Tummy Time Is a Therapeutic Intervention
It is NOT an occasional playtime activity reserved only for babies who like it. All babies benefit from awake time in the belly-down position. Tummy Time helps babies develop their cervical and lumbar spinal extension curves. It helps babies who have soft tissue restrictions or tension, torticollis, plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, and oral motor issues. It promotes social engagement.
It is the essential antidote for the for the potential developmental delays associated with the effects of supine sleeping and too much time spent in car seats (any time that’s not a car ride), baby swings, bouncy seats, jumperoos, bumbo seats, rock ‘n play seats, mamaroo seats, supine baby activity centers, strollers, etc.
Babies who never spend time in the prone position will never crawl before walking. Crawling on hands and knees in a cross pattern before walking is essential for normal brain and body development.
During the first three weeks of life babies may do tummy time on the parent or caregiver’s chest or lap. After that, it should be on a surface.
How To Do It
- Start with an awake calm baby.
- It’s OK to do it immediately after feeding. Babies may spit up, but in the long run, tummy time will help with digestive issues.
- Hold the baby close to your chest as you SLOWLY lower the baby onto the surface (bed, floor, changing table, etc.).
- Rise up away from the baby and socialize.
- If the baby is still calm, VERY SLOWLY begin to turn the baby over. Do it slower than you think you should. If the baby’s body starts to stiffen, stop where you are and wait until the baby’s body relaxes again.
- When the baby is belly-down, move so they can see your face. Talk to the baby. Encourage social engagement.
- Help the baby free their arms from under the body if needed.
- If the baby lifts the hips in an effort to raise the head, hold the baby’s hips down. This is only needed if they are young and need a little extra leverage to lift their heads without lifting their butts.
- If the baby’s arms slide out sideways, you can make barriers with your hands to help keep their arms close to their bodies while they are gaining strength.
- Praise the baby for head lifting and turning. This is hard work at first.
- If the baby has a head-turning preference encourage them to turn in the non-preferred direction with the head raised against gravity. Remember, stretches don’t help head-turning preferences, strengthening in the non-preferred direction helps.
- When the baby shows signs of being done, SLOWLY roll the baby out, pick them up and hold them heart to heart. When the baby seems calm, try again.
- Cumulative tummy time (maybe divided into very short sessions) should be at least 30 minutes a day.