared to engage in a conversation
with the doctor. However, this doctor basically just said tummy time was the
only option and to force her to do it because “she’ll learn to love it.” I
laughed. Have you every tried to learn something and get frustrated because you
weren’t getting it? Did you learn to love it, or did you try a new way to learn
it? There is always more than one way to do things. There are always more than
one way to help babies develop the skills the they need.
In conclusion, I feel tummy time is a tool to help babies
develop the skills they need. However, it is not the only tool. I was worried
about my infant daughter’s development when she screamed and cried whenever she
was on tummy time. She even doesn’t like to be held with her stomach against my
shoulder. I searched and searched for other ways. I still place her on tummy
time, this time I listen to her. If she is upset and only last a few minutes,
then that’s all she will be doing. I place her on her back, on the floor on a
playmat and she will play for quite a while. She can reach and grab her toys
freely. She is even in the process of learning to roll over from her back to
her stomach. Bottom line, YOU know your baby more than a doctor who sees him or
her for a short visit every of couple months. If your baby doesn’t like being
on his or her stomach, listen and try other ways to help develop the necessary skills.
For further
information
The Case Against Tummy Time: Guest Post by Irene Lyon www.janetlansbury.com
RIE www.rie.org
No comments:
Post a Comment