Infant Positioning

[admin]

With infants with BPI, is it safe to do tummy time?

[Tammie]

tummy time is good. if your child doesn't like it you can try to put them on a large ball and roll them around until they get used to it. also the mats that you fill with water are fun too. you want to encourage weight bearing and tummy time is good for that. good luck.

[admin]

"Tummy time" is good for babies in general, BPI or not, unless otherwise stated by your specialist in regards to the extent of your child's injury. My 4 month old is always on her tummy, she started rolling onto her stomach at 3 months so I really can't prevent her from doing it. She even rolls in her crib at night, I have tried putting a pillow to the side of her to prevent it but that only upsets her. She doesn't sleep on her stomach, I think it still my be a bit uncomfortable in that position for too long but otherwise she has no problems with it. Her head and neck control is amazing and a lot of that is due to the "tummy time". My therapist said it is good for weight bearing and for muscle stretching as well. Talk to your specialist but as long as your child can tolerate it, it is good for their development!
By the way, Target had a great infant "tummy time" mat/blanket with a small boppy type pillow to place under their arms/shoulders for support with toys that attach and also a water pouch filled with floating butterflies for sensory. It's great for encouraging your child to reach and grab. It costs 19.99 and is found in the infant section. Just a thought!

Take Care.

[Karen Hillyer]

My sons physiotherapist recommended that we have him on his tummy fom six weeks of age- it is an excellent way of encouraging weight bearing through the injured arm and shoulder and is excellent exercise for the children.
My son crawled commando style from 5 months and on all fours ( proper crawling) at 10 months and at the age of 6 he was x rayed by Professor Birch here in the Uk and we were congratulated on his excellent shoulder stability- he actually commented that Gavin had as near perfect shoulder as anyone WITHOUT a bpi - we were thrilled as left to our own devices we would probably NEVER have put him on his tummy, so our therapist really helped us and Gavin, a huge amount.
Tummy time is good !

[Mom of 3 boys]

I wouldn't worry excessively over tummy time. Developmentally children need to be on the tummy and your child should have the opportunity to learn how to roll over and crawl and do the things normal children do. Yes, my children slept in the family bed too but only because I wanted them to not because they need to. As I recall, we did have one of those special pillows to encourage babies to sleep on the back because it is better for them or was if that has recently changed....

To put it another way... We used to have a therapist who had a degree in OT and PT who used to do wheelbarrow races with our little guy when he would have been somewhere closer to a year old. He is now six so I have a hard time remembering the exact age.

I am going to tell you what I tell everyone. Our son was born with Erbs Palsy and had surgery at 5 1/2 months at TCH. He is now six. He swims, takes Karate and Gymnastic lessons and has never dislocated a shoulder. Granted he has never done the cats cradle on the rings and swims underwater more than above it but he leads a very normal life if you can call 5 years of therapy normal. Normal for most kids with BPI. Both arms are the same lenth and he feels no pain what so ever. In order to bend his arm he has to wing out his elbow and when he lifts both arms above his head one is slightly below the other.

My philosophy is that if he is willing to try it then I am willing to let him. I will not enable my child to act helpless and so far he has done everything any normal kid can do. Granted that not everything is done exactly like everyone else and somethings may take a hair longer to figure out but believe me, he keep up. Every kid is different but it is important to allow a child to have a normal life as much as possible.