Tummy time

Even before the boys were born, we were lectured on the necessity of letting the babies spend time on their tummies. We were warned that they would not develop strong neck muscles and that they would likely have flat heads from lying on their backs all the time. So, after a week or two, we started putting them on their tummies so that they would be strong and be able to sit up and roll over at the appropriate time.

Trouble was, both babies hated being on their tummies! They STILL hate being on their tummies at three months of age. They struggle and cry and suck their hands and cry some more, and I feel like Mommy Dearest for putting them through it.

I've had lots of advice, mostly obvious:

• Make sure they are not too full


• Make sure they are not hungry


• Don't put them down when they are cranky


• Make sure they aren't too tired


• Lie down with them


• Distract them with toys


• Put them down on something interesting to look at

Problem is, with twins, catching that period of not too full, not too hungry, not cranky and not too tired is HARD, because when one baby is miraculously in the perfect tummy time zone I am usually feeding the other one, and although I can manage to flip the baby onto his stomach he lasts for only a minute, two at the most, and then I have a crying, struggling baby to contend with while still feeding the other. I put them face down on my chest while reclining, and they will tolerate that for a while, and I can lie on my back, bring up my legs and put them face down on my shins and move my legs up and down, and they seem to like that the best, but that nearly kills me!

I don't know what to do about this, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much. The boys are gaining head control, although they are not yet too comfortable in their Bumbo chairs. I can put them in my Moby wrap in positions for three- to four-month-old babies and they do all right with not too much head bobbing, but there is definitely room for improvement. They are well-supported in the Mei Tai, so not an issue. I'm curious though: is tummy time a construct of Western society? Do other, baby-wearing, bed-sharing, hands-on cultures place the same value on tummy time, or is it more prevalent in societies that sleep babies in separate rooms and place less emphasis on carrying them around all the time?