Our Tummy Time Story
Changing how we play
I would have continued my simultaneous use of the bouncer and play gym bar, if I hadn't met up with some mums when Coco was four months and a couple of them shared that their babies could roll over. Coco couldn't. That in itself was not a big deal, babies are all different and milestones are only to provide guidance. What caught my attention was, that I hadn't even given her the chance to practice a possible roll over. I had unintentionally under-estimated her need for floor time because in my head I had been telling myself six months was the age babies crawl and so I anticipated the need to put her down on the floor round about then. We have wooden floors so I kept telling myself, I would get a soft rug by the time she was six months. I soon discovered (thanks google), that floor time, although ultimately is for preparing baby to crawl, should start as early as possible for practicing and building those and other skills. It was then that I started to be a lot more intentional about giving Coco floor time, in a variety of ways, not just a few minutes of tummy time now and again, when I remebered.
Floor time meaning & timings
Floor time, for us, involves putting her on her tummy, back, side or in a sitting position on the floor, for how ever long every day, usually during what would be time for play - between naps. Immediately after a feed, I would usually start with sitting her up for a few minutes (she loves this), with a boppy pillow around her or with cushions on either side of her for support. Either way, I was always right there to supervise. When she slid down or fell back unto the pillow one too many times, I would move her to her back, then sides and then tummy, in no particular order.
What floor time looks like
- Coco on her back, or on her side with the Ikea Leka play gym to bat or touch, which she was very familiar with at this point.
- Initially, if she was on her tummy,she did not like this at all but I started off by always getting down on the floor beside her and playing with her, singing and making a lot of 'happy' fuss.
- I made a game where I lift up her leg and move it across and then the same with the other leg again and for some reason, she loved to play this and would giggle.
- There were always toys around her too, that she would reach out for or play with once she was fed up go the gym bar.
- At first, all that still only bought us some minutes on her tummy before she 'protested', but over time I found she started to enjoy it and then stayed longer on her tummy and soon, I did not have to be standing in front of her. She was usually noisy and would pull her feet off the ground, like she was trying to learn to roll over. For me the noise was normal, because she was learning a new skill. But if she got tired and made an 'upset' noise, I would move her to her side or back.
- When she started to enjoy it a little more, I would put her down and then venture not too far, just to the open plan kitchen, to make a meal. I would angle her on the floor so she could watch me and she would alternate between playing her toys and then watching me and seemed content as long as she could see me. I made an effort to sing a song from time to time also, just to keep her happy on the floor.
Reading this back, it sounds like a lot of effort went into this, but mostly, I treated the floor as our default/first stop entertainment and play zone and followed her cues for when she'd had enough. There were days were she was happy to do floor time for 30 minutes straight and other times she wanted nothing to do with it after five minutes. In those instances, after having tried the other positions to no avail (tummy, side, back, sitting), I picked her up, and played with her in my arms and when she woke up from her next nap, I would try for floor time again.
After about two weeks of introducing this floor time routine, she rolled over one day randomly. I started to think we all imagined it (me, MisterB and two friends - so, unlikely). She didn't roll over again un till two weeks later and then continued to do it after that.
Now, she likes being on her tummy more than on her back, because she can flip to her back, and move backwards too, whereas she feels stuck on her back, because she is still learning to roll from her back to her tummy. She can't do it from being laid flat on her back, but if theres a pillow behind her, then she manages to lift up.
Her Temperament and how it factors in
Coco is very good at letting anyone know when she is not happy with something and if you don't act she will be doing a loud scream within minutes. Equally, its easy to tell when she's enjoying something. She is generally happy when she is occupied or entertained - that's her personality, it seems. I respond to that. I believe in giving your baby every chance to grow, develop and express themselves, in all areas. Even this young, I have seen that babies are intelligent and I watch her and the things she does - the brain is awesome, I can't believe she learns a lot of these things herself. For example, while she was in a sitting position, I remember the first time I noticed she was almost falling and she tried to re-gain her balance by pressing her hand into the floor. Before I had a baby, I never really knew to expect to see things in a baby.
Plus, she is naturally, quite an active baby. Even when she was very little, at home, we would have her in our arms a certain way and then have to change that position every couple of minutes to keep her happy. Outdoors tends to be easier, because there is a lot more to catch her attention (the newness of everything). She is constantly looking for some mischief even now, and I think that may have contributed to her eventually enjoying floor time, she's able to explore and attempt to grab more things!
The journey to mobility
This is the long version of our tummy time story. When people remark about Coco being good on her tummy, I know that the truth is she now enjoys it, but it hasn't always been that way. It has been a bit of a journey.
I have been inspired by http://nduoma.com. This website shows practical examples of how a Mom has applied Montessori principles at home, based on her training, from birth of her son. You can see how she encourages growth and development, in a gentle and child-led manner, and how her son responds to this.
What are your thoughts? What is your baby's temperament and how has that affected the way they have demonstrated new skills?
Happy humpday
xxx
Our Tummy Time Story
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