how much tummy time for a 4mo old?

[Adelheid]

Just now, I was reading about where my child should be at developmentally and I got really upset. The book said that by four months he should be able to hold his head up to a 90 degree angle, possibly even push his chest up with his arms.
My LO is a week shy of 4 months and doesn't do much more than hold his head off the ground with his arms out to the side.
 I know he's probably normal but I can't help but worry I'm doing something wrong. The doctors say he's healthy.

Is there an average amount of time a 4mo old should spend doing tummy time? We do about 60min a day, sometimes a little more. Of course, half that time my DS is happy to just lay and suck on his fingers. So, I don't know how much of it counts as tummy time.

[becj86]

If you're worried which it seems you are (though if Dr is saying he's healthy, he's likely within the range of 'normal' and therefore fine), you could lie down in front of him and show him the movements by doing them yourself. Babies copy to learn as I'm sure you know from your older two. FWIW, the strength required to hold his head up with arms out is probably more than what's required to push up with his arms. He's probably just doing his own thing rather than reading the books

[creations]

I don't think mine ever got 60 min per day as he didn't like being on his tummy and it made him spit up (reflux).
You could try supervised tummy time on a pillow or wedge (so he doesn't roll off) which gives a little tilt to the body and might encourage him to lift more to have a look around.
You could also try laying down on your back with him on his tummy on top of you, the interaction may encourage more movement.

Developmental miles stones can get all of us in a tizz tbh. Of course they are there for a reason to flag up any big problems but try not to be too "to the letter/date" on them as LOs have a tendency to do things in their own time and still within the normal range.  I  was in a tizzy about how many words my DS had as he was approaching 2yo...and then he had this huge language leap and came out with sentences which were well beyond the expected.  Some LOs are a bit late with certain developments but then shoot ahead.