Let's talk tummy time!
So what is tummy time? Tummy time is where a baby lays on their front (stomach) for small periods of time while they’re awake. Tummy time is really important to help babies strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles and improve their motor skills.
Most babies should start tummy time sessions from newborn. Your baby will benefit from having 2 - 3 short sessions every day (sessions should be kept short, 3 - 5 minutes). By the time your baby is 2 months old it is recommended that your little one should be getting anywhere between 15 - 30 minutes got tummy time each day.
Benefits of Tummy Time
Sessions of supervised tummy time are super important as they help to strengthen your baby’s muscles, improve your baby’s ability to move and control their muscles for motor skill development, and also to help to prevent flat spots on the back of your little one's head.
What Does Tummy Time Help With?
For Newborns and Infants 1-3 Months:
Tummy time helps develop the muscles they need to be able to roll over crawl, sit up and eventually walk. It's important to stay with your little one during tummy time!
For Older Babies 4-7 Months:
Supervised tummy time is still important at this stage, even if they are at the stage of rolling over or sitting up with aid. Tummy time can help them practice lifting their heads and chest by strengthening their arms, their chest and their back muscles.
Tummy time is also beneficial for babies with positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) which occurs when babies spend too much time on their backs in the first few months of their life. Tummy time helps to form normal shaping of the back of the head.
Tummy time encourages babies to discover and learn about the world around them. For babies born with a neck condition called torticollis (tight neck muscles) tummy time can help your baby’s neck muscles relax.
Ways To Boost Tummy Time and Make It Fun for Your Little One
- Play with toys: encourage your little one to reach, pull and push their toys. This is an easy way to stimulate your little one and improve their coordination.
- Clapping: Take turns clapping yours and your little one's hands together. Clapping requires a good amount of muscle control, fine motor skills and good hand-eye coordination.
- Dancing: Dancing with your little one in your arms is great for bonding and their emotional development. Most babies enjoy the gentle rocking motion and being held close to you.
- Singing to your baby: your little one loves the sound of your voice (even if you aren’t the best singer) singing nursery rhymes and other songs is a great way to entertain your little one.
- Add some wrist rattles or noise makers to provide entertainment thanks to the sensory stimulation.
- Use mirrors to entertain and as a distraction. Babies love seeing their reflections and are fascinated by faces, especially their own.
- Play peek-a-boo by getting down to your little ones level during tummy time is great, regardless of their age. This simple, classic game is entertaining. It also helps to strengthen their continued bond with their caregiver/parent.
How To Do Tummy Time
Tummy Time With Newborns
Place your newborn on their belly, on your chest, or across your legs for a couple of minutes at a time, two to three times a day. While they are doing tummy time they can practice lifting their head, and strengthening their neck and shoulder muscles. Over time, as your little one gets used to it, they can go for longer periods of time.
Tummy Time With Older Babies
For older babies, lay a blanket down in a clear space on the floor and place your baby on their belly. For around 3-5 minutes, several times a day. Your little one may fuss or get frustrated during tummy time, so keep these sessions short in the beginning, as they get used to tummy time, you can lengthen these periods. Experts say that babies should be doing an hour of tummy time a day, by the time they are 3 months old.
Tip - initiate tummy time after your little one has been fed, changed and has is happy.
