Even if you are new parents, you have probably heard people mention the term “tummy time.” Perhaps you have an idea of what it is and how it benefits your newborn, or maybe it’s still a mystery! Read on to learn more about this important exercise for your baby.

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During his first 3 months, your infant will start developing the strength and initiative to explore his Body Movement skills by moving various parts of his body. He will learn to “raise [his] head, arch [his] body, and flex [his] legs” at this time.¹ You can support his gross motor skills by using simple exercises that strengthen his large muscle groups.

One of the best physical exercises you can use at this age is tummy time. Tummy time is critical to your baby’s development because it allows him to feel his different large muscles working together. It also helps to strengthen his neck and upper back muscles, building the foundation that leads to his later ability to sit up, crawl, and eventually walk!^2,3 In fact, the American Physical Therapy Association has reported that many therapists have “noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much time on their backs while awake.”⁴

What many new parents don’t know is that they can actually start tummy time at birth. For newborns, the best way to do this is during “kangaroo care,” when you lay your baby facing you on top of your chest, skin to skin. In fact, this variety of tummy time is so natural to babies that it has been reported that right after childbirth the average newborn is physically able to move himself up from his mother’s stomach towards her bare breast to feed.⁵ As you can imagine, a warm and cozy environment is best for this activity!

After you place your baby on your chest, speak to him lovingly, and he will naturally raise his head to follow your familiar voice and focus on your face. Starting tummy time in this manner will not only get him used to the hard work of building his neck and back muscles early on, but it will also strengthen his attachment and bond with you.

As your baby matures and becomes more comfortable with tummy time, you can gradually try it in some new places, moving him from your chest to across your knees, and then finally to a soft, padded floor.³ When you do move him to your knees or the floor, make the experience interesting by using an unbreakable mirror or brightly colored toys to draw his attention. If he seems uncomfortable, try placing his upper body and arms over a towel or baby blanket to elevate him slightly.²

In addition to developing muscle strength, another important reason to encourage tummy time is to give your newborn a break from spending too much time on his back. Due to the rise of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) deaths, in 1992 the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending that all babies be placed on their backs to sleep, which has led to a dramatic decline in cases of SIDS.⁶ However, a new phenomenon found among back-sleeping babies is positional plagiocephaly, more commonly known as head flattening or deformation.^4,7

Because babies are spending so much of their time sleeping on their backs or held in constrained car seats with the back of their heads up against a flat surface, the back of their soft skulls begin to flatten over time. To help avoid positional plagiocephaly and to encourage healthy development, change your baby’s position often. Also, practice tummy time whenever possible to give him more opportunities to develop a wider range of motion and a needed rest to his head!!^1,3,4

Since tummy time is a physical exercise, it can quickly exhaust your newborn baby. Be observant of your baby’s cues and stop the activity if he is showing any signs of discomfort or tiredness, such as rubbing his eyes, becoming fussy, or losing interest in your current activity together.^2,3 Try to limit tummy time to short durations of 5 minutes or less to start, before gradually lengthening it as his large muscles’ stamina increases over time.

Many parents say that their babies “don’t like” tummy time and cry non-stop during the exercise. If this is your concern, don’t worry. This often occurs because parents start tummy time later on during infancy with their babies on a hard floor, instead of starting early on a parent’s chest or thighs. It’s no wonder babies don’t like that; it’s not only uncomfortable and uninteresting, but hard work. If you have ended up starting tummy time when your baby is beyond the newborn stage, you can make it more fun for him by getting on the floor with him, talking or singing to him, or showing him toys.² And make sure the surface is comfortable!

By 3 months, your baby will start developing new physical abilities. With his increasing large muscle memory and strength he will be able to push up his head, neck, and chest with his hands or forearms when lying down, start trying to roll over, and even stand and push with his legs while you hold him on your lap or other firm surface.¹ With your support, your baby will be eager to explore all of his gross motor abilities.

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Body Movement skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Consider doing baby yoga and light stretches with your baby.⁸ Baby yoga helps your baby get familiar with his body and encourages him to move in different ways. Be sure to seek instruction and guidance from a qualified instructor or author.
2. Do tummy time activities daily. Tummy time helps build upper neck and back muscles that will lead to rolling, sitting, and crawling. Encourage the development of these muscles by doing tummy time daily. If your baby does not take to using the floor, modify the exercise by placing him on your chest so that he can raise his head to gaze up at you.^2,3,4 
3. Support your baby in different body positions. Be sure to use appropriately sized pillows and props to help support his head and body in the different poses. Place him on his stomach with his arms over a rolled towel, sit him up against support pillows, or hold him up as he feels his own weight on his feet. By changing your baby’s position frequently, you will also avoid positional plagiocephaly, or the flattening of the skull.
4. Help your baby with his first (supported) steps.⁹ Babies are born with a “first steps” response when they are “held in an upright position with their legs bearing some of their weight.” As you hold your baby and help his body move slightly forward, he will begin to take alternating “steps” forward. However, as he gains weight relative to his immature muscle development, he will begin to lose this ability when he reaches 6-8 weeks old. But don’t worry! You can still practice these pre-walking skills by holding him up with his legs submerged during bath time. The water will make his legs easier to lift by adding buoyancy to each step.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your newborn achieved the following Body Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and so easy to use, just click HERE!

• Lifts head and chest while lying on stomach (i.e. “tummy time”).
• Pushes up with arms to support weight while lying on stomach.
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface.
• Makes smoother arm and leg movements.

Sources:

¹Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

²Fries, Wendy C. Tummy Time for Your Newborn. WebMD. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/sleep-naps-12/tummy-time.

³Hoecker, Jay L. What’s the Importance of Tummy Time for a Baby? Mayo Clinic. Retrieve January 22, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/tummy-time/expert-answers/faq-20057755.

⁴Science Daily (2008). Child Development: Lack of Time on Tummy Shown to Hinder Achievement. Science Daily. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806122422.htm.

⁵Henderson, Amanda (2012). Promoting the Breast Crawl. Healthy Mom & Baby (Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses). Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://www.health4mom.org/a/promoting_the_breast_crawl_810/.

⁶American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP Expands Guidelines for Infant Sleep Safety and SIDS Risk Reduction. Healthy Children, from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/pages/AAP-Expands-Guidelines-for-Infant-Sleep-Safety-and-SIDS-Risk-Reduction.aspx.

⁷Kids Health. Positional Head-Flattening in Babies. Kids Health. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://www.kidshealth.org.nz/positional-head-flattening-babies.

⁸Stone, Amy. Yoga to Bolster Baby Development. Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/1648.

⁹Nugent, Kevin, and Morell, Abelardo (2011). Your Baby is Speaking to You. New York, NY: HoughtonMifflin Harcourt.

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Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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