Is your baby getting enough time on his tummy each day? If she’s between the ages of 2 and 4 months old and holding up her head, it’s tummy time!
More than a decade ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that babies be put on their backs to sleep in order to reduce the chances of sudden infant death syndrome. The good news is that the incidence of SIDS has dropped by more than 40 percent. The not-so-good news is that more babies are developing flat spots on the back of the skull, a condition called positional plagiocephaly. This condition, however, can often be prevented or treated by simply remembering, “back to sleep, tummy to play.”
“Putting your baby on her tummy gives her a chance to exercise her neck and head, and it helps build her upper body muscles and strength,” says Mary Kay Frazier, Registered Nurse and Board-Certified Lactation Consultant at Kansas City’s Pediatric Care North.
Time on her belly also encourages your baby to practice reaching and pivoting, skills that are often the precursors to crawling. There are psychological benefits, too: When your baby learns to make her body do new things, she feels a sense of accomplishment. This builds her confidence to try more new skills as she grows and her coordination improves.
“At first, tummy time should be really short,” Frazier says. “And no matter the age, parents need to be right there supervising their baby in case there’s a problem.”
When your baby is ready for tummy time, simply place her on her tummy on a soft blanket on the floor. To keep her entertained, try lying beside her with brightly colored toys or a mirror. Make silly expressions and sounds or sing to her. It will help your baby enjoy this special time each day.
Kansas City mom Jennifer Smith says she’s thankful her son enjoys spending time on his tummy.
“When Vance was younger, I’d do tummy time for maybe 5 to 10 minutes,” she says. “But now that he’s 5 months old, he’ll stay there for a good 15 minutes or so playing with his toys. He loves it.”
Kim Sledd, another Kansas City mom, says she began giving her son tummy time as soon as he could hold up his head, although he didn’t like it.
“I would give Asher a little tummy time each day until he got tired, which was pretty quickly when he was really young. He didn’t like it until he got older,” she says. “He’s now 6 months old and starting to reach for things and scoot.”
Unfortunately, many babies don’t like spending time on their tummies. If your baby is one to protest, keep trying. Always lying belly up can delay your baby’s motor development, such as lifting her head, turning over, sitting and even crawling.
Frazier says that as long as parents incorporate tummy time into playtime rather than making it a chore, babies tend to learn to like it more as they get older.
“Being involved helps. Parents should be right there playing with their babies, reading to them or singing,” she says.
Other steps you can take to keep your baby’s head from lying in the same position include using an infant carrier during the day and avoiding leaving your baby in car seats (when not in the car) and bouncy seats for long periods of time.
Try some of these ideas to make tummy time more enjoyable:
- Begin with shorter periods of tummy time, such as 2 to 3 minutes a day.
- Lie down on your back and lay your baby down on her tummy on your chest.
- Lay her down on a tummy-time play mat with age-appropriate toys around her to reach for.
- Lie down on the floor with your baby and talk or sing to him.
- Try propping her chest up with a pillow.
Kansas City mom Gina Klein is a writer and photographer who remembershow difficult tummy time was with both of her daughters … but it did getbetter!