I’m going to respond to your question. As a pediatric occupational therapist, while I respect following the child’s lead, at some point the child may need some additional outside support to help with reaching the developmental milestones. By 6-months old we would expect a baby to be able to roll in either direction, back to tummy and tummy to back. We would also expect him to start sitting by himself when placed (not for very long before toppling over). If the advice here is taken 100% then a baby won’t ever be placed in sitting or standing until he/she does it themselves. That is just not realistic. The baby’s world is not laying on his back staring up at the ceiling. This will likely cause plagiocephaly (flattening of the skull bones) which creates other issues. Nor should he be placed in “containers” to hold him upright until he can do it by himself. I would start encouraging tummy time and rolling through toys, mirrors, and social interactions! If you have developmental concerns, you can seek out a screening through your local Early Intervention program.

Hi Janet. Thank you for your compassionate parenting advice. After reading your articles, I decided not to give my son tummy time; I wanted him to get there on his own. He didn’t have it for 3 months. He had a traumatic birth, so I took him to my chiropractor at 5 days old. His sacrum and atlas were severely affected, the tests showed. When he was going on to 4 months (after his third adjustment), Dr. Brittany told me to increase tummy time “to help him develop his neck muscles to offset it! The low back (pelvis) follows the atlas (top bone in the spine) and knowing he was a C-section baby [she thought that it was] coming from his neck!” This text was alarming as I hadn’t given him any tummy time, although he had begun to roll over. I followed Dr. Brittany’s instruction right away, supervising him closely and turning him over when he looked uncomfortable. I felt a sense of relief that I hadn’t put that on him sooner when it didn’t seem like he was ready. I’m also glad we caught that soon enough to promote alignment that leads to wellness.

On a similar note, I learned about subluxation just yesterday. Chiros explained that sleep is micro-physical stress on the back. Since babies sleep from 2-8 hours on their back, they suggested giving them 30 minutes of tummy time daily to even out the activity on the nervous system. That was new to me!

My son is 8 months now. He’s a happy crawler.

I hope this is useful in considering other factors.

Nicole – the Pikler/Gerber approach takes a quite different view. Yes, infants need tummy time and it IS the position they choose of their own volition when they are ready, assuming they are given plenty of free movement and floor time. The RIE philosophy values trusting the child to initiate readiness, because of all the physical and also psychological benefits that self-initiative offers.

If babies hate tummy time, there may be a neurological reason for it. Their reflexes may be hypo or hyperactive, creating distress. I encourage you to read more about reflex integration and the importance of developing these reflexes. Masgutova method is a good place to start. (Masgutovamethod.com)

Infants need tummy time. From a neurological development standpoint, for the maturation of their primary postural and motor reflexes. The way these reflexes do or do not mature are incredibly important for later skills and development. Please explore the research here and consider revising your recommendation.

Respectfully, Nicole

Hi Lynn! How generous and kind of you! Elevating Child Care is actually available in Chinese on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Elevating-Child-Care-Respectful-Parenting-ebook/dp/B011IEK5W4 And I believe that No Bad Kids will soon be available as well. Thank you so much for your interest and encouraging words. Cheers to you in New Zealand!