Reddit mentions of Sassy Tummy Time Floor Mirror | Developmental Baby Toy | Newborn Essential for Tummy Time | Great Shower Gift

31/33 days in the NICU and both my twins are in early intervention, which sounds scary but it's great! A physical therapist comes to our house once a week and works with them on tummy time, neck control, etc.

Preemies are definitely going to be "behind" on their milestones, but they typically catch up. If your doctors don't understand that preemies are behind and that's ok, then get new doctors. If your doctors understand that preemies are behind and are offering services like physical therapy/early intervention to help them catch up, take them up on it!

By 4 months adjusted, I agree with your doctors that your next goals are to be pushing up on arms and getting rid of those head bobbles. But your doctors shouldn't be shaming you and should instead be giving you these goals and ways to help meet them (early intervention, physical therapy, suggestions on ways to make tummy time more pleasant).

Speaking of tummy time, I definitely think tummy time on your chest counts. My babies both hate floor tummy time. Here are some suggestions for you that I've found to help with my babies who hate floor tummy time:

• Keep doing tummy time on your chest. It's helping her get stronger even if it's not as "intense" of a work out for her as floor time.
  
• Does she like mirrors? We use this with my son who loves a mirror and it buys us an extra minute or so with floor time (remember, your goal isn't to go from 0 enjoyment of floor time to loving 15 minutes of floor time in one step. It's to go from 0 seconds of enjoyment to 5 seconds. Then from 5 seconds to 10. etc)
  
• How about music? We play music right next to them and that distracts them through some floor time
  
• Do you have a couch or chair? Try doing tummy time on the couch so that her head, if she were to pick it up and look forward, is looking out into the room. Place yourself in front of her (so you're seated on the floor). She may like to be able to see far and wide from her high vantage point on the couch, and you're right there to reassure her and provide a face to watch too
  
• How about a boppy? Or a prop pillow? We have had great luck with this one
  
• How about a rolled up towel or receiving blanket?
  
• How about in the air (getting her used to being in a position that isn't on her back)?
  
• Remember that babies are pretty good at feeling what you're feeling. If you're going into tummy time tense and stressed, she will notice and stress herself.
  
• Try not just placing her on her face, but starting her on her back, then gently rolling her to her side. Let her hang out on her side for a bit. Then gently roll her from her side to her front.
  
• Try to learn when her crying means "I'm frustrated because I'm working really hard to lift my head and it's heavy!" and when it means "OK I'm done now. Nothing more productive is going to happen this session." Let her fuss through the frustration and keep trying. Pick her up and soothe her when it's the second kind of crying.

I found two things that worked wonders with my daugters tummy time.

1. A baby mirror you can put in front of them. She loves it. I got the sassy tummy time mirror from amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002J4U8M0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   
2. I started playing the baby einstein videos off amazon prime. My tv is at a height that she has to really put her head up to watch them from her tummy time station on the floor. I only use them during tummy time and she loves them.
   
   Thats mainly what has worked for us. We have a bunch of props to help, and I roll her over to rest and back on her tummy to work and shes getting better at it but it was really a learning process for all of us.

At that age my daughter loved the little plush mirror that she looked at during tummy time and her play mat. She also liked those little mini crunchy books that make sound like crackling paper when you turn the pages...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01GCH64CC?psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002J4U8M0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497471878&sr=8-1&keywords=sassy+mirror+baby&dpPl=1&dpID=51R8Pgj9dDL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002DWALTI/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_107_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EDSMZQ3FK9M11G0W48FK&dpPl=1&dpID=91CItN2WZ9L

yea, she is much more accepting of tummy time with a little support. I do some time with and some without. I also use it to roll up and keep her on her side for a bit as well.

This is the mirror we're using.

I thought this may help my fellow new parenters out there. If you're anything like me, you scoured the internet checking off every "must-have" baby items list before your LO was born, but I still ended up having Amazon deliver things about every other day for the first couple months.

As a disclaimer, I'm not saying these are MUST HAVE items. I just went through my Amazon purchases and I'm writing down some things that I purchased in those 3 AM wee hour Amazon shopping sprees.

Here's a compilation of everything that I felt I missed in my preparation for my baby girl:

• An electric nail file. I was terrified to cut her nails myself. This is a safe and easy alternative.
  
• A Swaddle UP. This allows her hands to be by her face, which she preferred her first month or two.
  
• Friedababy MediFrida. My baby had a rough go of reflux and was diagnosed with Ranitidine pretty quickly. This helped us give her doses with no fuss!
  
  
• Comfy shorts for me. I was unprepared for my post C-Section body and clothing options.
  
  
• Gripe Water / Colic Drops. My reflux baby had some rouuuuugh nights. These helped? Maybe? Witching hour SUCKS.
  
• A bigger swaddle that ZIPS. Screw trying to unvelcro my child out of her swaddle quietly at 2 AM.
  
• A mirror to help with tummy time. She still hates tummy time. But she does like looking at herself for a while. So I count that as a win.
  
• MORE. BOOKS. you don't have enough. I promise. After the 15th time of reading "The Rainbow Fish" you'll appreciate a change of pace. I personally recommend, "The Wonky Donkey."
  
• Trial and error pacis. Your kid will have a preference and you'll just have to figure out which. Once you figure it out, buy extras.
  
  
• Bibs / ABSORBENT Burp Cloths. Again... You don't have enough. And the little tiny rags that Gerber tries to sell at Target will not do the trick. Get some THICK in your burp cloth regimen.
  
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  I hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything you would add to the list.