Tummy time shmummy time!

I am part of mommy groups for my oldest baby and now my youngest,  we've discussed milestones and of course there is always the comparison some moms tend to do with their babies, being that this is my third, though I do not necessarily consider myself a pro I have been around the block a couple of times to reserve myself from such discussions, I am perfectly comfortable with my baby developing at her natural rate..

A subject that comes up that sort of bothers me is "tummy time" this is why.. 

If you are parenting with instinct.. meaning you pick up your baby when they need you to, you wear them, you co-sleep  and they spend minimal time on their backs YOU DON'T NEED IT! 

Some babies are happy in the tummy position and some completely loathe it! and it's ok!   This is the thing

When Pediatricians started the "back to sleep" campaign, encouraging parents to have babies sleep on their backs  a lot of babies started spending WAAAAY to much time on their backs,  detached parenting increases that time by having baby lay in bouncers, car seats, strollers, cribs and thus increasing babies with "flat heads"  or Plagiocephaly 

So being that parents need to be told how to parent by pediatricians (rolls eyes) they had to remind parents to actually pick up their children and put them in a position other than their backs and called it "tummy time" yaay! fun!! tummy time!! wee!  so the "back to sleep tummy to play" campaign was created  and it got so spread that even some AP parents believe that this is some sort of milestone or that the kid will not get into Harvard if they miss precious "tummy time". 

If you co-sleep, baby wear, actually hold your baby (like I am doing now while I write this)  your baby spends very little time flat on their backs  and it is not very likely their little heads will flatten.

Now I am not saying "don't do tummy time!" this is not the purpose of this post, what I am saying is.. if your baby doesn't spend too much time on their backs and they absolutely HATE tummy time.. it's ok! Please don't feel like there is something wrong with your baby and by all means don't force baby into doing it!  here are some great articles on tummy time 

http://www.regardingbaby.org/2010/09/20/no-tummy-time-necessary/

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/sids/prefers-sleep-tummy

http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-case-against-tummy-time-guest-post-by-irene-gutteridge/

http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/124365/tummy_time_is_unnecessary_and