Everything you need to know about Tummy Time!

 

Read our quick guide to tummy time. What it is, how to do it, how much your baby needs and how to make it more fun.

What?

The period during the day your baby spends awake and on their stomach.

It is one of your baby’s first exercises—and the most important! It is a crucial exercise for baby’s motor, visual, and sensory development.

Why?

• To develop the core muscles of the neck, back, and shoulder muscles
• To meet developmental milestones
• To possibly help prevent early motor delays and conditions, such as flat head syndrome (positional plagiocephaly) and twisted neck (positional torticollis).

When?

Begin from birth and continue throughout your baby’s first year.

Aim to achieve at least an hour total per day by 3 months of age. This hour needs to be broken up into many smaller parts. From newborn, start with a few minutes at a time and build up to longer sessions. Once your baby is rolling both ways and crawling you won’t need to keep practicing tummy time!

How?

Place baby on their tummy in the prone position whilst supervised to play. Many babies are not keen on tummy time to begin with so have a look at our ideas to make tummy time more fun…

 

How do I make Tummy Time easier?

• Go chest to chest – this is a great way to start as you can change the angle with your baby laid on your chest.
• Use props – exciting toys or mirrors make tummy time feel less of a chore for your baby
• Have a seat – sit on the floor and use your thigh to prop up your baby’s chest making tummy time a bit easier
• Be entertaining – get face to face so that your baby can see you and entertain them with silly faces.
• Rock and roll – try lying your baby on their tummy on the birthing ball or a beach ball
• Take a wander – using a sling or your arms take your baby for a walk.
• Make a baby aeroplane – lying on your back with your knees up balance your baby facing you and move them around making plane noises!
• Get naked – great skin to skin bonding time too!

 

There you have it. Everything you need to know about tummy time including how to make it more fun and enjoyable for your baby if it isn’t their faviourite activity.

 

A great way to gain more fun ideas for core strength activities is to come along to one of our Sensory Storytelling Adventure Babies classes!